Friday, October 24, 2025

Tifton, Georgia

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FEDS RELEASE FARM FUNDING, REOPEN SOME USDA OFFICES

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Thursday reopened 2,100 county Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices – including one in Tifton – and released more than $3 billion in farm funding.

The offices had been closed for more than three weeks because of the federal government's shutdown.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that "USDA will resume Farm Service Agency core operations, including critical services for farm-loan processing, Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage payments, and other programs.”

The FSA offices help farmers apply for farm loans, crop insurance, disaster assistance, and other programs.

To open the offices, funds are coming from the Commodity Credit Corporation, a USDA agency that addresses agricultural prices, officials said.

Democrats and Republicans have continued to blame each other for the government shutdown. State Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper thanked the Trump Administration for opening the FSA offices and said "the Democrat shutdown, which Senators Ossoff and Warnock fully support, has left Georgia farm families without access to the most essential farm support services and done significant damage to our state’s #1 industry.”

Meanwhile, Democrats on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee said that reopening USDA offices shows that Trump and Agriculture Secretary Rollins “could have supported farmers all along, but you chose not to because you’d rather use farmers’ pain to score cheap political points while increasing the cost of living for ordinary Americans by making food and health care more expensive.”

A MOVEMENT FOR A TIFTON VETERANS MUSEUM HOME

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

An event to help get a home for Tifton’s Veterans Museum is scheduled Saturday night.

The "Veterans Museum Movement" to benefit Tifton’s Veterans Museum will be 5-9 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion Fairgrounds on U.S. Highway 82.

The fundraiser features a vintage car cruise-in, live music by the Danny Dawson Band of Pearson, food trucks, vendors, games, a silent auction, drawings, and more. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.

Event organizer Connie Stover, owner of the Savor the Flavor and Donatello’s in Tifton, encourages everyone to “help us preserve the history of our local heroes by attending and participating in the fun."

Stover said that this “is not just another event; it’s a community movement. ... I’m asking (everyone) to stand with our veterans as we work to give their stories a permanent home.”

The event will include children’s activities such as face painting, a monster truck, and a Lifeline helicopter arriving at 5:30 p.m. with photo opportunities. Children’s book authors Tammy and Gary Griffin of Jacksonville, Fla., will sign and sell first-edition sets of three books with a portion of the proceeds going to the cause. A 50/50 ticket drawing and other door prizes will take place. 

VIP tables for eight, for donations of $150, include a complimentary bottle of wine and a ticket in a drawing for the “Boozy Wagon,” valued at $1,500. The silent auction includes jewelry from Central Jewelers. 

The “Boozy Wagon” includes a bar set, three cases of beer, eight bottles of wine, Jack Daniels, Hennessey, and more. Stover said the event’s goal is to raise $25,000.

The Tifton Veterans Museum, which has been closed for nearly a year and a half, had been located at the Atlantic Coast Line Station building downtown in Tifton Gardens. Following the sale of the adjoining wooden railroad museum, where some of the Veterans Museum items were displayed, and the installation of a fire wall, there was no longer enough room for the 500-plus framed pictures and display cases of local veterans' memorabilia. 

The museum's items are currently in a temporary storage unit.

Stover said that local veterans’ stories deserve to be preserved and honored in Tifton. 

“The museum is more than just a building – it’s a living record of the courage, sacrifice, and service that define our community’s history," she said. “This project represents pride, remembrance, and unity. Together, we can ensure future generations understand the cost of freedom and the strength of those who served.”

Nyisha McDuffie Key explains Georgia's library system Wednesday to the Rotary Club of Tifton. The Coastal Plain Regional Library System director says today's libraries are as important as ever.

LIBRARIES EVOLVE, ADAPT, STILL RELEVANT, DIRECTOR SAYS

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

Nyisha McDuffie Key, director of the Coastal Plain Regional Library System, addressed the issue of whether people still using libraries when she spoke to Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday. 

Key supports six library systems in six counties: Ben Hill, Berrien, Cook, Irwin, Tift, and Turner. 

Sometimes, she said, people ask is the library still there?

“Yes, the library is still there, and people are still using it,” she said. 

She described the impact of the public library in our community using the example of a little girl getting her first card that is hers. “She’s too young to have a credit card, but she can have a library card,” Key said. A few years later, she is advocating for her baby sister to get one.

Another example she shared was of a man who uses the library to study for his technical education program and his efforts bring him into a more successful outcome in his career. A third example was of a mother bringing her child to the library and gaining better reading skills and confidence in herself.

There are 60 library systems in Georgia; 51 are PINES libraries – Public Information Network for Electronic Services. It is Georgia’s “borderless library” system that allows PINES card holders free access to books and other materials in nearly 300 library branches and affiliated service outlets throughout the state.

Key said the mission of the Coastal Plains Library System is to be engaged, vital, and accessible. Its vision is to enrich lives by connecting communities with valuable resources, innovative technology, and quality information, she said.

She said the system has 48 staff. The local branch is the Tifton-Tift County Public Library, located at 245 Love Ave. Its hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sunday. 

Tina O’Day is the interim branch manager for Tifton.

The library is funded through federal, state, and local funds. Tift County has a Library Foundation that raises funds for books and materials, summer reading, and other programs.

Key said 97,690 books, DVDS, CDs, and other items were checked out from the Tifton library in Fiscal Year 2025, with a total of 206,019 in the six counties, Key said.

The total patron visits to the Tifton-Tift County Public Library numbered 78,821 in FY 2025. The six-county system experienced 164,355 visits. 

Program attendance in the Tifton library numbered 7,397, approximately half of the system’s total of 14,401. Wifi use at the Tifton library amounted to nearly 140,000 uses in FY 2025, with nearly 240,000 in the six counties.

Libraries have evolved and adapted, Key said. “We’re here to connect our communities.”

GDOT AWARDS BRIDGE PROJECT IN BEN HILL COUNTY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) recently awarded contracts for 21 projects valued at approximately $218.4 million, including a bridge in Ben Hill County.

The Ben Hill project involves construction of a 0.189-mile bridge and its approaches on Tulip Road (County Road 80) over Young Creek. Southern Concrete Construction Co. of Albany was the low bidder at $1,635,939.79.

The project is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2026, GDOT said.

The recent awards bring the total construction contracts for Fiscal Year 2026, which began on July 1, to approximately $1.03 billion, GDOT said. The total includes Transportation Improvement Act, Design-Bid-Build, and locally administered projects. Fiscal Year 2026 concludes next June 30.

RIDDLE SELECTED FOR LEADERSHIP GEORGIA

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

The Leadership Georgia Board of Trustees has selected Tyler Riddle of Tifton for the organization’s Class of 2026.

Each year, Leadership Georgia seeks emerging leaders from across the state and selects 63 participants from a pool of several hundred applicants to participate in the year-long leadership program.

Riddle, a Tift County commissioner and a local businessman, is one of only a few leaders selected from South Georgia, which includes Heather Abbott of Thomasville, Josh Lovett of Moultrie, Stuart Sinyard of Albany, and Gala Jackson Dobbins and Mitchell Weltman Tatar, both of Valdosta.

Leadership Georgia aims to prepare leaders for the state's future development. During the program year, participants experience five immersive programs that examine critical issues facing Georgia communities. Together, the class participants seek mutual understanding and solutions to help drive change and success

.

The 2026 Leadership Georgia class will be led by Chandra Harris of Atlanta. The class theme is “Resilient – Resourceful – Rising Higher.”

Leadership Georgia, a statewide leadership organization, was founded in 1971. More than 5,000 leaders have participated in the program. Leadership Georgia is a volunteer-run organization governed by a Board of Trustees and is an affiliate of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

KEEP TIFT BEAUTIFUL TO UNVEIL NEW STRUCTURE AT COMMUNITY GARDEN

By BONNIE SAYLES

Tifton Grapevine

This Saturday, the Keep Tift Beautiful (KTB) volunteers will host a Shade Structure Reveal from 10 a.m.-noon at the KTB Community Garden, 1417 Central Ave., unveiling the new feature and announcing the Tift Community Pledge to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. 

“This (shade structure) project has been made possible through the generosity of our partners and the hard work of dedicated volunteers,” volunteers say on the KTB Facebook page.

“The new structure will not only provide comfort and shelter for garden visitors but also serve as a gathering space for future events, workshops, and community connections.”

Residents are invited to tour the garden and learn more about how Keep Tift Beautiful is working to grow a greener, healthier community. Light refreshments will be served. 

For information, text or call Kara Self at 229-326-5395 or email KeepTiftBeautiful@gmail.com

“Let’s celebrate progress, partnerships, and the power of community together,” Self said. 

Meanwhile, Tifton is joining 25,000 communities nationwide in a Community Pledge Day to remove litter and beautify America in time for the 250th birthday of the United States on July 4, 2026. Read more about the Greatest American Clean up at https://kab.org/greatest-american-cleanup/

The goal is to remove 25 billion pieces of litter from parks, waterways, and public spaces by July 4, 2026.  

“It’s ambitious but achievable. And we can’t do it alone,” according to the website. Cities and organizations are asked to take the pledge to help create a cleaner, greener community. 

Pictured from left are Dave Wills, ACCG executive director; Clinton Johnson, ACCG president and Dougherty County commissioner; Donnie Hester, Tift County Commission vice chairman; Tracy Arner, UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government interim associate director of governmental training, education, and development; and Dr. Marci Campbell, UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government public service associate.

TIFT COMMISSION VICE CHAIR HESTER COMPLETES COURSE IN LEARNING ACADEMY

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Donnie Hester, vice chairman of the Tift County Commission, has been recognized for completing the citizen engagement specialty track requirements in the Lifelong Learning Academy for county officials.

The Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG or Georgia’s county association) awarded Hester and several other county officials with certificates for completing requirements in the ACCG Lifelong Learning Academy.

Recipients were recognized during the association’s recent Legislative Leadership Conference at the Jekyll Island Convention Center.

ACCG and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia have collaborated for more than two decades to provide county officials with supplemental training and educational tools in the Lifelong Learning Academy. With many courses from which they may choose, every county official has a tailor-made learning experience that allows them to excel in specific areas of expertise.

County leaders who prioritize furthering their education are better equipped to address challenges and are assets to their communities. I commend Vice Chairman Hester for unwavering dedication to understanding his community," said ACCG Executive Director Dave Wills.

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON CUTTING

Tifton Grapevine Staff Reports

Southwell Ear, Nose & Throat

39 Kent Road, Suite 2, Tifton

Oct. 21

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YOUR GUIDE

TO ACTIVITIES

THIS WEEKEND

IN THE GREATER

TIFTAREA

Sunday, Oct. 26, is National Pumpkin Day – and 'tis the season for pumpkins, which are members of the gourd family. Pumpkins are indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. As Frenchman Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of North America in the 1500s, he found what the French called “gros melons.” The name was translated into English as “pompions,” which has evolved into “pumpkins.” The Halloween connection dates to the 1800s. The term “jack-o’-lantern” first appeared in 1837, while the idea of a carved pumpkin originated in 1866. By the way, "Pumpkin Spice" was invented in 2003 by Starbucks coffee executive Peter Dukes, who came up with the idea for a fall espresso flavor. Dukes and his former Stanford basketball teammates used to alternate sips of espresso with bites of pumpkin pie, finding the combination irresistible.

Born on Oct. 24: Moss Hart, playwright & theater director, 1904-1961; Bob Kane, illustrator & co-creator of Batman, 1915-2003; Y.A. Tittle, NFL quarterback, 1926- 2017; J.P. Richardson Jr., "The Big Bopper," rock 'n roll singer, 1930-1959; Stephen R. Covey, author, 1932- 2012; Bill Wyman, rock guitarist, 1936- ; F. Murray Abraham, stage & film actor, 1939- ; Kevin Kline, actor, 1947- ; Drake, popular singer, 1986- .

FRIDAY, OCT. 24

• Homeschool Hangout: Candy Corn Science, 11 a.m., Tifton-Tift County Public Library, Tifton

• Fall Festival, crafts, snacks, & more, 4-6 p.m., Victoria Evans Memorial Library, 605 North St., Ashburn

• Something Wicked This Way Sings: A Halloween Revue, family friendly musical with favorite Halloween villains and songs, 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton

• Haunted Depot, 7-9 p.m., Downtown Sylvester

• Tift County High Blue Devils football vs. Valdosta High Wildcats, 7:30 p.m., Brodie Field, Tifton

• Tiftarea Academy Panthers football vs. Terrell Academy Eagles, 7:30 p.m., Panther Pit, Chula

• Turner County High Titans football @ Clinch County High Panthers, 7:30 p.m., Homerville

• Fitzgerald High Purple Hurricane football @ Bacon County High Raiders, 7:30 p.m., Alma

• Irwin County High Indians football @ Lanier County High Bulldogs, 7:30 p.m., Lakeland

• Berrien County High Rebels football vs. Brantley County High Herons, 7:30 p.m., Nashville

• Cook County High Hornets football @ Appling County High Pirates, 7:30 p.m., Baxley

• Worth County High Rams football @ Jeff Davis High Yellowjackets, 7:30 p.m., Hazlehurst

SATURDAY, OCT. 25

• Shake, Rattle & Run for a Cure: Breast Cancer Awareness 5K & 1 Mile Run/Walk, sponsored by The Howard Center for Women's Health, 8-10 a.m., 1948 Old Ocilla Road, Tifton

• 65th Georgia Sweet Potato Festival, parade, live music wi Highway 129 Band, art & crafts, food vendors, classic cars, kid's activities, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Ocilla

• Horsemanship & Farrier Clinic, hosted by ABAC Horsemen's Association, Horsemanship class – 8 a.m.-noon, Farrier class, 1:30-4:30 p.m., ABAC Rodeo Arena, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton

• Tifton Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Tifton Gardens, Downtown Tifton

• Community Garden Pledge Day/Garden Shade-Structure Reveal, Keep Tift Beautiful community event, 10 a.m.-noon, Community Garden, 1415 Central Ave., Tifton

• Creepy Critters Pet Costume Contest, benefitting Tift Animal Rescue, 10:30 a.m., Tifton Farmers Market, Downtown Tifton

• Veterans Museum Movement Event, benefit for Tifton Veterans Museum – live music with Danny Dawson Band, West & Jackson; auto Cruise-In; Kids Fun Zone, food trucks, games, face-painting, raffles, & more; 5-9 p.m., American Legion Fairgrounds, Tifton

• Pets & Pals Parade, 6 p.m., The Depot, Downtown Sylvester

• Oasis Halloween Party: Graveyard of the Past, costumes encouraged – all ages; 6:30 p.m., Oasis Recovery Community Center, 902 Main St. S., Tifton

• Something Wicked This Way Sings: A Halloween Revue, family friendly musical with favorite Halloween villains and songs, 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton

• Haunted Depot, 7-9 p.m., Downtown Sylvester

SUNDAY, OCT. 26

• Something Wicked This Way Sings: A Halloween Revue, family friendly musical with favorite Halloween villains and songs, 3 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Downtown Tifton

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TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S DOG OF THE WEEK

Meet "Reilly," an adorable 10-month-old pup who came to the animal shelter as a stray. Reilly is friendly, playful, and good with absolutely everyone — people, dogs, and anyone she meets. She’s still just a puppy, full of curiosity and love, and ready to find a family who will give her the happy life she deserves. Visit Reilly and see other pets available for adoption between 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Tift County Animal Shelter on Highway 125 South, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).

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