GOOD CLEAN FUN
AS
BLUE DEVILS
SCRIMMAGE IN
'SOAP BOWL'
Tift County football teams very well may need all the detergent expected to be collected tonight at its Ninth Annual Soap Bowl scrimmage -- more rain (and mud) is forecast.
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Graphic by MillaCreationsz
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 The sixth grade through varsity squads are scheduled to scrimmage beginning at 5 p.m. today, Friday, Aug. 7, at the Tift County High mini-stadium.
The varsity is expected to take the field at 7 p.m. For admission, the audience is asked to bring biodegradable detergent and fabric softener. No bar soaps or towels are being accepted this year, says the Tift County Touchdown Club. 
This is Tift County High School's head football coach Ashley Anders' first year at the helm. The Blue Devils finished 7-4 last season.
This year's first contest will be a preseason scrimmage against Worth County on Aug. 14 in Sylvester. The regular season starts a week later against Henry County at Brodie Field. There are anticipated to be a few changes this season, in addition to the coaching staff; the Tift County "T" is expected to return to helmets, and a new digital scoreboard is planned at Brodie Field.
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HUDGINS, PIRKLE FACE OFF AT POLLS
GA HOUSE DISTRICT RUNOFF ELECTION IS TUESDAY
It's down to the wire: Horace Hudgins of Ocilla and Clay Pirkle of Sycamore are on the ballot in Tuesday's special runoff election to fill the Ga, House seat representing District 155 in the General Assembly. The district encompasses the northern part of Tift County. as well as Irwin, Ben Hill, Turner and Coffee counties.
The two were the top vote-getters among four candidates in a special election last month to fill the seat vacated by
former Rep. Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, who resigned to become state planning director of the Department of Transportation.
Early voting in the runoff ends today. Polls reopen from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, for election day.
Hudgins, the former Ocilla mayor, says education, jobs, community development and agriculture will be his priorities if elected.
A
member of the Ocilla Church of God, Hudgins has worked with Georgia Power Co. for 42 years, serving as area manager for Ashburn, Fitzgerald, Douglas and Ocilla.
He is married to Kimberly James of Homerville, and has a daughter, three sons and six grandchildren.
In 2014, Hudgins was named Ashburn-Turner County Volunteer of the Year, is a state board member of the Georgia Sheriff Youth Homes, was appointed by U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss to serve on the Agriculture Advisory Council, was appointed by Gov. Zell Miller to the Regional Advisory Council of the Department of Community Affairs, and was
appointed by Gov. Roy Barnes to the Georgia State Games Commission.
Hudgins has been a member of both the Ocilla and Homerville city councils, a board member and past president of the Ocilla Chamber of Commerce, was named the Ocilla Chamber's Director of the Year, has been a board member of the Ashburn-Turner County Chamber of Commerce, a past president of the American Heart Association chapter,
past
president
of the
Ocilla Rotary Club and past a
ssistant district governor for the
regional
Rotary Club district in Georgia.
For Pirkle, this is his first run for elective office and says education, agriculture, families and fiscal conservatism will be his main priorities if elected.
Pirkle, a deacon at Bethel Baptist Church, works with his family-owned
Pirkle
Farms in Sycamore.
He has been a
federal government economist, a commercial banker, and an economics instructor at Darton College.
He and his wife, Sharon, have two sons and a daughter.
Pirkle
has taught Sunday School for 20 years at his church, where he also serves as treasurer. He says his faith is central to his life, and
his passion has taken him on mission trips to such locations as Peru, Jamaica, Kentucky and South Carolina. He serves as a director of the Scott Dawson Evangelistic Association based in Birmingham, Ala.
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KIP MOORE LAUNCHES SKATEPARK PROJECT
BUILDING PARKS IN SELECTED CITIES ... INCLUDING TIFTON?
Country music star Kip Moore, a Tifton native, has announced plans for his "Comeback Kid Skatepark Project," a charitable initiative that will oversee the construction of a series of skateparks to benefit communities and "comeback kids."
Moore is launching the project through his non-profit organization, "Kip's Kids Fund." His first skatepark is being  built in Tennessee, and, according to ESPN Music, future cities include Tifton.
"The Comeback Kid Skatepark Project broke ground on the first park in Nashville, Tenn., with upcoming skateparks in cities like Boston, San Marcos (Texas), Annapolis (Maryland) and Kip Moore's hometown, Tifton, Georgia," reports ESPN Music.
The report has caught Tifton officials off guard.
"This is the first I've heard of it," City Manager Larry Riner told the Tifton Grapevine.
On his web site, Moore is quoted as saying: "What started off as a pipe dream of mine years ago has truly become a passion project. It came from me wanting to give kids in inner cities a safe outlet where they can form the bonds I know can be made from having somewhere awesome to go and be a part of something they enjoy.
"I wrote the song 'Comeback Kid' at a time when I felt like a comeback kid, but now when I sing it I think less about myself and more about the kids we are doing this for and how much I admire and respect them."
According to his web site, Moore is an avid rock climber, surfer, skateboarder and outdoor enthusiast. "He also has a heart for small town and inner city kids growing up with too few options. As a result, the 'Kip's Kid Fund' provides alternative outlets for youth to engage in healthy habits and physical activities like skateboarding," his web site notes.
As
Moore told ESPN Music,
"The beauty of skating is that it's such a community; it's such a brotherhood. Even though it's an individual sport, it's a lot more of a cameraderie. It's a band of brothers kind of thing. I just want to create a new outlet, an outlet that these kids aren't used to seeing."
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| Horace, with wife Kim & grandchild Paisley |
VOTE
Tuesday, Aug.11
A Proven Conservative
Georgia House District 155
Horace Hudgins will work to represent our
South Georgia values at the Georgia Capital
~ Support Georgia Agriculture
~ Fight for education dollars for
South Georgia
~ Bring Jobs to our community
 "As Georgia's first "I first met Horace Hudgins
Republican Labor over a decade ago while serving
Commissioner, in the Georgia Senate. He is the
I understand what it takes kind of conservative to create jobs. My friend leader we need
Horace Hudgins also at the state capitol. It is my belief
understands what it that he would be a great representative
takes, which is why we for the people of Coffee, Irwin,
need him in the Legislature." Tift, Ben Hill and Turner counties."
~ Mark Butler ~ Brian Kemp
Georgia Labor Commissioner Georgia Secretary of State
Thank You for Your Vote!
Horace Hudgins
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Carla Hall, at left, and Lynn Lovett
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A FORMER MISS ABAC NAMED TO COLLEGE'S
FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Carla Hall
has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Foundation.
Hall, a former Miss ABAC who received a business degree from the Tifton college in 1991, is occupational medicine
director
at Tift Regional Medical Center's WorkSmart Occupational Health Clinic.
"Carla is an ABAC alumnus who is very active in the community,"
said
Lynn Lovett, foundation chairman. "I know she will do a great job promoting the value of an ABAC education."
"I have very fond memories of ABAC, and I loved the time I spent there," Hall said. "This is an opportunity for me to serve the very institution which served me so well during those two years."
Hall is an 1989 graduate of Tift County High School. In 1993, she graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor's degree in business. After a 10-year career with State Farm Insurance, she joined the staff of Tift Regional in 2003.
"ABAC is an integral part of the economic development of the community, not only because of the students but also because of the faculty and staff who are employed there," Hall said. "The partnership which allowed ABAC to bring in the Agrirama breeds education, leadership and tourism."
Hall served as board of directors chair of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce in 2011. She was selected Ambassador of the Year for the Chamber in 2006 and graduated from Leadership Tifton in 2005.
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223 East 2nd St., Suite B
Tifton, Georgia
229-339-3721
MONDAY, AUGUST 10
Our Chamber of Commerce
Ribbon
Cutting is at 3 p.m.
&
Our OPEN HOUSE is from 6 pm. to 8 p.m.
Come Visit Us!
Tiftarea Psychiatric and Counseling Services, LLC (TPACS)
is a mental health provider office located in Tifton, Georgia.
Clinical psychologists and therapists use psychotherapy and other counseling skills
to improve emotional and mental health. Psychologists and psychiatrists focus on
t
he evaluation, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of
mental, emotional and behavioral health issues.
Tiftarea Psychiatric and Counseling Services, LLC
specializes in mental health counseling.
Couples / Family / Children & Teenagers / Depression / Substance Abuse / Stress & Anxiety / Grief Counseling
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THERE'S STILL TIME TO 'STUFF THE BUS'
Tift County's Fifth Annual "Stuff the Bus" school supply drive is still underway to help provide school supplies to needy children.
The bus is at Publix Plaza outside Publix Super Market on Virginia Avenue until noon Aug. 17. All supplies collected will be distributed during the school year through the Needy Children's Fund under management of Tift school system social workers.
The drive is sponsored by Publix Super Market, Staples Office Supply, Tift County Public Schools, Tifton Needy Children's Fund and coordinated by the United Way of South Central Georgia in Tifton.
For information or to volunteer, contact the United Way, 229-382-2881 or on Facebook, Click Here!
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UGA TIFTON is testing different varieties of lettuce and kale, as a direct result of the California drought, hoping to find some that work in Georgia, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. UGA researchers  are working to develop new varieties of lettuce and kale that could help the state's farmers meet growing national demand for crops devastated by drought in California. About 50 types of lettuce were planted in Tifton last year. "Some did OK, but a lot did very poorly because they're bred for the Central Valley (of California)," UGA horticulture professor Tim Coolong said. "We still have some work to do." ... TIFT COUNTY SCHOOLS opened on Tuesday and Superintendent Patrick Atwater reports that it was perhaps the smoothest beginning of the school year ever, thanks to parents and school personnel. ... IT'S NOT QUITE 'JEOPARDY' but the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce has posted a trivia quiz for you to test how well you know your local businesses. To take the quiz, Click Here!
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Need your GED?
Call us for free tutoring in Reading, Language, Math. Scholarships Available.
Tifton-Tift County is a Certified Literate Community!
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TARGET SUPPORTS GA AG MUSEUM
Target recently presented a $3,000 community grant to the Gallery at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The grant will support the Gallery's Bottles and Brushes art classes. Attending the presentation were from left, Tony Richards, Tony Christopher Target Distribution Center General Manager Stacy Lippa, Museum Curator Polly Huff, Denise Verdesoto and Alisha Stabler from Target.
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TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RIBBON-CUTTING
Rainey Used Cars
Thursday, July 30
104 W. 7th Street
Tifton
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'JERSEY BOYS' TRIBUTE BAND COMING TO TIFTON
"Let's Hang On!" - the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons tribute group - is coming to Tifton on Thursday, Sept 17, for a gala night of fine food, fine music and dancing to the many hits from the iconic group that inspired the smash Broadway musical "The Jersey Boys."
Sponsored by the Tifton-Tift County Public Library Foundation, the dinner and show at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center is the foundation's annual fundraiser for the public library, aiding the library in providing children's and community programming, and in providing materials and other programs.
The tickets for the show only go on sale Aug. 15 for the general public. Prices are $35 for show only and dinner/show is $80 at www.ugatiftonconference.org
Sponsorships are still available from $500 to $3,000 and, depending on sponsor level, include one or more tables for eight for dinner and show at this black-tie optional event.
The show pays tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' many classic songs, such as "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like A Man," "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," "December '63 (Oh, What a Night)," "Rag Doll," "Let's Hang On (to What We've Got)," and many more mega hits of the '60s, all presented in a high-energy and polished production.
For information, call 229-386-2237.
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CARNIVAL OF KNOWLEDGE
Literacy Volunteers of Tifton-Tift County
is recruiting sponsors of three-person teams for the
16th Annual Carnival of Knowledge Trivia Contest
at
6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10,
at
Southern Regional Technical College's Tifton Conference Center (formerly Moultrie Tech
, Tifton Campus).
This year, the Carnival is under the direction of past winner and trivia expert Dottie Freeman. It will begin with a free spaghetti dinner for participants and attendees. Freeman encourages family members to come watch and volunteer to serve on sponsored teams that don't have team members. She said to anticipate a fun-filled evening complete with free family entertainment, food and prizes. "The goal is 20 teams signed up at $150 a team, but the general public can fill in on sponsored teams for no charge," said Bonnie Sayles, executive director of Literacy Volunteers. She noted that individuals, groups, civic organizations, and businesses may sponsor teams. "Even if they don't have members to play, they may sponsor a team. When local trivia buffs fill in for free, the entertainment value is enhanced. Audience participants may come empty-handed and go home with some awesome prizes!" "We are keeping the price of a team low so more teams can participate," Sayles said. "My husband, Frank, and I have participated in the past, so I can tell you it's a lot of fun to play and fun to watch." The carnival atmosphere of the conference center will be enhanced by circus decorations. In addition to bragging rights as Tifton's trivia experts, the top three teams will receive special prizes. This year, top winning team members each receive three nights at a mountain cabin in Dahlonega, courtesy of Literacy Board member Liz Carson Keith. Door prizes for attendees will include meals at local restaurants, manicures, home decor, and gift certificates. Those wanting to play, sponsor a team, donate a prize or volunteer to help may call Sayles at (229) 391-2527. "If you believe that improving literacy in Tift County is key to our economic success, you need to support this fundraiser in the strongest way possible," Sayles said. "Each school dropout that earns a GED diploma, each person that learns to read better or speak English better helps to improve our society as a whole. We owe it to ourselves to make sure we can continue the programs that make this possible." |
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Wonder What's Going On
in the Tiftarea?
Then Subscribe
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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tifton, Georgia
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7
- Blue Devils 'Soap Bowl," 5 p.m., Tift County High School, Tifton
- Summer Market Mixer, 6:30 p.m., Tifton Museum of Arts & Heritage, Tifton
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8
- Downtown Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Old Train Platform, Tifton
- Freshman Move-In Day, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton
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JULY 30
Martha Virginia Rutland, 93, Lenox
Edward Charles "Ed" Willis, 80, Brookfield
Ray Tyler, 72, Fitzgerald
JULY 31
Tommy "Tom" Dale Dove, 66, West Berrien Community
Don Akins, 72, Sylvester
AUG. 1
William Warren "'Bill" Conoly, 94, Tifton
Ronald "Ron" Dale Hester, 69, Adel
Dorothy Young McClelland, 84, Tifton
Ruth W. Taylor, 83, Fitzgerald
Robert Hammer, 58, Adel
AUG. 2
Shirley Ann Cannady Jackson, 68, Tifton
Raymond C. Braddy, 81, Fitzgerald
Leroy Jackson, Tifton
AUG. 3
Bobby Wallace Walker, 82, Tifton
Thomas Hugh "Tommy Hugh" McLean Jr., 87, Sylvester
Violet Webb West, 75, Poulan
AUG. 4
Carrie Louise McCullough, 37, Moultrie
Betty Lewis Hartsfield, 74, Tifton
Joyce Friar McEachern, 85, Lenox
Dennie Ted Tyson, 63, Lenox
Cayson Brady Tarrant, infant, Irwin County
AUG. 5
Anna Faye Pickel, 97, Tifton
Michael Wallace McLendon, 57, Nashville
AUG. 6
Donald Robert (Bobby) Young, 82, Fitzgerald
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SERVING YOU WITH PROFESSIONALISM
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
$161,000
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You'll be cooling off in the pool on these hot summer days. Split floor plan, three-bedroom / two-bath home on a shady corner lot. Screened porch, shop and utility building. Great location on the west side of town. Close to schools, shopping, Highway 319, I-75, and Highway 82 West.
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Dwana Coleman
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Call Us Today!
229-386-4222
Blue Skies & Sunshine Through Each & Every
Real Estate Transaction!
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