Tifton Scene, May/June 2013

Where HaveYou Been?

TiftonSceneM A G A Z I N E

MAY•JUNE 2013

Tales of travels near and far

1940s Tifton Lodging

Vidalia Golden OnionChef Competition

Arts in Black Festival

MAY•JUNE 2013 | TiftonScene 3

Tifton Scene Magazineis published bimonthly

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TiftonSceneTiftonSceneM A G A Z I N E

DAN SUTTONPublisher/Ad Director

ANGYE MORRISONEditor

IRIS HARBINGraphics Coordinator

DEREK SCHAPERDesign/Layout

ContributorsLATASHA EVERSON

BECKY TAYLORCHRISTINE TIBBETTS

BILL WELLS

RACHEL WAINWRIGHTCirculation

Volume 8 • No. 3

CONTR IBUTORSAngye Morrison is the editor of The Tifton Gazette, andis the newbie on the staff, having taken the position inMarch. Morrison is a Georgia native who hails from Lin-coln County, and is an avid high school football fan, aswell as the Georgia Bulldogs. She is a graduate of Au-gusta State University, and has worked at newspapers inGeorgia and Florida, as a reporter, photographer, pagi-nator and editor. Her favorite travel destination is Bend,Ore., which she used to call home, nestled in the foothills

of the Cascade Mountains.

Latasha Everson has been with The Gazette for morethan two years as a reporter (three years on August 16 tobe exact). Everson started August 16, 2010, fresh out ofcollege. She graduated from Turner County High Schoolin Ashburn in 2006, where she was involved in yearbookand journalism. In 2010, she earned her bachelor’s de-gree in English with a concentration in professional writ-ing from Georgia Southwestern State University inAmericus. While at GSW, she was involved with the lit-

erary and visual arts magazine, Sirocco, for three years. Her favorite traveldestination is the beautiful state of Florida. It’s a place she loves to visit dur-ing vacation time.

Bill Wells is a real Tiftonite, born and bred. He gradu-ated from Tifton Schools in 1949, and was the bestdancer in Who’s Who, and a member of many clubs. Heattended ABAC for two years, and graduated from Geor-gia Teacher’s College, now Georgia Southern. He is ahistorian and author, and retired from the Georgia De-partment of Transportation as a transportation engineer.He was instrumental in the change made to rename TiftCounty after Henry Harding Tift, the county’s original

founder. He has been in 47 states and slept in 36, but his favorite place to gois Fernandina Beach, Fla.

Becky Taylor joined the sports department of The TiftonGazette in September 2012. She was reared in BerrienCounty and developed a love of sports, starting with the1991 Atlanta Braves and an invitation to keep basketballscorebooks for Nashville Middle a year later. She gradu-ated from Berrien High, attended ABAC and finishedValdosta State with a degree in History. Five years later,she found herself in Athens and later graduated from theUniversity of Georgia with a degree in Newspapers. Prior

to joining The Gazette, she worked some with Georgia Public Broadcastingfor the in-production “As If We Were Ghosts” and has done research for theGeorgia Athletic Coaches Association. She claims no favorite travel destina-tion, but is satisfied with nearly anything that includes a scenic drive or goodfood.

Christine Tibbetts started life in New Jersey and ven-tured west in 1966 for the University of Missouri Schoolof Journalism. Tifton became home in1978. Her profes-sional focus for 30 years was marketing and public rela-tions for the arts and education, for healthcare and earlychildhood education, plus a healthy dose of communityactivism and political advocacy. You can find her workfor the Equal Rights Amendment on record in the Li-brary of Congress. Crafting stories of places near and far

dominates Tibbetts’ work now. Favorites truly never rise to the top of anylists because places really are their people and all are interesting. However,she has returned twice to the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru.

4 TiftonScene | MAY•JUNE 2013


contents9 TRAVEL

British Columbia with Julie Sharpe

14 TRAVELABAC’s spring break in India

21 TRAVELBecky Taylor’s checklist of GA Counties

24 HISTORYWhere to Spend the Night in 1940s Tifton

25 HISTORYRenaming a county

26 DININGVidalia Golden Onion chef competition

30 EVENTSArts In Black festival

MAY•JUNE 2013

ON THE COVERJulie Sharpe takes a moment totake in the view at the end of thetrail after hiking the West CoastTrail with her son, Camden, inBritish Columbia.

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Panthers Sports ReviewRYAN BRANCH

Assistant Football Coach in GISAAll Star Game

MIKE PATRICKGolf Coach of the Year

Softball Coach of the Year Basketball Region 3-AAA Coach of the Year and

Head Coach of GISA Georgia South Carolina All Star Game

JOHN ADAMS

Back to Back State Champ Wrestling

SHANE VANDERBILT

2nd State Wrestling Weight 145

ZACH WILLIS

4th State Wrestling Weight 126

3AAARegion State Champ - Golf

THOMAS BUCKNERState Low Medalistand All State Golf

CAROLINE GRIFFINAll State Golf

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Region Champs

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Region Runner Up

ELI SUMNERBack to Back to Back to

Back State Champion Pole Vault & State Record Holder

BRIAN JORDAN

Region and

State Runner UP - Tennis

JON KORANGirls Cross CountryCoach of the Year

803786˙

Softball Region Champs

LAKYN SOUTERAll State Softball

Region 3-AAA Player of the Year

BROOKE KEENGISA All Star Team Softball

Girls 3-AAA Region Runner Up -

Basketball

RACHEL THOMASONGISA Basketball Georgia

South Carolina All Star Game



memorandumur theme this go round is “Where haveyou been?” and we hope it’s one you willenjoy. We chose it because we’re fastapproaching the travel season, when kidsare out of school, and folks are keen tohit the road and head to the beach, themountains, or wherever.

We were curious where folks in Tifton had traveled to. Whenyou talk with people, it’s amazing to find out just how smallthe world really is, and how much of it the people you knowhave seen. We found a professor who’s been to India, aprofessional woman who celebrated victory over cancer bychallenging herself to hike a massively difficult trail in BritishColumbia, and we even took a look at where folks used tostay when they came to Tifton.

We looked at our own staff as well. We found that we’ve allhad some interesting travels. One of our own, Becky Taylor,has made it her mission to travel to all the counties inGeorgia, checking out the history of each area and what thecommunity has become in more recent times. You’ll find hertake on these communities interesting, and you’ll enjoyseeing some old buildings through the lens of her camera.

We’ve all had memorable trips – those moments in time withour families, or with dear friends, when we’ve seen both theusual and the unusual. Those times when we’ve laughed sohard we cried are fixed in our hearts.

For me, one of those times was when I traveled cross-countrywith my mother. I moved to Oregon, and when it was timefor me to come home to Georgia, my mother flew out andmade the journey with me. So we set off in a smallMitsubishi truck, pulling a U-Haul filled with all my worldlypossessions, bound for the Peach State.

All along the way, we stopped whenever we pleased. World’sbiggest ball of yarn? We saw it. Dorothy’s house in Kansas?Yep. Been there. The Idaho home of the world’s best spuds?Sure. We ate there. We ambled our way across the U.S., andwhenever we saw anything that interested us, we stopped.And all along the way, we talked, we laughed and weenjoyed just being together. It was a week I’ll never forget,and I’m so glad I was able to spend that time with her.

But isn’t that what traveling is all about? It’s not just aboutthe places we go and the things we see and do…it’s alsoabout who we go with, and the relationships that are forgedand strengthened.

So enjoy this issue of TiftonScene, and as you plan your tripsthis travel season, remember thatthe most important thing you canleave room for in your suitcase ismemories.

Angye Morrison,Editor

O

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In 2002, Julie Sharpe had breast can-cer at 43 years of age. As if that was-n’t bad enough, she had two types ofcancer at once in the same breast,and faced two surgeries and the ac-companying treatments. The illness

took quite a toll on her mentally and physi-cally, as she went through a partial mastec-tomy and 30 days of radiation.

“I couldn’t walk through a grocerystore or really any distance in July/August2002,” she said. “It was a tough summer.”In addition to her own cancer, Sharpe’s bestfriend, Susan, had cancer but didn’t survive.

Sharpe, who is self-employed and a sin-gle mom, also had to face the reality of hav-ing to provide for her two boys, Camdenand Morgan Lowrance, who were 12 and11 years old at the time.

But she made it through, and in 2012,she decided it was about time to celebrateher victory of being cancer-free for 10

years. She began googling, and came acrossthe West Coast Trail, and thought, “That’sit. That’s what I want to do.”

“I decided I would really challenge my-self and go backpacking on the West CoastTrail on Vancouver Island, British Colum-bia,” she said. She approached Camden,who would accompany her, and he waseager to make the trip with her. But he hada word of caution.

“He told me, ‘you better get inshape,’” she said. Sharpe said she’s takenher boys on camping trips before wherethey hiked some, but she’s never attemptedsuch a difficult trail.

Sharpe began her training in February2012, walking the streets of the historic dis-trict in Tifton wearing her hiking boots, andcarrying her backpack and walking poles.

“I was quite the sight,” she laughed.“People would stop me and ask if I washomeless.”

Sharpe walked for months, addingweight to her backpack by adding bottles ofwater, as well as weights. And in July 2012,she and her son Camden, who was 22 at thetime, set off for Canada. Morgan, whoSharpe says has grown into a young manwho isn’t into camping and long car trips,had his adventure with mom a while ago,when the pair traveled to Paris.

When asked why Camden went withher, Sharpe said, “He was my rock while Iwas ill, going with me to radiation treat-ments and sitting with me.”

The West Coast Trail is part of the Na-tional Park System of Canada, and is con-sidered one of the world’s most challengingbackpacking trails, because of the terrain,not the elevation.

“You go up and down headlands, hikeon a beach, traverse many ladder sets to getacross streams, cliffs and rivers, and haulyourself across rivers in a personal cablecar,” she said.

Hike waschallenging

by ANGYE MORRISONphotos submitted

TRAVELJulie Sharpe sits on a large piece ofdriftwood near the campLre andher campsite at Tsocowis Creek.


The ladder sets at Tsusiat included one thathad 54 rungs, the longest one Julie Sharpeand her son, Camden, had to traverse.


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The trail is only open from may toSeptember, and anyone who

plans to hike it must apply for apermit. “Your lifeblood isyour map and your permit,”Sharpe said, showing bothitems, which she kept in azipped-up sandwich bag tokeep them dry.

Sharpe and her son flew toSeattle, where they picked up a

rental car and drove to Victoria,British Columbia, via two ferries

to get across Puget Sound and theStrait of Juan de Fuca. They then drove ahalf day from Victoria to Port Alberni, BritishColumbia. But even all that didn’t get themto their destination.

“The next morning we took a four-hourferry to Barnfield, then a 20-minute van ride,then we were finally on the trail head,” shesaid. “We spent five days on the trail andthen caught a ride on a jonboat up a beautifulfjord with a member of the First Nation, anative tribe of British Columbia.”

The fearless duo then hiked to the FirstNation village, spent the night, and got a ridewith a “nice lady,” Sharpe said, who tookthem 5 miles to a gravel road, where theywaited for a shuttle bus, which they rode fortwo hours back to Barnfield. This was fol-

lowed by a four-hour ferry ride back to theircar.

“Logistics were incredible. It took anExcel spreadsheet to figure it out,” Sharpesaid. “I literally had to do a spreadsheet. Youhad to figure out the logistics or you could bestanding by the roadside for a couple ofdays.”

The pair did 7 miles the first day, andafter the long day, she was exhausted. But shestill managed to add some humor to the day.

“I did an amazing faceplate into somebriars,” she said, laughing. “My son tried tohelp me out, and I thought, ‘why am I doingthis?’” But the next morning, after waking upto the view of the ocean, and seeing whalesfeeding in the cove, she was reminded thatthe good far outweighed the bad.

“I thought, ‘this is really cool and worthit,’” she said.

Another fun moment on the trail camewhen the duo used a personal cable car to getacross a river. Camden was particularlythrilled with it.

“He said, ‘This is better than DisneyLand,’” Sharpe said, remembering the mo-ment with a smile.

The duo did see other people on thetrail, including two people from Switzerlandand Denmark. Sharpe said that after back-packing the trail, she and her son spent a

Sharpe climbs down theslippery ladder, one

rung at a time, whilebalancing her backpack.


week camping in British Columbia the an-other week in Olympic National Park inWashington.

“It was an incredible three weeks,” shesaid.

Sharpe said her biggest challenge wasnot getting ready for the trip, or even navi-gating the trail – it was instead her fear ofheights.

“I’m afraid of heights, so conqueringthat fear to climb ladder sets that hung pre-cariously to a cliff was really huge for me.With your backpack on. Over 50 feet highon rickety ladders, slippery with moss andriddled with broken rungs,” she said.“There are boardwalks through reallymuddy sections, but you can’t trust theboardwalks. They will break under yourfoot; they’re covered with moss.”

Sharpe said she kept telling herself,“don’t look down, don’t look up; just focuson the slippery rungs.”

“When you see the distance under youthat you can fall, it’s rather scary. Theyhaul off an incredible number of injuredhikers each season,” Sharpe said, addingthat the rangers keep a running tally, whichthey show each hiker before they begin theirtreacherous journey.

At one point, Sharpe did succumb toher fears, and said she froze up on the lad-der. But just as he’d done when she wasgoing through her surgeries and radiationtreatments, Camden offered words of en-couragement.

“He’d tell me, ‘Come on, Mom, youcan do it. You can get through this,’” shesaid.

Each night, Sharpe and Camden wouldcamp on the beach, because the forest is sodense and wet. The pair hiked in both theforest, which is filled with Douglas Firs, andthe beach, when the tide was low.

“You have to monitor the tide tables asthe tides there are incredibly high and fast.Hikers have been swept off to their death.Hiking on the beach was not what I ex-pected,” she said. “It was slippery, rocky,and you had to pay attention to where youput your foot or you were going to end upon your bottom.”

But the beach did have its amenities.Sharpe said they enjoyed the tidal poolsfilled with starfish and anemones, and theyfrequently saw seals, sea otters and sea lionsup close. They also saw whales and eagles.

“We woke up in the mornings in ourtent hearing whales feeding in the coves. Itwas incredible,” she said.

The physical challenges on the trailwere well worth the reward of seeing thebeauty of the Northwest and the trail asthey hiked.

“I have traveled and camped in manyplaces in the U.S., Europe and Costa Rica,but the West Coast Trail stands out,” shesaid.

Sharpe said her greatest accomplish-ment was not finishing the trail, but con-quering her fear of heights. She added thatthe trip was a great way to celebrate hervictory over cancer, and it was an incrediblebonding experience with her son.

She also said she learned the value ofclose relationships with friends, even whenfriends are separated by death.

“I was there (on the trail) and facingmy fears, and I could just hear Susan in theback of my mind, with her really thick ac-cent. ‘Come on Julie, you can do it.’ Iwould think, ‘You’re alive, she’s dead; youcan make it up this hill,’” Sharpe said.

Sharpe found that her greatest adven-ture in life is not the trails she hikes or theplaces to which she travels – it’s in the rela-tionships she treasures with family andfriends. And you just can’t beat that view.TS


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Spring break for AbrahamBaldwin Agricultural Collegeassistant professor of journal-ism, Dr. Thomas Grant, andtwo of his students, DevinGibbs and Marcus Grant,was an experience they’ll

cherish for the rest of their lives after travel-ing more than 20,000 miles to Pragpur —India’s first heritage village located in thefoothills of India’s Himalayan mountainrange.

Grant and Gibbs said they left ABACMarch 6 for their 13-day trip to India. Theytraveled approximately 18 hours by planeto get to Delhi and then five hours by trainand three hours by car to reach Pragpur.

“It’s a long haul,” Grant said.However, he and Gibbs agreed that it

was a great trip.“I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he

said.Grant said he, Gibbs and Marcus went

on this trip as a part of the program, Chil-dren Learning International Cultures(CLIC) Abroad. According to the CLICAbroad website, the program educates andempowers children in America and India by

sharing their cultures and daily livesthrough photography. CLIC was inspiredand organized by world renowned photog-rapher D.K. Bhaskar and Frank Christian,longtime photographer at Augusta Na-tional, home of the Masters Golf Tourna-ment, in 2009. They created CLIC Abroadto capture and document cultures aroundthe world through photography.

The website further states that after ex-tensive research and travel throughoutIndia, Bhaskar identified remote regionswhere many aspects of daily life exists inthe same fashion it has for centuries. Hisgoal is to document old world culture be-fore modernization transforms the faces ofthese remote regions. He believes the bestway to achieve this is to have the very peo-ple that actually live and embrace these cul-tures document their own lives, so thecameras were put in the hands of children.Nikon, one of CLIC’s sponsors, supportsthis concept and has donated 40 camerasfor children to use for the CLIC Abroadworkshops. Bhaskar works closely with thechildren, teaching them camera skillswhile sharing his expertise and lovefor photography.

Along with Bhaskar and the CLICAbroad team, Grant, Gibbs and Marcusand a group of students from the privatehigh school University Lake School in Wis-consin were involved in March’s workshop.This was ABAC’s first time going to Indiato help with this project.

According to CLIC Abroad, in the sur-roundings of Dharmshala, more than 50local students joined with 20 internationalstudents from different parts of the UnitedStates to explore, engage and be educatedfrom both sides of the world. CLIC Abroadspends just over 10 days in a village, host-ing photography workshops for village stu-dents and U.S. students.

The group works with local nonprofitagencies to facilitate the applicationprocess, which is open to all school childrenin regions around the workshop site, re-gardless of faith or gender,says CLIC Abroad.

INDIAby LATASHA EVERSON • photos contributed


TRAVEL

Shown are birds Mying over Beas River locatedin the northern part of India. It rises in the

Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, Indiaand Mows for some 290 miles (470 km) to the

Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab.

“You become a part of their world...”


During the workshops, children aretaught basic photography techniques, thendivided into small groups and assigned atopic to photograph. Topics touch on all as-pects of daily life, such as school, environ-ment, rituals and religion, home and family,health and hygiene, bazaar and shops, andchildren, which they document with theircameras.

According to CLIC Abroad, every par-ticipant is allowed to keep a camera for theduration of the workshop, giving them the

opportunity to focus on their topics. Eachday, Bhaskar, the U.S. students and otherCLIC Abroad representatives visit the vil-lages, help the students build upon thesetopics and review images. Through thisprocess, the substance and quality of thechildren’s work improves and evolvesgreatly. By the end of the workshops, im-ages are simply brilliant in aesthetics, sensi-tivity, composition and technical skill.

Grant said he has known Bhaskar forabout 10 years. He commented that

Bhaskar grew up India and went from beinga scientist to an engineer to a photographer.He said CLIC first started out as a photog-raphy program with Bhaskar taking abunch of cameras to a village, and now ithas expanded to bring other people in.

“He’s gradually trying to make this aninternational exchange,” Grant said.

He said he alone has visited India be-fore in the summer of 2011, where he metup with Bhaskar for CLIC Abroad. How-ever, he advised what made the recent trip

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ABAC student Devin Gibbs smilesas she’s surrounded by young girls

in the CLIC Abroad workshop.


to India different from the last is that herecorded everything. He said it was a con-stant cultural learning experience.

“We have lots of film and video,”Grant said. He said they also worked withvarious other nonprofit organizations whilein India, such as the Center for SustainableDevelopment.

In a write-up about the trip in ABAC’sstudent newspaper, “The Stallion,” whichGrant is the faculty advisor of, Gibbs de-scribes the group’s arrival to Pragpur. Shewrites, “On the first day, the three of usalong with the CLIC Abroad team walkedup to the adobe-style school building andwe were serenaded by the children’s morn-ing prayers. We took off our shoes andwalked in to see more than 100 childrensinging at the top of their lungs, which wasmore amazing than any welcome I couldhave imagined. They each watched us andlooked us over from head to toe while wefilmed and photographed them.”

Gibbs, smiling, said in that moment, ithit her that it was real and that she, Grantand Marcus were actually there. She said

when the workshop began, they handed outcandy and cameras to the students.

“Within the first hour, I think they ex-hausted their cameras,” she said.

They worked with young children be-tween the ages of 10 and 13 at a middleschool in Pragpur. Gibbs said Bhaskarwould sit down with the students eachmorning. She said he noticed that they weretaking a lot of photos of the American visi-tors. She said he explained to the studentsthat their world needed to be seen throughthe lens of their cameras.

“We get to learn about who they are,”Gibbs said, adding that the children beganto catch on to this concept, taking photos oftheir family and their surroundings.

She said several students came to real-ize that their community had some short-falls. She said one of the students in theworkshop was embarrassed by the amountof trash on the ground. She said, “Throughthe lens of her camera, she was able to seesomething that had not occurred to her be-fore.” She said by learning this throughphotography, the student was encouraged

to change this problem in her community.“That type of exchange showed me my

purpose there,” Gibbs said. She said shealso showed the student some photos of herhome in America, which the student noticedthere was no trash on the ground.

Gibbs said when the student asked herwhat she disliked about India, which wasn’tmuch, she mentioned the trash. She de-scribed seeing mounds and mounds of trashthrown over a hill. She said she was both-ered by this, however, she realized “that’sthe way things are done in this commu-nity.”

Grant said they would see men andwomen outside sweeping the streets withbig brooms. They would either burn thesmall piles or in most cases, have the dogsand cows eat it. Grant noted that India,however, is very clean and the people thereare keen on washing their hands.

Also, he said through photos, anotherstudent was able to understand and appreci-ate his father’s work as a weaver. He saidthe photos taken by students of their envi-ronment made them think.

Dr. Thomas Grant and Devin Gibbs speak with participants in the workshop. ABAC student Marcus Grant helps a student in Pragpur with his Nikon camera.


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He said the students also took photosof cows, which are sacred in India. Gibbssaid one family she visited treated theircows with such excellent care. She said shedid, however, see some stray cows roamingabout.

Grant said he, Gibbs and Marcusstayed in a guest house near Pragpur thatlooked out over the river. He and Gibbsagreed that the location was beautiful.Grant said India is a very busy place.

Grant said at 4 a.m. each morning,someone somewhere would be playing theflute or the rings from the shrine could beheard throughout the village. He said everymorning, they would have chai (tea) at 7a.m., breakfast at 8 a.m. and be on the roadby 9 a.m. He said everyone was incrediblynice, including the people in the shops.Gibbs described going with a friend to ashop to purchase a suit. She said for $20,she got a handmade suit, which she had tai-lored and was ready for her the next day.Plus, she said the workers were veryfriendly and offered them chai.

Coming from a small town of very nicepeople, Gibbs says India is just as nice. Shesaid, “They speak to everyone,”somethingshe’s never experienced.

One of the biggest highlights of the tripto India was when she, Grant and Marcus

met the Dalai Lama. As Gibbs described theexperience, she smiled and said, “He hassuch a beautiful aura.”

She said one family who came to seehim was crying, and he had a smile on hisface but not in a disrespectful way.

“He had such a peace about him andhe gave it right to them,” she said.

She said when he met with them, hegreeted them like Americans. Grant said,“He holds on to your hands. He establishesthis connection.”

He and Gibbs explained that the DalaiLama usually only sees private audiencesand doesn’t take more than five people outof a group.

“But he took seven of us,” Gibbs said.She said he also saw them on a Saturday,which he usually doesn’t do. She said twomillion people request to see him but only10,000 get in.

“We were a part of that 10,000,”Gibbs said, still in disbelief. She and Grantsaid the experience was “pretty remark-able.”

Pulling up her pant leg to reveal a redstring around her ankle, Gibbs said theDalai Lama gave them red strings afterblessing them.

Another highlight of their trip was par-ticipating in the annual Hindu festival of

color, Holi, which is a celebration of the ar-rival of spring, and also a celebration of di-versity and people. During the festival,participants have fun and throw coloredpowder at each other. Gibbs said her hairwas lime green for three or four days. Shesaid she had to use baking soda to get thecolor out. She said it also took a while toget the color completely off of her skin.

“It was probably the most fun thingI’ve ever done,” Gibbs said, smiling.

Grant, chuckling, said he recently gotthe pink out of his shoes. He said the cele-bration was done a little early this year dueto the group being there for the CLICAbroad workshop.

“It was really nice,” Grant said.He, Gibbs and Marcus returned to

Tifton March 19. They also stopped inParis on their way home. Grant says he nowhas friends on the other side of the world,including television reporter, GulshanDhanoa of India. Gibbs commented thatshe also made a new friend, Aashi Thakurof India, who has a master’s degree in mi-crobiology and is considering going toschool in the United States to get her doc-torate’s degree.

Marcus will be graduating from ABACin May with an associate’s degree in ruralstudies on the business track. Gibbs will


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also be graduating from ABAC in May witha bachelor’s degree in rural studies with aconcentration in writing and communica-tions. She said she wants to focus on sus-tainable development. She also plans tomake a documentary (a interactive multime-dia) on women’s roles in India. She said shelearned a lot about arranged marriageswhile in India.

“The girls I met have such high hopesand dreams,” Gibbs said, noting that themothers also want their daughters to suc-ceed. She said the girls are mature way be-yond their years. She said the families are soclose and such an encouraging unit, and thechildren are constantly being educated.

“They appreciate it,” she said. “Theywant to really make their parents proud,and they strive to do well.”

Grant said he wants to sponsor someof the students at the middle school in Prag-pur, whose parents have to pay $5 a monthfor tuition, which is a lot in India.Gibbs said one of the things she acknowl-edged was that time doesn’t mean much inIndia.

“They like to go with the flow,” shesaid. “After a few days, we all became ac-customed to that.”

She said during their stay in India, she,Marcus and Grant bonded with the stu-dents in the workshop. She said the children

would swarm around them with flowersand loved hanging out with them. She saidMarcus, who’s exceptionally outgoing, wasgreat with the students.

As Grant and Gibbs expressed their ap-parent love for India, Grant said the peoplethere are very welcoming and warming.

“You become a part of their world,”he said, noting that guests are treated veryspecial. He said they were invited into peo-ple’s homes and were sincerely asked tocome back.

Gibbs said, “It was different from any-thing I’ve ever been exposed to.” TS

ABOVE: Marcus Grant along with Devin Gibbs, Dr. ThomasGrant and others are shown meeting the Dalai Lama.

photo by the Dalai Lama’s Office

A cloud of colored powder surroundsABAC student Devin Gibbs, left, as she

smiles along with her new friend, AashiThakur of India (shown next to Gibbs),

and other participants in the annualHindu festival of color, Holi.


804034


Ihave never been on an airplane, havenever been west of Alabama and theonly reason I have seen Tennessee wasjust because I was curious one day. I

still consider myself an extensive traveler,especially for Georgia. I have seen 155 of159 counties and plan to knock it down tothree in June by going to have a look atDade.

My motivations are simple. Dad hatedthe interstate and loved to go sightseeing.Not to museums or monuments, but just togo look at different scenery. I inherited thatin full and combine it with a project thatbegan three years ago: school photography.

The Civil Rights era al-ways fascinated me and Ibegan heavily researchingsegregated high school sports10 years ago. After sometime, newspapers were notenough. I had to seek theseplaces out, to see what theywere and what they are. Ithas led me from SeminoleCounty to Stephens County.From the deep woods ofWorth County to Pio NonoAvenue in Macon.

My father taught Georgia History andour first real road trip had that in mind. Ihad started to read Lewis Grizzard and hedecided we needed to make a pilgrimage tothe grave site in Moreland. In preparationfor the excursion, he told me to read “Don’tForget to Call Your Mama (I Wish I CouldCall Mine),” Grizzard’s tribute to hismother so I would understand everything ofimportance. These were pre-Internet daysand all he knew was that there was amarker in the Moreland cemetery. He hadno idea where it was, but Moreland was anextremely small town. This could not behard.

We explored all over Moreland, mainstreets and back streets. He was even con-sidering stopping and asking for directions.That did not happen, but he drove up anddown the town again. As we wondered ifthe truck stop was the one Grizzard hadbeen fond of mentioning, he noticed acounty road that said it led to Grantville.That looked unlikely, but it was an un-turned stone. By some stroke of luck, it wasthere. We paid our respects and noticed thatseveral others had, too, including LSU fans.I wonder how they found it. We would re-turn to Moreland several times.

Waycross in 2011 was the last roadtrip I made with him. A few years earlier, hehad taken some photos of Center High forme and now, armed with some directions Ihad written down, we had decided to trackdown the locations of Bailey Street,Reedsville and Hazzard Hill and he wantedto show me Wacona Elementary, which waslocated in an old building on the outskirtsof town. We would also get new tires formy car.

We set out one August morning,headed east on GA 122, the Cogdell Ex-press. The swamp fires had raged for mostof the summer, but this was a morning

CountingCounties

TRAVEL

story & photos by BECKY TAYLOR

Population centers in Hancock County are few and far between.Linton, located in the southwestern corner of the county is nearly

an example of a former one. The town’s school closed in 1958and the lone gas station has long been out of use.

The road to Deepstep is Llled with many relics of an earlier time,including Dixon’s Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

One of the Taylor family’s earliest expeditions of discovery was toMoreland to Lnd the gravesite of Lewis Grizzard. Several wrong turns

later, it was found just outside the southern boundary of town.It has become a spot for fans to leave their offerings.

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without smoke and it was endless miles ofscorched earth and a few skinny trees thathad survived. We were survivors, too.Though Dad had seen quite a bit of Way-cross over the years as he did stats for thenumerous Berrien games at Berrien Memo-rial Stadium, the maze-like structure of thestreets made us lose sense of direction morethan once and it was luck more than any-thing that he found the proper street forHazzard Hill. We were too late for thatone, though. It had been torn down, butthere was a positive note as a communitycenter had been freshly built on the site.

There was better luck with Reedsville,which was on the edge of existence. It wasstill standing, having been taken over by achurch that had moved into the neighbor-hood. Driving over the bridge back intotown, we discovered we were not alone. Anextended family of fire ants had decided tohost a family reunion in the front seats andfrom the look and feel of it, they were hav-ing quite a good time. That derailed the tripfor several minutes as we went to the localHarvey’s to pick up a giant canister of antspray.

Nibbling beasts conquered, we contin-ued on our way. The next stop was BaileyStreet Elementary, which was in the sameneighborhood as Center. Center was turnedinto the Board of Education and kept upquite well. Unfortunately, the lower gradesfared poorly. Bailey Street had been longabandoned, boarded up and fenced in. Theonly sign of fairly recent occupation was themassive satellite dish poking out from theweeds.

School photography has led me to awhole bunch of places I had not been.I have made several trips through HancockCounty. It is a favorite of mine because ofthe scenery. The county is quite rural,nearly empty, as most of the already sparsepopulation is concentrated in Sparta. Spartais one of the places that will break yourheart once you explore it. Most of its his-toric buildings are in a state of disrepair.The old depot is about to cave and the orig-inal Hancock Central – the largest schoolbuilt with Minimum Foundation Programmoney – was completely abandoned 20years ago. It is located in the middle of aresidential section, but resembles a waste-land.

My most extensive trip there was to tryto find old schools in it, WashingtonCounty and a short swath of BaldwinCounty. In Hancock, I found L.S. Ingra-ham, Galilee and the rural Hickory Grove.Washington was a wash but as I headed toMilledgeville via the town of Oconee, I de-cided to make up for it. I was going toDeepstep.

Deepstep is located in western Wash-ington, far from any state highways orpoints of interest. The only reason I wantedto see Deepstep was because I had neverseen it. Who needs a reason for a townnamed Deepstep?

The drive was a trip back throughtime. I found an old mill, apparently stillworking. There was an old church at thecounty line, Dixon Primitive Baptist, thatreally put the primitive in primitive. It wasnot in use. As for Deepstep, it has an inter-section. That’s it. Nothing to see there, butit was now off my list. At the intersection, Iheaded north, through the backside of Han-cock County. The county road wentthrough Linton, another long-dead town. Ihad one more potential school site to find,which did not work out. Nearby, though,was Glen Mary Plantation. Quite the show-place in its day, it was now in disrepair, butstill intimidating in its presence. Hancockhas some treasures.

I have seen good and bad school sites.Speight in Fort Gaines gave me the willies.Good Hope-Peters in southern WaltonCounty doubled as a dump site. J.L.Williams in Commerce in eastern JacksonCounty became a favorite.

J.L. Williams was built as a replace-ment of an old wooden school, Johntown,which was professed to be a high school,but even in the years after the 12th gradewas added to Georgia schools, it only wentto 11. It was operated by Commerce city,

but an agreement was reached with JacksonCounty to send the high schoolers to Bryanin Jefferson and put up a new elementaryschool.

Williams was quite short-lived. Itopened in 1957. Commerce and Jacksonwere some of the first systems to totally in-tegrate schools, which meant Williams wasdone for in 1967. It was never an activeschool again. Despite its non-importance, itwas kept up. There is a narrow windingroad to get to this little building and it hasits pride. The playground equipment is vin-tage 1960s and the school was built on ahillside so there is quite the view of theneighborhoods of Commerce. It is for findslike this that I keep going. TS

Top to bottom:Commerce’s J.L. Williams Elementary was built on a hillside and offers

a beautiful view into the town. Playground equipment likely datesfrom near the school’s opening in 1957 • The front entrance of

Hancock Central has nearly disappeared under a canopy ofovergrowth. The former school is in the middle of a residential section

in Sparta • J.L. Williams Elementary was one of the state’s biggestwastes. Built in 1957, it was only in use as a school until 1968.


Back in the 1940s families were traveling on US 41through Tifton on their way to vacation in Florida.They needed a comfortable place and bed to spend thenight.

Ah, driving into to Tift County, they noticed signs that ad-vertised several places for them to stay.

Danny Ross Motor Court was located 3 miles north ofTifton on US 41. The court had 10 air-conditioned units and arestaurant, as well as tile baths, with tub and shower and circu-lating hot water. Sounds like an ideal place for the tired body.

Further south on 41, located on West 12th Street, was a“home for tourist” owned by Joseph Kent. His ad read, “Thered brick house. A home when away from home. Steam heat,running water, garage and meals served. No noise. If pleasedtell others, if not tell us.” Kent later built Kent Tourist Homeon North US 41.

Further east on 12th Street stood Jenkins Motor Courtwhich had 10 clean, comfortable, newly-furnished rooms withprivate baths.

Across the street was Van Gundy’s Motor Court, it had aAAA listing, with a coffee shop and ceiling fans, radios, steamheat and carpeted floors.

At the interesection of 12th Street and Love Avenue stoodTitus Motor Court. It was recommended by Quality Courtsand Duncan Hines.

US 41 is now on Love Avenue going south. At the inter-section with 4th Street stands the famous Lankford Manor. Itwas also recommended by Duncan Hines and AAA MotorClub. Mrs. Lankford turned the John Pope home into 20 bed-rooms with baths and a restaurant which became famous forits fried chicken and Key Lime pie. It is now The Three Gracesof the Lankford Manor.

There were a number of hotels and rooms available down-town. The Wilton Hotel, the Myon Hotel, the Hotel Georgiahad burned many years ago, the Byron Cafe and the PoncianaCafe offered sleeping rooms upstairs and the Colonial Inn wasavailable.

Driving further down US 41 across from the airport wasthe Sky Line Restaurant and Motor Court. On the back thepostcard was printed, “Clean, quiet and comfortable. All mod-ern conveniences.” As a young boy, Roy Rankin told me thathe and his parents and siblings ate there every Sunday at noon.

Throughout the county on the main highways other thanUS 41, there were motor courts and cabins on US 82 and US319 for the weary travelers.

On the major highways throughout the county were campgrounds and cottages for a night of rest. Shown are TiftonMotor Court, Carson Motor Court, London’s Camp andTour-O-Tel Cottages.

Since I-75 was built we now have large accommodationssuch as the Hilton Garden Inn, Comfort Inn, Rodeway Inn, thenewly-remodeled Hampton Inn and The Three Graces at theLankford Manor to name a few.

We are tired of looking and need some sleep.......we havefound a wonderful place to lay our heads in Tifton,Ga..…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…….

by BILL WELLS

HISTORY

Where to Spend the Night

FROM TOP:Jenkins Motor Court • Kent’s Red Brick House • Tifton Motor Court


It has taken eight years, orrather 108 years (1905-2013) toget our county named for itsfounder, Capt. Henry Harding Tift.

When the area, which later becameTift County, was formed from Berrien,Worth and Cook counties in 1905, itneeded a name. Since Capt. Henry HardingTift had founded Tifton, the citizenswanted to name the new county Tift, butbecause Capt. Tift was still alive and nocounties could be named for a living per-son, the citizens chose his uncle’s last name,Nelson Tift, founder of Albany. Nelson haddied in 1891.

The new county was created from 90square miles of Berrien County, 95 squaremiles of Irwin County, and 68 square milesof Worth County. The citizens of Ty Tywanted to be part of Tift County, causing ajagged county line into Worth County.

On Wednesday, August 16, 1905, at5:20 p.m., Tift County was born. A tremen-dous crowd gathered in downtown Tiftonfor a celebration. There were speeches, bar-becues and bonfires.

In 2005, at the beginning of the cen-tennial, I reminded myself that our countywas still named for Uncle Nelson Tift, so Iwrote letters to county officials and politi-cians, suggesting the name change from

Nelson Tift to Capt. Henry Harding Tift.henry died on February 4, 1922. He wastaken by train to his beloved birth place,Mystic, Conn. for burial.

On March 13, 2013, I received a callfrom Ben Roberts, WALB-TV, who in-formed me that the name change had justbeen voted on and approved, and thatDante, the station’s photographer, was onhis way to Tifton for an interview. I had 15minutes to get cleaned up and dressed, andI met Dante in front of the courthouse,where I was interviewed and photos/videowere taken. I appeared on the 11 p.m. newsthat night.

Thanks to all the members of Geor-gia’s Senate and House of Representatives,especially Sen. John D. Crosby, and Rep.Jay Roberts, and also Edd Dorminey, whowas the driving force that finalized this ac-complishment.

For additional history about Tiftonand Tift County, Miss Ida Belle Williamspublished The History of Tift County in1948, Mrs. Sarah Cochran Atwater editedTifton Centennial Commemorative Bookletin 1972, and I published Tifton, Georgia inVintage Postcards in 2002 and Did YouKnow in 2005, and was on the staff of TheHeritage of Tift County Georgia 1905-2003Vol. 1.

Renaming a countyHISTORY

by BILL WELLS

Bill Wells stands near the historicmarker at the courthouse in Tifton.

FROM TOP:Henry Harding Tift • Commissary built by H.H. Tift.H.H. Tift Saw Mill • Tift Willingham House

lip some spoons and forks inyour pocket next April whenyou head to the GoldenOnion professional cookingcompetition in Vidalia.You’ll want to taste.

Twelve professionalGeorgia chefs prepare their

most delectable concoctions with just-har-vested sweet Vidalia onions, and they sharethe recipes! This is an all-afternoon event,up-close-and-personal with executive chefstalking about their recipes, their cookingtips and their favorite ingredients.

Conversations are abundant before thecooking begins and throughout the action.There’s plenty of chef downtime for foodietalk with visitors since each one is allowed astrict 60 minutes only for cooking.

While the competitors cook, the otherschat. Can’t get that contact on televisionbroadcast cuisine, can we?

Golden Onion trophy winner DanielChance finds no need to source ingredientsfrom Peru or California.

“I get my foods fresh and in season,”Chance said before launching his first-placewinner at the second annual competition—Scallop Stuffed Vidalia with Onion Puree.

“Support our Georgia farmers is myway; we have great produce in Georgia,”Chance said.

His technique to prepare the Vidaliaonion to hold a scallop? “Make a slicedown one side to peel the layers to the sizeto match your scallop.”

Chance is executive chef at Campag-nolo in Atlanta, his childhood hometown.He’ll keep the Golden Onion trophy de-signed by artist Melissa Harris of Rome,Ga. for one year, passing it on to the 2014winner.

Have dinner closer to home with oneof the dozen professional Vidalia onioncooking chefs – Keira Moritz is chef andowner of Steel Magnolias in Valdosta.

“When you say Vidalia onion, peoplefrom all over the country and all walks oflife know what it is, almost like a secrethandshake,” she says.

She renovated a historic building onNorth Patterson Street in Valdosta, openingSteel Magnolias in October, 2011 to returnto her hometown after culinary school atJohnson & Wales in Charleston and restau-rant management in Denver, Portland,Aspen, San Francisco and Atlanta.

“Enjoy live music on the roof on pleas-ant southern evening,” Moritz says, “andclassic southern cuisine all the time. Our pa-trons? Young professional and up.“Ours is not a college crowd.”

Pork belly glazed with Vidalia onionbrown sugar served with local field saladand pecan thyme vinaigrette was her com-petition feature, with generous portions toshare.

Only the judges and lucky raffle ticketwinners are served a plate by each chef.


DINING

GoldenOnion

Vidalia

chef competitionby CHRISTINE TIBBETSwww.TibbetsTravel.com

SShown above is the Golden

Onion trophy at Campagnolorestaurant on Piedmont

Avenue in Atlanta where Lrstplace winner Daniel Chance is

executive chef. MelissaHarris, an artist from Rome,

Ga., is the designer.photo courtesy of Vidalia AreaConvention & Visitors Bureau


The rest of us scramble for tidbits leftin the cooking pans and for tastes fromplatters some chefs present with leftover in-gredients.

Not to worry. The front-yard vendorin the Vidalia Community Center where theevent is held sells the finest fried onion ringsever tasted, with a secret dipping sauce.

There are corn dogs too, but why notstick to the sweet onions at harvest time?Georgia’s Vidalia onions are world famous,with five million 40-pound boxes shippedup and down the east coast.

I learned that fact from Bob Stafford,one of five competition judges. Find him inthe interesting Vidalia Onion Museumwhere he protects the valued onion trade-mark.

Only 13 counties and parts of severalothers are allowed by federal order to calltheir product a Vidalia onion with thetrademark. Claim otherwise and the finecould be $10,000. Stafford’s serious. Aftermore than three decades in agriculture, heunderstands the way these special onionsgrow in certain sandy soil. Soil in and nearVidalia only.

Excited about good onion tastes in thefuture, Stafford’s animated when talkingabout the work in the fields and the sciencelabs.

“We work with real fine agronomiststhrough the research center in ToombsCounty and the University of Georgia,”Stafford says. “Eventhough theVidalia

onion is the best, with a superb texture, andready to harvest in the spring at the besttime of the year for people to use them, on-going research will improve them evenmore.”

Brunswick is headquarters for theGolden Onion second place winner ChefBrian Justice, chef and owner of TastefulTemptations Cafe.

Vidalia Onion Poppers are his creation:stuffed with wild Georgia shrimp andjalapeno peppers, surrounded with popperpastry, fried. On the side: tomato jam, chiveoil, charred corn with corn foam as the finalgarnish.

Works of art all afternoon, this winner,and each of the dozen presentations. I saygo to the 2014 Golden Onion for thebeauty and the aroma even if you don’t liketo cook.

Savannah is your destination for apancetta-wrapped onion stuffed with Geor-gia peach risotto.

Chef Roberto Leoci won third placefor his pancetta recipe; he’s also the ownerof Leoci’s Trattoria on Abercorn Street inSavannah.

“We do all our own meats...salami,pancetta, everything,” he says. “And we be-lieve in everything local and fresh.

“Defeats the purpose of Italian food asI was raised and trained to understand it—the true basis of Italian food is local ingredi-ents, no matter where you’re cooking.”

His preparation table included peachbuds waiting for slicing to use in the risotto.Lovely purple micro-greens are a Leoci fa-vorite, too.

To enjoy this lively event startingfrom the Tiftarea, a two-hour drive

each way makes it a manage-able Sunday afternoon.

Overnight on either side ofthe 2014 Golden Onionand discover other treatstoo.

The EdenfieldHouse bed andbreakfast is a newoption in nearbySwainsboro – the of-ficial grand reopen-ing happened April20.

Inkeeper AaronCorrell has been wel-

coming guests for severalmonths to his 1895 two-

story home. He’s brimmingwith enthusiasm and his inn

offers expansive opportunities.There are nine rooms for starters,

with an astonishing five on the groundfloor. There are no stairs for those roomsand that’s unusual in historic homes.There’s up-to-date bathrooms for each

room too, another happy feature.Anticipate a four-poster king bed or

two queens, historic style too. Exquisitelinens on those beds and if you like, Aaronwould no doubt give a sheet folding lesson.

“I do the laundry,” he says, “to highstandards. That includes washing everyblanket, every pillow sham, above and be-yond the sheets.”

Chances are good his 33-year militarycareer contributed to the standards he de-mands.

You can get breakfast to order atEdenfield House. Most fine inns haveFrench toast Tuesday or omelet Saturdaybut Correll and his two- daughter team askyour pleasure. Eggs any way, hash browncasserole, grits, breads, yogurt fruit parfait,spinach Vidalia onion quiche, caramelizedonion apple tarts. Coffee, tea and juice wereflowing early and traveling buddy GW Tib-betts and I had the option to select ourbreakfast time.

“I am enjoying life through buildingconnections with people, with this placeand with the foods,” Correll says, alwaysbeaming.

Guests are enjoying the under $100-a-night rates too.

Allow 30 minutes to drive to and fromEdenfield House and the Golden Onionchef competition on pleasant, scenic backroads. First time I’d even been throughNunez!

Two distinctive restaurantsallow evening dining

Devote one evening to Elements Bistro& Grill in Lyons, next door to Vidalia,where executive chef Mark Lane preparesexquisite food in a stunning building.

Who knew? Worth the drive. Elementsis all brick and wood, with bold, colorfulart and spacious windows.

Descend a boardwalk to eat in the Vi-dalia Treehouse another night, where exec-utive chef and general manager WendellThompson says, “I try to keep everythinglocal.”

His local stretches to the coast forGeorgia wild shrimp for what he considers“the best fried shrimp ever.”

Look for diced Vidalia onions insidethe half-pound Tree Burger. This tree houseis actually 14 feet above ground so the viewis eye-to- eye treetops. Local people in theknow park in the back lot, level with theentry.

April 20 is your date for 2014 onionpleasures.www.VidaliaOnion.orgwww.VidaliaArea.com912-538-8687www.edenfieldhouse.com855-553-0555


First place 2013• Chef Daniel Chance, executive chef,Campagnolo in Atlanta“Scallop Stuffed Vidalia with OnionPuree.”Second place 2013• Chef Brian Justice, chef and owner ofTasteful Temptations Café, Brunswick~ “Vidalia® Onion Poppers,” stuffed withwild Georgia shrimp, sauteed Vidalia®

onions and jalapeño peppers, and Mon-terey jack cheese, served with Vidalia®

onions and tomato jam, roasted corn andVidalia corn foam and garnished withchive oil and charred corn.Third place 2013• Chef Roberto Leoci, chef and owner ofLeoci’s Trattoria, Savannah~ “Pancetta Wrapped Vidalia® Onion,”stuffed with Georgia peach risotto and fin-ished with spiced candied pecans.

• Chef Mimmo Alboumeh, owner and ex-ecutive chef of ME Restaurant Group,which operates Red Pepper Taqueria,Coldbrews Sports Bar & Grill, and Cold-

brews Oyster Bar in Atlanta~ “Chilean Seabass With Vidalia® OnionChampagne Cider” served with quinoa,roasted Vidalia® onions and goat cheesewith a side of crispy Vidalia® onions.• Chef Linda Harrell, executive chef andpartner of Cibo E Beve, Sandy Springs~ “Smoky Vidalia® Onion, Fig & GoatCheese Fried Pies.”• Chef Brian Jones, chef de cuisine for At-lanta Grill at The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta~ Salad “inspired by the landscape andunique products that exist in areas such asVidalia, Thomasville and Lakeland: AScene from South Georgia.”• Chef John Mark Lane, executive chef ofElements Bistro & Grill, Lyons~ “Liver and Onions” featuring foie graswith sauteed Vidalia® onions, a springonion pancake and caramelized onion or-ange marmalade.• Chef Keira Moritz, chef and owner ofSteel Magnolias, Valdosta~ “Vidalia® Onion Brown Sugar GlazedPork Belly with Vidalia® Onion All LocalField Salad with Pecan Thyme Vinai-grette.”

One dozen Georgia chefs with Vidalia onion specialties:

Steel Magnolias in Valdosta is the place to discover cuisineby executive chef and owner Keira Moritz who glazed porkbelly with Vidalia onion brown sugar to serve on localLeld greens at the Golden Onion competition.


801705

Gifts, Bridal & More

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Happy Mother’s Day!Congratulations to the Class of 2013!

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• Chef Austin Rocconi, executive chef LeVigne Restaurant at Montaluce, Dahlonega~ “Local Pork Duo with Vidalia® Onion,”pan-roasted Mountain Valley Farms bone-in pork chop, soy- and beer-braised Moun-tain Valley Farms pork belly, roasted babyVidalia® onion bulb ragout, Vidalia® onionfluid gel and Vidalia® onion bubbles.• Chef Michael Shutters, executive chef andfood service director at The Pilot HouseGrille Restaurant at George T. Bagby StatePark and Lodge, Fort Gaines~ “Sweet Onion, Apple & Goat CheeseDessert Pop-Over” served with orangesaboyon sauce.• Chef Dave Snyder, chef and owner ofHalyards and Tramici, St. Simons Island~ “Sauteed Trout over Caramelized Vidaliaand Shrimp Cream with Arugula andPecans.”• Chef Marc Taft, chef and owner ofChicken & The Egg, Marietta, and execu-tive chef and general manager of the newThe Mill Kitchen & Bar, Roswell~ “Riverview Farms Pork Tenderloin TwoWays” with mustard greens, Vidalia buds,Vidalia “soubise,” Vidalia and greentomato agrodolce, Vidalia® onion jam,gourmet mushrooms, blistered tomatoes,young greens and aged balsamic.

Executive Chef Mark Lane prepared foiegras with sautéed Vidalia onions,caramelized onion orange marmaladeand a spring onion pancake for thecompetition. Dine with him inElements Bistro & Grill in Lyons.

Vidalia onions stuffed with scallops won Lrst placefor Chef Daniel Chance at Campagnolo in Atlanta.

Searing in olive oil in the iron skillet a vital step.


Arts in Black FestivalEVENTS

photos byLATASHA EVERSON

Several local nonproLt organizations participated in this year’s event,including United Way of South Central Georgia, Grace Recovery Home,

Tifton Housing Authority (abstinence program), Behavioral HealthService of South Georgia, Amerigroup Real Solutions and others.

The Georgia Goddesses, the dance troop for the Tifton minor leaguefootball team, the Georgia Firebirds, are shown performing on stage. People wait to get some of Joe’s Hot Fish from Atlanta.

Local resident Jessica Morrow purchases a fruity drinkat one of the several vendors set up in Fulwood Park.

Tray Soney of Atlanta, left, is shown glancing over this year’s Arts InBlack T-shirts. He also performed later on stage. Beverly Wesley,

right, was helping to sell the shirts at the festival.

A group of children curiously watch venquilitrist Cole Tucker, 11,of Hahira, who has won several contests for his unique talent.

Local resident Royce Cherry glances over the biographiesof inMuential black leaders.

Many people came out to the 2013 Arts In Black Festivalat Fulwood Park April 6.

Dancers with Dancers’ Pointe of Ashburn perform “Suits” on stage.Sound tech for all stage performances on stage two,

rocket area, was done by G-Man (Lt. GarLeld Rhaney).

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Vessel of Praise group isshown singing on stage at the 2013 Arts In Black Festival at Fulwood

Park. Sound tech for all performances on stage one, Syd BlackmarrStage, was done by After Hours Production (Nick McClellan).

Children are shown enjoying the familiar Barrel Train Rideat the festival.

The Tift County Sheriff’s Office Relay for Life team kindly helpscustomers at their booth.



Documents

Tifton Scene, May/June 2013