Eland named guest speaker for Art Week kickoff 

MOULTRIE, Ga. — The McCall Legacy Committee will welcome Dr. Bill Eiland, director of the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia, as guest speaker at the Celebration of the Arts Week kickoff luncheon on Sunday, April 2.

The luncheon will be an elegant catered event in the McCall Gallery of the Colquitt County Arts Center.

 

Georgia Department of Labor business summit to be held in Cartersville

ATLANTA — State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said this week that a business summit called Employers in the Know will be held in Cartersville on April 26. The summit is one in an annual series of 12 being held throughout the state. This is the fourth year the summits have been offered to employers. The summits, which help employers learn how to better understand and conquer compliance challenges in the workplace, are sponsored by the Georgia Department of Labor and local employer committees. This one is cosponsored by the Floyd-Gordon Employer Committee, Whitfield-Murray Employer Committee and Top of Georgia Employer Committee. The summit will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lake Point Sporting Community at 261 Stars Way. For more information about the summit, or to request registration forms, contact Angela.Royal@gdol.ga.gov or call (404) 273-0938.

 

 

‘Egg-Ceptional Egg Hunt’ planned

VALDOSTA — The Easter Bunny will visit some extra special children at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority. The VLPRA Therapeutic Division hosts the Fourth Annual “Egg-ceptional Egg Hunt” for children with disabilities on Saturday, April 1. The egg hunt is free and is open to children with special needs and their families. The event provides a fun, safe, family-friendly environment that allows children who may have difficulty participating in a traditional egg hunt the opportunity to hunt for Easter eggs, according to a parks & rec press release. Children will hunt 1,000 toy and candy-filled Easter Eggs in a fully accessible environment, take pictures with the Easter Bunny, enjoy face painting, create arts and crafts, and more at the VLPRA Craig Center, according to organizers. The center is located at 1104 W. Gordon St. The 2.5-acre lot is enclosed by chain-link fence and is wheelchair accessible. The “Egg-ceptional Egg Hunt” is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. The Craig Center property will be roped off for two separate hunts at the same time. One area will cater to children ages 2 to 6 years old and the other will be for children ages 7 to 12 years old.VLPRA will provide “Beep Eggs” for visually impaired participants and there will be tennis ball hopper baskets for wheelchair participants, according to organizers. Children who capture golden eggs will win Easter baskets and there will be other prizes awarded randomly, according to the press release.

 

April Fools Bike Ride scheduled for Saturday

Bike Walk Baldwin is hosting the 11th annual April Fools Ride this Saturday, but with routes of 31, 63, and 80 miles, this ride around Baldwin and well into parts of Wilkinson County is no joke.

Online registration is open through tonight, and riders may also sign up the day of the event starting at 8 a.m. with the ride beginning at 9 a.m. The cost is $35 for those who want to make a tax-deductible donation to Bike Walk Baldwin, and $45 for everyone else. The ride begins and ends at the Cogentes office located at 286 Jones Dr. on the campus of historic Central State Hospital. All riders should be clear of the course by around 4 p.m.

Participants also receive $5 in “Milly Money” they can spend in their post-race meal at a number of downtown restaurants.

The April Fools Ride was initially an effort of the Bicycling Club of Milledgeville, but has changed hands to Bike Walk Baldwin, which is an advocacy group aimed at getting Milledgeville and Baldwin County residents into more active lifestyles. 

For more information or to register visit http://mvillebikes.com/11th-annual-april-fools-ride/

 

Last Chance Suwannee River Jam Audition is set for Friday

LIVE OAK — For fans of the performance contests at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Friday and Saturday are your nights to be in the Music Hall.

A surprise Last Chance Suwannee River Jam Audition will be held Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. The next night, Saturday, is no April Fool’s joke, the SRJ final will be held where area performers for the 2017 SRJ will be chosen. All SRJ Audition solo and duo winners, including those March 31, will be a part of this huge Saturday night event.

There is free admission both nights with reservations recommended both nights. A very large crowd is expected Saturday night as about two dozen winners from all across Florida and South Georgia will audition. Call the SOS Café at 386-364-1703 to make reservations.

Those set to audition Friday night are Cassidy Lee (Jacksonville), Zakk Kalberg (Hahira, Ga.), Jasmine Horton (Gainesville), Lee Blake (Jacksonville), Abigail Carpenter (Glen Saint Mary), Treble Hook Band (Lake City), Colby Allen Band (Valdosta, Ga.), Trey Tucker Band (Gainesville) and Andy Pursell Band (Arcadia).

Country artists already chosen to be in the finals Saturday night are Brittanie Powell (Live Oak), Stephen Quinn (Jacksonville), Justin Welch (Jacksonville), Kamron Williams (Mayo), Cole Tomlinson (Blackshear, Ga.), Kyle Brigham (O’Brien), Darrell Rae (Jacksonville), Ashton Taylor (Alachua), Jamie Stokes (hometown not available), Hannah Emerson (Jacksonville), Josh Edwards (High Springs), duo Karley Scott Collins and Alex Sandlin (Lake City), Callie Leigh Johns (Jacksonville), Lauren Woodall (Lake City), Ashley Holbrook (Orange Park), Jimmie Coleman (Jacksonville), Jennifer Renee Yarbrough (Jacksonville), Reggie Stacy (Bronson) and Kara Orndorff (Jasper).

Bands already chosen to perform at the Jam, the South’s Country and Camping Festival, will not have to audition this weekend. They, along with bands yet to be chosen March 31, are Bryan Wainwright Band (Live Oak), Exit 78 (Alachua), Sondra Hunt Band (Lake Butler), Jamey Michael King Band (Cross City), Middle Ground Band (Palatka), Jonathan Lee Band (Middleburg) and Danny Dawson Band (Manor, Ga.).

If you would like to rent one of the park’s beautiful cabins, a spot to park your RV/camper or primitive camp for this weekend or one of the SOSMP’s many other exciting events such as Wanee Music Festival on April 20-22, Suwannee River Jam on May 3-6 or just need additional info, please call the park at 386-364-1683, email mailto: spirit@musicliveshere.com or go to www.musicliveshere.com. The SOSMP is located 4.5 miles south of Interstate 75 and 4.5 miles north of Interstate 10 at the beautiful Suwannee River off U.S. Highway 129 at 3076 95th Drive.

 

Exchange Club seeks Golden Deeds Recipient

TIFTON, Ga. — The Exchange Club of Tifton is seeking nominees for the 64th annual awarding of the Book of Golden Deeds. The project is the longest running project of the Exchange Club of Tifton and the National Exchange Club. The Golden Deeds Award recognizes dedicated community volunteers who give endless hours of their time and talents toward making their communities better places to live. To nominate a letter or letters by friends, family or coworkers is needed. Its best when the letter is from an individual, instead of a group. This letter should include lots of information about how the nominated individual is helping people and programs in the community. The deadline for sending letters of nomination is April 14, 2017. Letters should be mailed to the Exchange Club of Tifton, P. O. Box 1621, Tifton, GA 31793. The recipient will be honored at the Annual Golden Deeds banquet on Monday, May 1. For more information or questions, call Angela Elder at (229) 386-0216.