Wellborn has ‘The Blues’ — 24th annual Blueberry Festival set for June

WELLBORN, Fla. — It’s not too soon to be getting “The Blues” — the Wellborn Blueberry Festival, that is. The 24th annual Wellborn Blueberry Festival will be held on Saturday, June 3, in Andrews Square in historical downtown Wellborn. Admission is free.   The Wellborn Community Association is excited about the new classic car show and parade which are going to be hosted by the Southern Knights Street Rodders. This year’s parade theme is “Living the Blues,” so get those floats and parade entries decorated and ready to go. With the fun theme, it will be great to see what our businesses, churches, organizations, equestrians and antique car owners can come up with.  Activities begin at 7 a.m. on June 3 with the famous Blueberry Pancake Breakfast with three stations available to serve. About 100 vendors will be selling any imagined craft, and the food vendors will be selling all the favorite festival foods. The Country Store will be offering the famous blueberry pies, cobblers, jams, jelly, syrup, muffins and more. Enjoy live local entertainment all day long and lots of activities for the children.   

There is still space available for arts and crafts vendors, but the festival full for food vendors this year.   Information and entry forms are available on the Blueberry Festival page of the website www.wellborncommunityassociation.com  along with names and contact information for all the committee chairpersons. Follow on Facebook at Wellborn Community Association. For more info, call 386-963-1157.

 

Plough Gallery, Ag Museum host “TEA: The Ritual and the Art”

TIFTON, Ga. – It’s been served hot and cold, from a mason jar or fine china, with a plethora of additives—sugar, cream, lemon, honey—but while tastes and samples may change culturally and geographically, one thing remains constant: the appreciation for tea, the communal aspect and banter associated with it, and the unique perspectives in design that it elicits. Curators at Plough Gallery and the GA Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village will recognize these distinctions on April 15 with “TEA: The Ritual and the Art.” In partnership with the Japan-America Society of Georgia, the showcase juxtaposes the cultural traditions of Japan with the traditional characteristics—and curios—of South Georgia, bridging the cultural divide wedged between the silk kimono and denim overalls.  According to Plough Gallery co-owner Glenn Josey, the goal of the ceremony and exhibition is to “cultivate community.” The exhibit and sale will be hosted at Plough Gallery (1203 College Avenue North) from 3-5 p.m., followed by a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony led by the Japan-America Society of Georgia at the GA Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village’s Peanut Barn (1392 Whiddon Mill Road). Five attendees will be selected from a raffle at Plough Gallery to participate in the traditional ceremony. The ceremony will be conducted on a platform in the center of the museum with viewers drinking tea and watching—suspended on the second story balcony that wraps around the main floor. For more information, contact Glenn Josey at ploughgallery@outlook.com or Polly Huff at phuff@abac.edu.

 

TU to open Veterans Center on Forbes Campus

THOMASVILLE — For years Thomas University has been recognized for its efforts to recognize and assist veterans in the region. Now TU is stepping up that commitment by opening the Veterans Services and Career Transition Center next to the TU Library on the Forbes Campus. “Thomas University recognizes the unique needs of veterans in our community,” said Stephen Ferguson, TU associate vice president for Enrollment and Business Development, Military Operations. “The Veterans Services and Career Transition Center will allow veterans the opportunity to connect with peers and establish a designated area, where veterans can share experiences and enhance camaraderie among veterans in our community.” The grand opening and ribbon cutting for the Veterans Center will be held in front of the TU Library at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 25, featuring keynote speaker Brig. Gen. Thomas Carden, assistant adjutant general of the Georgia Army National Guard. “The Center will provide a wide range of services, such as assistance with VA education benefits counseling, mental health counseling, referrals to external support services, academic support, career services, such as resume and interviewing prep,” Ferguson continued. “The Center is open to all veterans regardless of affiliation with Thomas University, including active duty service members, National Guard, Reserve and military dependents.” Several groups have already partnered with TU to work with veterans at the center, including the Georgia Department of Labor, Aetna, Hopes and Dreams Riding Facility, as well as TU’s Student Veterans of America and SALUTE Veterans Honor Society.

For more information about the Veterans Center, email military@thomasu.edu.

 

Tea party group to hear from legislators

DALTON, Ga. — Members of the local state legislative delegation will speak about the 2017 General Assembly session during a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Huff House on Selvidge Street behind Dalton City Hall. Elected officials invited to address the group are Rep. Bruce Broadrick, Rep. Rick Jasperse, Sen. Chuck Payne, Rep. Jason Ridley and Rep. Steve Tarvin. The town hall-type event is sponsored by the Dalton Tea Party and is open to the public.

 

VSU presents Gunter author reception 

VALDOSTA, Ga.  — Valdosta State University will present the Fifth Annual Dr. Philip Gunter Faculty Author Reception 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 17, in the University Center Magnolia Room.  Faculty, staff, students, and the general public are invited to join the celebration of some of the university’s best faculty research, according to a VSU press release. The Dr. Philip Gunter Faculty Author Reception is a recognition of the wide range of scholarly activity produced by faculty from all disciplines and every department on campus, according to organizers.  During the event, VSU faculty will share their published scholarly works, including everything from journal articles, books and book chapters to poems and short stories to artwork, video and sound recordings, etc., from the previous calendar year. Dr. Darrell Ross first developed the faculty author reception when he was named head of what was then known as the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, with Marriage and Family Therapy in August 2010.  Marriage and Family Therapy is now a separate department within the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services. The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice is in the College of Arts and Sciences, according to VSU. Ross wanted the opportunity to recognize his department’s faculty research efforts.  Ross said it was Gunter who supported his plan to expand the faculty author reception to the entire university, to include every faculty member from every department. When Gunter died unexpectedly May 20, 2012, a little less than a year before the inaugural event, Ross named the campus-wide faculty author reception in his memory, a tribute to his unwavering support of faculty research at VSU, according to the press release. Gunter joined the VSU family in 1993 as head of what was then known as the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders.  The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and the Department of Early Childhood and Special Education are both in the Dewar College of Education and Human Services.  Ten years later, he was named dean of the college. In 2010, he was named provost and vice president of the Division of Academic Affairs, having already served one year as interim.  Dr. Darrell Ross may be contacted at (229) 333-5943 or dross@valdosta.edu for more information.