Historic site hosts Home School Day

CHATSWORTH, Ga. — Home School Day at the Chief Vann House Historic Site in Chatsworth is April 25 focusing on Cherokee gardening and medicinal plants. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a 45-minute break. The cost is $4.75 per participating student and $6 per participating adult. You must pre-register before April 21 to participate. Your child will learn about Moravian teacher and botanist Anna Rosina Gambold and her work with Cherokee medicinal plants. Students will work in the Physicians Garden, see how herbal treatments were prepared in the 1700s and take home a medicinal seedling. They’ll have a chance to practice historically accurate farming with authentic tools in the Three Sisters Garden, plant some squash, beans and corn and more. Space is limited. This Home School Day is recommended for ages 8-plus. An activity for children 7 and under and their parents will be provided.

Lockerly holding annual plant sale Friday and Saturday

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Spring may have finally arrived to the area, which means gardeners either have been or very soon will be toiling in the dirt outside their homes creating immaculate displays. 

Lockerly Arboretum’s annual plant sale is one local option for those wanting to make some additions to their gardens, whether begonias, native azaleas, a Japanese maple, or many others from a wide selection are their passion. 

This year’s sale is slated for Friday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Lockerly members only from 9 a.m. to noon) and Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to noon. Proceeds will be used in general support of the Arboretum. 

The plant selection includes annuals, conifers, ferns, perennials, shrubs and trees. Plants fly off the property as soon as the sale begins Friday morning, so those who want first pick but are not Lockerly members are encouraged to sign up prior to or during the members-only window as the Arboretum will accept new memberships at that time.

A full list of plants that will be available at the Lockerly Arboretum plant sale can be found online at www.lockerly.org, though the list is subject to change and item availability is only while supplies last. For more information, call Lockerly at 478-452-2112.

Howell to discuss memoir at Branford Library

BRANFORD, Fla. — Local author Susie H. Baxter will discuss and sign copies of her newest book, “Pumping Sunshine, A Memoir of My Rural Childhood” at the Branford Library next week.

The book signing will be held Monday at 6 p.m.

At the event, Baxter will read selections from her memoir, set in Suwannee County, will answer questions about the book and talk about writing memoirs. Afterwards, there will be refreshments and a book signing.

“Susie Baxter weaves a charming tale using threads of memories and front porch stories from her home near the Suwannee River in rural North Florida,” said Cassie Dandridge Selleck, the author of The Pecan Man. “Heartwarming, nostalgic, and honest. Pumping Sunshine is a joy to read.”

Added Jonellen Heckler, author of White Lies: “A treasure. Touching, honest, brilliantly detailed. Pumping Sunshine leaves its mark indelibly on the heart.”

Baxter, who was known during her childhood as Susanette Howell, attended Ladyland School in southwest Suwannee County before graduating from Suwannee High School in 1962. Baxter received the coveted Editor of the Year award from Times Mirror for her work as an acquisitions editor and publisher for a health-science publishing house in St. Louis.

Upon retirement, Baxter returned to Florida where she serves as a creative nonfiction editor for Bacopa Literary Review and teaches memoir writing at Santa Fe College in Gainesville.

Her other books are “C.G. & Ethel: A Family History” and “Write Your Memoir: One Story at a Time,” which are available at amazon.com.

Valdosta gas prices second-highest in Georgia

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Lowndes County gas prices jumped again last week, making local fuel prices among the highest in Georgia, according to statistics. The average price of unleaded gasoline in Valdosta Sunday was $2.66 a gallon, a jump of 12 cents from the previous Sunday average of $2.54 a gallon, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge report. Valdosta tied for second place for Georgia’s most expensive gas Sunday with Savannah and Brunswick, behind only Atlanta at $2.67 a gallon, the auto club said. The lowest reported price in Valdosta Sunday was $2.53 a gallon at a Baytree Road store, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com. That excludes shopping clubs where a membership card is required for the lowest price. Nationally, the average price of gasoline Sunday was $2.71, up five cents from seven days earlier, while Georgia’s rate of $2.64 was six cents higher in the same period, according to AAA. In Friday market action, benchmark U.S. crude oil added 32 cents to $67.39, its highest settlement price since 2014. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 56 cents to $72.58.

ABAC Concert Choir presents Spring Concert

TIFTON, Ga. — Voices from the Concert Choir, the Chamber Singers, and the Jazz Singers will blend in perfect harmony on April 17 at 7 p.m. during the annual ABAC Spring Choral Concert in Howard Auditorium at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The concert is open to the community at no charge. The recital will begin with the Concert Choir performing “The Star Spangled Banner” followed by the ABAC Alma Mater. Choir members will then sing Aaron Copeland’s captivating pieces “Zions Walls” and “At the River.” The ABAC Jazz Singers will take center stage to perform Cole Porter’s “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” and Mercer and Harold Arlen’s “Come Rain or Come Shine.” The ABAC Chamber Singers will put a different spin on the night and take the crowd to a faraway culture with “Ukuthula,” a Zulu folk song for peace and “Wana Baraka,” a Kenyan folk song.  The Chamber Singers will conclude their portion of the evening with Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure On This Shining Star.” The concert will conclude with the ABAC Concert Choir performing Michael Engelhardt’s “Wayfaring Stranger.” For more information, interested persons can contact Roe at 229-391-4943.