Senior center hosts art classes

DALTON, Ga. — The Dalton-Whitfield Senior Center’s multimedia art teacher, Judy Sorrow, will begin a new six-week class on Monday on pen and ink and water color. The class will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. Beginners and all levels of students are welcome. The cost is $30 per student. Call the senior center at (706) 278-3700 if you wish to sign up or have questions about the class.

 

Stop the Violence II tourney coming to Mott-Litman Gym

TIFTON, Ga. — Larry Dean and the Larry Dean Foundation will present Stop the Violence II Basketball Tournament and Unionville Day BBQ March 18-19. The tournament will take place at the Mott-Litman Gym. Registration is $450 per team, which includes dri-fit jerseys. Teams are limited to 12 players and team members must be aged high school and older. The tournament, which has a $1,000 prize for first place, will be double elimination because of the amount of teams expected to be involved. For fans, admission will be $10 at the door to watch the tournament. For more information, contact larrydean32@gmail.com or call (229) 472-7121.

 

Hospice seeking dog therapy volunteers

THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Now in its sixth year, Archbold Medical Center’s Hospice of Southwest Georgia dog therapy team has helped bring love and comfort to many hospice patients. The program has grown tremendously since it started, and is now looking to add more dedicated dog owners and their pets to the dog therapy team.“Studies have shown that interaction with dogs can promote relaxation and relieve agitation, anxiety and stress in patients,” said Leigh Ann Falconer, coordinator of the dog therapy program and owner of Bark Busters Red Hills, a home dog training company.  “Our volunteers and their dogs visit patients in their home, in the hospital, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. It’s always very fulfilling to see the smiles from patients and their loved ones when we visit. ”Bark Busters Red Hills will hold a six-week general group training class that will also cover therapy dog training starting Tuesday, February 28, 2017, at 6 p.m. at Thomasville Animal Hospital located at 1103 Smith Ave. in Thomasville. The cost of the six-week course is $125 and covers the dog obedience course and all testing required to become a volunteer in the Hospice of Southwest Georgia Therapy Dog Program. Each class will last approximately one hour. To enroll in the class or for more information on how you and your dog can participate, call Leigh Ann Falconer, (229) 233-4420 or email redhills@barkbusters.com.

 

Omega officer completes traffic law course

FORSYTH, Ga. — Officer Nicolas Harrison of the Omega Police Department completed a course in advanced traffic law conducted by the Georgia Police Academy Division of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. This course is required by the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council for Advanced Certification. The course provides public safety officers an overview of the laws in the Georgia Traffic Code that perta;in to moving vehicle violations and includes updates on rules of the road, which govern how a vehicle shall be operating safely on Georgia roads. Rules of the road not only encompass laws governing traffic, but also include common driving practices.

 

Georgia College presents ‘American Idiot’

 MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Georgia College’s big musical of the year will be staged at 8 p.m. for five nights at Russell Auditorium, Feb. 21-25. The Tony Award-winning rock opera — Green Day’s “American Idiot” — will surprise and inspire audiences with 90-minutes of uninterrupted music and emotion. “The anti-war but pro-soldier production gives voice to the millennial generation, who want to engage in political and social discussions that shape who we are as Americans. People will want to get out of their seats and dance,” said Dr. Karen Berman, chair and artistic director of theatre and dance. Characters in the show display anger, love and vulnerability — hitting low points in their lives and overcoming obstacles. Songs include: “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and the title hit “American Idiot.” Tickets cost $7 for students, $12 for senior citizens, GC faculty/staff and non-GC students and $16 for general admission. Visit the GC Ticket Office or call 478-445-4226 for more information and group discounts.

 

The Hyssongs to perform Sunday at Bethel Creek Baptist

MAYO, Fla. — The Hyssongs will be presenting a concert of Gospel Music at the Bethel Creek Baptist Church on Sunday at 6 p.m.  The energetic family combines family vocal harmony, humor, and brass instruments to delight audiences. The group has won many friends and awards. They have come to this area annually on their tour of the country. The group has been singing together as a family for more than 15 years and perform more than 250 events each year throughout the United States and Canada.  Pastor Jim Whitaker and the congregation invite you to join us for an uplifting evening.

 

Circus still looking for alternate venue

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Personnel with a Florida circus say they are still looking for a replacement venue after Lowndes County officials refused to issue a permit needed to hold a planned Valdosta performance. The answer, a circus spokesman said, may be to go right back to the facility they were originally banned from. Garden Bros. Circus, a one-ring circus based in Sarasota, Fla., has looked at several sites around the South Georgia area to host a replacement for the canceled Feb. 1 show, but the closest place suitable for the circus is 60 miles away, said Jim Davis, the circus’ booking director. Garden Bros.’ original plan was to set up at the Lowndes County Civic Center. “Everything was in order, everything was fine,” Davis said. “We had all the business and health permits. Then, out of nowhere, questions came up and we were asked for more information on our animals.” A couple of days later, the circus received an email from the county saying it couldn’t have a rental agreement for the civic center. “We’d already paid the rent and the security deposit,” Davis said. “This is the first time we’ve ever been given a denial.” Lowndes County refused to issue the necessary permits because the circus’ safety record involving animals and the public was “not satisfactory,” said Paige Dukes, Lowndes County’s court clerk and public information officer. Davis said the county never gave the circus specific details about why they were denied the rental agreement and several attempts to contact county officials failed. Dukes said the conversation with Garden Bros. “deteriorated to a level that no longer made communications possible.” She also said the county reserves the right to approve or deny rental of public facilities. Garden Bros. scrambled to move the circus to a private location, the rodeo grounds at the Raisin’ Cane farm south of Valdosta, but were blocked by the county, Davis said. “(Lowndes County) wouldn’t let us have a special event permit,” he said. “They didn’t even tell (the circus); they called the rodeo grounds and told them.” Davis said Wednesday the circus is considering contacting the county again to see if an “arrangement can be made” to use the civic center in October, when Garden Bros. heads back to Florida. Tickets for the circus had already been sold before all the problems began. People who had already paid for the Valdosta show were told their tickets would be honored and upgraded at shows in Tallahassee, Fla., and Nicholls. Davis said the performances in those cities went off without a hitch. “We had no problems with the authorities (in Nicholls and Tallahassee),” he said.