Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 123 No. 31
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
A Festive
School ,
Lunch with
Foil Packet
Burritos!
See Azure 11A
The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
August 4, 2021
Who was
Jim Thorpe?
See Sports
I have had more
trouble with myself
than with any other
man.
- Dwight L. Moody
News
BYTES
Back to School
Bash
Toombs County's
Fourth Annual Back to
School Bash will be held
Saturday, August 7, 9-11
a.m. at Southeastern
Technical College in
Vidalia. Children must
be present to collect
their supplies. Sponsored
by Toombs County
Family Connections,
local school systems and
businesses.
Reminiscing at
The Pal Theatre
The public is invited
to take a trip down
memory lane as a
popular documentary,
"Legacy of the Pal,"
is reprised for a free
showing on Monday,
August 9 at 7 p.m. The
theatre is located at
122 Church Street in
downtown Vidalia.
SizeLIp Vidalia
Online Demo
Greater Vidalia
Chamber-Community
Development Series,
"SizeUp Greater
Vidalia," free online
demonstration will be
presented by DOT Foods
on Wednesday, August
11, at 9 a.m. To register,
visit: https//sizeup.info/
sizeupgvc.
Water Issues
Forum
A public forum on
proposed water system
improvements by the
City of Vidalia will be
held at the Vidalia
Community Center
on August 12 at 6
p.m. Following a brief
presentation by city
officials, citizens will have
an opportunity to ask
questions.
Local Leaders Register Opinions
At Hearing on State Redistricting
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
A delegation of lead
ers from Toombs and
Montgomery counties at
tended a public hearing
in Macon last Thursday to
make known their opin
ions on Georgia’s redis
tricting.
The session was
among several in-per-
son and virtual hearings
scheduled by the state to
gather public input about
redrawing Georgia’s legis
lative districts ahead of a
special session of the Gen
eral Assembly expected
to convene in the fall. The
last hearing was held vir
tually on July 30.
Speaking on behalf
of the community were
Ginger Morris, Mont-
ri
JOINT HEARING - Members of the Georgia House and Senate Redistricting Com
mittees, which held a hearing in Macon last week, listen while Ginger Morris, (at the
microphone facing the panel), makes a presentation on behalf of leaders from
Toombs and Montgomery counties. Morris is a member of the Montgomery County
Commission and also serves as Assistant Superintendent for Vidalia City Schools.
The hearings, which concluded last Friday, were held in various locations across the
state to gather input prior to a special legislative session on redistricting,
gomery County Com
missioner and Assis
tant Superintendent of
Vidalia City Schools;
David Sikes, Chairman
of the Toombs County
Commission; and Don
Betts, former head of
the Toombs-Montgom-
ery County Chamber
of Commerce (now the
Greater Vidalia Cham
ber) and the Toombs
County Development
Authority. Also in atten
dance was Leesa Hagan,
R-Vidalia, newly-elected
representative for Dis
trict 156 in the Georgia
House of Representa
tives.
Betts said his pur
pose in appearing at the
hearing was to represent
Please see Hearing page
3A
SizeUp Greater Vidalia Provides COVID Coses Increase Locally,
Help to Small Businesses Two School Systems Delay Opening
The Greater Vidalia Chamber
and Toombs County Develop
ment Authority are supporting lo
cal small businesses by providing a
new, online program called SizeUp
Greater Vidalia.
“The Chamber and Author
ity are committed to helping small
businesses move forward with the
tools and information they need
to reopen, recover, and emerge
even stronger from the COVID-19
pandemic,” said Michele Johnson,
President of the Chamber and Ex
ecutive Director of the Develop
ment Authority.
Please see SizeUp page 12A
In recent weeks, most doubled in the past week. As
of the country has seen an of Monday, Meadows had
increase in positive COV- 27 COVID-19 patients in
ID-19 cases; this is certainly the hospital. The re
true for Vidalia and Toombs surgence of COVID also
County as well. At Memorial caused the Montgomery
Health Meadows Hospital, County Schools and Wheel-
the number of patients with er County Schools to post-
COVID-19 has more than p|ease see CQV|D page 9A
Sen. Warnock’s Rep.
Meets with Toombs
Co. Leaders
Altama Museum Wins GCA Grant,
Poised to Kick Off 2021 Season
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
MEETING COMMUNITY LEADERS - Young took time
to speak with community leaders in both a group
setting as well as individually after the meeting.
Here, he converses with Chamber of Commerce
Chairman Steve McComas, right, and Chamber
of Commerce President Michele Johnson.
SECOND CENTURY - This year, the Altama Museum celebrates two milestones: its
40th season and the completion of the Second Century Project, a $175,000 reno
vation of the museum's home, the 1911 Brazell House.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 5A
Obituaries Page 7A
From the Record Page 10A
Your Mind On Line Page 2A
Sports Page 1 B
By Makaylee Randolph
Contributing Writer
Andrew Young II,
a field representative
for Georgia Senator
Raphael Wamock, met
with several Toombs
County community
leaders on July 29 as a
part of an effort to meet
with leaders in all 159
counties of Georgia to
learn about constitu
ents’ concerns. Toombs
County was one of the
last counties visited
by Warnock’s team, as
Please see Young page
11A
It’s great news at the Altama Mu
seum of Art & History in Vidalia! The
Museum was recently awarded a $6,000
Bridge Grant by the Georgia Council
for the Arts (GCA), and, following a re
cent renovation, is poised to kick off the
2021 season with a grand reopening and
ribbon cutting on August 22.
The GCA, a division of the Geor
gia Department of Economic Develop
ment, awarded the grant to the Museum
as part of its initial disbursement of
grants for fiscal year 2022.
A total of 218 organizations were
awarded 266 grants that provide more
than $2 million in funding to arts or
ganizations throughout the state. The
Bridge Grant provides funding for op-
Please see Altama page 9A
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