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Christmas In Dixie
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The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
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The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Azure’s Peppermint
Cake Recipe
See Page 11A
Vol. 123 No. 49
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
December 8, 2021
Three phrases that
sum up Christmas
are: Peace on Earth,
Goodwill to Men, and
Batteries not
Included.
-Author Unknown
News
BYTES
A Christmas
Tapestry
The Vidalia High School
Symphonic Band and
Percussion Ensemble will
perform "A Christmas
Tapestry" on Thursday,
December 9, at 7:30
p.m. in the VHS Theater,
901 North St., W.
Popup
Christmas
Market
The Altama Museum of
Art and History is hosting
a Popup Christmas
Market on Saturday,
December 11, from 10
a.m. until 3 p.m. For
more information, visit:
www.AltamaMuseum.
org.
Glenwood
Parade
The Annual Glenwood
Christmas Parade will
be held Saturday,
December 11 at 11 a.m.
The parade lines up at
the Civic Center and
proceeds downtown.
Mount Vernon
Parade
The 20th Annual Mount
Vernon Christmas
Parade, "A storybook
Christmas," will be held
Saturday, December 11
at 4 p.m. The parade
lines up at J.M. Fountain
Park and proceeds
downtown to the
Montgomery County
Courthouse.
Sparkle in the
Park
Friends of Little
Ocmulgee State Park
is sponsoring a drive
through holiday event,
December 17-January
2. There is no fee for the
event but the $5 park
pass is required.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 5A
Obituaries Page 7A
From the Record Page 8A
Your Mind On Line Page 3A
Sports Page 1 B
Vidalia Man Charged With
Making Bomb Threats
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
Local authorities
have charged a Vidalia
man in connection with
two bomb threats in
Toombs County in No
vember. Rodney Steven
Rodney Weeks
Weeks, 44, is being held
at the Toombs County
Jail as he awaits his first
court appearance.
A press release is
sued last week by Cap
tain Jordan Right of the
Toombs County Sheriff’s
Office reports that an in
vestigation linked Weeks
to bomb threats at the
Toombs County Court
house and a Lyons conve
nience store.
Right said, on
November 15 at ap
proximately 10:06 a.m.,
Toombs County 911
Dispatch received a call
from the Toombs County
Magistrate’s Office stat
ing that a caller with a
restricted phone number
reported a bomb in the
Toombs County Court
house.
The Toombs County
Please see Bomb page
11A
Two Toombs County
Schools Earn
Lighthouse Award
By Makaylee Randolph
Contributing Writer
Principals from
Lyons Upper Elemen
tary School and Toombs
Central El
ementary
School
traveled to
the Dis
ney World
Resort in
Orlando,
Florida,
on December 3, to re
ceive the highest award
given by Blue Ribbon
Schools of Excellence—
the Lighthouse School
Award—at the annual
conference last week.
Fewer than 40
schools across the nation
achieve this distinction
annually, and this title
of “Light-
house
School” is
relevant to
the school
for three
years.
The
Blue Rib
bon Schools
of Excellence provides
schools with a continu-
Please see Awards page
9A
James Jemon Mamed
Vidalia Police Chief
By Makaylee Randolph
Contributing Writer
Captain James Jer-
mon was named Chief
of the Vidalia Police De
partment during a called
Vidalia City Council
meeting on December
3. The promotion comes
after Jermon spent the
last four months as in
terim head of the De
partment following
the departure of Police
Commissioner Brian
Scott.
Jermon was unani
mously approved by the
Council. Mayor Doug
Roper commented,
“Chief, let me be the first
Please see Jermon page
2A
Chief of Police Capfain James Jermon
Little Ocmulgee State Park’s New
Manager Back in Familiar Territory
Photo by Deborah Clark
NEW MANAGER - Little Ocmulgee State Park Manager, Brad Smith,
center, looks over plans for "The 19th Hole" with general contractor Bill
Deaton, left, and cabinetmaker Matt Phipps, right. The new venue un
der construction at the Park's Lodge will offer a pub-like atmosphere
for guests. Smith assumed the position of Park manager four and a half
months ago.
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail.com
As the new general man
ager at Little Ocmulgee State
Park, Brad Smith is in familiar
territory.
Smith, who has been at his
new post for the past four and
half months, grew up in South
Georgia. He was born in Atlan
ta but, with his parents, moved
to Jesup as a young child. His
parents are originally from
Alma. After he finished col
lege, Smith launched a career
in the restaurant/hospitality
industry that spans 35 years,
including a quarter century in
Nashville, Tennessee. His ex
perience in that arena stood
him in good stead for his role
at Little Ocmulgee.
“Part of the joy of this job
is getting to come back to the
area where I grew up. A lot of
the stories I could tell about
myself center on this part of
the state,” Smith said.
Smith appreciates the
unique qualities of “Little O,”
as it is called by those who love
it most. Situated in the roll
ing sand hills and pine woods
on the Little Ocmulgee River,
the Park was built by the Civil
ian Conservation Corps and
the National Park Service in
the 1930s and opened to the
public in 1940; but long before
that, the land was an Indian en
campment. Smith believes the
site retains a certain spirit that
harks back to the days when
indigenous tribes roamed the
land.
“A lot of effort has gone
into making the Park what it
is, and I am fortunate to be
on the receiving end of that
effort,” Smith said. “There is
Please see LOSP page 9A
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LETTERS TO §AMTTA
Send us your Letters to Santa, and we'll publish them in the
December 22 issue of ®I]e Ahuance. We'll make sure Santa receives
your letters in plenty of time to fill your Christmas wish list.
Deadline is December 13.
Mail your letters to:
SANTA
LETTERS
do 01)E Aiutance
P.O. Box 669,
Vidalia, GA 30475
