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The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Crock Pot Black Eyed
■ Bg ...BM m ■
A politician is a fellow
who will lay down
your life for his
country.
-Texas Guinan
News
BYTES
Coffee at the
General Store
The Downtown Vidalia
Association invites the
public to Coffee Before
Hours at General Store
30474, 112 Church Street,
Wednesday, January 5,
from 8 until 9 a.m.
Sparkle in the
Park
Friends of Little Ocmulgee
State Park is sponsoring
a drive through holiday
event, December
17-January 2. The park will
be decked out with lights
and decorations and will
offer lots of opportunities
for photos. There is no fee
for the event but the $5
park pass is required.
Blue Angels Crew Member Visits
Ahead of Onion Festival Air Show
BIG PLANS - The Blue Angels have big plans for their flight demonstration at the 2022 Vidalia Onion Festival Air Show as
they bring new aircraft to Vidalia. Flere, Airport Manager Billy Ragan (left) and Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper (center) dis
cuss their excitement for the coming attraction with Lieutenant Kaitlin Forester (right).
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
Blue Angels Lieutenant
Kaitlin Forester visited Vidalia
on December 21 to complete a
walkthrough of the local airport
in preparation for the 2022 Vi
dalia Onion Festival Air Show.
Forester also met with local
military, EMS, and city officials
for a briefing on what the Blue
Angels Festival performance re
quires.
Forester was selected in July
2020 to join the Blue Angels
Flight Crew, and will be flying
her second full season with the
Angels when she performs at
the Vidalia Onion Festival in
2022. She flies Blue Angel #8
and serves as the team’s Events
Please see Angels page 3A
Farewell 2021:
Looking Forward to a New Normal in 2022
PANIC BUYING TO BLAME? - Area motorists were greeted with bags over gas pump dispens
ers in May announcing, "Sorry, out of service." Whether the area gas shortage is due to panic
buying is debatable, but in any event, the effects of a cyberattack on a major gas pipeline
are being felt here,
Legislative
Luncheon
The Greater Vidalia
Chamber of Commerce
is hosting its annual
Legislative Luncheon on
January 6 at 11:30 a.m.
at First Baptist Church
in Vidalia. Tickets are
$45 and are available
by calling the Chamber
at 912-537-4466 or by
email at ambero@
greatervidaliachamber.
com. Speakers will include
U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, state
Senator Blake Tillery and
State Representative
Leesa Hagan.
Quilts and
Quilters
Wanted!
The Altama Museum is
hosting a quilt show in
February. Handmade
submissions both new
and vintage/antique are
sought. If you would like
to submit a quilt, please
call 912.537.1911 or
email altama@bellsouth.
net no later than January
15.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 5A
Obituaries Page 7A
From the Record Page 8A
Your Mind On Line Page 3A
Sports Page 1 B
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NEWSSTAND
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By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
When 2021 dawned, we
all hoped to emerge from the
restrictions imposed by CO-
VID-19 and just get back to
normal. In spite of a pandem
ic that had not yet gone away,
there was still a great deal
of optimism, resilience, and
progress in our area. It was a
busy year.
We dealt with issues like
re districting, we held local
and state elections, opened
new businesses, and started
construction on a county
courthouse in Toombs Coun
ty and a new school in Wheel
er County In Montgomery
County, school administra
tion changed and Brewton-
Parker College added a nurs
ing program. In Vidalia, we
welcomed a new police chief
and initiated a new Down
town Development Author
ity. The Toombs-Montgom-
ery Chamber of Commerce
changed its name, its logo,
and its focus as the Greater
Vidalia Chamber debuted.
And Meadows Regional
Medical Center was bought
by healthcare giant HCA and
became Memorial Health
Meadows Hospital.
After the dark days of
2020, we were eager to get
back out and socialize. The
number of COVID cases de
clined in the first few months
of 2021 and that made us
hopeful that we could go
forward with our festivals,
events, and celebrations.
The Vidalia Onion Festival,
which had been cancelled in
2020 due to the pandemic,
was back again in 2021 with a
bang and drew a tremendous
crowd. Governor Brian Kemp
attended as a special guest at
Please see 2021 page 4A
Probate Judge
Concerned
About Gun
Permits Ruling
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
CONCERNED JUDGE - Toombs
County Probate Judge Tina S. Lind
sey addressed Commissioners about
her concerns over the recent Su
preme Court decision regarding the
authority of Probate Judges to deny
weapons carry permit applications.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
Toombs County Probate Judge
Tina S. Lindsey addressed the
Toombs County Commission on
December 21 concerning the recent
Supreme Court ruling regarding a
Georgia Probate Judge’s ability to
deny concealed weapons carry licen
sures.
Judge Lindsey informed the
Commission that she had been made
aware that the Supreme Court had
ruled on December 14 that Probate
Judges may not deny a weapons li-
Please see TCC page 3A
