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Deciphering What Our Intrepid Public
Servants Say And What It Means
See Yarbrough 6A
The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
ttCE
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Vol. 125 NO. 16
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
April 19, 2023
“A woman always
has half an onion
left over, no matter
what the size of the
onion, the dish or
the woman ”
- Terry Pratchett
News
BYTES
DOT Issues
Advisory
About Road
Work
The Georgia Depart
ment of Transporta
tion has advised
that road work will
be underway on
State Route 4/U.S.
Highway 1 over the
Altamaha River from
West River Road in
Appling County to
George Hill Road in
Toombs County
through May. Daily
lane closures are
scheduled from 7
a.m. to 6 p.m.
Art in the
Loft
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Every day is a sweet day in Vidalia, but this
week is even sweeter, as we celebrate the begin
ning of the harvest of Vidalia Onions. The Vidalia
Onion Festival kicked off last night with the an
nual Local Entertainment and Movie Under the
Stars, but more fun is to come throughout the
week!
This year, the downtown area will be the
central location for most of the festival events, in
cluding the street dance, nightly concerts, Braves
Country Road Trip, and Sweet Onion Rings and
Things. Also, student art will fill the downtown
sidewalks from the Annual Chalk Walk, the His
toric Pal Theatre will show the facility’s docu
mentary, and businesses will welcome patrons
to enjoy some “Sweet Shopping” throughout the
weekend.
Meanwhile, the annual Arts & Crafts Show
will be held at the traditional location on Airport
Road, and the carnival will be in the adjacent lot.
The Vidalia Community Center will host the an
nual Vidalia Onion Recipe Contest and Public
Tasting, while the Sweet Onion Showdown will
be at the Toombs County Ag Complex on Quint
Shrine Road in Lyons, and the Tales From The Al
tamaha will be performed at the Blue Marquee,
located at 121 N. State Street in Lyons.
Check out the 2023 Vidalia Onion Festival
insert in this edition of The Advance to learn more
about the activities and excitement which the rest
A Student Art Exhibit
featuring the work
from students at the
Art By Gwen Studio
will be showcased in
the loft of the His
toric Pal Theatre until
May 14. Exhibit is
open daily from 10
a.m. until 4 p.m. and
6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
on weekdays, and
from 1 p.m. until 6
p.m. on weekends.
National Day
of Prayer
The Community Na
tional Day of Prayer
ceremony will be
held at 6:30 p.m. on
Thursday, May 4, at
the Toombs County
Courthouse. For
more information,
contact Vicki Tillery
at 912-293-2381.
of the week holds.
Beware of
Drunken Birds
The Georgia Department of Natural Re
sources has put out a hilarious warning: Beware
of drunken birds.
Lyla Conner, 4 year old daughter of Cole and Nicole Conner.
CBI Investigating
Fatal Stabbing
Courtesy of Vidalia Police Department
The Georgia Bureau of Inves
tigation (GBI) and Vidalia Police
Department are jointly investigating
a Saturday night stabbing, which led
to the death of a 21 year-old woman.
At 9:56 p.m. on Saturday, April
15, the Vidalia Police Department
responded to the 300 block of East
Jenkins Street in reference to a re
ported stabbing. Upon their arrival,
they located the victim, 21 year-old
Kaysey Jordan, of Vidalia, who was
suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Jordan was transported to Memorial
Health Meadows Hospital by ambu-
Please see Stabbing page 9A
Dr. Mark and Tonya Spivey
Public Library Open for Business
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 8A
From the Record Page 5A
Sports Page 1 B
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According to the Wildlife Resources Divi
sion of the DNR, at this time of year, certain
species of birds eat fruit that has started to rot
and ferment. A byproduct of fermentation is al
cohol.
“The consumption of these fermented fruits
can cause the birds to lose much of their coordi
nation and capacity to fly,” DNR officials said.
“This can cause them to crash into windows and
other obstacles.”
Officials said that unfortunately, some birds
can also die from alcohol poisoning if they eat
too much fermented fruit.
Birds can also appear “drunk” after eating
the berries of Nandina, or sacred bamboo.
“This plant is used in landscaping and draws
arsenic from the soil, depositing often lethal
doses in its bright red fruit,” officials said.
DNR officials are encouraging people to
“learn from our feathered friends and consume
fruits responsibly.”
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The newly-renovated
Dr. Mark and Tonya Spivey
Public Library welcomed
visitors inside for the first
time since January 2022 as
the library’s grand open
ing ceremony was held on
Thursday, April 13.
Community members
and donors braved the driz
zling rain to celebrate the
completion of the new li
brary - a project that was
only possible through do
nations from the public.
“Thanks to your un-
Please see Library page 11A
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
WELCOMING THE PUBLIC - Dr. Mark Spivey
and wife Tonya welcomed the public into the
newly-renovated library at the grand open
ing ceremonies,
