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The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Get Out & Vote!
Election Day
Tuesday November 7
Vol. 126 No. 44
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia 75$ November 1, 2023
“A vote is like a rifle;
its usefulness depends
upon the character of
the user.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
News
BYTES
Overstreet Terminated
Bedingfield to serve as Interim City Manager
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
The Vidalia City
Council held a called
meeting on the morn
ing of Friday October
27, during which it
unanimously approved
the termination of City
Manager Nick Over-
street without cause.
The motion was
made by Councilman
Loyd Mobley and sec
onded by Councilman
Bob Dixon after the
Council spent over an
hour in executive ses
sion discussing the issue.
No further discussion
was shared prior to the
vote. Councilman Mob
ley had no further com
ments on the issue when
asked.
“Decisions like this
are very difficult,” Mayor
Doug Roper commented
Nick Overstreet
on the change. “Nick has
made some lasting con
tributions to our city,
and we will always be
grateful for the time that
he served. We wish him
and his family the best in
Please see Overstreet
page 14A
Color Walk
Altamaha Down Syn
drome Society will
be hosting its annual
walk to raise aware
ness and accep
tance for special
needs on Saturday,
November 11. The
Uniquely Me: Color
ing the World with
Kindness color walk
will be held at 11
a.m. at the Mont
gomery County Rec
reation Department.
Registration is $15
and includes a t-shirt.
For more informa
tion, contact Stacie
Randolph at (912)
253-3356.
Porchfest
Vidalia Porchfest will
celebrate music, art,
and community in
the Jackson Heights
neighborhood in Vi
dalia on Saturday,
November 18, from
10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
The event is free and
will feature live music
and artisan crafts.
For more informa
tion, contact the Al-
tama Museum of Art
& History at (912)
537-1911.
DVA 5:05
The Downtown Vida
lia Association will
host its monthly 5:05
p.m. networking
event on Thursday,
November 9, at
Southern Creations
Florist & Gifts, lo
cated on 601
Church Street. For
more information,
contact Tonya
Parker at (912) 537-
8033.
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 8A
From the Record Page 5A
Your Mind On Line Page 2°A
Sports Page 1 B
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Photo by Makaylee Randolph
BELOVED LEADER - Four former members of Syl
via Brown's Girl Scout troop attended the event
to honor the legacy of their former leader. L to R:
Lois Elijah, Laura Reed, Sue Ann Jackson Balkcom,
and Landra Fleming Edwards.
Brown’s Sculpture
Rededicated Tin New Home
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The iconic three-piece sculpture that
adorned the lawn of the Vidalia-Toombs
Public Library has now found its new
forever home at the Altama Museum of
Art & History. With this new location
comes a renewed dedication, as many
gathered to honor the sculpture and the
memory of Sylvia Brown on Saturday,
October 21.
The sculpture was first erected out
side of the library in 1970, after Brown
passed away at the early age of 39. “Syl
via was a beloved member of the Vidalia
community. She was a businesswoman,
a Girl Scout leader, and a lover of the
arts,” Museum Director Jenn Martinez
explained. “She was unfortunately taken
from this earth far too young. To honor
her legacy, her Girl Scout troop - which
included her daughter Ann and Cathy
[Lewis] - raised the money to build this
sculpture.”
Martinez said that the troop selected
Harold Karen of Statesboro to create an
object to commemorate Brown’s love
of the arts. “I’ve heard it told - though I
can’t confirm it - that the three elements
represent the visual arts, music, and ei
ther literature or dance,” she remarked.
“I’m so excited that [the sculpture]
has come to live here at the museum -
what a fitting place for it to finish up its
days,” Martinez continued. “For this, we
have Cathy [Lewis] to thank. When she
Please see Sculpture page 13A
VPD Fleet Grows Without a Dime from Taxpayers
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Every Vidalia Police
Department officer will
nowhave their own patrol
vehicle to drive home, as
the department received
11 patrol vehicles from a
recent donation.
According to Vidalia
Police Chief James Jer-
mon, these new vehicles
are an answered prayer,
as he has been seeking a
way to provide all of the
officers with their own
patrol vehicle to take
home. “It was a godsend.
Everyone has heard that
God works in mysterious
ways - well, this was one
of those ways where God
definitely intervened and
answered my prayers, be
cause I was hoping to get
all of our officers in take-
home cars. Plus, these
cars will be good for at
least three years, and will
give us time to rotate oth-
Please see VPD page 13A
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
A GODSENT DONATION - Vidalia Police Chief James Jermon said that the addi
tion of these 11 patrol vehicles is a godsend for the department, as he has been
searching for a way to provide officers with take-home cars.
MCBOE Announces
Faircloth’s Retirement
Dot Foods Honors Veterans
Photo by Evan Riekhof
A HEALING QUILT - David Castro (left) and Tammie Pate (right)
show off one of the Quilts of Valor.
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
It was an emotional end
to the Montgomery County
Board of Education’s regular
monthly meeting on Mon
day, October 23, as the Board
unanimously voted to accept
the retirement of Assistant Su
perintendent Beverly Faircloth,
effective November 30.
“Dr. Faircloth, you will
surely be missed,” Board Chair
man Henry Price emphasized
after the final vote. “We appre
ciate every effort that you have
made for our school system.
You have made a difference,
and we thank you. From the
bottom of our hearts, we appre
ciate you.”
Beverly Faircloth
Faircloth first joined the
school in 2018 as the Mont
gomery County Elementary
School principal. After three
years, she became the Mont
gomery County Eagle Acad
emy Administrator and has
most recently served as the
Please see MoCo page 12A
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
Patriotism and gratitude
were in the air on Wednesday,
October 25, as Dot Foods held
a ceremony to honor seven of
their employees who are also
veterans.
The idea first arose when
an employee at the Dot Foods
corporate office in Mt. Sterling,
Illinois, took part in a quilting
Please see Dot page 14A
