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s' > It’s a ^ Holly Jolly ,Christmas with the Cherry Crunch Cokp See inside for photos from the Vidalia and Lyons Christmas Parades. Vol. 126 No. 49 Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia 75$ December 6, 2023 “Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.” - Victor Borge BUCKLE UP News BYTES Christmas Ham Giveaway Tri-County Family Connection will host their annual Christmas Ham Giveaway from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 9, at the old Montgomery County High School parking lot, located on 701 Dobbins Street in Mount Vernon. One ham per vehicle will be given on a first come, first served basis until they are gone. For more information, call Theotis Summerset at (478) 697-3782. Mistletoe on Main “JUMP IN THEM WRANGLERS’ a GET READY FOR THE 2024 VIDALIA ONION FESTIVAL r* ,r* ? RING 'j r O 1977 kUA q>h. SINCE By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com Jump in those Wran glers and buckle up for a wild 2024 Vidalia Onion Festival! The 2024 edi tion of the Vidalia Sweet Onion Festival will run April 25-28 with lots of fun and entertainment for ev eryone. The Vidalia Sweet On ion Festival Committee has been hard at work planning next year’s festival which will include the return visit of the Blue Angels to the world famous Onion Air Show and country music artist Lauren Alaina has been confirmed as head liner of the festival’s concert according to Committee Chairman Jake Cleghorn. Please see VOF page 5A The Toombs County Schools Special Education Department will host the annual Mistletoe on Main Market from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Toombs County Ag Center on Thursday, December 7. The market will feature several items, including those made by individuals with special needs. For more information, contact Toombs County Schools at (912) 526-3141. Christmas in Dixie The annual Christmas in Dixie celebration will be held from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 9, in front of Wholesale Customs in Higgston. The event will feature a car show, arts 8c crafts, live music, Santa's train ride, slides, vendors, and more. For more information, contact Wholesale Customs at (912) 537- 8208. IN THIS ISSUE Editorials Page 6A Obituaries Page 8A From the Record Page 5A Your Mind On Line Page 11A Sports Page 1 B SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE 30% OFF NEWSSTAND IMV Call 537-3131 (or delivery! Christmas In The City Photo by Evan Riekhof VIDALIA SPREADS CHRISTMAS CHEER - Even Yumion himself joined the festivities on Tuesday, November 28, as the City of Vidalia held their annual Christmas Tree Lighting, Sassy Sisters Dance Studio rocked around the Christmas Tree, and the Vidalia High School Soundtribe played Christmas classics sure to fill anyone with Christmas spirit. The annual Toy Drop ensured that no child left empty-handed, and families prepared for Santa by making their very own reindeer food. See inside for photos from the Vidalia and Lyons Christmas Parades, State School Superintendent Visits TCES By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com State Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods flew into Vidalia on Mon day December 4, to hand deliver a banner commemo rating Toombs Central El ementary School on their recent classification as a Lit eracy Leader. According to Woods, a Literacy Leader school is a school in which the 3rd grade has 90% of their students reading on grade level or above, or a school in which there is a 15% in crease of reading levels be tween the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. “You did that - you actually beat 15% - you increased by 20.5%,” Woods told Toombs Central El ementary School Principal Destiny Levant. He explained that the presented banner also had several spots along the bot tom to add ribbons each year - a detail that helps en sure that schools continue to improve and maintain literacy. “This is not meant to be a one and done thing,” Woods emphasized. “It has 7 little holes at the bottom - so there’s room for even more growth.” Woods said that the Please see TCES page 4A for students through literacy Photo by Makaylee Randolph LITERACY LEADER - Toombs Central Elementary School was named one of Georgia's Literacy Leader schools because of the tremendous growth of reading levels in their 3rd Grade students. Front, L to R: Students Triton Hackle, Sophia Reddy, Aria Ferreira-Mathews, Calvin Seabrough Jr. Back Row, L to R: Instructional Coach Jennifer Davis, Assistant Principal San dra Floyd, Principal Destiny Levant, State School Superintendent Richard Woods, Superintendent Barry Waller.