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Thursday, May 27, 2021
The Upson Beacon
Salem Community News By Claudette Fagan
Congratulations to the
2021 high school gradu
ating class. We would like
to recognize the students
from the Salem Com
munity: Kennedy Kendall,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Gary (Annie) Kendall; De-
marje (D.J.) Respress, son
of Rev. and Mrs. Hon-
keithviles (Shaun) Res
press; and Kennedi Key,
daughter of Terrence Key
and Alencia Key. We wish
all of you the best as you
enter this next chapter in
your life.
Congratulations to
Myia Ellerbee, daughter of
Wesley Ellerbee and Mag-
daline Ellerbee, who grad
uated from the University
of West Georgia on Sat
urday, May 15. Best wishes
to Myia as she prepares to
enter pharmacy school at
Mercer University. We’re
so proud of you.
Congratulations to Ms.
Courtney Blasingame on
her salutatorian address
and graduation last Fri
day. Courtney used snip
pets of her mother’s
valedictorian address she
shared with the 1983 grad
uating class of Upson High
School. Courtney said it
best: “A lot of that stuff
was outdated, but I wanted
to use something.”
Thirty-eight years ago,
I’m sure it was outdated.
She shared with the 2021
graduating class, “One, al
ways keep God first in ev
erything you do. And two,
in your future career,
make sure you chase your
passion instead of a pay-
check. When you work at a
job you’re passionate
about, it won’t seem like
such a burden. When
you’re just working for the
money, motivation will be
harder to find for some.”
She certainly made us
proud. Courtney plans to
attend Georgia Southern
University in the fall to
pursue a nursing degree.
We wish her the best in her
future endeavors. Court
ney is the daughter of Greg
and Teresa Blasingame
and the granddaughter of
Albert and Claudette
Fagan and J. C. Blasing
ame Jr.
Our prayers and sym
pathy go out to the follow
ing: To the Seay and
Draine family on the pass
ing of Mrs. Winnie S.
Draine; to the Respress
family on the passing of
Mr. Curtis Respress; to the
Walker family on the pass
ing of Mrs. Martha Mae
Walker; and to the Middle-
brooks family on the pass
ing of Ms. Kayla (Kitty)
Middlebrooks. We pray
that God continues to
strengthen them during
their time of bereavement.
Anniversary wishes are
extended to Greg and
Teresa Blasingame. They
will be celebrating their
20th wedding anniversary
on Wednesday, June 2.
Best wishes on your anni
versary celebration.
Birthday wishes are ex
tended to the following:
D’Asia Raines, Kawajelyn
Clark - May 27; TaBreshia
Braswell - May 28; Tav-
eres Stinson, Andrew
Sadler, Kimberly Holmes,
Leslie Raines, Bridget Wil
lis, Trini Harp - May 29;
Frangola Gray, Walter
Philip Prater, Patricia
Matthews, Martha Wil
liams, Anthony Atwater,
Nyerika Banks - May 30;
Aydn Prater, Gilda Kendall
- May 31; Chaz Raines,
Elizabeth Ivey, Bryant
Searcy, LaQuita Hollis,
Donald Colbert, Barbara
Rollins - June 1; Gloria
Walker, Ceandra Jutesia
Hollis, C. W. Dumas, Alvin
Lindsey, Alton Taylor -
June 2. We wish you many
more birthdays to come.
Thought for the day:
We are called to be wit
nesses, not lawyers or
judges.
Community News By Elaine Walker
The family of the late
Winnie Drain Wish to ex
press our sincere appreci
ation. We are profoundly
grateful for the outpour
ing of love we have re
ceived during the illness
and passing of our loved
one. Words cannot ex
press our heartfelt grat
itude for all the cards,
flowers, and prayers. Your
kindness has eased our
burdens during this diffi
cult time. May God bless
each of you.
Our prayers and sym
pathy are extended to the
following families: The
family of Kayla Middle-
brooks, the family of Win
nie Drain, and the family
of Curtis Rispress. We
pray the God continues to
strengthen them during
their time of sorrow.
Happy 18th birthday
to Kahmya Sullivan.
Birthday wishes are
extended to Bryant
Searcy, Mary Kendall, and
Jasmine White.
Thankful Thursday to
Teresia Williams, Javont’e
Snipes, K.J. Searcy, Krys
tal Rogers, Vickie Dikes,
Rose White, Mildred Mar
tin, Nancy Brown, Mar
shall Drain, Rev. Jack
Drain, Willie and Debbie
Quiller, Billy and Barbara
Quiller, Johnnie Mathis,
and Jimmy and Shirlene
Jordan.
Continued prayers are
extended to Dorothy Car-
thon, Earnestine Walker,
Elvis Searcy, Brenda
Holmes, Loretta Braswell,
Earnestine Battle, Tyra
Bowlee, Annie Worthy,
Laura Brown, Fannie Lou
Searcy, Doris Smith, Ida
Little, John White, Ruby
Andrews, Ada King, Rosa
Drake, Ava Summer,
Mary Smith, Kay Searcy,
Mielve Colbert, and Char
lie and Mildred Prater.
Congratulations to Dr.
Amber Maria Green. She
graduated Saturday, May
22, 2021 from Ross Uni
versity School of Medi
cine. After exploring the
world, becoming a teacher
in Japan, learning how to
speak Japanese, she de
cided to pursue a career in
medicine and go to medi
cal school. She can’t wait
to be Delaware’s newest
neighborhood psychia
trist!
National Headache
Awareness Week, June 3-
9. For headache sufferers,
that throbbing pain inside
the skull is nothing to joke
about. Find information
about controlling your
headaches and helping
others at the National
Headache Foundation
website.
WORDS OF WISDOM:
In all your ways ac
knowledge Him, and He
shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:16
We’re never without a
helper, because we have
the Spirit within.
Spade and Trowel Installs Officers
The Spade and Trowel Garden Club installed
officers for 2021-2023 at its May meeting.
Deb Caldwell, past president, installed the
following, from left: Patsy Adams (president);
Melody Gaskins (first vice president); Wanda
Renfroe (second vice president); and Nancy
Allen (recording secretary). Marty Thornhill
(not pictured) was installed as treasurer, and
Jeanne Hinson (notpictured) was installed as
corresponding secretary. The club will meet
again in August.
Libraries Closed
for Memorial Day
Hightower Memorial
Library and the Yatesville
Public Library will be
closed Saturday, May 29
and Monday, May 31 in ob
servance of Memorial Day.
New books in the “adult
fiction” category at High
tower Memorial Library in
clude the following:
A Gambling Man by
David Baldacci
The Venice Sketchbook
by Rhys Bowen
The Son of Mr. Sule-
man by Eric Jerome Dickey
Lightning Game by
Christine Feehan
Before She Disappeared
by Lisa Gardner
Prodigal Son by Gregg
Hurwitz
Mother May I by Joshi-
lyn Jackson
The Lost Boys by Faye
Kellerman
Serpentine by Jonathan
Kellerman
Night Fall by Nancy
Mehle
Mrs. Wiggins by Mary
Monroe
Blood Grove by Walter
Mosley
The Way It Should Be
by Christina Suzann Nel
son
The Russian by James
Patterson
Eternal by Lisa Scotto-
line
Life After Death by
Sister Souljah
Dreams of Savannah by
Roseanna White
Band of Sisters by
Lauren Willig
The Consequences of
Fear by Jacqueline Win-
spear
Photo Submitted
The EMA Digest: Lightning
“A quick note about things you should know in emergencies”
By Martha Anne McCarty
Upson EMA Director
Lightning Facts
•Lightning occurs in all
thunderstorms.
•Lightning is caused by
the buildup and discharge
of electrical energy be
tween positively and neg
atively charged areas that
have been separated by the
rising and sinking wind
currents in a thunder
storm.
•On average, a single
lightning bolt reaches a
temperature of 50,000 de
grees Fahrenheit and pro
duces enough electricity to
power an incandescent
100-watt light bulb for
three months.
•Thunder is a result of
the rapid heating and then
cooling of air surrounding
the lightning strike.
•Lightning causes sev
eral million dollars of
damage to property and
forests annually in the
United States, on average.
•Over 1,500 fires per
year are caused by light
ning and some two million
acres of forest are lost.
Lightning Dangers
•The estimated odds of
being struck by lightning
are one in 600,000.
•Most lightning in
juries and deaths occur
outdoors.
•Nationally, most light
ning incidences occur in
the summer months and
during the afternoon and
evening.
•People at high risk for
lightning strikes include
boaters, swimmers, gol
fers, bikers, and anyone
doing outdoor activities.
•Lightning often strikes
outside of heavy rain and
may occur well away from
the area of rain.
•Rubber tires on a car
or soles of shoes do not
protect from a lightning
strike. However, the steel
frame of a vehicle provides
protection as long as you
are not in contact with the
metal.
Lightning in Georgia
•Georgia is the eighth
highest state in terms of
density of lightning strikes
per square mile.
•Between 2000 and
2007, over 175 people have
been injured or killed by
lightning in Georgia.
•Property damage esti
mates from 2000-2007 in-
dicate around $50 million
in damages due to light
ning.
•The lightning strikes
from thunderstorms in
June, July, and August ac
count for over half of all
injuries and deaths, and
over 75 percent of property
damage annually.
•Many insurance com
panies provide discounts
on homeowners and com
mercial rates for lightning
protection systems.
Meetings & Events
Email your Meetings and Events to dlord@upsonbeacon.com.
Charges may apply.
Three Rivers Regional Commission Meets Today
The Three Rivers Regional Commission will hold two meetings today via Zoom. The
Planning and Project Committee will meet at 11 a.m. and the Finance, Audit and Admin
istration Committee meets at 12:30 p.m. Join the zoom meeting at with Meeting ID 876-
5073-4987.
Overeaters Anonymous Meets Weekly on Thursdays
Does food control your life? We can help! Overeaters Anonymous is welcome to every
one on Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. No dues, fees, or weight-ins. Overeaters Anonymous
meetings are held at Fellowship Baptist Church, New Hope Campus, at 1165 Hannah’s Mill
Road in Thomaston. For more information, call Ann at 706-741-0178.
Artists Help Artists Tuesdays at TUAC Gallery
Artist of all kinds are invited to join others to work on individual art projects, share
creative knowledge and give back to the community. Join artists at the Thomaston-Upson
Arts Council Gallery on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. TUAC is located at 201 South
Center Street in Downtown Thomaston.
Free Community Pancake Breakfast Held Monthly
A free community pancake breakfast is offered the last Saturday of every month at New
Bethel Church, located at 1278 Jeff Davis Road in Thomaston, but will not take place in
February. Preacher Claude Turner says he looks forward to seeing everyone next month.
Former National Guard Members Meet Quarterly
Former National Guard members meet quarterly on the third Wednesday of January,
April, July and October. For questions and information, please contact Gene Goins at 706-
975-4464 or David McDonald 706-648-3950.
Lincoln Park Volunteer Fire Donations Begin Jan. 1
The Lincoln Park Volunteer Fire Department will begin accepting fire dues Jan. 1, 2021.
Please mail your donation of $25 to P.O. Box 695, Thomaston, GA 30286. Donations of
$25 or greater are tax deductible; a receipt will be mailed back to you. Donations also can
be paid at the Lincoln Park Volunteer Fire Station Mondays from 7-9 p.m. Thank you for
your support.
Thomaston City Council, County Commission Meets Tuesdays
The Thomaston Mayor and City Council meet at 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of
each month at the Government Complex, located at 106 East Lee Street. The Upson County
Board of Commissioners meets at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at
the same location.
Thomaston Kiivanis Meets Weekly
The Thomaston Kiwanis Club meets at Noon on Tuesdays at the Thomaston-Upson
Civic Center. For more information, call Mike Jones at 706-646-7364.
Thomaston SERTOMA Meets Twice Monthly
The Thomaston SERTOMA Club meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month
at noon at the Senior Center. For more information, contact Dan Brown at 706-975-1610
or Jeff Sanders at 706-975-2581.
Thomaston Toastmasters Meet Twice Monthly
Thomaston Toastmasters meet the second and fourth Thursday of every month from
noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom. The meeting ID is 706 325 2227 and the passcode is 567460. The
organization teaches public speaking and leadership skills. For more information, call 706-
325-2330.
DAR’s John Houstoun Chapter Meets Monthly
Daughters of the American Revolution’s local John Houstoun Chapter meets the second
Wednesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. at the Upson Senior Center Memorial Hall. Contact
Pat Cox at 706-647-9896 for additional information.