Newspaper Page Text
CmuitQ News
Volume 124-No. 10
© Early County News, Inc.
"...age of users is tending to drop."
Thursday night, September 30th,
over 500 people turned out at the Ear
ly County Courthouse for a “Drug
Awareness Meeting".
A panel discussion was set up to
help make the people of our Com
munity more aware of the drug pro
blems we have in Early County.
This is the first of a series of articles
from that panel discussion that will be
featured in the Early County News.
This week’s article contains the
remarks made by Charles Middleton
of the Blakely-Early County Task
Force.
“Our job as a task force here in Ear
ly County is not only to arrest and con
vict, but to prevent. This is part of the
reason that we take part in this pro
gram so that maybe with the
knowledge you are able to acquire,
you will be able to go home and reason
with yourself, looking at things as
$40,030 Pledged To
Walk-A-Thon Here
The Walk-A-Thon held in Blakely on
October 2nd was the most successful
of any held to date. With 518 walkers
including 52 from the host church.
First United Methodist, a total of
$40,030 was pledged by sponsors of
walkers. The goal of SIOO,OOO for the
benefit of the Vashti Center at
Thomasville will no doubt be reached
because of additional walks at
Douglas, Plains, Quitman, and
Tallahassee.
Ceremonies began in the church
parking lot with presentation of
United States and Christian flags,
singing of the Star Spangled Banner
by Ron Drew, walking instructions by
Dr. John McGowan, host church
pastor, and a devotional by Rev. Tom
Johnson, Thomasville District
Superintendent.
President's Award;
New Jaycee Officers
State Jaycee President Tommy
Todd of Byron presented the Blakely
Jaycees the President’s Service
Award at their meeting here last
week.
Todd presented the award as he ad
dressed the club, telling of the oppor
tunities available through the
Jaycees.
New Officers
The Jaycees held a special election
to fill several vacancies. The new
slate of officers include: Pres. Rick
Garton, Internal Vice-President - Bob
Kirkpatrick, External Vice-President
- Earl Wadewitz, Secretary - Pete
Breezee, Treasurer - Sterling Evans,
Parlimentarian - Haywood
Chambliss, and Internal Project Com
mittee Chairman - Greg Hudson.
The Jaycees next regular meeting
^MfaNewspaper
Week
Bi A Your
MjE 1 . j key to freedom
Weekend / Bobcats Visit / Packer Teams
Football / Calhoun Co. / Host Rehobeth
they appear at home and maybe pre
vent your son, daughter, or someone
in your family, from becoming involv
ed in drugs."
"We have a drug problem in Early
County. We have a drug problem that
a lot of people were not thinking about
when they came into the meeting
tonight. Most of you are thinking
about marijuana, pills, cocaine, and
heroin. But, we have another big drug
problem and it’s called alcohol. We
have kids experimenting with alcohol,
and it's a very dangerous drug."
“The number one cause of drug
related deaths is alcohol. So don’t just
think of our problem being just pills,
marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. We
have a lot of young people using
alcohol. If you don’t believe it just ride
around the square on Saturday night
and come back on Sunday morning,
and count the empty beer cans and li
quor bottles around the square - or
Walkers took off shortly after 8 a.m.
some running. In 2 hours, 49 minutes
and 29 seconds the lead runner, Sam
my Edison, was back from the 20 mile
event to Odom Creek Park. Eddie
Chancey on crutches, had begun the
walk the night before and made 9.8
miles before becoming exausted.
Twenty-nine different churches and
many individuals were represented.
Locally, in addition to Blakely First
United Methodist and Westview, there
were members walking from Center
ville, Hilton, Jakin, and Arlington
churches.
Members of the basic committee of
which Lynwood Anglin was chairman
included Mrs. Martha McGowan,
Mrs. Cathy Hayes, Mrs. Sibbie Smith,
Mrs. Evelyn Mann, Billy Davis, Tom
(Continued To Page 18)
will be Oct. 19th at 8:00 at Rick’s Ole
Style Restaurant. Guest Speaker will
be Dale Ellis, of Atlanta, State Pro
gram Director for the Georgia
Jaycees.
The Jaycees will also sponsor Part 1
of the Hunters Safety Course. This
will be held at 7:00 Oct. 19th at Rick's
Restaurant. Instructor will be Larry
Turner of the Georgia Dept, of
Natural Resources. With hunting
season coming up we urge not only the
young hunters, but the veteran to
come sit in on this very enlightening
safety course.
The Jaycees would also like to in
vite any young men between the ages
of 18-35 who are interested in com
munity and self improvement to come
to see what Jaycees are all about!
9th & 10 th Grade
Parents Meeting
Set October 19
Parents of ninth and tenth grade
students are invited to a Parents
Meeting on Tuesday, October 19, 7:00
p.m. in the High School Cafeteria.
This greeting has been planned to
discus! new graduation re
quirements, Basic Skills Testing,
Life-Role testing and the Early Coun
ty Career Planning Program.
Thursday, Oct. 14,1982
Early County - Blakely, Georgia 31723
Drug Awareness: First of a Series
any parking lot where our kids are
gathering.”
“The big one that most of us had on
our minds when we came here tonight
is marijuana - we have a marijuana
problem. These plants (pointing to
several plants displayed at the
meeting) were grown inside the city
limits not too far behind the elemen
tary school. They were pulled up just
two weeks ago.”
“Over 43 million of our American
citizens have used marijuana. Over 16
million are currently using mari
juana. In 1979 10% of our high school
seniors smoked it daily. This is 500,000
kids using it daily. And yes, I would
say that percentage holds up here in
Early County, we have that many dai
ly users. So it is a problem in our coun
ty.”
The most disturbing problem with
marijuana is that it’s age of users is
tending to drop. Nearly 15% of all 14
Historical Society's-
11th Annual
Arts & Crafts Festival
Sunshine, good food and a large crowd were on hand Saturday, as the Early
County Historial Society sponsored its 11th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival on the
Square. Over 40 artists and craftsmen exhibited and competed for $400.00 in cash
awards. Winners were announced at noon by the judges, Delores Meldrum and
Cleon Phillips, professors of art at Albany Junior College.
Cash awards were given in the following categories:
Best of Show - SIOO.OO - Ellen Wiley, Blakely; Ist place - Art - $70.00 -Peggy
Saliba, Dothan; 2nd place - Art - $45.00 - Joy Buckner Barnes, Mobile. Honorable
Mention - Robert Joslin, Dothan. Ist place - crafts - $70.00 - Nell Douglas, 2nd
place - crafts - $45.00 -John & Becky Dodson, Fortson, Merit Awards of SIO.OO
each were given to Evelyn Parks of Fort Gaines for her attractive and well plan
ned display area and to Mrs. Irene Brooks, Blakely, for her knitted afghan.
School Art awards of SIO.OO each were given to Stan Houston, SWGA, Mark
Newberry, SWGA & Allen Callaway, Leean Chance & Allen McFay, all Early
County High School students.
In a clockwise direction, the photographs are as follows: Ellen Wiley (center)
with judges Cleon Phillips (left) and Delores Meldrum (right). Mrs. Wiley’s win
ning work was a quilt she made which depicts her family’s ancestors.
Next the judges are shown with Peggy Saliba’s painting which won the First
Place Art Award. Mrs. Saliba’s painting originated from a photograph of two
elderly black men sitting on a bench during last year’s Arts & Crafts Festival
here.
Mrs. Nell Douglas (right) is shown with the judges and her old-fashioned
square, beautiful quilt which won top honors in the Crafts Division.
Then there was the parade which consisted of a number of units including the
Blakely Shrine Club’s Drum and Bugle Corps and a beautiful float from
Donalsonville, where the Seminole County Harvest Festival will be held this
weekend.
Explorer Medical Post
Sponsored By Hospital
Early Memorial Hospital is spon
soring an Explorer Medical Post
through the Boy Scouts of America.
This program will involve boys and
girls 15 to 20 years of age, who are in-
year-olds are current users -4% of all
12 year-olds.”
“I have a 12 year-old in school right
now and I know that peer pressure is
going to have a lot to do with what he
is going to do, too. I have sat down
with him and tried to explain to him
what it is going to do to him and his
life if he gets started along these
lines.”
“Not only has the number of users
below the ninth grade level doubled,
but the strength of the weed that they
are smoking has increased from 1972.
The THC, the chemical in marijuana
which produces the high in the in
dividual has increased from .5% to 6%
- so the potentcy has taken a great
jump during the past 10 years.”
“We have another problem here, wc
have kids experiencing with pills
which might come right out of your
medicine cabinet. We have found kids
(Continued To Page 18)
terested, career-wise, in various
fields of medicine such as nursing, ad
ministration, EMT, and special fields
such as lab, X-ray, etc.
(Continued To Page 18)
■ AC r 1
Over 500 Attended Meeting
USPS 16406000 25$