Newspaper Page Text
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Your guide to the Festival
Inside this week
’"'wiregrass 1 Farmer
Wednesday, March 20,2024
ASHBURN,GA, 31714
VOL 109 - No. 12 • 750
www.thewiregrassfarmer.com
f.Around Town
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Call 567-3655
Tags due by
April 30
Vehicle tags are due April
30. Please have your tag
number or vehicle identifi
cation number and proof of
insurance when you come to
renew your tag. You can
come in anytime during our
working ours. You can also
renew your tag online by
visiting: www.eservices.dri-
ves.ga.gov .
Meetings
County Commission, last
and 1st Tuesday of the month.
Ashburn Council, 1st
Thursday of the month.
Sycamore Council, 2nd
Thursday of the month.
School Board, 1st and 2nd
Monday of the month.
All meetings are at 6 p.m.
HOMETOWN NEWS SINCE 1902
The ANTVengers come to town
by Sami Mastrario
Gear up for an EPIC
weekend of superhero
shenanigans at the Fire
Ant Festival in Ashburn
- where we're not just
squashing ants, we're
celebrating them!
Please, leave the ants at
home, but bring the whole
family to revel in the festivities
that make our small town a
BIG deal!
Thursday, March 21 - come
watch The Avengers in Her
itage Park for our FREE out-^
door movie night. Bring aV
lawn chair, blanket, and a®
friend and kick back and ^
enjoy the big screen! (Evening
Kickoff)
Friday, March 22nd - Kid's
Burger Challenge, a Talent
Show, and the best fire works
show in South GA!
Saturday, March 23rd - All
Day Extravaganza
What's in Store?
- Fire Ant Calling Contest:
Channel your inner ant whis
perer and compete for the
crown!
- Bootleggers Manty Hose
Contest: Witness the craziest
contest in town - a hilarious
battle like no other involving
men + fishnet stockings!
- Carnival Rides: Spin,
swing, and fly like a superhero
on adrenaline on our adven
ture-packed carnival! The car
nival opens on Thursday,
March 21 and yes, there are
all-you-can-ride wristbands
available!
- 100+ Arts and Crafts Ven
dors: Walk around and browse
local artisans and crafty treas
ures.
- Fireworks Spectacular:
Light up the night sky with a
display even Tony Stark would
envy!
- Parker Chevrolet 5K and
1-Mile Fun Run: Lace up those
superhero sneakers, dust off
your capes, and race towards
justice. Yes, you can still sign
up! Dressing like a superhero
is encouraged but not required!
- BBQ Cook-Off: Smell
mouthwatering smells as pit-
masters battle it out for the
title.
But wait, there's MORE!
Live bands, delectable
treats, and an atmosphere
(See FAF Page 2)
Kimber Boles, a Pre-K student, was very excited to
show off her prize - a free all-you-can-ride carnival wrist
band to the Fire Ant Festival. Pictured also FAF Com
mittee member Sami Mastrario.
Woodruff apologizes to banks; delivery is
Sycamore Mayor Wayne
Woodruff apologized to the
banks in Turner County. His
remarks came at the March
Council meeting.
In February, the Mayor said the
banks were at fault for checking ac
count statements being mailed late.
Turns out, the statements were mailed
in a timely manner but for whatever
It wasn’t the banks. Our
problem is the Post Office.
Mayor Wayne Woodruff
reason, the Post Office did not deliver
them promptly.
“I apologize to the banks. I made a
statement about the banks. They came
down here. We sat and looked. It wasn’t
the banks,” he said. Statements were
postmarked Feb 24. “Our problem is
the Post Office.”
This is not the first time the Mayor
has complained about the Post Office.
Some time back he came to a Council
meeting with a stack of water bills
wrapped in a rubber band. All the bills
were delivered to one address. Other
mail was delayed months, including
important paperwork regarding the
City’s treatment plant.
the problem^
“The month before, nobody in
Sycamore got their water bill. I didn’t
get mine until the 23rd,” he said. Late
payment penalties begin on the 20th.
“A lot of the citizens were hot in here.”
The mail delivery problem is not
unique to Sycamore or even Turner
County. Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff
and Raphael Warnock are both looking
for answers from
(See PO Page 2)
High School Rifle Team makes it to the semi finals
Teddy bears
The Kiwanis Club is col
lecting teddy bears for public
safety to give to children. The
bears are to help frightened
kids. New bears may be
dropped off at The Wiregrass
Farmer.
Stray dogs
Ashburn residents are re
minded that pets must have a
collar and current rabies tag.
Animals without tags will be
collected by Animal Control.
A copy of the City's animal
ordinance is available at City
Hall and the Police Depart
ment. Animal control number
is 567-0313.
Separate debris
If you pile leaves and
limbs at curbside, please sep
arate limbs from the leaves
and pine straw. The City's
street vac can pick up the
leaves and straw. The boom
truck can pick up limbs.
When you separate the leaves
and limbs, pick up goes faster
and takes fewer employees.
Obituaries
Marie Tucker Apperson,
64, Sycamore
Evelyn Gordy McCard,
95, Leesburg, FL
Complete obituary
information Page 5
The Turner County High School Rifle team.
The Turner County High School Mixed
Rifle team had a strong 2023-2024
GHSA Rifle season. The team season
came to a end in a close match in the
semi-finals
Our team lost in the Semi-Finals against (7A)
North Paulding 1109 to 1090. The team was lead by
Senior Daniela Martinez and her sister Sophmore
Maya Martinez. The two sisters lead the way, Daniela
- 279 and Maya - 278 out of a possible 300 points.
Award Recognition for the season:
Rivers Perry and Daniela Martinez made 2nd team
all Area 2.
Maya Martinez- Top Area 2 Rookie Shooter out of
120 Shooters.
Maya Martinez and Na'Keva Smith- all Area 2
Rookie Team
Our rifle team has a very bright future with the
strong talent and coaching, our TCHS rifle team
hopes to continue their winning ways next season.
The team says thanks to everyone that bought
candy bars and the ones who gave donations to our
team to make this possible.
Mayor wants guarantee treatment pond cleaning product will work
Rebidding work to re
duce the sludge in the
Sycamore wastewater
treatment plant drew 2
bids this time.
One bid was around $450K
and the other sailed past $1
million. The City rejected all
bids the first time around as the
bids were all over $1 million.
Not long ago, Sycamore’s total
annual budget was well under
$1 million.
NEW BIDS
This time, one of the new
bids was for a treatment
process that leaves everything
in the pond. The Council
watched a video showing the
process down in Boston, a city
in Brooks County. That pond
was in worse shape than
Sycamore’s.
The company brought in
machines that roiled through
the pond, turning up the sludge
and mixing everything. Then,
another machine sprayed
something into the water.
Some days later, the treat
ment pond was clear enough to
see all the way to the bottom.
Sycamore has discussed this
problem for more than a
decade now.
A PREVIOUS TEST
Some time back the City did
a test run of some “super
bugs,” microscopic organisms,
that were supposed to further
break down the sludge and re
duce the volume in the pond.
It did not work.
Councilman Jim Galt-
Brown called it “pig in a
poke.”
This time, the Council has
some questions. As a company
representative could not be at
the meeting, the Council
agreed to table the matter until
someone could come speak.
In the meantime, they did
voice concerns.
Mayor Wayne Woodruff
wants to know how long the
work will last.
Public Works Director
Shawn Dupree said he did not
have that information.
“I am nervy about it. I am
willing to be convinced,” Mr.
Galt-Brown said.
“If it results in that (as seen
in the video), I am in favor of
it,” said Councilman Fred Eis-
ter. “I’d definitely like to sit
down and ask some ques
tions .” (See POND Page 2)
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Live every day as if it is a festival. Turn your life into a celebration. - Shri Radhe Maa
Life is a happy thing, a festival to be enjoyed rather than a drudgery to be endured. - Luci Swindoll
