Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - Pike County Journal Reporter - Page 3A
Library offers amnesty on long-overdue items Nov. 22-30
In the spirit of Thanksgiv
ing the J. Joel Edwards Public
Library will focus on some
special patrons - those who
have “long overdue items.”
From time to time, patrons
approach the front desk
with items that they knew
had been turned in but later
evolved between the couch
cushions, under the back seat
of the car, in a packing box,
at Grandma’s house in Texas,
or in a child’s backpack. The
20-cents-per-day overdue fines
have reached the maximum
charge of $10 per item. Those
fines can quickly become
extremely overwhelming.
To those patrons the
library would like to say, “We
forgive you.” No, really.
Beginning November 22
through November 30, the
library will offer amnesty in
exchange for these missing
items. Patrons who have long
overdue items will be charged
no fines for items that are re
turned on those days, provid
ed the materials are in good
condition (without damage).
Amnesty does not apply to
damaged or lost items, previ
ous fines, or to items returned
in the drop box or to another
library.
The library will be closed
for the Thanksgiving holiday
Nov. 25-27, and will reopen
for regular hours on Monday,
Nov. 29.
For further information on
this or other library pro
grams, patrons may visit or
call the library during regu
lar business hours Monday,
Wednesday and Friday from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday
and Thursday from 10 a.m. to
7 p.m. and Saturday from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m.
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
The J. Joel Edwards Public Library is offering forgiveness for long overdue items returned from Nov. 22 to Nov. 30.
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
School board members as well as family, friends and co-workers recently celebrated the Pike County Schools Teachers of the
Year. Pictured are (l-r) school board chairman Allen Edwards, high school teacher Dr. Tammy Gillies, elementary school Pro
gram Challenge teacher Ashley Wright, NGA teacher and district Teacher of the Year Clayton Moon, superintendent Dr. Michael
Duncan, middle school teacher Dawn Pickens and primary school teacher Sandy Brooks.
EDUCATORS: Honored as Teachers of the Year
FROM PAGE ONE
Teachers of the Year
were recently honored
by the school board.
NGA TEACHER
OF THE YEAR
Clayton Moon is the
Ninth Grade Academy
Teacher of the Year and
the districtwide Teacher
of the Year for Pike
County Schools. He was
also honored as the dis
trict Teacher of the Year
for the 2007-8 school
year. He has taught in
Pike County school since
1999 and coached many
sports over the years.
“He is an amazing part
of our county and our
school and besides being
an amazing teacher, every
one has a Clayton Moon
story. Last year, he agreed
to teach an extended
day before knowing the
pandemic would mean
he would have students
in his class from 7:30 a.m.
with several classes eat
ing lunch in his class and
yet he never complained,”
said NGA principal Lind
say Busby. “He creates
relationships and his stu
dents love him for it. His
brain does not stop and
he has published multiple
books including his new
est release which will be
coming out in March titled
Where Peanut Butter
Comes From. He’s ex
tremely creative and finds
unique ways to engage his
students. He’s a teacher
who sees his students
for who they are and not
what they can do. We are
so proud of Mr. Moon. He
sees good in everybody
and we are grateful he is a
teacher at the NGA.”
HIGH SCHOOL
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Science teacher Dr.
Tammy Gillies is the
Pike County High School
Teacher of the Year.
“When she was hired,
PCHS was building our
STEM program and
wanted someone who
would be able to create
opportunities for stu
dents through biology to
work co-curricularly with
an agriculture teacher
and a math teacher. She
jumped on board and
created a biology pro
gram that is the envy of
all the schools we work
with around the coun
try,” said PCHS principal
Kevin Huffstetler. “She
has taken under her wing
our UGA STEM intern
ship program and we are
the only school system
in the country whose stu
dents have that oppor
tunity. She teaches from
Advanced Placement
students to students with
special needs. She revo
lutionized our Advanced
Placement program into
a true reflection of our
Portrait of a Graduate
and our faculty hold her
in the highest regard.”
Farm-City Week highlights an unbeatable combo
Combos become com
bos because their parts,
when put together, make
each other better: Peanut
butter and jelly; shrimp
and grits; steak and pota
toes; tacos and Tuesdays;
jeans and a t-shirt; suit
and tie. All those parts
and the resulting combos
are produced in Georgia,
which is home to another
pair worth remembering
and celebrating: Farms
and cities.
It’s an interdependent
relationship. Wherever
there are lots of people,
there is a need for food
and clothing. And wher
ever there are farmers,
there is a need for con
sumers.
As the holidays draw
near, Pike County Farm
Bureau invites you to cel
ebrate that relationship
by observing Farm-City
Week Nov. 17-24.
Farm-City Week high
lights the relationship
between Georgia farm
ers and their partners in
urban areas who prepare,
transport, market and
retail the food and fiber
that farmers grow for
consumers. Kiwanis Inter
national began Farm-City
Week in 1955 to increase
the understanding of the
partnership between ur
ban and rural residents.
Sending thank-you let
ters to farmers, sharing
recipes that
use Georgia-
grown
products
at Farm-
City Week
events, and
reading
books - vir
tually or in
person - to
students are
just a few
of the activities county
Farm Bureaus will hold
in communities across
Georgia as their sched
ules and community
COVID scenarios allow to
mark this annual event.
To celebrate Farm-City
Week, the Pike County
Farm Bureau will be
celebrating local farm
ers. Several Pike County
classrooms will be par
ticipating in our Thank a
Farmer program and we
will be hosting a break
fast and poster contest.
“Farmers and our
urban partners have
worked together to drive
Georgia forward since
the state’s beginning,”
said Matt Bottoms Pike
County Farm Bureau
President. “Our state’s
agribusinesses strive ev
ery day to produce food,
clothing, shelter and
other items necessary
for American life. We’re
proud of our role, and
we’re extremely thank
ful that the
non-farming
public is
there to sup
port us.”
Agricul
ture is Geor
gia’s largest
economic
sector, and
farmers
depend
on their
partners in town such as
their bankers, Extension
agents, equipment and
supply salesmen, to keep
the agricultural economy
going.
In 2019, food and fiber
production plus the re
lated industries involved
with processing and
delivering products to
consumers contributed
$70.1 billion to Georgia’s
economy according to
the University of Georgia
Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Develop
ment (CAED). Agriculture
and its related industries
also contributed 359,220
jobs in Georgia in 2019.
According to the US-
DA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service, in 2019,
Georgia farmers led the
nation in producing broil
ers and peanuts. Georgia
ranked second in the U.S.
for production of cotton
lint and seed, pecans and
watermelons, and third
for bell peppers, blue
berries, cucumbers and
peaches.
In 2019, the top ten
commodities grown in
Georgia were broilers,
cotton, timber, beef, pea
nuts, greenhouse plants,
corn, hay, dairy and
pecans, according to the
University of Georgia’s
CAED.
Farm-City Week is a
great time to discuss how
the economy impacts
farmers and consum
ers. When you look at
the price of groceries,
note that in 2019 farmers
received on average 7.6
cents out of every dollar
spent on food at home
and away from home,
according to the USDA’s
Economic Research
Service. The rest of the
dollar goes to wages
and materials for food
preparation, marketing,
transportation and distri
bution, all of which have
increased in price, too.
In 2020, Americans
spent an average of
8.6% of their disposable
personal income on food,
the USDA reports, which
is less than consumers
in any other country
spend. America’s healthy,
safe, and consistent food
supply is so affordable
thanks to the production
and delivery partnership
between farmers and
urban businesses.
farm-city
WEEK
Williamson discusses
having seasonal vendors
BY DWAIN W. PENN
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Williamson mayor
Steve Fry called the
November 4 council
meeting to order at 6:30
p.m. due to an adver
tised called meeting to
adopt the new munici
pal budgets and set the
millage rate. The fiscal
matter was postponed
to a new business
agenda item during the
regular meeting.
Enthusiastic discus
sion ensued during
the mayor’s monthly
report on the potential
of developing an area in
the city for commercial
activity by temporary
vendors. The idea was
initiated by a local
Christmas tree grower
seeking permission to
bring a modest inven
tory of trees into the
city to sell.
“Vendors on city
property, like a seasonal
pumpkin display, have
not previously been al
lowed,” said Fry. “We do
peddler permits charg
ing a fee for an ID badge
to go door to door and
also allow booths at
city events, but open
ing up city property
has not been done. At
times someone will set
up at the Caboose to
sell something, but the
area is too tight and
transaction activities
create traffic hazards
for vehicle entering the
highway.”
“It’s hard to say what
types inventory will
be allowed: pumpkins,
Christmas trees, yard
sale items, used appli
ances; they will have
to be decided on a per
case basis. We could al
low vendors, negotiating
with a deposit, the privi
lege to set up a tempo
rary booth on Midland
Street across from the
produce stand.”
According to Fry,
each vendor would be
limited to two days at a
time. If the project is suc
cessful with spaces filled
throughout the year and
positive public patron
izing response, the city
may consider upgrad
ing the site with wood
sheds, inspired by the
City of Auburn’s com
mercial vendors’ zone.
COUNCIL ALSO:
• Postponed indi
vidual expectations to
anticipate WIFI or fiber
optics internet avail
ability next year.
• Received Octo
ber’s library report: 113
patrons, $244.68 income
with part being the sale
of mystery dinner tickets
and 30 books donated.
The dinner theatre
cleared $312.57. Thanks
were expressed for
Methodist church’s use
of their dining hall. The
local literacy project de
livered three large boxes
of books, all distributed
at the fall festival.
• Heard the grant ap
plication, completed by
Carter & Sloope, was
submitted for water
upgrades and although
competition is tight,
the city showed enough
points to help qualify.
• Learned the bag
toss challenge has
gained momentum
among Pike’s mu
nicipalities and some
churches. Competition
will begin soon with
profits donated to pay
medical expenses for a
Williamson resident.
• Thanked Steve
Webb for his ongo
ing effort to repair the
city parade trailer. The
Christmas Parade theme
this year is the first half
of Williamson’s motto:
“Cherish our Past.”
• Held a brief public
hearing for the new
budgets before adopt
ing both and setting
the tax millage rate at
3.475 mils, a decrease
in the rate for the 13th
consecutive year.
• Heard work on
Purser Circle will begin
soon after a thorough
title search allows the
city to provide needed
repairs and mainte
nance.
Annual
Lighting of Concord
Friday, December 3 rd
5:30 p.m.
Noon til 8:30 p.m.
- Santa Claus
Photographer on site!
Enjoy Tasty Food Along
Main Street
Christmas Music
1 Pony Rides
1 Crackling Fire Boxes
’ And More!
Santa arrives early this year
with visits by appointment only
beginning at noon and ending at 8:30 pm.
(signup genius link: https ://www.signupgenius.
com/go/10C0F4B A4AF2 AA AFFC34-lighting)
You only need one slot per child/family.
Santa’s photographer will be on site to capture
that special moment with your child!
To be courteous to all Santa’s visitors and keep
things flowing, pictures with Santa will be
limited to the professional photographers’
options of 1) a digital photo (email) for $15
or 2) a maximum of 2 photos taken by our
photographer with your device.