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JOURNAL REPORTER ONE DOLLAR IViVAVA>11 ATOl'IilU'M»H<■ l=H»lnM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22,2023 Give gifts for local kids, Just Because! Just Because United Inc is a non profit 501c3 and the group is now collecting new gifts for grades pre-K through twelfth as well as hygiene items. Drop donated gifts and items off at Prosperity Group, Benchmark, Unclaimed Bargains, Walk By Faith, the J. Joel Edwards Public Li brary, Harper Jaymes in Molena, Mustard Seed, Highland Real Estate Investors LLC, Church of Joy, Provi dence First Baptist of Williamson and Griffin Moose Lodge. “We also accept gift cards $5 to $25, to be given as gifts - gas, grocery, pop shelf and in town boutiques are great for the older students,” said Stacy Berry. “Chick-Fil-A, Dairy Queen, Burger King and Dollar Tree are some great ideas for all ages. If you would prefer to donate monetarily we have Cash App, PayPal and Venmo. Checks may be sent to P.O. Box 645, Zebulon, GA 30295.” Tax receipts are available. To request a receipt email JustBe- causeUnited@gmail. com or send a private message to the Just Because United... face- book page. For more on the ministry group, go to www.justbecauseunit- ed.org. “Thank you so much to all the busi nesses for allowing us to place Just Because Collection Boxes at your location. Thanks also to all who are sup porting JBU and these sweet students. We appreciate you very much!” Pike property taxes due Feb. 20 Pike County’s tax digest was approved and bills will be mailed to citizens on Wednes day, Nov. 22 with a due date of Feb. 20. Several citizens were concerned about not being able to pay by the end of the year as usual for tax purposes but tax commissioner Donna Chapman said citizens should be able to make payments after the bills are mailed. “With check or cash there’s no additional fees but with any kind of card, there is an additional fee,” she said. “Citizens can also pay online at pikecountypay.com if they choose. The good thing about paying online is they can basi cally pay with a check and the fee for that is not as high.” The tax and tag office - as well as other county offices - will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 24-25 for Thanks giving and Friday, Dec. 22 and Monday, Dec. 25 for Christ mas holidays. PHOTO BY CHAD MOORE / BURSTMODE.SMUGMUG.COM Athens Jackson carries the American flag during XX Bulls’ last event. Mask Roll Off and XX Bulls will host Flat Shoals Bull Riding at QC Arena in Gay Nov. 24-25 with gates open at 6 p.m. Grab the bull by the horns Nov. 24-25 XX Bulls and Mask Roll Off will present Flat Shoals Bull Riding Nov. 24-25 at QC Arena, 1017 Flat Shoals Road in Gay. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m., featuring Colt 45, food vendors and heart stopping entertainment. Rylee Banks will be performing both nights. An after party will be held at Towerhouse Farm Brewery for both days where everyone can meet the cowboys and participants. They will be competing for more than $10,000 over the course of the weekend. Tickets are $20 (cash only) at the arena and kids 8 and under are free. Find out more about Flat Shoals Bull Riding from the ad on page 2A. A crowd of citizens gathered in the Pike Community Center for the annual Veterans Day Pro gram as John Ellis was named Pike Veteran of Year announced At the Nov. 11 Pike County Veterans Day Pro gram at the Community Center, John Ellis was announced as the 2023 Pike County Veteran of the Year. Presenting the award were commission chairman Briar Johnson and outgoing and incom ing Pike County Vet eran of the Year program directors Todd Childs and Bryan Richardson, respectively. Kelsey Beam and Austin Allred received the award on behalf of their grandfather John Ellis who was unable to attend due to health is sues. Bryan Richardson introduced John Ellis with a condensed ver sion of his nomination request. At the end of the introduction, Richardson said, “As a matter of fact, this is the first time over the years, that I have not seen John at a ceremony, not taking photos, and not wearing his Press badge.” See VETERAN OF YEAR page 2A John Ellis honored for service in military, community John is originally from Griffin and has been a res ident of Pike County since 2004. John enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on April 20, 1951. He was trained as a Combat Medic and as signed to England as the Korean War was going on. He was further assigned to the 7559th Medical Group Depot working at the Field Hospital at the Burtonwood Royal Air Force Base. He was as signed duties to the Hos pital Ambulance Corps. While performing this duty, John was later pro moted to Staff Sergeant and was selected as the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Hospital Ambulance Corps. U.S. servicemen in body bags killed in action during the Korean War would arrive at the airfield, and John would transport them to John Ellis during his military service. See more about his local volunteering on page 2A. the installation morgue for further processing and shipment to the U.S. While in England, John took up the hobby of photography, taking pho tos of nature and English land marks, sites and events. Having learned of John’s expertise, the airbase newspaper asked John to take photos of the base band and the precision medical drill team. He was also a mem ber of the base Honor Guard Team. John was also highly proficient in musical instruments and played the clarinet as a volunteer in the Burton- wood Air Force Volunteer Band consisting of fellow airmen. The band played all over north England. He also started playing the saxophone in a band with several airmen at the base non-commis sioned officer’s club. In February 1955, John’s next assignment was with the 2349th U.S. Air Force Hospital at Parks Air Base in California. See JOHN ELLIS page 2A School board superintendent finalist announced The Pike County board of education announced Shane Wil liamson as the finalist for the superintendent position during their Nov. 14 meeting. Wil liamson currently serves as the assistant superintendent of Pu laski County Schools in Hawkinsville. “I am honored and elated that the board of education has selected me as the next super intendent of Pike County Schools,” he said. “My desire to contribute to the outstanding legacy of this school system begins today. Pike County Schools have a rich tradition of excellence in fostering positive relationships with students, educa tors, parents and the community. As superin tendent, I am commit ted to maintaining the tradition of superior schools and enhancing the opportunities for growth.” The board plans to hold their final vote on the superintendent appointment at their regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 12. Until then, he will meet with staff and com munity mem bers with a start date of Jan. 1. “I am grateful for the trust placed in me by the board of education and enthusi astic about the opportunity to lead Pike County Schools,” he said. “Together, we will continue to provide an exceptional learning environment for our students and uphold our core value of devel oping creative problem solvers in Pike County Schools.” the op SHANE WILLIAMSON Balloons over PCPS SPECIAL PHOTO Kindergarten classes carry their own creations during the first Balloons over PCPS parade at the primary school. Students show off STEM skills in parade Pike County Primary School students took part in the Balloons Over PCPS parade to celebrate their science, technology and engi neering skills as well as their knowledge of Thanksgiving history. PCPS kindergarten teacher Lauren Ste phens came up with the idea to have an event similar to the Ma- cy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, even including the Pirate Regiment Marching Band. “The parade was the first ever and featured the kindergarten class es, the Pirate Regiment, Zebulon mayor Joe Walter and the middle school cheerleaders,” said director of bands Lee Ewing. “It was a fun way to kick off the holiday season!” PCPS kindergarten classes learned about Thanksgiving and traditions that families have surrounding the holiday. One tradition that many families share is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. See PARADE page 1B