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MONROE COUNTY
Community
Calendar
—May 11,2021 # -1 p.
Community lb
Calendar items run free
of charge as a community
service each week as space
allows. Mail items for the
Community Calendar to Diane
Clidewell at newMmymcr.net
by 8 a.m. on Monday.
May 12
Monroe County GOP
hosts Meet & Greet
The Monroe County Republi
can Party will host a Can
didate Meet and Greet on
Thursday, May 12 from 5:30
to 7 p.m. at Fox City Brewing
Company, 45 N. Kimbel
Street, Forsyth. Candidates
for local and state offices
have been invited. Contact
478-737-9802 for more
information.
May 13-15, 20-22
" The Altos’ (Like the
Sopranos, Only Lower)"
premiers at The Rose
Backlot Players will present
“ The Altos’ (Like the Sopra
nos, Only Lower)” at The
Rose Theater, 23 W, Johnston
Street, Forsyth from May 13-
22 on Fridays and Saturdays,
with matinees on Sundays at
2:30 p.m. The show is rated
PG and is suggested for ma
ture audiences. Don't miss the
opportunity to be entertained
by local talent and test your
skills at figuring out who did it.
Order tickets online at www.
thebacklotplayers.org/tick-
ets or call the box office at
478-994-0443. Box office
hours are Wednesday and
Thursday (May 11, 12, 18,
19) from 5:30-7 pm and two
hours prior to performances.
May 14
DOC hosts 8th Annual
Fishing Rodeo
The Georgia Department
of Corrections will host its
8th annual Fishing Rodeo
on Saturday, May 14 from
9 a.m.-12 noon at State Of
fices South at Tift College,
300 Patrol Road, Forsyth to
introduce younger genera
tions to fishing. The event is
open to all children ages
15 and under. There will be
three prize categories: 7 and
under: 8-11; 12-15. Parental
supervision is required for
entrance and participation.
Feel free to bring fishing gear;
however, some will be avail
able for use. There will be
goodie bags, door prizes and
competition prizes.
May 15
Annual Confederate
Memorial Day program
Cabaniss Chapter 415 invites
the public to the Annual Con
federate Memorial Day Ser
vice in the Forsyth Cemetery
on Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m.
Two brothers will be honored,
Franklin Pierce Lindsey III with
a Military Cross and William
Dale Lindsey with a Nationa
Defense Medal. The keynote
speaker will be Steve Haynes,
member of the Barnesville
Blues SCV 2137 whose
subject will be, “Swords into
Plowshares.’
May 18, 31
Dept, of Corrections
Job Fair
Georgia Dept, of Corrections
will host a Job Fair at the
Monroe County Workforce
Development Center, 89
Washington Drive, Forsyth
(on the William Hubbard
campus) on Wednesday, May
18 and Tuesday, May 31
from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Starting
salaries range from $38,040
to $41,844. Positions include
advancement & career track,
health & dental insurance,
401 K plan, paid sick leave,
paid holidays, paid training.
May 21
Art of the Garden Tour
Jackson-Butts County Council
for the Arts is hosting an Art
of the Garden Tour on Sat
urday, May 21 from 9 a.m.-3
p.m. It will include six uniquely
beautiful gardens with an art
ist featured at each site. Tick
ets are $20 each and benefit
the Arts Council. For tickets or
more information, call Diane
Glidewell at 478-993-1104.
May 31
WIC Farmers Market
will be in Forsyth
North Central Health
District's 13 county health
departments will host the
annual farmers markets for
participants of the Women,
nfants & Children (WIC) nutri-
See CALENDAR Page 4B
Around Monroe County ► ► Forsyth • Juliette • High Falls • Bolingbroke • Culloden • Smarr
Melton honored with Silver Beaver award
design and complete
their projects and
help scouts earn merit
badges. Walker said
Meltons involvement
in the shooting sports
program has helped
increase participation.
“He is extremely
deserving of this
unique award,” said
Walker. “He’s left a
lasting impression on
a lot of young men,
helping them become
pillars of the com
munity. This troop
has been fortunate to
have good men like
Jimmy’
Melton is president
of Renfroe Construc
tion Company in
Macon, a company that he helped
start in 1999 after graduating
from Georgia Tech with a Bach
elor of Science degree in Building
Construction in 1994. Renfroe
Construction has completed
several notable projects in Mon
roe County, including the For
syth Public Safety Complex and
Bethany Baptist Church.
Melton grew up in Macon
and graduated from Southwest
High School. He was a member
of Troop 205 in the Bloomfield
area. He and his wife, Jennifer,
have been married for 26 years.
Jennifer served as a dedicated Girl
Scout leader for many years, and
daughter, Mackenzie, earned the
Gold Award, the highest award
in Girl Scouting. Tucker, an Eagle
Scout, is currently working toward
a degree in Building Construction
at Western Carolina University.
Boy Scouts describe the Sil
ver Beaver Award as “an award
given to those who implement the
Scouting program and perform
community service through hard
work, self-sacrifice, dedication,
and many years of service. It is
given to those who do not seek it.”
Jimmy Melton
the troop and Central Council
after Covid created new needs
for volunteers.
Darden said that even beyond
his official volunteer positions,
Melton has helped many scouts
and leaders as a resource. He
has also overseen the opera
tions of the troop to make sure
that everything kept flowing
well.
Current Troop 51 Scoutmas
ter Bobby Walker has worked
with Melton in scouting for
about 11 years. He described
Melton as easy going and very
likable but also very professional
and organized. He said Melton
keeps the troop on track. Walker
said Melton is highly motivated
and motivates scouts and volun
teers.
“He has incredible skills and
patience,” said Walker.
He said Melton has contributed
greatly to Camp R.L. Williams
on Montpelier Road in Monroe
County, which was dedicated in
February 2012. Melton worked
on the camp shelter and the old
bridges on the property. He used
his knowledge as a construction
engineer to help Eagle Scouts
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
The Boy Scouts of Central
Georgia Council will award the
Silver Beaver Award to Jimmy
Melton of Monroe County at its
Annual Banquet on Saturday, May
14 at Camp Benjamin Hawkins
in Byron. The Silver Beaver is the
highest award a local council can
give a volunteer Scout leader for
service to youth.
Since 2011 Melton has given
countless hours to mentoring
youth in Central Georgia, pri
marily through Troop 51, which
is based in Forsyth, but also to
Scouts throughout Central Geor
gia. His involvement with Troop
51 began when his son, Tucker,
bridged from Cub Scouts into the
troop. Melton began
serving as a com
mittee member in
December 2011, and
served as committee
chair from August
2012 to August 2015.
When the need for a
Scoutmaster in Troop
51 arose in 2015, he
took on that role and
worked for the scouts
in that capacity until
April 2019. He then
shifted to assistant
Scoutmaster until
January 2021 when
he moved back to
the position of committee chair.
Melton has also served as a merit
badge counselor from 2012 to the
present. Melton has completed
many hours of training as well
as the time he has spent working
with the troop, the council and
individual scouts.
Melton’s example and encour
agement are a big part of the rea
son that Troop 51 has an enviable
number of youth earning Eagle
Scout status, enriching the com
munity with their Eagle projects,
other activities and leadership
along the way. Melton is National
Camp School-trained
in Shooting Sports and
is the Shooting Sports
director for the Central
Georgia Council. He is
an NRA-trained rifle
instructor, shotgun
instructor, range safety
officer, NRA-NMLRA
muzzle loading in
structor, and USAA
archery instructor.
Jill Darden, who has
worked with Troop
51 for many years and
whose son, Hamilton
Darden, is an Eagle
Scout, nominated
Melton for the Silver
Beaver Award. She said
that Boy Scout Coun
cils are very selective
Jimmy Melton and son, Tucker, on a Scout trip in
2015.
in naming Silver Beaver recipi
ents. In spite of Troop 51’s strong
program over the years, Darden
only recalled one other Monroe
Countian, Phil Ham, receiving the
Silver Beaver Award.
For the nomination, Darden had
to submit the record of Melton’s
service hours. She said he has
stepped up to serve at various
levels and has continued training
to be better able to serve, complet
ing the Wood Badge level. She
said Melton stepped back briefly
after Tucker graduated and left for
college, then came back to help
Monroe County prays with nation
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcmet
Monroe County joined communi
ties throughout the United States on
Thursday, May 5 in the 70th annual
National Day of Prayer. All were
invited to the courthouse lawn at 12
noon to join in a series of prayers
for leaders, first responders, peace,
military, media, education, church
and family.
The theme for National Day of
Prayer 2022 was “Exalt the Lord
who has established us,” Colossians
2:6-7. Monroe County Ministe
rial Association organized the local
event. Meghan Bennett sang “The
Star Spangled Banner” to open the
program. Rev. Keith Harris said the
national coordinators estimated
there were over 6 million people, at
over 60,000 events praying for the
United States on May 5.
“It is the Lord who has established
us individually as well as our coun
try and we need his wisdom,” said
Harris.
Harris led the
prayer for national
leaders, asking God
to be with them as
they make decisions
and to help them to
listen. Rev. Jimmy
Corbitt followed with
prayer for state and
local leaders, includ
ing thankfulness for
leaders in Monroe
County govern
ment and teachers.
Ed Wilson asked for
both physical and
spiritual protection
for first responders
and thanked God for
his promise never
to leave or abandon
The Rev. Clarence Thrower