Newspaper Page Text
Volume 128, No. 26
3 Sections
20 Pages
Wednesday,
June 30, 1999
50
Cents ■.
Home of the*
Georgia EH
National Fair*
The jL'
Crassraa
This
Week
‘Fun with Food’pro
gram set at Library
Lloyd Sherrod of the
Georgia Department of
Agriculture will present
a children’s program,
“Fun with Food", at 11
a.m. June 30.
According to Marcia
Harpster, children’s
librarian. “He will show
everyone how to make
all kinds of fun things
with food. For example,
you can make a tree
from a carrot and a
green pepper."
Ochlahatchee pool
memberships offered
Summer season mem
bership tickets for the
Ochlahatchee Pool are
available to the public.
Season memberships
are $l5O and party
rentals are available
after hours for a S4O
fee. Swimming lessons
and a morning “Senior
Swim" will be available.
The pool is located off
Frank Satterfield Road
in Perry and offers a
kiddy pool for ages 6
and under. Picnic tables
are available.
Hours are 10 a.m. -
5 p.m., Tuesdays and
Thursdays, 1 p.m. - 7
p.m., Wednesdays and
Fridays, 10 a..m. - 7
p.m., Saturdays, 1 p.m.
- 5 p.m., Sundays. The
pool is closed on Mon
days.
For more information,
please call 987-7150 or
stop by and join.
Chambliss visits
United States Repre
sentative Saxby Chamb
liss visited Perry and
surrounding areas June
25-26. He held a fund
raiser at the Georgia
National Fairgrounds
and Agricenter.
According to one
observer,
Ralph
Dorsett,
“It was
an
opportu
nity for
local
farmers
to meet
the
chairmani
■f ■
Chambliss
of the
House Agriculture Com
mittee Larry Combest.
Chambliss introduced
a bill to reform the fed
eral crop insurance pro
gram.
The bill, called the
Crop Insurance Equal
ization Act of 1999, will
seek to expand the gov
ernment’s crop insur
ance program and
reduce fraud and abuse.
Chambliss said. “The
bill moves us closer to
providing a workable
risk management sys
tem."
Other speakers dur
ing the evening were
Sonny Perdue, State
Representative, and
President of the Georgia
Farm Bureau Wayne
Dollar.
Chambliss visilcu a
Peach County peach
orchard early the next
morning before heading
south.
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Houston Home Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
.. .And the
rains came!
Early week rains ease drought conditions
By Torey Jolley
Ho« Jowuya. Statt
Drought? Depends on who
you talk with about the
weather.
Dean Hutsell, meteorolo
gist with the U.S. Weather
Bureau in Peachtree City,
said, “The drought is basical
ly over for middle Georgia. It
died off."
According to Hutsell, the
rain gauge at Robins Air
Force Base registered 0.87
inches June 28. He said the
middle Georgia area has
received 18.48 inches of rain
for the year through June 28.
“The normal rainfall is
24.44 inches. That leaves
only a deficit of 5.96 inches.
In fact, since the first of the
month, the area is above nor
mal for the month. Plus, we
have the possibility of thun
derstorms for the rest of the
week as well," Hutsell said.
Farmers, area county
extension agents, and Forest
Department personnel believe
that is not true.
Tim Luke. Georgia Forest
City OKs $11.5
million budget
By Torey Jolley
Home Journal Staff
Ferry City Council voted
June 22 to approve a bud
get of $11,467,659 with
designs of lowering the
current millage rate of
14.54 to 14 when the tax
digest comes out in
August.
Perry Mayor Jim Worrall
said, “I think we are com
mitted to lowering the mill
age rate. I believe we can
come up with enough
money to enable us to
reduce the tax rate."
According to Council
man William Jerles, the
amount of growth or
increase in the digest
needed to cut the millage
rate is SBO,OOO.
Worrall said, “The bud
get has more than
$200,000 for engineer
fees, schools, meetings,
and conventions. If we cut
out a few of these items,
we could cut the millage
rate."
The budget allows for a
3 percent pay raise across
the board for city employ
ees, two new fire depart
ment personnel, three new
police officers, and two
additional employees for
the sewer department.
In addition to approving
the budget, the council
approved Police Chief
George Potter as acting
city clerk. This comes fol
lowing the resignation of
City Manager Skip Nalley
who accepted the county
manager's position for
Upson County.
City attorney David
Walker said, “Personnel
and administrative
responsibilities will be tun
neled through the city
See CITY, Page BA
THe JliJ ritLirfrfLtE SfcrWulb" HJJafdil Cd'diUY SulCe Jed il it? 7J
Ranger I, said, “Well, the
county still needs rain. The
north part of Georgia got more
rain than we did. However, we
had 'a nice rain of three-quar
ters of an inch this morning
(June 27) and another inch
and a half this afternoon.”
Luke said while the rains
will help keep the threat of
forest fires down, the drought
will cause some of the new
pine tree growth to die.
Elko farmer Ted Perfect
said, "The rains helped a lot,
but the sub-soil and the
streams are still needing
more."
According to Perfect the dry
land com is “basically lost.”
He said at least 25 percent
of dry land peanuts and cot
ton will be lost as well.
“It would take at least eight
to 10 more inches of rain for
the sub soil to be re-moistur
ized and for the streams to
start running again," Perfect
said.
He irrigates his fields at
least once a week, “anywhere
from one to two inches
Bit; smile
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HIGH SOCIETY The American Greetings bear was
onJxand to help greet guests at the grand opening of the
new W.D. Sullivan's store. The bear (actually Jennifer
Berry in costume) is shown here with Jessica White, left,
and store owner Wanda Sullivan,right. Details, page BA.
Holiday brings some closings
bay
falling on Sunday this
year, holiday closings for
most federal, state, county
and city offices will take
place June 5, giving many
employees a long holiday
weekend.
Perry City Hall offices
will be closed for the Mon
day holiday, as will local
banks and many retail
Happy July 4
inside this issue of the Houston
Home Journal - a full-sized flag suit
ußP^SSiit2& able for display at your home or -
TjPsSjSSS?''. business.
see section c
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MOVING ON Water pours over Hous- 28. Heavy rains passed through Houston
ton Lake Dam about mid-afternoon June County both June 28 and 29.
depending on the maturity of
the plants."
Dooly County Extension
agent Chuck Ellis agreed with
Perfect. “The drought isn’t
over here. The rain, what we
had, was not enough. That’s
for certain. We have to re
moisture the sub-soil. It is six
to eight inches below the top
soil. Most rain doesn’t soak in;
it runs off."
“This year farmers are all
saying the same thing. They
are hoping to break even.
Home Journal photo by Jj Johnson
businesses.
However, both Kroger
and Harvey’s grocery
stores and most area
restaurants will be open
on both Sunday and Mon
day.
The Houston Home
Journal will be closed on
July 2 ,in observance of
the holiday, but will be
open for regular business
hours on July 5.
They want to be able to pay
back their farm loans and get
another chance to plant next.
year,” said Ellis.
Peach County Extension
Coordinator Mark Collier had a
brighter outlook. “This spring
and early summer drought has
been one of the driest in histo
ry. However, the rain we have
gotten lately here in Houston
and Peach counties have been
largely in time. They have
helped a lot. The soybean and
cotton crops will be OK.”
Big Bang Boom is July 3
Biggest fireworks every free admission
By CHARLOTTE PERKINS
fireworks show will be the
biggest and best ever,
according to Georgia Nation
al Fairgrounds officials.
Scheduled to begin at
9:45 p.m. July 3, the show
will be a production of
Zambelli Fireworks Inter
nationale, which is the old
est and largest fireworks
company in the countiy ,
The show will include
such pyrotechnic special
ties as “strobes", “peonies",
“salutes”, “diadems", “weep
ing willows” and a fusillade
of other spectacular fire
works demonstrations, with
a wide array of noisy booms
and bright colors.
It’s a show that planners
expect to outdo all earlier
Big* Bang* Booms and Georgia
National Fair fireworks
demonstrations, and one that
is also likely slow down traffic
on 1-75 and wake up most
sleeping babies in Perry.
According to GNF
spokesman Johnny Webb,
“We’re spending $2,000 -
$3,000 more on this show
than on last year’s show.
In fact, this show will cost
half as much as the total
cost for fireworks during
the 10 days of the Georgia
National Fair."
Best of all, entry to the
fairgrounds will be free this
year as a big “thank you" to
the middle Georgia area
from the GNF and the Perry
Area Convention and Visi
tors Bureau, which is con
tributing to the cost of the
fireworks.
While the big attraction
of thfe Big* Bang* Boom is
the , culminating fireworks
display, family-oriented
activities will begin at 11
a.m. and continue through
Home Journal Photo by Torey Jolley
Collier said the pecan and
peach crops are doing OK as
well. “Dry weather means bet
ter quality for peaches. They
are smaller and some people
comment on that, but with
drier weather there is less rot
ten fruit, better quality."
Collier said the “drought is
not broken. “We have relief. It
has great benefits. Crops are
responding already. We just
need more rain. This rain we
had just had won’t last all
summer.”
the day, with live entertain
ment, children’s rides, arts
and crafts shows, eating
competitions and plenty of
concession food from
Catering by Cox, one of the
co-sponsors of the event.
On the day’s entertain
ment schedule are perfor
mances by six clogging
groups. Local bands and
singing artists will also per
form.
Visitors may bring fold
ing chairs and blankets
and pick a spot early to
How much watermelon
can you eat?
r«OM arer Rktokts
A highlight of
Big*Bang*Boom ‘99 - both
for contestants and
onlookers - will be the food
eating contests. All compe
titions are limitd to 20 con
testants, who will start
signing up on a first come
first serve basis at 11:30
a.m. Contestants are to
report to the contest area
15 minutes in advance.
At 1 p.m., Kroger will
sponsor a watermelon eat
ing contest. Watermelons
are cut into four pieces each,
and the one who eats the
most in three minutes wins.
Kroger will also sponsor
a watermelon seed spitting
contest. Contestants will
take a mouthful of water
melon and spit the seeds.
Farthest mark wins.
At 2:30 p.m., there will
be a Good Humor Ice
Cream eating contest.
Whoever eats a half gallon
of ice cream first will win.
At 3:15 p.m., two age
groups will compete to see
who can eat the most hot
dogs in one minute.,There
is one contest for age 12
and under, another for age
13 and over.