Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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. I _ _ MHHBQ 93/09/9? IHRfI GLOF:6I A Nl WSPAPLF: P'RO..- - i Hi | U. Gh. PIAIN LI&RART I ATHENS, GA 30602 ISf I See page 3A M 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 — —l PWnsSr : ■■■ —*• [ • /T ■; tmasaeflaMT . * L ''■'W... •• v j * « y "*• , I •. $ I viPßr r " , 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 • .... : • . .. x '. , ■ • .. ■;a# MW&: : - M . .7.. .;■■■■)}; 77 ' .. . .- '.7 ,n . - > ---" - —HffbrV < \l" 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.