Beginning Wednesday Feb. 22, 2012, starting at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., the 700 and 800 blocks of Clark Ave. and the 200 block of Dewey Street will be closed to through traffic as railroad crews remove the tracks on these streets. A detour around the work sites will be provided using Adkins Street and Wheeler Ave. Motorists are advised to use caution and reduce speed when traveling in the area.
After road trips to Nova Southeastern University, Valdosta State University and Shorter University, the Golden Rams baseball team will make their home opener on Friday, Feb. 17, in a doubleheader against the Selma University Bulldogs. Dr. Everette J. Freeman, president of ASU, and Dr. Richard H. Williams, athletics director, will throw the ceremonial first pitch at 1 p.m. at Golden Rams Park.
Although his Golden Rams are 1-6 on the season, second –year head coach Ken Conner looks forward to a great 2012 season.
“I’m excited about this season. We’ve got some great returning players and newcomers who have a ton of talent. The Rams have a winning tradition and this season is no different,” Conner said. “We want our fans to come out and support the team for our home debut.”
Friday’s game will be played as part of the Black History celebration, Conner said.
“The late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched in both Albany, Ga. and Selma, Ala., so we thought it would be fitting to play the game in celebration of Black History Month and in memory of all the great African-American athletes, especially Jackie Robinson, who paved the way for African-American athletes.”
Expected to give fans much baseball action are SIAC Baseball Preseason All-Conference team members, shortstop William Smalls and catcher Rickey Harris. Smalls, who was the 2011 SIAC Player of the Year, led the SIAC with nine home runs and 56 runs batted in last season.
Conner says with the help of Smalls and Harris, and other returning players, including Ken Nesbitt and Eddie Mathis, the Rams, who won the 2010 SIAC championship, should have no problems in the race for the 2012 SIAC championship. Ram newcomers Demonzio Stubbs, Uwen Udofia, Allen Hardy, Stephen Lightfoot will also help the Rams to the championship, Conner said.
“Our goal this year is to win back the SIAC championship and make an impressive showing the NCAA playoffs” Conner said. “We’ve got the talent, we’ve just got to go out and prove the championship and playoff appearance are ours for the taking.”
During the opening-day ceremonies, the Golden Rams Diamond Club will have dinner plates for sale and giveaways for fans.
“We invite our faculty, staff, students, alumni and fans to support our team and help us have a successful 2012 campaign,” Conner said.
Admission to the game is free of charge, but fans are asked to make donations to the program.
Tammy Outlaw, Store Director for Winn Dixie, recently spoke at a FBLA meeting at Westover High School. Mrs. Outlaw speech included interviewing techniques and effective job search search skills. She made members aware of the importance of dressing for success. Mrs. Outlaw advised members of the many benefits of employment with Winn Dixie.
Wild Adventures Theme Park, just off I-75 near Valdosta, will open for its 16th year on March 17, and the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County got a sneak look at the upcoming season from park representative Sarah Pitts at their February 6 meeting.
A big draw for the park is its annual concert schedule. This year’s lineup features a number of current headliners and well-known performers from genres across the music world. Included on various dates are performers such as Thompson Square, The Band Perry, Styx, Mandisa, Boston, Kutless, and World Class Rockers, among others. The country group Sugarland, featuring Douglas native Jennifer Nettles, is also slated, with the date to be determined. (Dates for concert performances can be found at the park’s website, www.wildadventures.com.)
Average attendance at the park on a summer Saturday is 10,000-12,000, Pitts estimated. A previous concert appearance by Lady Antebellum drew up to 17,000, she said, and she expects Sugarland would attract even more.
After emerging from bankruptcy in 2007, Wild Adventures is now owned and operated by Hershend Family Entertainment, a company that for more than 50 years has owned, operated, or partnered in 26 properties over 10 states, including Silver City in Branson, Mo., Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta, and Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country in Tennessee. According to Pitts, although the park is closed during winter months, there are 85 year-round employees. When the park is open and operating, it takes 750 workers to run it, she added.
There were not any big capital expenditures in advance of this year’s opening, said Pitts. Instead, there were “little things that enhance it for visitors,” such as new cabanas, and added shade and seating. People often ask, she said, why the park isn’t open year-round. The reason is that many of the summer employees are students, plus closing for winter allows time for any construction, renovation, or repairs that might be needed, while the park is empty of crowds. The park is open select days from March through December, a company release states.
Wild Adventures encompasses some 170 acres and features over 50 species of animals, including zebras, lions, tigers, and giraffes. There are also more than 50 roller coaster and thrill rides and the 17-acres Splash Island Water Park with 15 attractions.
Wild Adventures began as a weekend horse farm and has evolved over the years. According to a company statement, “The park continues to grow and become the region’s premiere water and theme park.”
Special to the Journal
The Turner Job Corps Center (TJCC) announced today that it will pursue its reaccreditation by the Council on Occupational Education (COE) February 27th – March 1st. The COE is a national institutional accrediting agency for the accreditation of non-degree-granting and applied associate degree-granting post-secondary occupational education.
“We are dedicated to providing the training for our students that ensures that they are equipped with all of the necessary skills to walk out of our doors Workforce Ready and this is one more piece that we utilize on this center to achieve that,” stated Rose Walker Cook, Center Director. “These are the same credentials received by many of the nation’s technical training schools and colleges”. Turner Job Corps has been accredited by the COE for 28 years. TJCC has 16 trades that the COE recognizes with its accreditation.
The Council on Occupational Education (COE), originally founded in 1971 as a regional accrediting agency of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, is the successor to the Commission on Occupational Education Institutions (COE). The Council’s accreditation process is conducted on behalf of more than 360,000 students across the nation who pursue careers in a variety of technical fields, assuring quality and integrity in career and technical education.
Established in 1964, Job Corps has trained and educated more than 2 million young people, serving approximately 60,000 young adults each year at 124 centers across the country. Job Corps is the nation’s leading career technical training and education program for students ages 16 through 24. Job Corps is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor.
To learn more about the Council on Occupational Education, visit http://www.council.org.
Special to the Journal
The Business and Social Science Divisions at Darton College are pleased to announce the annual Clay Shoot Competition April 14.
The clay shoot will be held this year at Flint Skeet & Trap Club. All proceeds from the event will benefit student scholarships for the Business and Social ScienceDivisions.
Tickets for the clay shoot are $40, which includes 75 shots and lunch. Tickets for the lunch only are $15. The meal will be catered by Meatslangers.
Call (229) 317-7001 to purchase your tickets or for more information.
The United Kennel Club presented a plaque to the Exchange Club of Albany after completing their most successful Winter Classic yet in their 25 years in South Georgia. In the last 23 of those years, the UKC has held the coon hunting event at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds. Accepting the plaque on behalf of the Exchange Club (pictured) Club President Ray Hinman (L) and Exchange Club event co-chairman Joe Brown. The Exchange Club not only hosts the UKC but operates a 24 hour “Road Kill” cafe from the start of the event to the close. All profit earned by the Exchange Club goes into their Child Abuse Prevention projects, locally, state-wide and across the nation thru the National Exchange Club.
Kensley Fields, Westover Senior and Post 30 Champion, wins American Legion District Oratorical Contest in Albany, GA. Kelsea Fitzhugh, Albany High Senior, was the runner up. Kensley will next compete on Feb. 25th (Saturday) in the American Legion Area II competition in Valdosta at 10 am at Post 13 Valdosta, 1301 Williams Street, Valdosta, GA.
This is Kensley’s 3rd year of competition in the American Legion Oratorical Contest. His first year he reached 3rd in the State, his second year he made it to 2nd place in the State. The State contest follows the Area competition.
Written by David Shivers
In spite of its relatively brief history, the Albany Marathon has become a signature event for the community, drawing thousands of visitors who have a significant economic impact.
Paula Bacon, executive director of the Albany-Dougherty County Medical Society, told the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County on January 30 that “Albany offers a perfect opportunity for a deeply Southern experience.”
The race course takes runners “all over the community,” offering various views of the city. Bacon said race organizers “get great feedback” from entrants, which include professional runners building points to qualify for other nationally-known races like the iconic Boston Marathon. The Albany Marathon is a U.S.A. Track and Field certified event.
Bacon said the marathon, now in its sixth year, also brings to the forefront the benefits of exercise, which helps fight cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
“It helps get people to recognize that exercise is so incredibly important” to maintaining good health, Bacon added.
Albany cancer specialist Dr. Jose Tongol, who has championed the marathon from the beginning, has said previously, “My mission here is physical fitness – to prevent a lot of problems like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and heart attacks. Obesity is the number one cause of deaths in the U.S. We need to fight that problem.”
The race was formerly known as the Snickers Energy Bar Marathon and Half-Marathon. Although the official name has changed, Snickers is still involved as a race sponsor, said Bacon.
The total economic benefit to the community of the annual race and accompanying events (turtle race and family entertainment at Flint Riverquarium, the “thrilling to watch” SB&T bike race, downtown Mardi Gras, and so on known as the “Rock, Roll, and Run Weekend,” has been estimated at $2.6 million. The marathon also benefits Willson Hospice House; over five years, that organization has received some $95,000 in funds.
Key to the marathon’s success are the people who make it happen before and during the race. Volunteers “are the heart and soul of any event,” Bacon emphasized. Among the benefits of volunteering, she pointed out, are earning an exclusive marathon volunteer t-shirt, free admission to the Mardi Gras festival (from 12 noon to midnight), a front-row seat to Albany’s signature event, meeting great people with the same enthusiasm for Albany, getting the great feeling you get when you help others, and plenty of great memories.
Among the volunteer assignments available are pre-expo (stuffing goodie bags), working the Expo on March 6, manning one of the 18 water stations, working as a road marshal or at the finish line, driving sweep vehicles (to pick up runners who don’t finish the race), blankets, distributing medals after the race, working on the finish line cleanup crew, and assisting during the awards ceremony.
This year’s race events – the marathon, half-marathon, and bike race – will take place on March 3. The deadline for volunteering is February 10. For information call 317-4760 or e-mail wcenter@albanyga.com.
Paula Bacon describes the personal and economic benefits of the annual Albany Marathon and Half Marathon to Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County members.
Special to the Journal
The Future Business Leaders of America Regional Competition was held Friday, January 20, at Moultrie Technical College. Westover had four students to enter into competition. Three students won at regional and are eligible to advance to state completion in March. State competition will be held in Atlanta, GA. Kensley Fields and Joshua Dunson won 3rd Place in Desktop Publishing. Amber Fleming won 5th Place in Digital Design. FBLA is the largest and oldest business student organization in the world, and the FBLA Regional Competition is a premier business education association preparing students for careers in business. FBLA develops a unique value program that excites students.
