Townie #8, 2016

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Issue No.

MAY 6 -19 VOLUME 5

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City Awarded Funds for Charrette to Improve MacIntyre Park In the fall, the City of Thomasville will host a community planning workshop to improve MacIntyre Park. As a CIRD award recipient, the City of Thomasville will receive a $10,000 stipend to support a community planning workshop and follow-up sessions. The City will also receive in-kind design expertise and technical assistance valued at $35,000, as well as additional support through webinars, conference calls, and web-based resources on www.rural-design.org.

The workshops are designed to bring together local leaders, non-profits, community organizations and citizens in connection with a team of rural planning and creative, place-making professionals to find solutions to enhancing the MacIntyre Park as a communitywide resource.

“The Citizens' Institute on Rural Design™ represents important tenets of the NEA’s work,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “By providing resources to assist rural communities in crafting design and arts-based solutions to their development challenges, the The proposal submitted by the Thomasville team of nonprofit, public and municipal leaders was one of six selected by an advisory panel from a pool of 53 applicants this year.

“We were extremely impressed by the number of high

quality applications we received. The selected communities demonstrate rich potential for leveraging partnerships to take action on a wide range of rural design issues,” said Cynthia Nikitin, CIRD Program Director and Senior Vice President of Project for Public Spaces, Inc. “Each of the projects selected for CIRD workshops has the potential to lay the foundation for positive transformation.

Collectively they demonstrate how planning for the future by focusing on assets and opportunities strengthens the social, cultural, and economic vibrancy of communities,” said David Leckey, Executive Director of the Orton Family Foundation.

The community planning workshop will focus on storm water management challenges facing MacIntyre Park, as well as revitalization efforts. The historic, but underutilized 15-acre park is flanked by cultural institutions, public schools and a planned 15-mile, multi-use trail system which will connect the park to the city’s cultural and civic landmarks.

“Thomasville Landmarks is looking forward to participating with the City and other partners in the charrette process to explore how historic MacIntyre Park can be better utilized as one of Thomasville’s in town parks. “ ...cont. next page

I wanted to take a moment to personally invite each of you to join me on Friday May 13 at the Jacket’s Nest in Thomasville for the 2016 Relay For Life of Thomas County.

RFL2016 is going to be an evening full of food, fun, friends, families and fundraising. We kick-off this celebration of life and remembrance at 6p, as we gather trackside to cheer on and celebrate with cancer survivors as they take the first lap. We have a great lineup of entertainment following the Survivor Lap, including three local dance groups, the band Root 3:16 at 8p, Zumba at 10p and the very popular Mr. Relay Pageant at 11p.

The Luminaria Ceremony at 9p is a time where we honor those still

Beauty Broad

CHUMS

MAY 6 -19 VOLUME 5

Service Brewing Company takes over Liam’s for a Good Cause On May 14 from 2 - 6p, Service Brewing Company {SBC} will be doing a tap takeover of Liam’s Lounge and Cheese Shoppe. Liam’s will feature SBC’s Rally Point Pilsner, Battlewagon Double IPA, Compass IPA, Old Guard Biere de Garde and more.

Get there early because they are barreling the beers in sixtels just for Liam’s for this tap takeover which means they will go quickly. I had to look up how much a sixtel actually holds. It gets the name because it’s about a sixth the size of a regular keg. A sixtel equates to about 5.16 gallons of beer.

“We wanted to pair up with a Georgia-based brewery to do our first tap takeover, and we really like Service because they have some really lovely beers,” said Liam’s owner, Rhonda Foster. “They were really generous by bottling their beers in sixtels so we could do something together.”

The event starts at 2:00p, but you can belly up to the bar during regular hours of 10:00a-midnight and stake out your place for the event. The first 75 attendees get a commemorative glass. Some of the SBC team will be there throughout the event giving out goodies like t-shirts.

You may have noticed that all of the beer names pay homage to the military. SBC is a young brewery that gets its name because it is a veteranowned and operated craft brewery. SBC is dedicated to honoring those that have put their lives at risk and their country and community first.

For this event, Liam’s will be donating a portion of the proceeds to SBC’s veteran-supported causes.

SBC brews American-made beers year round, but they also create some small batches of experimental brews. They will have some of the yearround beers at the tap takeover as well as some of the small-batch brews.

For more information about Liam’s or the tap takeover, give Liam’s a call at {229} 226-9944 or follow their Facebook page, Liam’s of Thomasville.

Plus, you can see the beautiful pictures of all their food and cocktail creations.

From the desk of Richard Barnes relay for life of Thomas County Good day, Thomas County,

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Christy was born + raised in the ‘ville. She’s a wife, stay at home Mommy and President + Publisher of Thomasville Magazine. She has been married to her husband, Scott, for 7 years. They have two children: Addison, age 6 + Tucker, age 2. She loves music, especially the flute and her family's furbaby: an English bulldog named Georgia, of course!

What made you decide to take over Thomasville magazine? I love to be able to give others an outlet to tell their story through the pages of the magazine; it's a creative outlet for me and them. It is a labor of love, but also a piece of Jack [Kelly] I get to hold onto forever.

What are the most important things you learned from Jack? I had the opportunity to see Thomasville through Jack's eyes, which is something I will forever cherish. That taught me patience, appreciation and respect. Jack was one of the first people in town to give me a job, which gave me a chance to show my abilities. He believed in me and that gave me the confidence to be where I am now.

What’s your vision for the magazine? My vision for the magazine is simple, to continue to tell the story of Thomasville, Thomas County, it's heritage and it's people.

What does your family do on an ideal weekend?

I love waking up to my husband and children. Of course a little bit of Spark and a whole lot of JESUS helps too.

What gets you through the day? Put God first and everything else will fall into place.

— Jennifer W.

­— Denise P.

Bring Characters to Your Child’s Birthday… in the ‘Ville

Cancer affects us all in some way or another and it does not discriminate.

I know this firsthand, having lost family members to the disease and every day, hearing about a friend who has been told they have it.

This is the time for us as a community to come together and do what we can to help rid the world of this disease. Please make plans to join me as we “Paint Thomas County Purple” in 2016.

Sincerely, {see the Dance Card}

There are some great options for birthday parties in Thomasville. But eventually, in a town this size, we need something new to shake up the birthday scene. As a parent of two young kids, I am so excited for the new company Enchanted Parties and Events.

for photo ops or you can have a princess read a story, lead an etiquette lesson and throw a dance party. Brandi says that it is important to convey to children that “they can all be princesses” and it’s not a tiara or dress that makes them a princess but how they act and treat one another.

Enchanted Parties and Events is the dream child of Jennifer Taylor and Brandi Byce. They both saw a need for a business that provided birthday entertainment in the form of inspiring characters. Over a casual conversation one day Enchanted Parties and Events was born.

In the near future they plan to have licensed Disney Princesses and Princes available for parties as well as superheroes. For more information call Brandi at 229.886.3878 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/enchantedthomasville. Party packages start at $100.

Currently, Jennifer and Brandi offer two Princess party packages. You can have an enchantingly beautiful princess or two attend the party and pose

10 Ways to Look {and Feel!} Less Tired

by flushing toxins and increasing circulation. It balances the nervous system, and enhances your skin quality. Too sour for your taste? Add a few drops of stevia or honey.

Elevate your legs: While lying on your back, scoot your bottom to the edge of the wall and bring your legs up.

Why? It increases circulation, giving you a healthy glow and the extra benefit of feeling energized. 20 minutes of elevation feels like an hour long nap!

Keep eye cream in the fridge: Instant rejuvenation for under eye fatigue.

Breathe: Add belly breaths {diaphragmatic breathing} while you’re elevating your legs for self-care multitasking. Do this 10x.

Lemon water: The benefits of warm water with lemon first thing in the morning are too good to ignore. The vitamin C gives your body an energetic boost as well as helping to detoxify your liver. The warm water stimulates digestion

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Christy Layfield

Just a personal aside here: If you haven’t been to the new bar yet, be sure to check it out and get a pork bun while you sip on one of their custom cocktails. No really. I have probably eaten 12 pork buns since they opened.

I can’t say that I am proud of it, but man, they are good.

with us and remember those who have been taken from us. It is always a moving and emotional time as the Luminaria are lit and the names of our loved ones are read aloud.

Richard T. Barnes Jr. Relay For Life of Thomas County

CHUMS

F r e e

Add more good fats to your diet: Find a way to add a spoonful of coconut oil and avocado to your diet daily.

Your skin and brain will thank you!

Sleep more: Go to bed 30 minutes early. No better beauty secret than being well-rested. Notice the difference in how you can present yourself to the world.

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NOW SERVING LUNCH. CHECK OUT OUR MID-DAY MENU FROM 11 AM - 4 PM | TUESDAY - SATURDAY

Eliminate Dairy: Dairy is very heavy, congestive, and one of the top causes of undesirable skin conditions like cystic acne, dark circles and uneven skin tone. Fall in love with almond and coconut milk!

Drink Golden Milk: Try sipping on this antiinflammatory drink as you wind down in the evening to nourish your nerves and prepare your body for a rejuvenating beauty sleep. 1 cup warmed almond milk, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp honey, dash of cardamom.

Move your body: Reach, bend, twist, squat. Our bodies are meant to move. If you are seated for long periods of time during your day, set a timer for every 30 minutes.

t h a n k s

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— Emily M.

Take 1 minute to stand up, stretch your legs, take a deep breath and quick walk around the office.

Lighten Up: Laugh as much as you can! Stress depletes your beauty and energy.

Meditate: People who meditate everyday look and feel younger. It does not have to for long periods of time, but it does need to be consistent. Find 2-5 minutes to sit with eyes closed and back straight. Become aware of your breath with each inhalation and exhalation…ahhhhh.

—Sarah Esra is the Townie’s resident goddess

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MAY 6 -19 VOLUME 5

MAY 6 -19 VOLUME 5

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Issue No.

Dance Card May 6 & 7 Thomasville Music and Drama Troupe Spring Show Thomasville Municipal Auditorium, 144 E. Jackson St. 8p You won’t want to miss Troupe’s spring show! This is a group of talented singing teen entertainers from area high schools across southwest Georgia.

Since its inception in 1972, Troupe has been wowing audiences of all ages.

For more information or tickets, call {229} 558-9470.

Great Southern Music Festival: Spring Festival Pickers Paradise Park, 2217 Maddox Rd., Ochlocknee, GA 31773 10a-10p, $15 day pass {per day—does not include camping} or $30 weekend pass with camping. Concessions on grounds, pets on leash only, bring your own lawn chair. Featuring: Crosswired, The Kenny Hill Band, Scrap Iron, East Tennessee State Bluegrass Band, The New 76ers, Acoustic Ensemble, and Swiftwater. For more information, visit the website at www. pickersparadisepark.com.

May 6

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Landmarks Kentucky Derby Party Fundraiser Glen Arven Country Club, 1700 Old Monticello Rd. 5-10p, $125 pp or sponsorships staring at $300 2016 marks Landmarks' 50th Anniversary, and what better time to celebrate than at Derby! Tickets and sponsorships will still be available at the door. Festivities include live music, dinner, raffles, and more! For more information visit www.thomasvillelandmarks.org.

Make History at the Museum Archi-Adventure Thomas County Museum of History, 725 N. Dawson St. 10a-noon, adults $3, children 6+ $2, children 3-5 $1, children 3 and under are free. Celebrate National Preservation Month and historic buildings at the Museum of History with fun, building-based workshops for kids and adults. Fees include all materials. The historic buildings on the Museum grounds, including the 1896 bowling alley, will open for exploration. For more information please call 229-226-7664 or visit www. thomascountyhistory.org.

May 13 Relay For Life Thomas Co. Central Jacket’s Nest Stadium 6p-midnight Festivities kickoff at 6PM with the cancer survivors walk, followed by dance groups, games, Root 3:16 will take the stage at 8:00PM and a Luminaria Ceremony will follow at 9:00. Stick around afterwards as we Zumba and host the Mr Relay Pageant. For more information, call Richard Barnes at 229-221-3803.

May 14 Liam’s Tap Takeover by Service Brewing Company Liam’s, 113 E. Jackson St. 2-6p See the full story in this edition!

“Demonstrating Secrets of Art from Clay” Wiregrass Gallery, 120 N. Broad St. 11a-4p The pottery showcase, featuring David C. Beeching, Lydia Keith, Marty Haythorn, and Walter Hobbs, will highlight many of the techniques employed to produce fine ceramic art including wheel throwing, slab and coil construction, extruding, and using ceramic molds. For more information, call Lindajo Haythorn at 229-221-2100.

Farm Dinner at SGD SGD, 19635 US Hwy 319 S 7-9p The event is BYOB and out in one of the fields, so dress comfortably and wear closed toed shoes. Rain or Shine. Visit sweetgrassdairy.com for more information.

City awarded... cont...

Thomasville City Planner Brian Herrmann acknowledged the team of fifth graders who began the discovery process in 2015 on how to improve the green space. “The enthusiasm for this project made it easy to assemble a collaborative team for the workshop that includes the City, Center for the Arts, YMCA and the Thomasville City School system,” “We hope to use creek restoration as a vehicle for creating a more attractive, educationally inspiring and active park that infuses new recreational opportunities, an outdoor classroom, and civic art,” Herrmann added.

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Social Media Dara Barwick Denise Purvis

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ACROSS

1 Idiot 6 Modish 10 Yacht 14 Radiuses 15 Zeus' wife 16 Rim 17 Adjust car wheels 18 Greek god of war 19 Person, place or thing 20 Still 21 European monetary unit 23 Founded neoimpressionism 25 Posttraumatic stress disorder 26 Fortify 27 Picture taker 30 Inconstant 34 Raging 35 Cardinal toward Valdosta 36 Scamp 38 Fit in 39 Caustic substance 40 Holy city 42 French "yes" 43 Slog 44 Made of oak 45 Former 48 Puckers 49 Barbarian 50 Valley 51 Curly, for example 54 Sobbed 55 Environmental protection agency (abbr) 58 Praise 59 Read 61 Split apart 63 Land unit 64 Fats 65 Sluggish 66 Hirer 67 Pond 68 Doldrums

Editor in Chief Jennifer Westfield

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First Friday Concert featuring Opening Act Stringonometry and The Johnnie Marshall Band

May 7

April is somehow the month Annie got her reading groove back. Here’s what I mean: April was chaos. We had shop events every weekend; I planned a surprise birthday party for my mother and Indie Bookstore Day for The Bookshelf. I sneaked up to Montgomery for my cousin’s graduation, and I saw author Elizabeth Gilbert live and in person. It was a fun, weird, long month.

townie crossword

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Downtown Thomasville 7:30-9:30p, free Bring your lawn chair or blanket and spend a fun evening in Downtown Thomasville. For more inforomation call 229-228-7977 or toll free 866577-3600.

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FACEBOOK.COM/THOMASVILLE.TOWNIE

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1 What waiters carry 2 Welt 3 Revise 4 Set up 5 Straw source and "...Boulevard" 6 Leafy vegetable 7 Model 8 Anger 9 Mary ____ 10 Make numb with cold 11 Scent 12 Water (Spanish) 13 Cabana 22 America 24 Time period 25 Peter, for short 27 Hello!

28 Reason 29 Common Catholic name 30 City manager 31 Old 32 Punishment 33 Host 35 Women's magazine 37 Cooking utensils 40 Nearby town with Three Crazy Bakers 41 Royalty 43 Floor cleaner 46 Brand of frozen dough 47 Oaf or wrench 48 High-school club 50 Dumb 51 Slice 52 Mexican sandwich 53 Belongs to us 54 Sounds like "wok" 55 Flat 56 South American country 57 Negative (prefix) 60 Central Intelligence Agency 62 Hotel

J. David Bray, Jr. Sarah Esra Denise Purvis Kelly Samek

Contributing Writers

Clay Byars June Dollar Catharine Fennell Benjamin Gardner Annie Jones Emily McKenna Denise Purvis Callie Sewell Jennifer Westfield

Contributing Artists

Clay Byars William Hamil Jennifer Westfield

Advertising Design Katie Reeves

Layout

Clay Byars

Distribution Trent Tucker

Georgia Press Association

The Thomasville Townie publishes the first and third Friday of every month. To advertise, suggest article ideas or contact staff members, please email yourtownie@gmail.com.

Normally, in times of chaos, I wind up curling into a ball and binging Netflix. But adulthood, here I come, because instead of reflexively turning on the television, I read nine books in April, and while a few of them were just so-so, others were absolutely excellent.

Here’s a rundown: Read Bottom Up by Neel Shah and Skye Chatham. We’re always talking in the shop about staff Venn diagrams and whose tastes overlap where. Rebekah and I read pretty differently – and I’m glad! – but occasionally, our tastes coincide, most often over a well-written romantic comedy. Enter Read Bottom Up, a story told entirely through texts and emails. {Think Attachments by Rainbow Rowell.} The novel is sweet and funny, and the side characters are even more compelling than the main protagonists.

It’s a glimpse into modern romance and dating, and I loved it. It’s perfect for plane rides and beach bags.

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz. I loved Lisa Lutz’s How to Start a Fire, so early in the month, I took home her new thriller, The Passenger. Lutz writes about Tanya Dubois, who flees the scene after finding her husband dead in their home. Tanya quickly becomes Amelia, who becomes Debra… Each chapter, Tanya takes on or sheds a new identity. The premise is interesting, particularly for those of us who like strong female protagonists, and the narration is well done. Some of the suspense fell a little flat for me; I expect a lot from my suspense novels, but if you’re looking for a decent pageturner, this one might fit the bill.

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger. Suzanne Alexander has been recommending this book in the shop for months, and I finally accepted her challenge; I can see why Ordinary Grace has become a customer favorite. It’s Gilead meets To Kill a Mockingbird – high praise, so here’s what I mean. The adult narrator looks back on his childhood, and threads of faith weave all through the plot. It’s a father-son story, a story about two brothers and their coming of age in a small, Midwestern town. It’s well-written and sad and bittersweet, and I’d wager you’d love it, too. Stop by the shop, and we’ll chat about it.

We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride. We Are Called to Rise was an Indie Next pick when it debuted a couple of years ago; fair warning: the new paperback cover implies the book is lighter fare than I believe it really is. The multiple storylines of the different protagonists cover a lot of territory: PTSD, immigration, infidelity, foster care, and the after-effects of war. I was impressed with McBride’s ability to tell a somewhat complicated story, and I’m grateful I read this one alongside my long-distance book club; that’s how I recommend it’d be read.

Losing It by Emma Rathbone. The premise is simple: 26-year-old Julia is a virgin, and she’s tired of it. She’s determined to change her status one summer, but naturally, things don’t quite go as planned. I wanted this book to be smart and funny, and although there were pockets of wisdom tucked throughout the novel, I found Julia to be a tad insufferable. {That may have been Rathbone’s point.} Her whiny self-centeredness made the novel less enjoyable; Julia didn’t sound like anyone I know, and her plight become more and more unrealistic to me as the pages turned.

Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson. Fortune Smiles won the National Book Award last year, but I kept putting it off; his style is outside my reading comfort zone, but I also was intrigued. After meeting him at Tallahassee’s Word of South festival, I bought a copy, and I ploughed my way through the six-story collection. It’s weird and dark in places, but his writing is solid, and I wound up really liking this one. Well worth all the hype, in my opinion, though certainly not for everyone.

Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel.

This is a new novel, not even out until June, but go ahead and mark your calendars, because I thought this book was absolutely stellar. Ausubel writes about a young family in 1976, on the cusp of losing everything; their story is brilliantly told, reminiscent of Fates and Furies and The Nest and Seating Arrangements. I loved this book; it may even make my favorites of 2016 list.

- Annie Butterworth Jones Co-Owner + Managing Partner​T ​ he Bookshelf​

Printed by the Bainbridge Post-Searchlight

S&L Moves Over to the 'Ville S&L moved its operations in late February 2016, from a 7,500 square-foot warehouse in Cairo’s industrial park, to a 20,000 square-foot facility off of Highway 84 in Thomasville.

The company offers integrated audio, video, lighting and communication systems to clients in the worship, medical, corporate, government and education industries.

The building was designed by architect Raymond Finger. It features a massive modern minimalist facade with floor to ceiling storefront windows with sleek aluminum frames, chiseled concrete block and simulated redwood siding. The purpose-built facility has 13 offices for sales and support staff, an oversized lounge area, three restrooms, a lobby, a video conferencing-capable boardroom with two video conferencing-capable breakout rooms and an area for up to ten technicians with space to service a variety of audio visual equipment.

When the company began in 2001, many of Jason Jones' first customers were local theaters, churches, bluegrass bands and other outdoor performance groups. “I saw the need for integrating audio, video and lighting systems,” says Jones. “Lighting was my passion, growing up.”

saturday, may 14th | 2 - 6 pm first 50 people get a commemorative beer glass beer trivia with prizes

Where Living is Easy

Jones' inspiration came from replacing gear in poorly-designed installations and thinking that they should work properly.

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giveaways! hats | tshirts | bottle openers portion of proceeds to benefit the 200 club twohundredclub.org

113 east jackson st. downtown thomasville (229) 226-9944