Thumbs Up! March 5, 2018

Tift Park will likely never look the same as it did 14 months and three days ago. The people of Albany have, however, decided to treasure the memories of this generation and plan for new ones to come. A few weeks ago, more than 500 volunteers of all ages and sizes filled the park with gloves and shovels. With help from the city of Albany and a lot of organization by Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful, restoration began in earnest. Tift Park, once the hub of young romances, carriage rides and the zoo, had fallen on hard times well before the Jan.2, 2017 storm ripped it apart. Fortunately, Stephen Brimberry started a Facebook page called Friends of Tift Park in 2014. What started as a handful of folks doing some basic cleanup in the park evolved into the very popular Tift Park Community Market. On Saturdays, vendors brought their wares, crafters crafted, musicians entertained and locals brought their kids and dogs as life slowly returned to the area. Then came the storm. Just as true friends will do, Brimberry and his crew doubled their efforts, opened the market at a temporary spot and carried on. Now, in its fourth year, the market opened a new season on Saturday. Vendors are now using the park’s abandoned tennis courts for their tents and tables, a move Brimberry says will leave less damage to the grass and allow the market to be visible from the road. Tift Park has some very dear friends and, consequently, will be around for the growth of new oaks and the making of new memories.

The Albany Recreation and Parks Department has yet another special event planned for the senior citizens of this community. On March 28, starting at 11 a.m., seniors are invited to attend the Easter Egg Hunt and Bingo Brunch Extravaganza at the Albany Civic Center. Dust off that Easter bonnet and get ready to have some fun. Tickets are available now at the ARPD office at 1301 N. Monroe St. (adjacent to Tift Park). Egg hunting, guest speakers, a delicious brunch, bingo with prizes (no cash) and fellowship are all included in the $7 admission. Get your tickets soon before they are sold out.

Dougherty County is the home of much poverty. It is the home of free lunches for all students. The war against crime in neighborhoods, hunger, abuse, neglect, absent parents, gangs, drugs and all other roadblocks that follow the path of poverty come right on into the classroom with even the youngest students. Fortunately, the Dougherty County School System is also home to numerous dedicated teachers battling some of the toughest odds imaginable to bring every child in his or her classroom up to the high expectations needed to succeed in the world of adulthood.The percentage of low income families entitles schools to be tagged as Title 1, making them, therefore, eligible for extra school funding. Designated Title 1 schools are still expected to perform well and to continually show improvement. Two DCSS schools, Lincoln Elementary Magnet School and International Studies Elementary Charter School, have been recently named High-Progress Reward Schools by the Georgia Department of Education. Simply put, this duo is among the top 10 percent of the state’s Title 1 schools making the most progress in improving student performance on statewide assessments. The extra funding is useful, but it is the staff, from the principals to the bus drivers and the teachers to the custodians, that deserve this heart-felt Thumbs Up!