{"id":2761,"date":"2009-11-26T11:17:01","date_gmt":"2009-11-26T16:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2009\/11\/local-thanksgiving.html"},"modified":"2009-11-26T11:17:01","modified_gmt":"2009-11-26T16:17:01","slug":"local-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2009\/11\/local-thanksgiving.html","title":{"rendered":"Local Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"Here in Lowndes County and the surrounding area we have plenty of things to be thankful for:\n<ul>\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.okraparadisefarms.com\/blog\/2009\/06\/one-days-pickings.html\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3538\/3663107014_c84ed00d43_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nA growing local food community, anchored by\n<a href=\"http:\/\/fmguesspecan.com\/main\/index.php?content=about\">\nJason DeLoach&#8217;s F.M. Guess Pecan Company<\/a> of Valdosta,\nthe <a href=\"http:\/\/www.merchantcircle.com\/business\/The.Pack.House.Market.229-794-4112\">Packhouse Market<\/a> of Hahira,\nand of course <a href=\"http:\/\/www.manta.com\/coms2\/dnbcompany_fc2yfl\">\nJim Fiveash&#8217;s Food Store<\/a> of Hahira.\nLet&#8217;s not forget the Valdosta Farmer&#8217;s Market (1500 South Patterson Street)\nand <a href=\"http:\/\/www.farmerbrownsproduce.com\/\">Farmer Brown&#8217;s Produce.<\/a>\nThere&#8217;s even at least one local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) starting up.\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.industrialauthority.com\/index.php\/transportationadvantage.html\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"  width=\"196\" height=\"196\"   src=\"http:\/\/fusioncreativemarketing.com\/ia\/images\/stories\/nobluedots.jpg\"><\/a>\n<li>\nLong distance transportation: Interstate 75 near I-10, numerous state highways,\nand an airport.\n<li>\nDelta Airlines (I never thought I&#8217;d be writing this) for competitive airfares\n(except during holidays). And landing on one of the longest runways in the state.\n<li>\nRailroads going in every direction carrying freight, which can also carry\npassengers whenever state and local people and governments get organized to do it.\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.okraparadisefarms.com\/blog\/travel\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"  width=\"150\" height=\"283\"  title=\"GSF 1918 rail map\" src=\"http:\/\/www.quarterman.com\/images\/gsf1918.jpg\"><\/a>\nBusinesses moving in to take advantage of the transportation;\nworking towards enough good jobs that young people don&#8217;t have to move away to find one.\n<li>\nCounty and city governments that are at least a little bit sceptical about exactly which businesses they encourage to move in.\n<li>\nMoody Air Force Base, by far the biggest employer, bringing diversity to the community both in serving personnel and in later retirees.\n<li>\nTwo hospitals: South Georgia Medical Center and Smith Northview Hospital.\n<li>\nThere&#8217;s even a\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.valdostadailytimes.com\/local\/local_story_073011728.html\">\nValdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area<\/a> (MSA)\nincluding the counties of Lowndes, Brooks, Lanier, and Echols, with\na combined population of about 130,000.\nThis is enough people to try things without waiting for Atlanta or Washington to tell us what to do.\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.valdostadailytimes.com\/local\/local_story_073011728.html\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" width=\"182\" heighth=\"102\"   src=\"http:\/\/explorer.dol.state.ga.us\/mis\/images\/maps\/valdosta_msa.gif\"><\/a>\n<li>\nValdosta State University, one of two large regional campuses of the\nUniversity of Georgia System, and one so active politically that it\ngot its own voting precinct this year, the only college precinct in\nthe state.\n<li>\nLive election results during each election,\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.lowndescounty.com\/results\/\">\non the Lowndes County website.<\/a>\nIt&#8217;s the only county in the state that does this!\n<li>\nGeorgia Military College, a liberal arts junior college.\n<li>\nValdosta Technical College, or whatever it&#8217;s being called since\nthe state reorganized it.\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiaencyclopedia.org\/nge\/Article.jsp?id=h-3262\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"  width=\"150\" height=\"100\"  src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiaencyclopedia.org\/media_content\/m-8696.jpg\"><\/a>\nThriving downtowns in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.valdostamainstreet.com\/index.htm\">\nValdosta<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/hahira.ga.us\/\">Hahira.<\/a>\nFirst Friday, Winterfest, Honeybee Festival:\nthose are doing more to attract attractive businesses than\nany number of road projects.\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiaencyclopedia.org\/nge\/Article.jsp?id=h-3262\">\nGrand Bay Wildlife Management Area,<\/a> preserving a little bit of the original ecosystem\nof the area; you know, pine trees, live oaks, wiregrass, pitcher plants, cypress swamps, alligators, great blue herons, and bobcats.\nMaybe you don&#8217;t.  Go and see!\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.valdosta.edu\/finadmin\/plantops\/landscapegroundphotos.shtml\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   width=\"108\" height=\"144\" src=\"http:\/\/www.valdosta.edu\/finadmin\/plantops\/images\/longleafpine2.jpg\"><\/a>\nTrees, for forestry, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.okraparadisefarms.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/vdt-quarterman-road-project-completed.html\">\nfor themselves.<\/a>\nSee Patterson Street (a little planning kept it from looking like Ashley Street), and the oldest longleaf pines in the county\nare on the VSU campus; older than Valdosta.\nThere are even a few left elsewhere in the county.\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2009\/11\/economic-benefits-of-protecting-natural-ecosystems.html\">Protecting forests is not just the right thing to do, it&#8217;s good business.<\/a>\n<li>\nRain, so trees and crops will grow.\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.okraparadisefarms.com\/blog\/2009\/01\/solar-power-in-lowndes-county-georgia.html\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" width=\"120\" height=\"90\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3464\/3209894478_7b76b1c315_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nSunshine, much more than <a href=\"\/blog\/2009\/11\/germany-as-much-new-solar-power-as-3-large-coal-or-nuclear-plants.html\">\nGermany, for example<\/a>, so we can do <a href=\"http:\/\/www.okraparadisefarms.com\/blog\/renewable-energy\">\nsolar if we want to.<\/a>\n<li>\nWinning sports teams in Lowndes County and Valdosta high schools and VSU\ncaused ESPN to name Valdosta\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sports.espn.go.com\/espn\/titletown\/index\">TitleTown<\/a>.\nMaybe that winning attitude can carry over to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.winnersville.net\/education.htm\">\nimproving academics<\/a>.\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sports.espn.go.com\/espn\/titletown\/index\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\" width=\"112\" height=\"93\"   src=\"http:\/\/fusioncreativemarketing.com\/ia\/images\/stories\/ESPN-TT-USA.jpg\"><\/a>\n<li>\nTheatre at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theatreguildvaldosta.com\/\">\nDosta<\/a>, VSU, and the high schools.\nIf theatre was a sport, we&#8217;d be winning that, too!\n<table>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\nDites-moi\n<br>\nPourquoi\n<br>\nLa vie est belle,\n<br>\nDies-moi\n<br>\nPourquoi\n<br>\nLa vie est gai?\n<\/td><td>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\n<\/td><td>\nTell me why\n<br>\nThe sky\n<br>\nis filled with music,\n<br>\nTell me why\n<br>\nWe fly\n<br>\non clouds above?\n<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/ul>\nWe live in an area with many advantages.\nYou can probably list more of them.\n<p>\nWhy stop with what we&#8217;ve got?\nWhy not play up our advantages of transportation, natural environment,\nlocal culture, etc., and attract jobs for young people and make the place\neven better for everybody?\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here in Lowndes County and the surrounding area we have plenty of things to be thankful for: A growing local food community, anchored by Jason DeLoach&#8217;s F.M. Guess Pecan Company of Valdosta, the Packhouse Market of Hahira, and of course Jim Fiveash&#8217;s Food Store of Hahira. Let&#8217;s not forget the Valdosta Farmer&#8217;s Market (1500 South [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[97,556,14,15,49,602,41,11,21,22,23,1923,780,121,501],"tags":[1587,8790,5960,1732,8701,2570,8791,8792,1733,5928,7,1329,8793,8847,3087,1924,6,5958,1731,1175,8743,5959],"class_list":["post-2761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-air","category-economy","category-education","category-elections","category-hahira","category-health-care","category-lake","category-planning","category-politics","category-renewable-energy","category-sports","category-travel","category-webtech","category-wiregrass-tech","tag-brooks-county","tag-dasher","tag-dosta","tag-echols-county","tag-georgia","tag-grand-bay","tag-hahira","tag-lake-park","tag-lanier-county","tag-longleaf","tag-lowndes-county","tag-moody-air-force-base","tag-remerton","tag-sports","tag-theatre","tag-titletown","tag-valdosta","tag-valdosta-military-college","tag-valdosta-msa","tag-valdosta-state-university","tag-vsu","tag-wiregrass"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p585fK-Ix","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2761\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}