The Kirbys celebrate Thanksgiving with their children
On Thanksgiving Day, Charles and Carlynn Kirby had their children and grandchildren for the day. I know that they enjoyed this special day with all that came for this occasion. I know that the meal was served with love and care , because Carlynn loves to cook.
Those that were home for Thanksgiving Day were Paul and Jamie Clark and sons Braxton, Brenton and Bryland Clark; Justin and Kayla Tedder and daughter Ellie Grace Tedder; Mike and Leah Theus; Johnny Murray; Terry and Gina Kirby and daughter Morgan Kirby; Matt and Maclyn Poole and children Kayton and Pate Poole and of course Charles and Carlynn Kirby.

The Pilchers’ children came for Thanksgiving
Sammy and Mary Nan Pilcher look forward to having their daughter Cynthia and her family come up for special occasions. Cynthia and Mike Sanseverine and their daughters Sarah and Kayla came up from Parklin, Florida, for Thanksgiving weekend. The girls love coming up for special occasions with their grandparents.
Those enjoying dinner with the Pilchers on Thanksgiving  Day were Alan and Sharon Miller, Dave, Carla Murray and their children Clifford, Trina and Anna Rae Murray, Ben Murray, and Lynn Cook, Tommy Pilcher, Cynthia, and Mike Sanseverine and daughters Sarah and Kayla and Sammy and Mary Nan.

Ellaville holds first Christmas Hoopla
On the evening of Dec. 1, the City of Ellaville held its first Christmas Hoopla. It was so nice.
They turned on the Christmas tree lights in the park as well as turning on the lights on the courthouse which stands out when lighted up. People come from far and near each year to see the courthouse with all the lights aglow.
They started the Hoopla with a road race at 5:30 p.m. before all other activities really started. Santa Claus arrived on the fire truck and went into the courthouse rotunda to see and talk with all the children. He had his Elvis helping him and they had on such cute costumes. They had a snow machine  as well as jumping castles  for all the children to play on. The line for the children to see Santa was as far as the front door to the courthouse to below the library and across the street in the park. The Police blocked off the street in front of the courthouse for safety. The Grinch was here as well and  children enjoyed seeing him.
There were so many people and  they were eating every where downtown. What a night to remember!
Plan to ride through town at night and see how pretty our courthouse is as well as the park and the fountain all alight. Make plans to visit us to see how we celebrate Christmas here.
This event really makes Christmas get started.

Billy Lightner holds annual old-fashioned day
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Billy Lightner held his annual old-fashioned  sugar cane syrup cooking as well as removing his peanuts from the stacks.
When you make sugar cane syrup, first you grow your cane in a special cane patch. Then you chop down the cane and carry it to the squeezing machine. When all of the juice is squeezed out, it’s taken to a large iron cooking kettle and poured in for it to cook to make syrup. It has to be cooked  down a lot to become syrup.
I can remember as a child going down to the mill in Americus and seeing my granddaddy’s cane squeezing machine and it was turned with a mule and a long log was connected to the mule’s neck as he went round and round while a man put cane stalks into the squeezer. Then they carried the juice to the kettle. They used to use wood to make syrup, but now they use gas. That’s good  because it took a lot of wood in those days to get the temperature just right.
After finishing cooking Billy’s syrup, he put it into bottles and jars. Billy had a lot of young people helping with this special project.
Billy had his peanut patch in the same place he had it last year. He had plowed his peanut patch and put them on the stack with all peanuts facing inside so birds and animals can’t eat them. It takes a while for peanuts to dry on the stack. You use a pitch fork to put peanuts on the stacks. Then he removed them that day and put the vines and peanuts into a peanut thresher which separated the peanuts from the vines. The vines go out the back and the peanuts stay in the thresher. Men with pitch forks put the vines into a hay baler which compresses the vines in the shape of a square while the machine holds the bales in shape  at which time the compressor is released and the bales shoot out of the hay baler. The farmers store the hay under a shelter. This hay is the best hay that you can feed live stock, I’ve been told.
We surely appreciate Billy doing this for everyone to see the old-fashioned way to make syrup and harvest peanuts. This is living history. If you haven’t ever seen this done before plan to attend next year when Billy will be showing this special project all over.

Decorating for Christmas is special time of the year
Everyone’s beginning to decorate for Christmas as this special time of the year comes. Wreaths are being hung on doors while Christmas trees are being trimmed and lovely decorations are being placed at churches, homes and stores.
As everyone knows we all have a special reason for this special season and that’s celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
People are shopping and of course children are getting excited about Santa Claus coming.
Let’s all remember that this is the most important time of our religious holidays, remembering our Jesus who was born on Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas to each and every one of you as you decorate and wrap gifts for this special occasion that’s coming.
Merry Christmas to all. — Nancy McMath Young