LOA student to compete in National Spelling Bee

GREENSBORO, Ga. — Hailey Heinen, a seventh grade Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) student, is heading to the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. from May 29-31. She will join spellers from all over the world as they compete during “Bee Week,” with portions of the Bee to be televised on ESPN.

Heinen has won every class spelling bee since first grade, and she has been the winner of every schoolwide spelling bee since fourth grade. She has moved on to win the Greene County spelling bee three times and has also competed in the Georgia Regional Spelling Bee three times.

Heinen is a high honors student in school. She enjoys piano, musical theater, reading, serving as a student government representative, and competition cheerleading. Finding time to study for the Bee can be challenging, especially when spellers are told that the most inclusive study tool for the National Bee is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Champion spellers also study etymology (the history of words and their origins) to give them the best chance of spelling difficult words that are unfamiliar to most people.

LaToya’s School of Dance hosts summer recital

VALDOSTA, Ga. — LaToya’s School of Dance studio will host its third annual summer recital in Valdosta. The matinee show will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, June 1. Tickets are $3 per person. The ballet show will be held at 3 p.m. June 2. The Hip Hop show will be held at 6 p.m. the same day. Advance tickets are $10 and door admission is $15. All shows will be held at the Valdosta Parks and Recreation Auditorium located at 1901 N. Forrest St. The theme is “Rhythm Nation: Just Believe”. Anyone interested in more information or purchasing tickets can call 229-403-4813 or 229-403-4813 or visit: www.latoyacrawford.org.

Tryouts set for United Futbol Academy

TIFTON, Ga. — United Futbol Academy will be holding tryouts soon for the 2018-19 UFA South Georgia soccer team. Girls and boys born in the years 2006-11 will try out May 29 and May 31. Girls and boys born from 2000-2005 will try out June 5 and June 7. For all ages, the tryouts will be from 6-8 p.m. at Friendly City Park in Tifton. The groups trying out will be further broken down into teams based on their ages. Tryouts are free for UFA. Players must pre-register for the tryouts online at southgeorgia.unitedfa.org. They also must attend all the tryout sessions to play. For more details, contact branch director Nick Jenkins (nick@unitedfa.org); director of coaching Aly Joslin (aly@unitedfa.org); boys select director Robbie Peterson (robbie@unitedfa.org) or academy director Brian Dawkins (brian@unitedfa.org).

Open Mic Night coming to Music Park

LIVE OAK, Fla. — Open Mic Night with Lyndie is set for Friday while Sondra Hunt and her band will perform Saturday in the Music Hall at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.

Lyndie Burris, a former Nashville artist now returned to Orange Park, will keep the music going all evening, performing some music herself along with North Florida and South Georgia country artists who love to entertain.

Those already signed up include artists Kam Williams (Mayo), Josh Edwards (High Springs), Allie Caile (Jacksonville), Reginald Stacy (Bronson), JA Weisner (Branford), Kassidy Kolwyck (O’Brien) and Katelyn Hurtado (Jacksonville).

For those interested in signing up, please contact Burris at lyndie@Lyndieonline.com. For anyone that missed the chance to sign up, attend the show and if there’s an open spot, the chance to perform may still be possible. Make sure to bring the CD or music along.

Music begins at 7 p.m. Friday night, doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner.

Saturday night, the exciting Sondra Hunt and her band will light up the Music Hall Stage with tons of great music.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner, show begins at 8 p.m.

Bradley Wellness Center to host Daddy/Daughter Dance

DALTON, Ga. —  Bradley Wellness Center hosts the seventh annual Daddy/Daughter Dance on Saturday, June 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. Dads and daughters of all ages are welcome. “Our annual Daddy/Daughter Dance is a great way to make wonderful memories with your children,” said Mandy Hunter, BWC programs coordinator. “It will be a lot of fun!” The event will include photos, DJ, dance contest, rose presentation and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are $5 per person. Space is limited. To sign up, stop by BWC or call 706-278-9355 by Wednesday.