News        from ABAC

Michael D. Chason Director of Public Relations ABAC 30 -- 2802 Moore Highway Tifton, GA 31793-2601 Phone 229-391-5055 Fax 229-391-4781 mchason@abac.edu

IMMEDIATE January 14, 2008

SMITH TO PERFORM AT ABAC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION CONCERT

TIFTON - Corey Smith, one of the hottest new singing talents in Georgia, will perform on Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. as a part of the 100th Birthday Celebration Week at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The concert will be held at the Tifton Campus Conference Center of the University of Georgia.

Smith, a Georgia native, melds country, rock and blues into a sound that is all his own. That distinctive musical flair combined with his pensive, well-crafted lyrics and soulful Southern voice has earned him an enthusiastic legion of fans. Smith grew up in Jefferson, soaking up an array of music from George Jones to Tupac.

Although he got his feet wet in the music business right out of high school, performing mostly cover tunes in local venues, he eventually decided to forego live performance and focus on his studies. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 2001, Smith took a job teaching Social Studies at North Gwinnett High School in the northern suburbs of Atlanta and soon thereafter, married his college sweetheart, Shannon. Now a full time singer and song writer, Smith travels all over the United States performing his heartfelt songs.

“It’s just about writing songs that, for one reason or another, connect with people and impact their lives,” Smith said.

Tickets to the concert are now available. ABAC student tickets and faculty-staff tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the John Hunt Town Center Monday thru Thursday 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. with an ABAC ID. ABAC ticket information questions can be directed to Chris Maurer at (229) 391-5152.

General admission tickets are $17 and can be purchased from the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The ticket office is closed for lunch from noon until 1 p.m. General admission ticket questions can be directed to Leanne Chafin at (229) 386-3416.

ABAC will celebrate its 100th birthday on Feb. 20, 100 years to the day when classes were first held at the Second District A&M School, which later became ABAC. A full week of activities is planned on Feb. 18-22. More events are planned throughout 2008 including a jam-packed Homecoming Weekend on April 3-5

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