Help me teach Illinois children about our area

Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind.

- Ray Charles

The fourth-grade class at Gifford Grade School No. 988 in Gifford, Ill., sends this request.

"Our class is studying the United States and would like your help. We would like your readers to send postcards or letters telling us about your state. Thanks for your help."

It's an interesting question - what do you tell people about where you live?

What can you say about Georgia?

That it is physically the largest state east of the Mississippi River and one of the largest states in population overall. We have 159 counties, second only to Texas.

That we have mountains and beaches and rivers and farms and industries and professional sports teams, and lots of golf courses, including the world's finest, right here in Augusta.

That our governors are either serious lawyers or characters with nicknames like "Lester" or "Sonny," or sometimes they're just Jimmy Carter, who sort of sees himself as the World's Sunday School Teacher.

That our Legislature has only 40 days to meet each year before we make them go home.

Our top exports are Julia Roberts and peaches and Burt Reynolds and peanuts.

That outside of metro Atlanta, the traffic is pretty easy to navigate, and we have interstates all over the place. And speaking of metro Atlanta, it's about as Southern as Indianapolis.

That we are both friendly and tend to go to church a lot, and the two are probably connected.

That our "barbecue" is almost always pork and tends to be sweet and ketchup-based.

And, yes, you get hot in the summer, but you get used to it.

Anyway, the rest of you can write to the class, too.

I do not presume, for instance, to tell anyone about South Carolina, so if you want to share anything with the Illinois fourth-graders, here's the address.

Fourth Grade U.S.A. project.

Gifford Grade School # 988

Gifford, IL 61847

Tell them Bill sent you.

l

TODAY'S JOKE: One day a young office intern was taking a lunch break at his desk when he noticed one of the corporate vice presidents standing in front of the new shredding machine with a confused look.

Figuring it was a chance to get noticed, he jumped up and walked over. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes ..." said the older man slowly. "I'm trying to figure out this thing."

"No problem," the young man said, taking the paper and feeding it into the slot.

"Thanks," the older man said behind him. "I need two copies, please."

Reach Bill Kirby at (706) 823-3344 or bill.kirby@augustachronicle.com.