The Fourth of July went off with a bang. Many from the community went to Washington to see the spectacular fireworks and to the other festivities in Washington Tuesday, July 4, and some of us just stayed at home to enjoy the day. It was great. We enjoyed it so much. Homecoming will be held at Sardis Baptist Church July 16, with revival services set for July 17-19. Rev. Chris Carpenter, Rev. John Mark Carpenter's son, will be the guest speaker with Malcolm McDonald, Mrs. Annie Blanche Vaughn's son-inlaw, leading he singing. Rev. John Mark Carpenter is pastor of Sardis and he, along with the members of the church, invite you to come. Please note that services will be Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. Our prayer list includes Seba Williamson, Stephanie Chapman, Pete Poss, Sara Lynn Hyatt, Luther Berryman, Ellie Frey, Helen Cowart, Bobby Parton, Dorothy Callaway, Kristy Booth, Sharon Smith, Joe Jones, Frankie Jones, Charles Bradford, Gary Rogers, Geraldine Willis Dill, Kathryn Padgett, Roberta Roper, Doris Walker, Mike Webb, Thomas Bunch, Jason Thrasher, Jonathon Grier, Hubert Spivey, Martha Williford, Sherry Newsome, Dustin Johnson, Judy Winfrey Nicholson, Rubye Armour, all sick and shut-ins, all the bereaved, the servicemen and women, and all the veterans. Parker Echols spent Friday night of last week with Fred Corbett. Other visitors have been J.W. and Bonnie Boatwright, Nina Boatwright, Dan and Beverly Corbett, Robbie and Shawn Turner, and Amber, Ruth Flynt, Douglas and Elaine Mathews, Andy Brown, Hubbel Corbett, Rev. Jim Edwards and Louis and Glenda Gosnell. Beaverdam Baptist Church had a good service Sunday, July 2, with Leeman Stewart as Sunday School teacher. Rev. Jim Edwards brought a very interesting sermon. Patriotic songs were sung with William Morrison at the piano. Beautiful hydrangeas, Queen Anne's Lace, hibiscus, and other summer flowers adorned the altar table, piano, and organ. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Bonnie Boatwright and Catherine Callaway whose birthdays are in July. All were glad to have Rev. and Mrs. James Bland visit. Our prayers are with George Wideman who had a heart attack and spent from June 26 to July 4 in MCG in Augusta. Leeman and Mary Stewart, Larry Maxwell, Jewel Stone, Gene Winfrey, Tom Hardy, Rev. Jimmy Chapman, James, Elizabeth Lamar and James, David and Mathew Wideman have visited George and Ann Wideman over the past week. William Hester came down from Covington to spend several days. William and Ann visited Mrs. Laura Hester in Wilkes Health Care in Washington. Ann visited Mr. and Mrs. Buster Winfrey and Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Smith. The annual barbecue and Fourth of July celebration was held at the home of Danny Cosby given by the Cosby family including Wadine, Danny, David, Diane and Debbie, and their families. Barbecue with all the trimmings, salads and desserts were enjoyed by a large crowd of 180 family members, neighbors, and friends. On Saturday, July 1, J.W. and Bonnie Boatwright went to the beautiful log vacation home of Barry, Dana, and Parker Echols on the mountain in Cleveland for a preFourth of July celebration and to also celebrate Aubrey Jackson's 78th birthday which was that day. Delicious grilled hamburgers and hotdogs with all the trimmings, salads, baked beans, corn on the cob, desserts, homemade ice cream and birthday cake were enjoyed by Barry, Dana and Parker Echols, Aubrey and Kathryn Jackson, Nash and Cheryl Stephens, Robert, Kathy and Amanda Woodlief, Mark and Teri Jackson and boys, J.W. and Bonnie Boatwright, and a neighbor of Barry, Dana and Parker, Pat Washington. Everyone enjoyed the view and cool breeze, fun, reminiscing and picture taking. The garden vegetables have been scarce because of the weather. J.W. and Johnny have canned tomatoes, pepper relish and cucumber pickles, and frozen a little dab of corn. Ralph Smith enjoyed going to the cow barn in Washington Wednesday with his nephew, Laverne Sword of Elberton. Ralph and Elizabeth appreciated the nice lunch from the Lunch and Learn Club last Wednesday. Bobby Martin visited one day and brought garden vegetables and Jack Armour came and brought tomatoes. Others visiting were Ann Wideman, Jean Harper, Alexander Boatwright, and Wilda Boatwright, Ruby Arnold, and Mary Grace Owen. Bobby and Sandra Arnold of Arnoldsville also visited. J.W. and Bonnie Boatwright went to Thomson Wednesday, July 5, for Bonnie's test (brain scan) at Thomson MRI. Results are not known yet. After the test they enjoyed eating at Ivery's, then Bonnie went on to Bogart and spent the afternoon with her sister, Martha Jones. Their other sister, Frankie Jones of Athens, joined them for supper at the Cracker Barrel to celebrate Bonnie's birthday. Mary Grace Owen, Kim Berry, and Aaliya spent a few days in Florida visiting several places of interest, sightseeing, and just having a good time. Avery Hall, Zachery and Kyle Frankel spent Thursday night and Friday with Clyde and Sandy Whittington. They camped out in a tent in the backyard with Clyde as chaperone while Sandy was snug in her bed in the house. Neil and Kim Frankel joined them for supper Friday night. Mrs. Ruby Arnold and Mrs. Dorothy Callaway went to the Fourth of July barbecue at the home of Danny Cosby. They along with Nell Hubbard went to see the fireworks in Washington that night. Randall Roberson and Fallon Eggleston spent the Fourth of July weekend with Ruby. Josh Roberson was here for the Fourth. Rhonda Owen cooked a wonderful dinner for Ruby Arnold, Nell Hubbard, and Josh Roberson Sunday while Ruby attended church at Sardis and enjoyed the service so much. Several classmates of the Class of 1956 of Oglethorpe County joined Bonnie Boatwright at Hogan's Store Caf Thursday, July 6, to celebrate her birthday. Joining her were Carole Deane Morgan of Comer; Minan Blanchard Maxwell of Washington; Helen Jones Smith of Crawford; Ann Capes Graham of Sandy Cross; Billy and Connie Burt Colquitt of Athens; Martha Rogers Shedd of Winterville; and J.B. Harrison of Lexington. They enjoyed the good food and Virgil Caldwell who works there made a peach cobbler especially for us. Betty Berry, Donnie and Kris Berry, Tom and Sandra Parker, Lee Parker, and Bradley enjoyed the barbecue at the home of Danny Cosby on the Fourth of July. Happy birthday to Ansley Davis whose birthday is July 16. Helen Truitt of Tignall spent Sunday with Johnny and Kathryn Shedd. Bill Kennedy, Hannah, Grace, Brittany, and Brandon of Bluffton, S.C., had lunch with Mrs. Sudie Kennedy Thursday. Bud Kennedy and Joel McCrey of Union Point visited her Saturday evening. Troy and Shirley Chafin and Haley spent the week of the Fourth at their lakehouse on Clark Hill. Others spending the week with them were Amber Ware, Tangie Chafin, Mack Chafin, Tommy Fong, Willard and Dianna Queen and Dallas. Jackson Armour had surgery in Thomson Regional Hospital last week and is recuperating nicely at home. His visitors have been Jack and Rubye Armour, Lyn and Debra Armour and Casey, Greg and Angela Armour, Cody and Hunter, Betina Armour, Pam and Avery Hall, Martha Hall, Linda Echols, Norman and Joan Echols, James and Joyce Bowen, Stephanie Bowen, Traci Bussey, Manuel Wheatley and Jim Wheatley. He got lots of phone calls, too. Our prayers are with Rubye Armour as she goes for knee replacement surgery this week. Rev. and Mrs. John Mark Carpenter and John David Carpenter enjoyed having Sunday dinner with Tracy and Denise Armour and Jackson. Joining them for dinner were Jack and Rubye Armour. Manuel Wheatley visited later on in the day. Alfredo and Terri Diaz, Antonio Diaz, Sheila Arnold and Tangie Chafin enjoyed having Sunday supper with Troy and Shirley Chafin and Haley. Tucker Vaughn of Martinez came by for his mother, Mrs. Annie Blanche Vaughn, Friday to go visit with her new little great-granddaughter, Sophie Schug, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Schug in Marietta. Penny Vaughn spent the weekend with Miss Annie Blanche. David and Margie Randall enjoyed going to the barbecue at the home of Danny Cosby on the Fourth. They took James Randall to Camp Hawkins for the week last Sunday. James loves going to camp. David went back to get him Sunday. Bonnie Boatwright made her usual Sunday afternoon visit over to see Ruth Flynt, Sunday, July 2. Gloria Hardy of Tyrone was also there visiting. Now Ruth is a very interesting person to visit. She served Bonnie and Gloria chocolate ice cream in cute little dishes that she got at the Salvation Army store. She gave us a cup of ice water in an REA Cup. Now who could ask for any better. She loves to go to yard sales and gets many bargains. She shops at the Habitat store in Athens, and Salvation Army stores, all the thrift stores around, and gave Bonnie her best pair of shoes that she found at the trash dump. People will set things neatly in boxes at the trash dumps just ready for someone to come along to get them. I asked her, "How do you know about all these places to get such good stuff and she said where there's a bargain she would find it. She said most everything in her house came from yard sales and thrift stores. Now who has a prettier house than she? She loves doing things for people. Who could ask for a better neighbor? I love her. Fred Corbett opened the door of the Volvo (the car that Ann drove as her everyday car) to clean it up last week and five sets of eyes were staring up at him. Bonnie Boatwright's mama cat, Callie, who is a calico cat, had squeezed through a tiny space where the window was left down and given birth to one solid black, one white, and three yellow babies. Fred and his niece, Shawn Corbett Turner, took them out and put them in a box in the corner of the carport. Mama cat moved three babies, but two days later had not gotten the other two, so Fred took them over to Bonnie. Mama cat comes to Bonnie's house to eat and check on Bonnie several times a day. She got one kitten and was going by Ruth Flynt's house, which is between Bonnie's and Fred's, spotted her going by with the kitten taking it back to Fred' house. She called Fred so he would know where she was taking it. He watched and she had moved them up on the loft of the carport. She abandoned the last one at Bonnie's house so Bonnie is feeding it with a medicine dropper and it is doing well. Mama cat still comes several times during the day, but ignores the baby.

Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Wheatley spent the Fourth with Mr. and Mrs. Carl Sisson and Mrs. Mildred Sisson in Madison, Ala. Mildred returned home with them Wednesday after enjoying a two week visit. The night of the Fourth all sat on the lawn and enjoyed tremendous neighborhood fireworks displays which had begun the previous Friday evening, and were visible for miles. Mr. and Mrs. Billy Walker attended a birthday celebration for Johnny Simmons Saturday at the home of Sidney and Cheryl Walker, Clifton, Alex, and Taylor. Mrs. Simmons and many family members and friends attended. Scott and Sissy Smith, J.T. and Abbi, Greg and Angela Armour, Samantha, Cody and Hunter, Will Callaway, and Richard and Lou Heard and Mattie spent Sunday with Buck and Linda Echols. Peggy Echols went to a low country boil at the home of Sybil Hayes on the Fourth where other family members joined them. Peggy Echols accompanied Doris Smathers of Tignall to Athens to the outpatient Center of Regional Medical Center for foot surgery last Wednesday. She spent the night with Doris to help her. Our prayers are with Doris as she recovers. Mrs. Ann Williamson has returned home after a trip to Upper Marlboro and Prince Frederick, Maryland, where she visited her brother, Tom Walker, and family, sister, Jean Truitt and family, and grandson, Chris Williamson, and daughter, Karen Petit, and her husband, Albert, and Rebecca and Keith and other relatives and friends. She also went to Dover, Delaware, to visit her grandson, Jeremy Williamson, and his wife Kelly, and Hope and Adam. She had a great time of sightseeing along the way and Albert and Karen Petit, Rebecca and Keith, accompanied her back to her home for a visit.