Wilkes County schools get going for another year Fri

day, August 4. It seems that they have just been released for summer vacation and should be having another month before getting into the school routine. Tiger football practice began Wednesday, August 2, and the Tiger Marching Band has been practicing for the past three weeks, with full camp from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the last two weeks. And that's in 95-100 degree weather on the practice field. This week they have practiced from 4 to 6 p.m.

Molly Newsome received second place in the State 4-H Congress in Atlanta with her history project on the Watson Brown Foundation and local history.

Jason Chapman of WashingtonWilkes has been selected to serve as the Student Government Association (SGA) president for the 20062007 school year at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton. Jason is a sophomore animal science major and expects to continue in this field or in veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia when he graduates from ABAC. Jason is a graduate of Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School and the son of Stephanie and Larry Chapman.

In this column last week I told about four people with WashingtonWilkes connections who "came upon" each other in Northern China. I mentioned Carol Woodford who is a friend of Myra Blackmon and has visited Steve and Eleanor Blackmon in Washington several times. Now, Chris Townsend, Minister to Students at the First Baptist Church, tells me that he had worked with Carol in a church in Decatur at one time.

Carole Cartledge had a call from Katherine Kaboord in Minneapolis, Minnesota, saying that she had read in The News-Reporter that

Allen Burton was to speak at the Civil War Roundtable about artillery during the Civil War. Kaboord (Carol doesn't know her) wanted it known that there is a website about cannons and artillery. You might find it by trying www.cannon artillery.com or info@cannon artillery.com

The group of First Baptist Church members who regularly play volleyball on the court at The Ark on Monday nights watched as first a police car went by passing everything in sight and with the siren going; then another police vehicle; and finally a sheriff's department car, all appearing to be in hot pursuit of something or somebody.

Smythe Newsome was driving along East Robert Toombs Avenue when a man driving at break-neck speed passed him and continued full speed ahead in the center lane and sometimes crossing over into the left lane and running the red light at CVS. The man had driven off from the Golden Pantry on West Robert Toombs Avenue without paying for his gas. He was finally stopped along about Reynolds Road which turns off the Thomson Highway.

Kinzey Branham has lived in New Orleans since 1982, first at Louisiana State University (LSU) and then as a teacher of sculpture at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. But he's now back on home territory, teaching sculpture at the University of Georgia Art Department in Athens beginning August 16. Kinzey says that since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has been very unstable and even though he loved living there, he decided to leave. He came home to Washington Wilkes with the idea of feeling his way towards finding another job in the sculpting field, and it didn't take long. Through contact with an "old professor" who had been at the University of Georgia when Kinzey was a student but was not much older than Kinzey, he had a job in about three weeks. He is the son of Dot Branham and the late Henry K. Branham.

During Friday night's storm when the eastern part of Washington and on out Highway 78 got lots of rain (and a little bit of hail), on Lexington Avenue we didn't get anything but wind and lightning, but our power was off from 8:40 to 10 p.m. About 9:15 I came to town to see what the situation was and it was truly dark all the way to The Square. The west side of The Square was in darkness, but the east side had power. . . . But we did get rain during Saturday afternoon's storm. . . . Total rain for July is reported as 3.4 inches which means we are 5.4 inches behind. Rainfall (in town) since last Tuesday was 1.5 inch.

No thanks to the person who picked up a dead cat Sunday morning in front of the First Baptist parking lot and deposited the animal in the grass at The News-Reporter. He could have at least placed it in the dumpster.

Vada Hale gave me an article which a friend had sent her from the Asheville, N.C., newspaper. The clipping was by Carole Currie whose family has a farm in Wilkes County. The title of the article was "Enjoy simple blessings while you still can." She told about the peace and quiet they enjoy when they visit the farm; no traffic; and the excitement when a car comes down their long driveway. She also comments on the rising prices of land and the recent appraisals. She says, "Weekenders, future retirees are paying half a million for antebellum mansions in nearby Washington and spending half a million more to make them candidates for the annual tour of homes." She also comments on the new growth in Lincoln County.

Shana Boyd Magruder spent the weekend in Washington-Wilkes with her mother, Gail Boyd, and participated in a tri-athelon at the Richard Russell State Park in Elbert County. I get tired just thinking about what she did. The race consisted of a 1000-meter swim; 22 mile bike race; and a six mile run - for each participant. Shana grew up in Washington-Wilkes where she was a student at Wilkes Academy. She is the daughter of Gail Boyd and the late John Boyd.

Members of the First United Methodist Church surprised their pastor, Rev. Gale Siebert, with a $5,100+ contribution to the church's building fund in honor of her birthday. The church has a building fund going to help build a new fellowship hall. . . . At the church's homecoming July 23, prizes were awarded in seven categories. The prize for the person who had been a member the longest went to Carol Cartledge; for the people who had been members for the shortest time, Todd and Tina Lewis (six months). Dr. W.C. Branan won a prize for being physically present and remembering the big fire at the church some 50 years ago. Iris Corbett won the prize for giving the scripture which portrayed the Lady at the Well featured in the beautiful stained glass window of the church. John and Lynn Morrow came from China where they serve as missionaries to claim the attendees who traveled the greatest distance. Janie Cravens was the prize winner for knowing about a building project in the gospels - John 14 when Jesus said, "I go to build a place for you."

Gertrude Tyler was the person who has been a Methodist the longest - 77 years.

That black bear is steadily making his way to my yard so that I can see him walk through (from the safety of my screened porch). A black bear has been seen in the Salem community in Oglethorpe County and in Lexington.

A cast from the tip of her fingers to her shoulder didn't stop Priscilla Maxwell from writing her Tyrone news this week. Priscilla fell about two weeks ago - in a cemetery, where else? She broke her right wrist and has had the cast since that time. She said there was nobody else available to write it for her, so she patiently took a pen and printed her news using her left hand. It was very legible and we appreciate the effort she made.