The Office Cat
Friday was 'phenomenal'
Pat Randall died suddenly in April 1997 at the age of 32.

Sometime later his wife Jeana donated money in his memory for one of the light poles which were being installed around The Square and in the Downtown area. Knowing how much Pat liked the colored lights that used to be in the Downtown area, Pat's brother Joe Randall has wanted for several years to put colored lights on Pat's Pole. On Thanksgiving night Joe and Bill Cannon did just that. They put colored lights on the pole. I know Pat enjoyed that gesture and the colored lights.

Jimmy Harper tells me that he hopes that his and Carolyn's new personal care home will be ready for occupancy December 1. They are waiting for the Department of Human Resources inspection. The facility is located in the old Bootleggers building on the North By-Pass, and they already have 20 of the 24 rooms with names on the doors and a waiting list for the other four. They expect to have full occupancy and full operation by January 1. They have added several new including physical therapy and crafts. They will also have adult day care help Monday through Friday and will provide lunch and breakfast for these participants. Jimmy and Carolyn hope that the community will use the large activity room for small community activities and meetings.

Youth groups from the Tignall Baptist Church, First Baptist Church, Washington, and First United Methodist Church, Washington, and the high school HOSA club, met at the First Baptist kitchen the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving and prepared Thanksgiving dinners for shut-ins and elderly people in the area. The teenagers peeled 50 lbs. of potatoes, helped cook 13 turkeys, prepared beans, rolls, and desserts and then delivered them. There were 37 young people working and they delivered 120 dinners. The program was begun four years ago when 20 dinners were delivered. Tena Blakey spearheaded the program.

Members of the 4-H Club last week collected donations for dog and cat food for the Washington- Wilkes Animal Shelter. They greeted shoppers at Bi-Lo seeking the donations and then purchased and delivered the food to the Shelter. When asked how much they collected, one 4-H'er said, "Oh, it was tons of it."

November was a very dry month.

Norris reports only 2.30 inches for the month with .5 of an inch on Tuesday last week.

The Optimist Club is selling Christmas trees again this year. Optimist Debbie Barnett tells me that this year they have lots of big trees - 6 to 91/2 ft. tall. They're just in time for decorating our many high-ceiling homes for the Christmas Tour coming up December 9. The club headquarters for the sale is the old Boat Hill Marine building on East Robert Toombs Avenue near Washington Ford. You can read a related article for the details in this issue of The News-Reporter.

. . The Kiwanis Club has its homecrafted Christmas wreaths for sale in the old Blackmons building on The Square.

In spite of a few sprinkles of rain, Downtown merchants report a good night of Downtown Candlelight Shopping the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. There were lots of people in all the shops and reports are that it seemed that most of them were from out-of-town They began coming in on Monday and stayed until Wednesday. Henry Harris says that the day after Thanksgiving was phenomenal and the best day of the year for his Petal Pushers. They like our specialty shops and came from Thomson, Elberton, Oglethorpe County, Athens, Greensboro, Watkinsville, South Carolina and other places. . . . Angie Strother and Pam McCarty at Bee Southern said the whole week was great and that on some days they were packed all day. . . . Carol McTier at The Garden Party said it was a great week with shoppers in the shop the whole week. . . . And, of course, there were many hunters here, too, buying gifts to take home.

The Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce is moving across The Square to the building formerly occupied by Curves.

"Scammers" hit some of the stores in the out-lying shopping centers Saturday. They were caught and arrested. . . . One of the ways they operated was to make a small purchase, give the clerk a $100 bill, and then say that the clerk had given them a $5 bill instead of a $50 bill in change. An alert manager at one of the businesses "hit," got a license plate number which enabled police to catch them at another similar business.

Even though we will be just two days into December this weekend, there are several Christmas activities scheduled. The annual Episcopal Bazaar and Luncheon will get underway Saturday morning at 10:30. The Tignall Christmas Parade will make its way through Tignall Sunday afternoon at 3:00. The

First Baptist Youth Choir will present its Christmas musical titled "Emmanuel" Sunday evening at 7:00; and I'm sure there are probably other Christmas programs. . . . Not Christmas, but scheduled Saturday at 3:00 and 8:00, and Sunday at 3:00, the Washington Little Theater Co. will present "Dad's Garage" at The Playhouse.

Reader Comments

No comments have been posted. Be the first!

Other Stories With Comments:
Article	Comments
The Office Cat	2
Neighborhood vandalism is out of control	1
The Office Cat	1
Drug problem growing; little is being done	1
The Office Cat	1
Family escapes death in semi hit-and-run	1
Feed a family of four for $10 a week	1