Two graduates in the Class of 2008 at Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School have looked forward to retrieving a capsule of mementoes which they had buried when they were 10 years old. It was their plan to dig up the capsule when they were seniors and graduating. Hailey James and Abby Bailey, accompanied by Hailey's sister and brother-in-law,

Whitney and Jacob Richards, armed themselves with various tools for digging last week and went to the home of Rachel and Steve Arnold on North Alexander Avenue. This was where Hailey and her family had lived when she and Abby buried the shoebox with its treasures. Hailey remembered that the treasure was six feet from a certain point, but Abby remembered that it was 50 feet from another point. Jacob dug four holes, but they found no treasure. . . . Among other things, they had included in the box a porcelain angel to signify that they wanted to be close to God; a penny to indicate that they hoped to be making some money; and a drama queen mask with hopes that Hailey would have been able to continue her participation in theater productions. . . . At the awards night for the Summer Drama Camp last week, Hailey received a silver keychain and locket recognizing her for six years of participation in summer camp and numerous theater productions.

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An envelope for a subscription renewal from Ed and Betty Lane of Rutherfordton, N.C., was plastered with a variety of stamps. Several years ago at a yard sale they had bought a box of all kinds of postage stamps and they are still using them. On this envelope was a USA 3-cent stamp; a 2-cent red-headed woodpecker; a 20-cent Christmas USA; a 5-cent Luis Mun Marin, Governor of Puerto Rico; a 10-cent American clock; and the current 2-cent Navajo jewelry -- totaling 42 cents. . . . Ed and Betty are "transplanted" Wilkes Countians who keep up with everything that goes on here.

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After many years of being at home at the Washington-Wilkes Municipal Airport, the hundred-plus year-old little building has been moved to a new location on the Lundberg Road. The little house served as the "terminal" and officefor the airport for many years and was featured in several publications as the oldest and smallest terminal in the United States.

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Retro Cinema & Books, one of Washington-Wilkes' newest businesses, is featured on the cover of the June 11 issue of Flagpole, a tabloid newspaper published in Athens. A full-page article (and picture) by

Blair Rivkin tells about a visit which the writer and her husband made to Washington-Wilkes recently and the things they discovered. It tells about a walk around The Square, the stops they made, and the people they met. It's titled "Washington, Ga., Rediscovered; The Retro Cinema Rolls the Classics." Flagpole editor Pete McCommons gave permission for the article to be printed in The News- Reporter, so you can read all about it in an upcoming issue.

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Norma Hopkins lives on East Robert Toombs Avenue. One morning recently she was awakened at 3:30 a.m. by what sounded like voices in her driveway. Upon investigation she found that the men putting the new roof on the Farmers and Merchants Bank had come to work that early to beat the heat. With this high heat and humidity we have had, I don't know how anybody could work on a roof after about 7 a.m.

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How many times have you heard "every little bit helps?" It's true. Every little bit of rain we get helps.

Norris says we got seven-tenths of an inch from those two thunderstorms we had last week, and it helped noticeably. . . . Other areas of the county probably got different amounts.

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Now that Nancy Hopkins Mc- Clure no longer has any children at home, she has begun a career in writing. Nancy is another "transplanted" Wilkes Countian, now living in Florida. She recently had two articles with accompanying pictures in Home & Design, a decor, entertaining, and gardening magazine. The June/July issue features coastal style and one of Nancy's articles was featured on the cover. It's titled "A story come true" and tells about Elaine Ford who at the age of 10 read "The Lion's Paw" by Robb White. It's the story of three children who sailed the Gulf of Mexico searching for the elusive lion's paw shell. Elaine tells how she and her husband went up and down the coast for years looking for their own lion's paw: the perfect spot for their beach home. They found it at Cape San Blas, and Nancy tells the story from that point. The second article is also about a house on Cape San Blas. Nancy is the daughter of Iris Dyson of Washington-Wilkes.

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Under the leadership of a new park ranger at Elijah Clark State Park and a new director of missions for the Georgia Baptist Association, the summer park ministry has been re-instated. The ministry had been very active during the summer months for many years but had been discontinued in recent years because of conflicts.The two student ministers are already set up at the park and have begun the ministry to campers and visitors. They are conducting Sunday morning worship services with area pastors assisting them. Matt (Mathew) Hackney of Washington-Wilkes is one of the young ministers. He is a rising junior at The Crown College of the Bible in Powell, Tenn., a native of Wilkes County, and the son of Jerry Hackney and Donna Olson. The other student minister is Coppetta

Elam of Lincoln County. Look them up when you visit the park.

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Most of our News-Reporter readers know that I am an avid Braves fan. For the past four months I have been following the Georgia Bulldogs Baseball Team. Not only are the young men a great and refreshing team to follow, I have a special interest in them. Justin Holmes, my soon-to-be grandson-in-law, is the first base coach. After winning the regionals and super regionals in May, the Bulldogs are in Omaha, Nebraska, this week where they are competing in the NCAA College World Series. They upset the number one Miami Hurricanes Saturday 7-4; and Monday night defeated Stanford University (California) 4-3. They will be playing the winner of the Miami and Stanford game Friday night at 7 p.m. You can watch them on ESPN2 (Channel 51 on my television.) You might like them.

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The News-Reporter and Radio Shack will be closed the week of June 30-July 4 in observance of Independence Day. The following newspaper deadlines will apply for publication of the July 3 issue: all classified and legal advertisements, society news, and advertising inserts are due by 5 p.m. on June 25. All other news and retail advertising will be due on Thursday, June 26, at 12 noon. Thank you for your help in meeting our deadlines in the past.