Erin Pollock had the thrill of a lifetime last week! Erin is a student at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., where she is a member of Alpha Kappa Theta sorority. When members found out that Cindi McCain, wife of presidential candidate John McCain, is a member of Alpha Kappa Theta, they planned a fancy, upscale luncheon for her during the time when the presidential debates were being held on the Ole Miss campus. Erin was co-planner for the luncheon and along with her sorority sisters was very excited about the event. To their dismay, they found that the debates had been cancelled the day before the luncheon. But then, to their delight, they received a call saying that the Secret Service would be picking up Erin and a couple of other key sisters to have lunch in Cindi's suite with family members the next day. Just as promised, the Secret Service agents arrived in a big limousine right on time. They enjoyed meeting the family members and seeing Cindi's wardrobe and spent about four hours with the family. To their surprise, they were told when they got back to campus that the McCains had invited them to an "after the debate" party, so they enjoyed that too. Erin is the daughter of Becky and Douglas Pollock and grew up in Washington-Wilkes. More next week.

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Sheena Kopecky was crowned Miss Wilkes County in last weekend's pageant at the Pope Center. Sheena is the daughter of Roseanne and Charles Kopecky, and granddaughter of Suzette and Pete Kopecky and the late Wesley and Margaret Thornton. . . Other winners were Madison Wheatley, Toddler Miss; Katie Ertley, Tiny Miss; Carly Mayo, Little Miss; Kelsey Scott, Petite Miss; Tabatha Tench, Teen Miss; Cameron Bowen, Tiny Mister; and Chase Chafin, Little Mister.

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After almost three years of searching, the First Baptist Church of Washington has called a new pastor (that's how Baptists describe "hiring" a new pastor.) Klay Aspinwall accepted the call (more Baptist terminology) after being voted on in church conference Sunday morning. He and his family will be arriving in Washington-Wilkes this week and he will be leading services at the church Sunday. He has a very fine family, including wife Amy and children, Hannah (13); Klay Andrew Jr. (11); Elizabeth (Lizzie), (9); Abigail (7); and Jakob (4). They will be arriving from Gatlinburg, Tenn.

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I know that I said last week that I would not mention hummingbirds again in this column (until next year.) But I have to give an update on the little hummer that Pat Callaway found when it was in trouble trying to fly and couldn't. She kept the beauty in her house and in a parakeet cage. After two weeks she knew it was able to fly and take care of itself, so she took it outside and let it go. She says it flew up into the pecan trees and she hasn't seen it since.

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Sisters Doris Rhodes and Rose Newby made a trip to Commerce last week. They were looking at bedspreads in Croscill Home Decorators when the clerk asked them where they were from, and they told her. She told them that she had made a trip to Orlando, Fla., to get a special dog. The people who owned the dog had named him Gizmo but the clerk said she wasn't going to call him that. All the way home she tried to think of a name. As she came through Wilkes County she noticed the Washington-Wilkes Elementary School sign on East Robert Toombs Avenue. She named the dog Washington-Wilkes and calls him Wilkes.

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All of the weekends from now until Christmas are going to be busy. The busy weekend coming up this week includes the Celebrity Waiters Dinner Thursday night at the Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School cafeteria. The evening is sponsored by the Wills Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. The program features entertainment by Chris Shupe, an Elvis impersonator from Athens. Thirty Washington-Wilkes "celebrity waiters" will be serving the dinner and collecting tips to benefit the hospital. A few tickets are still available at the hospital and there may be a limited number available at the door Thursday night.

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The Washington Little Theater Company presentation of "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" -- for adults only -- opens at the Bolton Lunceford Playhouse on North Alexander Avenue. Performances this week are at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. . . . Looking ahead, performances will also be presented next week on Friday and Saturday. An added attraction is the annual Gala on Saturday, October 11, at 5:30 p.m.,

before the final performance. The Gala will be held in the garden of Lafayette Manor on East Robert Toombs and is open to everyone, not just WLTCo members.

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Saturday, October 11, is also Mule Day at Callaway Plantation, so be making plans to attend activities there.

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Rainfall for the past week, as reported by Norris Ware, was a half of an inch. Total for September was 2.6 inches. Total for the year is 24.5 inches, leaving us 10.5 short.

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The Washington Church of God will be having homecoming November 9. They are looking for old pictures of anything pertaining to the history or activities of the church. If you have anything, contact Margie Burke.

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The spectacular and beautiful flowers in Kermit's yard on Spring Street are a first for me. Kermit says they are summer poinsettias.

Rosemary Hopkins got the seeds in Greenwood, S.C., planted them and then transplanted the plants to Kermit's yard and other places. They hope to have enough next year to have a whole bed of them.

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The new stage curtains have arrived for The Bolton Lunceford Playhouse and will be in use for the performance of "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof." Buzzy Randall is looking for help in installing them. . . . The cast for the play includes Jeff Macchia, Cindy Russell, Hank and Nicole Gautreaux, Bradley Barber, Cindy Barrow, Brian Baldwin, and James Barrow.

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