If you've heard that Julius Rousey is retiring and closing his barber shop, you heard wrong. Julius is not retiring, in fact, he says "I will be barbering until I drop." He has been cutting men's hair for well over a half a century, and has no plans to stop. . . . As far as I know, Julius is the only barber in town, and his customers are men who vow and declare they will never go to a "beauty shop" to get a haircut. So, men, you've got a reprieve, until Julius "drops."

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Some of you people who were high school students in the late 1960s and early 1970s will be interested to know that Dave Jordan, District Director of the Hi-Y (boys) and Tri-Hi-Y (girls) clubs during that time, died recently. "Mr. Dave," as we all called him, was 80 years old when he died and reached many teenagers during his years of ministry. The Hi-Y and Tri-Hi-Y clubs were the most active of any clubs at Washington-Wilkes High School during those years and won many state awards. The highlight of the year was the Youth Assembly which was held every spring at the state capitol in Atlanta. Students campaigned for election as governor, lieutenant governor, representatives, and other state officers, and the ones elected conducted business at the capitol for a week. The late Troupe Harris was one of the most active of counselors for the students. Sparky Newsome was governor for one of those years, elected statewide. . . Mr. Dave was also state YMCA director in later years.

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I have had two pecans on my trees this year, and I haven't heard of anybody who has many more than that. Last year we all had bumper crops, so our freezers still have enough to last this season. If you have pecans this year, call and tell me.

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My spouse and I attended the premier performance of the orchestral arrangement of the late R.E. Haughey's "Red and Black March" Thursday evening. The concert by the UGA Wind Ensemble was in the Hugh Hodgson Center for the Performing Arts on the UGA campus. It was a terrific rendition of Mr. Haughey's composition. His grandson, Bob Haughey, and his family and several key persons in the School of Music appeared on the stage and were presented special copies of the composition which was just recently found after disappearing for many years.

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City workers put up the Christmas lights and wreaths on The Square last week, so everything is getting close to being ready for the alwayspopular Downtown Christmas Candlelight Shopping on Tuesday, November 25. It's always a lot of fun to see so many people Downtown, and all the bargains and special deals that merchants have for us. Stores will be open from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. . . . Many Wilkes Countians living outside the county come home for this special occasion so they can visit with old friends. . . . I hope the weather modifies a little by Tuesday. As I am writing this on Monday, the forecast is for 23 degrees Wednesday morning and 20 degrees Friday morning. But extreme weather doesn't usually affect the crowds. They come prepared.

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The 'Tree of Love' sponsored by the Wills Memorial Hospital Auxiliary will be lighted in front of the Courthouse Tuesday night during the Downtown Shopping. Friday, November 21, is the last day to get your honorariums and memorials for the tree to the Auxiliary for inclusion on the list and to purchase a light. See the form elsewhere in this paper to help you make donations.

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Sign of the times? - For the past three weeks somebody (I don't know who) has come into The News-Reporter and put 50 pennies into the little basket that we keep on the counter for people who prefer to come inside to buy a paper instead of using the box out front.

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For the first time in my memory - and that's a lot of years - there is no operating "filling station" at the corner of North Alexander Avenue and West Robert Toombs Avenue. The Pure station closed its doors October 31 and is no longer in business. . . . That means that I am going to have to learn how to "pump gas," and that's something I don't want to do. It was so nice to drive up, say "fill it up," and have Rodney, or Bill, or Darrell, do just that. . . . I guess that's another "sign of the times."

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A loyal Bulldog fan won the two tickets raffled by the Washington- Wilkes Comprehensive High School Band and the Booster Club, for the Georgia and Georgia Tech game in Sanford Stadium November 29. That fan is Wiley Crittenden who is a graduate of the University of Georgia and he and Ann usually tailgate for all the games. The bands raised over $400 from the ticket sales. Wiley's number was 2001.

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Dr. Randy Clayton brought me the prettiest carton of Rhode Island Red brown eggs I've ever seen. (They taste good too). True to Clayton family tradition, Randy and Joan's grandson, Gunnar Rambo Jr., is an active member of the 4-H Club in his hometown of Winnsboro, S.C. His project for District Project Achievement (DPA) competition is raising and showing Rhode Island Red chickens. He won first place last week with his flock of five birds; first place in Record Book; and first place in showmanship. His parents are Peter and Kelly Clayton Rambo.

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Don't forget that because of the Thanksgiving holiday The News- Reporter will be printed on Tuesday for distribution on Wednesday next week. That means early deadlines for submitting items to go in the paper. Friday, November 21, 5 p.m., is the deadline for classified and legal advertisements and society news. Monday, November 24, no later than 9 a.m., the community correspondents are asked to have their news in. Deadline for all other news and retail advertising is 12 noon that day. Thank you for helping us.

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Rainfall reports for Thursday and Friday of last week were inconsistent. Some reports that I have had include: Hill Street, 2.2 inches; Tignall, 1.7 inch; Logan Woods, 3 inches; Tyrone area, 2.551 inches (39 inches for the year); and Branham Road, a whopping 7 inches. . . Can it be?

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When I'm traveling hither and yon in my car, my favorite radio station is FM 2 94.5 Greenville. It has beautiful music all day; a Bible verse on the hour; and on patriotic days, the music is spectacular. They play a lot of John Phillip Sousa marches which, in my day, high school bands played. On Veterans Day last week when I was traveling from yon, they started playing The Thunderer and when I got back to hither, I sat in the car and listened to the end. That's the selection that the Washington High School Band played in 1949 when we won a Superior rating in state competition. I came in the house and called Mary Johnson Duggan who was the band director that year and we reminisced about the performance and who was in the band. Ann Arnold Crittenden and Anne Frazier Charping played clarinets. Don Taylor and Billy Willis played trumpets; and Buzzy Randall and Dilmus Blackmon played trombones. Julian Hester and Pete Hines played tubas; and Frank Thomas, a saxophone. Others that I remember as being in the band but I don't remember what they played were Mickey Standard, Jim Koger, Adelle Garrett Dehil, Ann Callaway, Jayne Fuller Dent, William Tuttle, and Julian May. I played the bass drum and cymbals. There were 25 of us and we got a terrific sound! . . . That was the only year that Mary (Sister) directed the band. She married Dr. Dan Duggan and they had Dan, John, and Tom!