Fans of Television's Wheel of Fortune program will get a treat Friday night, May 1. A young woman with Washington- Wilkes connections will be one of the contestants on the show. Irvin Cheney's granddaughter, Robyn Parker, of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area, has been selected to appear on the show. Robyn graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) three years ago and is a teacher at Zachry Middle School. . . . While I was getting this information from Irvin, we talked about the Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy which follows. Irvin says he watches Wheel of Fortune which makes him feel like a king. But then he watches Jeopardy which puts him back in his place. He also said that the same thing applies to his dog and cat. He keeps his dog around because the dog makes him feel like a king; and he keeps his cat which puts him back in his place. . . . Very true! . . . Give me my dog any day! I'm sure cat-lovers will disagree.

.

Remember. Wherever you go, somebody who knows you will see you, or you will see somebody who knows you! Jimmy and Betsy Barnett, and Jamie and Cassidy Barnett found that to be true when they made a trip to the mountains last week. They stopped in Tallulah Falls to have lunch at "Isabella's" and found that Wilkes Countian

Danny Hubbard is working at the restaurant. He gave them a complimentary blackberry cobbler which was delicious. Danny is Mary and Louie Gene Hubbard's son.

.

I had a delightful telephone call Saturday morning. Julia Hill Willingham Robinson, a Washington High School classmate of mine back in the dark ages of the 1940s, was in Washington-Wilkes to acquaint her daughter and daughter-in-law with her hometown. Julia and her family lived in what we now call "Cherry Cottage" on Water Street. She was a piano student of the late

Gene Barksdale Thomas and was one of those rare students who actually practiced the piano assignments every day. Consequently, she was a fine pianist and always made superior ratings at festivals. Julia lives in Tallahassee, Fla. Her daughter is Carol Robinson of Davidson, N.C.; and her daughter-in-law is Mary Ann Robinson of Tallahassee. They were staying at Washington Plantation Bed and Breakfast on Lexington Avenue and asked about many people, houses, and places.

.

Another Washington High School student of the 1940s called me last week to get an extra copy of the Tour Section of The News-Reporter.

Barbara Thompson Dean lives in the Atlanta area and wanted to send a copy to her brother, James Thompson, in New York City so that they could talk on the telephone about all the places they remembered when they were growing up here. Their sister, Mary Carolyn (Cis) Thompson, was a classmate of mine and they all are children of the late Lawson and Maxie Thompson.

.

I learned something this week that I had not known before. Wilkes County is the only county in Georgia that has commemorative plates which record some of its history. Several years ago, Rosemary Hopkins designed, painted, and had made -- in England, no less -- a set of 16 plates featuring historic and interesting places in Wilkes County. Included are the Washington Historic Museum, the Mary Willis Library, Woman's Club, several homes, Toombs House, and churches. I had not seen them for a while, until I spotted them in Tena's while browsing Downtown on a recent Saturday morning. They are very beautiful.

.

Brittany Guin and Hannah McTier, freshmen at Washington Wilkes Comprehensive High School, have qualified for the national Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competition. Brittany placed first in the Introduction to Business Communication event and Hannah placed third in the Computer Applications event. They will represent W-WCHS, the Wilkes County community, and Georgia FBLA at the National FBLA Conference in Anaheim, California, in June. Their chapter advisor, Tanya Morgan, says that this is a great honor and achievement for the students, and that it is also a credit to them that very few freshmen place high enough to compete at the national level. It will cost $1000 for each student to attend. An effort is being made to raise the money. If you would like to make a contribution, contact Tanya or Amy Harkins, at 706-678-2426. Any amount will help. Brittany is Bob and Belle Guin's daughter, and Hannah is Troy and Carol McTier's daughter.

.

In a front-page article in Monday's Augusta Chronicle, Cindy Bounds was interviewed as a member of the Landowners for Environmental and Economic Protection (LEEP), in a battle with the Elba Express Pipeline. Title of the article was "Neighbors fight gas pipeline". The group is attempting to keep Elba Express from taking the land in Wilkes County, saving the company $54 million per year in tariffs, according to the article. The segment of the gas line which would come through Wilkes County would require condemnation of private land involving about 40 residents. Oral arguments on the residents' appeal of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of permits for the pipeline are scheduled for May 14 in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.

.

Chris Townsend brought me a half-page article from the Travel section of the Sunday, April 19, issue of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution which refers to Washington- Wilkes as a "One-Tank Trip" and gives "tips to help plan a day trip or overnight getaway." Title of the article is "Town offers memories new and old." There was a threecolumn picture looking down the sidewalk of the west side of The Square. Callaway Plantation and the Robert Toombs House were pictured. Information was given on where to stay and where to dine. . . . The article begins, "The past is present in the east Georgia town of Washington. The streets are lined with more than 100 antebellum homes, and the museums pay homage to former residents and historic events. . . . The town offers a diverse lineup of concerts, home tours, car shows, horse shows, and other events throughout the year that beckon visitors who want to make new memories."

. Thank you to all of you who called me, wrote to me, e-mailed me, or told me interesting things about what you know. I couldn't write this column without you.

.

E-mail from "a Danburg connection" of a recent visitor to Washington gives more information on

Julia Monts Barker, who came to the Tour of Homes to visit her family's homeplace when they lived in Washington. The afternoon of the Tour, Julia, who is from South Carolina, surprisingly ran into her son, daughter-in-law, and eight-year-old granddaughter from Savannah. They were also visiting Washington for the Tour with friends from Savannah who have a Danburg connection. Everyone was staying at The Fitzpatrick and it was all totally unplanned.

.

The meeting of the Washington- Wilkes Historical Society Sunday afternoon at the Robert Toombs House will be an interesting one.

David W. Vaughan, collector of 19th Century photographs, will present a program on "Confederate Faces in Color" which includes a significant number of Georgia Confederates and many from other Southern states. Members of the Society and visitors are encouraged to take their 19th Century images.