Carol Bolton was traveling down the Scull Shoals Road about 10:30 Tuesday morning when she and her mother-in-law saw what they thought was a black cow on the side of the road. They slowed down so as not to get in its way. But it wasn't a cow. It was a black bear that ambled across the road in front of them. . . . If you read this column regularly you know that I've been waiting for years for one to come through my yard. Maybe this one will. It's not too far from Lexington Avenue to the Scull Shoals Road!

.

It's official. The Farmers and Merchants Bank is now the F&M Bank. Because there are more than 15 other banks in Georgia with the same "Farmers" name, the Washington Wilkes Bank officially changed its name on June 1 to avoid confusion among other financial institutions. "This is merely a name change and nothing more," says F&M Bank President Jack Harvey. The bank was founded in 1950 in the building now housing Boots Gunter's Kettle Creek Arms and Sporting Goods on West Robert Toombs Avenue.

.

If you get an early copy of The News-Reporter on Wednesday (June 24), you will be in time to know that Joe Barnett's cookoff with Bobby Flay will again be on at 9:30 on the Food Channel. . . . Joe has some other cooking events coming up soon. Among them is the "Blessing of the Bulldogs" Low Country Boil to be aired on Channels 6, 5, and 12. "They contacted me about this," says Joe. "I didn't contact them." He also says that his low country boil is not the ordinary low country boil. It's really special. Watch for the date and time.

.

Rev. Glen Kohlhagen, pastor of the Washington Presbyterian Church, will have an opportunity that not many pastors ever have. He will be officiating at a funeral service at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., for a World War II veteran of the Battle of Anzio, in Italy..

Last week's News-Reporter article about the beef industry in Wilkes County listed Graydon Bobo as the owner of the Wilkes County Stockyard. Graydon is the manager and Kathryn McGill Lamar is the owner.

.

Drew Herndon, 11-year-old grandson of Tom and Melanie Wells of Washington-Wilkes, is a member of the Athens International Little League Minor League championship team. The team received its recognition at Holland Park in Athens and the team picture was in the Athens Banner-Herald. Drew's dad, Kerry Herndon, is one of the coaches for the team; and his mother is the former Angie Wells of Washington-Wilkes.

. Reflecting on the report of the sharp increase of rabies in the county, Jean Davis Blair, who owns Southern Elogance Bed and Breakfast across the street from The News-Reporter and Alfred's On The Square, says that she and a friend watched a raccoon in the yard at about 2 p.m. just sit and stare at them. They watched it for a while and remembering the rabies report and the caution to be wary of wild animals, they decided to call the police to report it. Pretty soon someone came with a gun, but she doesn't know the outcome. . . .

Smythe Newsome's Beagle began barking excitedly and ferociously in the back yard on Lexington Avenue. When Smythe went to see what the racket was all about, there was a fox (8:30 a.m.) in the yard, just staring at him. When Smythe moved, the fox ran into the thicket.

.

While Elaine Filipiak, operator of the Miss Fanny' Tours, is in Bismarck, N.D., working with FEMA, Jo Randall is conducting the tours. She has had some interesting people on the tours lately. One was a philanthropist on his way from Atlanta to North Carolina. He was very impressed with our town and wanted to see everything he could. Two men from Texas were also very complementary. Saturday she had a couple from the Atlanta area who had been told by one of the bikers with BRAG that they HAD to see Washington-Wilkes. So they made reservations at The Fitzpatrick and came the very next weekend.

.

Sonny Johnson at Tyrone says he recorded almost an inch (.968) of rain last Thursday night, but hasn't had any since then. This is just the second rain we have had for the month of June. I didn't hear from Norris.

.

Joyce and Pierce Barden had interesting luncheon guests when the BRAG bikers came through Washington-Wilkes. They were Brent Armstrong of Clearwater, Fla.; Toby Thomas of Gainesville; and Fawn Germer of Clearwater. They were friends of Betsy Barber, sister of the Bardens' daughter-inlaw,

Jenny Barden (Tim's wife). The visitors were smitten by our "friendly and lovely little town." . . . Fern Germer is a journalist and an author. She is a four-time Pulitzernominated journalist who wrote for The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report and The Miami Herald. Her latest book is Finding the UP in the Downturn and deals with the current "recession." The sub-title to the book is "How to Turn the Economic Meltdown Into Your Greatest Opportunity." Germer says her motto is a Chinese proverb that says, "Fall down seven times, get up eight." She says that now is not the time to stop, but to accelerate.. . . Joyce brought me a copy of the book and I'm enjoying reading it. One of the author's theories is "Expect the worst, and you'll get it." . . . Tim Barden and his two sons, Graham and Colton, spent from Wednesday until Sunday with his parents.

.

Don't forget that next week is the week that we publish two issues of The News-Reporter -- one for July 2, and one for July 9. The July 2 paper will be printed and distributed at the usual time. The issue for July 9 issue will be printed on Friday, July 3, for distribution on Wednesday and Thursday, July 8 and 9. . . . Please check out our deadlines elsewhere in this paper and help us put these two papers together.

.

Sunday evening, June 28, is the time for the concert of sacred music by Peyson Moss and Jonathan Johnson, Mercer University students. The concert will be held at the First Baptist Church, Washington, at 6 p.m.