CMYK 8B
Events
The Paper | Thursday, April 12, 2012
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGs Barrow and Jackson Counties will join together to March for Babies, a March of Dimes event.The march will start at Russell Middle School on Friday, April 13. In addition to the 3mile walk, other festivities will include activities such as a bounce house, face painting by Doodle the clown, refreshments and more. Registration starts at 6 p.m.and the walk starts at 7 p.m. sss Leftover Pets offers low cost spay/neuter surgeries every other week at their clinic at 610 Barrow Park Drive in Winder . April dates are the 19, 23, 24, 26, 27 and 30. Prices are $75 for a female dog over 25 pounds, $60 for a female dog up to 25 pounds, $50 for a male dog or for a female cat, $30 for a male cat. All surgery prices include a free rabies vaccination. No added fees for in heat or pregnant animals. For more information on clinic services, please visit http://www. leftoverpets.org. Appointments are required and must be made by calling 800-978-5226. sss Jefferson Community Theatre presents Talent on the Fly at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 20, at the Jefferson Civic Center. Some of the town’s best and brightest talent will be showcased in a jam-packed lineup of entertainment for the whole family. Whether you enjoy music, comedy or improve, this home-grown talented and seasoned professionals – with a few
surprises – are ready to entertain. To be a part of this relaxing evening, get tickets by calling 706-367-5714 or visit mainstreetjefferson. com sss The Braselton Antique & Gardening Festival will be held April 28-29 in Braselton Park. Booth space is available in the park and sponsors will also have their stores open as well. A Flea An’tiques, Braselton Antique Mall, Countryside Antiques and Our Nana’s Attic will be open. Another sponsor, Auction Ventures, is open Friday evenings. The festival will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. Enjoy browsing and shopping and enjoy good food and beverages. For information, call 706-824-7204. sss A Plein Aire Painting class will be conducted by Sandra Stephens at Sell Mill from 9 a.m. to noon on April 26. Beginners to accomplished artists may attend and enjoy the camaraderie of participating in the first session offered by the Hoschton Heritage Arts Council. The fee is $145 for members and $165 for nonmembers. Visit www.hoschtonheritageartscouncil.com. sss Banks County Historical Society and the Banks County Public Library present Finding Your Roots: Genealogy Day at the Library from
2-5 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. Guest speaker Dana Anderson will introduce you to both beginning and intermediate levels of how to conduct genealogical research. You will also have exclusive use of the library’s computer systems. Access will be provided to the AncestryPlus database, HeritageQuest Online and other resources in the library’s in-house and electronic collections. Staff and volunteers will be available to assist. In addition, there will be a photo scanner set up. You may bring your vintage photographs and 35mm negatives or slides and have them digitally scanned by our volunteers. There is no fee for the event. To register or for information, visit www. bankscountyhistoricalsociety.org, email GDay@bankscountyhistoricalsociety.org or call Tabor McCoy at 706-677-3647. The Banks County Library is located on Highway 51 North in Homer. sss Winder Friends of the Library have been have been granted the firstever Friends of Georgia Libraries Author Appearance Grant and will host a multiple Georgia author book signing event from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at The Winder Community Center. Three local authors – Dana Wildsmith, Dr. C.B. Skelton and Missy Tippens – will meet and greet attendees. Tom Vail, owner of The Corner Bookstore, will provide books for the authors to sign. Light refreshments will be served.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
Protecting the innocence of children of the circuit By Becky Lee Guest Columnist I recently became a grandmother, one of those things that I just couldn’t wait for! My husband and I are having so much fun with her watching her grow, change, and learn. Everything amazes her and we are amazed watching her marvel at the world. This little child is so incredibly loved by her parents, grandparents, aunts, and cousins. For such a young child, she already has an incredible support system. Something other children only wish for, dream of, and unfortunately many completely give up believing in. Child Abuse is one of those social ills that is completely preventable if only everyone looked at them as a God given blessing instead of a burden or vulnerable commodity to exploit for personal gain either financially or physically. Nearly five children die every day in this country from abuse or neglect. In 2009, 60 of those children were Georgia’s children. One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before their 18 birthday. Ninety percent of the time sexual abuse occurs from someone you know and love – a close friend or family member. It’s a sobering thought, but a necessary reminder that the need for child abuse prevention is real. As you drive by the YMCA in Winder, notice the pinwheels blowing in the spring breeze. They are the chosen symbol for children who suffer abuse because they represent the carefree playful spirit of childhood that abuse seeks to destroy. Each pinwheel represents a silent victim of abuse in Barrow County. A child whose innocence was stolen or simply not important enough in the lives of the adults charged with
caring for them. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. A time for the community to come together and create real solutions to combat this epidemic. The only solution is a community of adults educated to recognize, prevent, and respond responsibly to child abuse. The old proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” is completely true. Especially in a society where families are scattered and support systems are at times non-existent. First and foremost, know the signs of abuse, but also understand that they are not always obvious. Children are great at hiding things, especially if they feel shame about what’s happening to them. They most often reveal things through behavior rather than words. Second, listen to them.
Children often try to tell what’s happening without saying exactly what’s going on. Most important, seek out opportunities to learn more about protecting not only your own child but those around you. Call The Tree House and request a child abuse training session. In honor of all the children in the Piedmont Circuit who have experienced abuse, let us arm ourselves with knowledge and power to defeat this enemy of childhood innocence. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, but every day is an opportunity for hope and healing.
Becky Lee, LMSW, is Executive Director of The Tree House, Inc. For more on The Tree House, call 770-8681900 or visit online at www. thetreehouseinc.org.
Long Museum hosts April 17 special supper On April 17, the Crawford Long Museum opens a temporary exhibit “The Threads of the Civil War” featuring garments and accessories of the Civil War era. The exhibition will offer a glimpse into the life of Mary Jane Merk Patrick, a woman who lived in Jefferson and whose husband, Miles Jefferson Patrick died in the Civil War. Mary Jane Merk and Miles Jefferson Patrick both grew up in the Dry Pond area of Jackson County and were married in 1852. Miles served as Postmaster at Dry Pond in the early 1860s and was one of the first men to leave Jefferson to go to war as a volunteer in 1861. Serving as private and then corporal of Company G., 16th Regiment, Warfords Brigade, Georgia Infantry, Confederate States Army, Patrick died in Yorktown, Virginia in March, 1862. The great-great-granddaughter of Mary Jane and Miles Patrick, Ceil Jarrett, is serving as Exhibit Project Consultant. Many personal family heirlooms will be on loan for the
exhibit which will run until Oct. 31. The Threads of the Civil War exhibition is included in regular museum admission prices. For further information, contact the museum at 706-367-5307. Museum operating hours, Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A special opening night preview of the new exhibit is included with the Supper & Substance program, “The Garden of Good & Evil” held Tuesday, April 17, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. featuring Susan Russell, Certified Arborist for the City of Jefferson. Lecture to include the vices and virtues of several types of plants, from delicious to dangerous, as well as medicinal uses. Pre-registration required. $15 for members, $20 for non-members. Call the museum at 706-367-5307 to pre-purchase tickets no later than Thursday, April 12. Supper catered by Sugar & Spice Café.
Earth Day to be celebrated By RAMONA GRACE EVANS revans@clickthepaper.com Earth Day’s national celebration and recognition began in 1970 and has pushed forward tremendous environmental protections such as the Clean Air Act. Terms seen everywhere like green, organic and environmentally-friendly are direct efforts of the Earth Day Nationwide Demonstration. The initiative has boosted recycling, enhanced environment awareness and allotted protections to natural resources. In an effort to preserve nature and provide a healthy habitat for the future, Americans will join together around April 22. The efforts of the national demonstration have not missed Braselton and Hoschton. The annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 21, will be held at the Whole Foods Braselton Distribution Center. Activities will be provided for all ages including food and drinks, a community car wash, kid zone play area with inflatable games, planting classes, healthy eating demonstrations, open house tours, door prizes and a fork lift rodeo. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., members of the community are welcomed to enjoy the Whole Foods event that benefits the Whole Planet Foundation, a group aiming to halt world hunger. Following this celebration, visitors are also able to visit Year One in Braselton for a public safety awareness car show from 3-8 p.m.
In Hoschton, City Hall is offering a unique opportunity to spring clean and benefit the environment. Karen Butler and City Administrator Cindy George have planned a community yard sale and electronic recycling event in City Square for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. Spaces are still available for $15 a space and participants are asked to bring their own tables. Should it rain, the event will be moved to April 28. Most electronics are being accepted and a reusable shopping back will be given to the first 100 recyclers. “We wanted to bring awareness of the different recycling opportunities available for no-longer-needed goods,” said George. “And having Peace Place and the Humane Society of Jackson County come by at the end to accept donations for their thrift stores, we can all feel good about cleaning up but keeping it all out of the landfills. “It is a bonus that we can bring traffic to the City Square and give people a chance to score some bargains on gently used goods,” said George. Other environment-healthy activities for households are planting a tree, going on a nature hike and making pine-cone bird feeders. Both Braselton and Hoschton hope to see residents and visitors outside in the spring weather for a day of celebrating the Earth.