MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Friday, May 7

Gordon Lee High School’s graduation will be Friday, May 7, at 8 p.m. at the Billy Neil Ellis Stadium.

Saturday, May 8

Are you interested in taking a leisurely kayak tour on historic Lookout Creek? Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park would like to invite you to participate in a free, twohour, kayak tour with a ranger on Saturday, May 8, at 9 a.m. National Park Partners and Outdoor Chattanooga will sponsor an event where visitors will paddle the waters of Lookout Creek and the Tennessee River to learn about the rich Civil War history associated with the area. Outdoor Chattanooga will provide all of the equipment and personal watercraft are prohibited. The following reservation and paddler requirements must be met prior to tour participation. Reservations required: Directions to the launch site will be provided with a reservation confirmation. National Park Service signs will also be placed at certain locations to assist participants in finding the launch location. To make a reservation, please visit Outdoor Chattanooga’s online catalog at http://bit.ly/outdoorchatt. Paddler requirements: Participants must be 14 years of age or older; participants must know how to swim. Outdoor Chattanooga and the National Park Service reserve the right to cancel a trip at any time at their discretion, due to weather or water conditions. Participants will be notified as soon as possible if there is a cancellation, with a rain date of May 15. If you must cancel your reservation for any reason, please do so with a minimum of 24 hours notice by calling Outdoor Chattanooga at 423643-6888.

Walker County Extension/4H and Cornerstone Veterinarian Services are sponsoring rabies vaccination clinics in Walker County. Pet owners are urged to protect their families from rabies by bringing their dog(s) and cat(s) to one of the clinics for vaccination. The cost is $15 per pet, cash only. The clinics will be held on the following dates and times: Saturday, May 8 — 1-2 p.m. at Gilbert Elementary; 2:30-3:30 p.m. at Lookout Baptist Church (8645 Ga. 193, Chickamauga); 4-5:30 p.m. at Chattanooga Valley Elementary. Saturday, May 15 — 1-2 p.m. at Gordon Lee High School; 3-4 p.m. at Naomi Elementary; 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Rock Spring Elementary.

The Northwest Georgia Arts Guild will host a Mother’s Day Art Show titled “Something for Mother” on Saturday, May 8, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Welcome Center, 309 North Main St. in Lafayette. Featured local artists in the “6 by 6” art exhibit/sale features six works by six local artists and will include works by Susan Cofer, Johnny Baker, Michael Roberts, Erika Couey and Matt Hammond. Come, find the perfect art piece for your home or office. All proceeds go to the artists. Please support art the local community. Bring a mask. Admittance will be limited to 6 persons at any one time. More information: 706-7642801. Leave a message.

The Marsh House Museum will hold a soft reopening to the public for a Mother’s Day Tea and Tour, Saturday, May 8, from 2-4:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for two persons by reservation with prepay only. The tea will include a tour of the house museum decorated for spring, tea and cookies and a visit to the Welcome Center. Tour groups every half hour will be limited to six guests for the tea and tour, then escorted to Welcome Center to visit the Marsh House Gift Shop and view art exhibits at the Six by Six Art Show sponsored by the Northwest Georgia Arts Guild. Masks required except when eating. Spaces are limited. For more information, call 706-764-2801. To register and purchase tickets, visit the Marsh House webpage or reserve spaces by messaging the Facebook page, www.facebook.com/theMarshhouseoflafayette.

Saturday, May 15

A veterans barbecue will be May 15, the 81st Armed Forces Day, at noon off Homer Cagle Road, Lafayette, to honor veterans of all wars and their families. Social distancing will be in effect.

Thursday, May 20

Heritage High School’s graduation will be Thursday, May 20, at 7 p.m. at the school’s football stadium.

Ridgeland High School’s graduation will be Thursday, May 20, at 8 p.m. at the football field. In the event of rain, graduation will be on Saturday, May 22, at 9 a.m. at the football field.

Friday, May 21

Ringgold High School’s graduation will be Friday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the school’s football stadium.

Lakeview-fort Oglethorpe High School’s graduation will be Friday, May 21, at 8 p.m. at the school’s football stadium.

Lafayette High School’s graduation will be Friday, May 21, at 8 p.m. at the football field. In the event of rain, graduation will be Friday, May 21, at 8 p.m. inside the gym.

Wednesday, May 26

Thinking about having a backyard flock? Join Wade Hutcheson of the University of Georgia Extension Service in Walker County as he hosts an online workshop on backyard chickens. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 26, from 6-8 p.m. Participants will receive information about poultry housing, breeds, feeds and needs. To register, call the Extension office at 706-6382548 or e-mail walker.extension@uga.edu.

Monday, May 31

The Lafayette Woman’s Club and the Lafayette American Legion Post 339 invite the public to the dedication ceremony of the new Flags and Crosses location at Veterans Memorial Park at the entrance of the Lafayette Recreation Center. The dedication ceremony will take place on Monday, May 31, at 5 pm. City officials, the Lafayette High School JROTC, the LaFayette Woman’s Club, the Lafayette American Legion, Flags and Crosses sponsors, and the community are encouraged to attend. For more information about the Flags and Crosses call 706-7662499 or email flagsandcrosses2021@yahoo.com. For more information about the Flags and Crosses dedication ceremony, contact Rachel Oesch Willeford at racheloeschwilleford@gmail.com.

Friday, June 4 Lafayette’s Miss Honeybee Beauty Pageant

returns in June and will be spread out in a two-day period due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a return to normalcy as the Miss Honeybee Beauty Pageant will “BEE” held on Friday, June 4, at 5 p.m. and Saturday, June 5, at 9 p.m. at the Lafayette High School at 5178 Round Pond Road. The Miss Honeybee Beauty Pageant will be hosted by the Lafayette High School cheerleaders program. Money raised from this event will help support the cheerleading program. This will “BEE” the first Miss Honeybee Pageant since 2019. The 2020 Miss Honeybee Pageant was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. To register for the Miss Honeybee Beauty Pageant, sign up at www.eventeny.com/events/misshoneybeebeautypageant-1329.

Saturday, Aug. 7

On Saturday, Aug. 7, LIFT Youth Center Inc. will hold its grand opening. More information will be provided closer to the event. The grand opening kicks off LIFT’S normal hours of operation and begins providing Catoosa County 5th-12th graders and their families this much-needed resource.

GENERAL

♦ CANCELED EVENT Saturday tours of the Gordon-lee Mansion in Chickamauga for May are canceled due to Tennessee Valley Railroad track repairs. These tours were primarily for the TVR’S early-season Chickamauga Turn passengers. The Friends of GordonLee Mansion will open the mansion each Saturday from Memorial Day until Labor Day, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for all who wish to tour the mansion. Tour prices are $5 for adults and $1 for 12 and under, paid at the door, for self-guided tours. All proceeds go to the Friends 501C3 group for promoting and enhancing the mansion. For more information, call 423-488-0861 or email Friendsglm@comcast.net.”

♦ WORKSHOP The Northwest Georgia Area Agency on Aging is making its Living Well with Chronic Conditions workshop available while people stay safe at home. This six-week program can be completed either by computer or over the phone. Participants receive tip sheets, a reference book, and two CDS to help them better manage their health and well-being. There is no charge, but registration is required. For more information call Rogena Walden at 706-295-6485.

♦ CANCELED MEETINGS Ringgold City Council has canceled the following dates for the regular scheduled City Council meetings: Aug. 9 and Dec. 27, 2021. The June 28, 2021, meeting previously canceled will now be held.

♦ CHURCH Open Bible Full Gospel Church, 2803 Ga. Highway 151 in Lafayette, invites the public to worship on Sundays: Sunday school at 10 a.m., morning service at 11 a.m., and night service at 5 p.m.

♦ COOKBOOK North Georgia Animal Alliance has put together a cookbook, “Recipes to the Rescue,” to sell as a fundraiser for the animal rescue group. In addition to 200 recipes, including four for dog and cat treats and a few for homemade cleaning agents, NGAA’S cookbook, which sells for $12, features 20 pages of cooking tips and hints and information about the organization and its work. To learn more about “Recipes to the Rescue” and North Georgia Animal Alliance, visit https://www.northgeorgiaanimalalliance.org/home. html. You can also email ngaa. animals@gmail.com or call 796-937-2287. NGAA is on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/northgeorgiaanimalalliance.

♦ CLUB The Kiwanis Club of Fort Oglethorpe was chartered in 1954 and is Catoosa County’s oldest service club. The club meets each Friday at noon at Park Place Restaurant. To learn more about Kiwanis contact Club President Chris MCKeever at 706-861-2860 or visit its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ groups/ftoglethorpekiwanis.

♦ MEETINGS Chickamauga & Chattanooga Civil War Roundtable meets monthly to discuss the complex history of the Civil War and Reconstruction period. Meetings are the first Thursday each month at 7 p.m. Zoom meetings for now. Reputable historians/ authors for each meeting. Email address: cccwrtable@ gmail.com. Facebook group: Chickamauga & Chattanooga Civil War Roundtable Group.

♦ CHURCH Lafayette Presbyterian Church will continue broadcasting services at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Facebook Live. Members and visitors are invited to attend the service at 11 a.m. by making a reservation at https:// www.signupgenius.com/ GO/5080E4BAAAA2DA02lafayette. There is plenty of space for additional families. Masks are required, and proper social distancing is maintained throughout the service. A recording of the service is posted on Youtube and on the church Facebook page (Lafayette-presbyterian-church) for later viewing. The church is not closed, just meeting in a different way. Prayer requests can be sent via the website, https://www. lafpres.org/, or by calling 706638-3932. Pastor Clay Gunter and the elders are available as needed. Full reopening will be announced at a later date.

♦ MEETINGS Catoosa County Democratic Party generally meets the third Thursday each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Graysville voting precinct. For more information contact C. Griffith by email at cagdemocrat@gmail.com.

♦ MEETINGS Catoosa County Historical Society meets every second Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Old Stone Church, Highway 41, in Ringgold. The Old Stone Church is also open for tours Friday-sunday, from 1-5 p.m. For more information, call 706-935-5232.

♦ MEETINGS Georgia Transparency Coalition meets the third Thursday of each month. Location and guest speakers announced on our Facebook page each month. GTC is a non-partisan watchdog group committed to fostering transparency, accountability, accessibility, integrity and the highest ethical standards in government, politics and law. Open to interested residents in Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties. For information email GeorgiatransparencyCoalition@gmail.com or call Dean Kelley at 706-866-4656.