Area Calendar of Events

Ham and Egg Day 2020 is right around the corner and tickets remain on sale for the Optimist Club’s annual fundraiser breakfast on Saturday, February 29. Cost is $7.50 each, and service is from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Find presale tickets from an Optimist Club member or participating locations including Perfect Fit Alterations on South Main Street, State Farm Insurance across from Burger King on North Main Street, and Rudy Woods Appliances on West Avenue.

Make sure to check out the Plein Air workshop coming up next weekend at the Rockmart Art Gallery! On Saturday, February 29 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Susan Waters, assisted by Pat Gore and Laura Robinson, will hold an Intro to Plein Air Workshop at the Rockmart Cultural Arts Center for $25. This will be held inside, review supplies needed and then finish with a follow-along demo with Waters. The following weekend on March 7, Marietta Artist Shane McDonald will teach an outdoor Plein Air Workshop starting at the Rockmart Cultural Arts Center and then going to Historic Rockmart near the Silver Comet trailhead. This workshop is $100 for all day or $70 for half day. McDonald will guide you step-bystep in painting the landscape from life using oils or acrylics. Also plan on

a March 10 outing at Hightower Falls for those who participate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To register for any of these workshops or the Hightower Falls Plein Air Paint Out, call 770-684-2707 or email rcac@rockmart-ga.gov.

The Of This World, and Out solo exhibit from award-winning artist Shane McDonald is underway at the Rockmart Art Gallery through February 28. Check out the work of this area artist Tuesdays from 1 to 7 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The reception honoring McDonald and his work is open to the public and coming up on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. Call 770-6842707 to learn more about arranging a group session in the gallery.

Get tickets now before they run out for the Roots and Boots concert featuring Sammy Kershaw and Aaron Tippin live on stage on Friday, Feb. 21 with a 7:30 p.m. at the Cedartown Performing Arts Center. Tickets start at $55 per person for the concert featuring the pair of country stars. Visit Cedartownshows.com to buy now or learn more.

The Cedartown Junior Service League Follies are coming up soon! Every four years, the group comes together to hold a fundraiser full of fun at the Cedartown Performing Arts Center, and mark those calendars now for their upcoming show “20/20 Vision” on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, Feb. 29. Tickets are $15 each. The show starts at 7 p.m. each night. VIP options are available. For more information, visit Cedartownshows.com.

Pastor Mark Brumbelow and his wife, Cherry, serve a church of 51 members at Grace Baptist Church in Wild Peach, Texas. The church packed 11,139 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes in 2019. That equals more than 218 children per member who will have a chance to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ over the next months. To hear the Brumblelows share about how God has been using them and Grace Baptist for his glory, please come join congregations locally for one of two special events on February 22. One at Pine Bower Baptist Church in Cedartown at 10 a.m. and one at Taylorsville Baptist Church at 2 p.m. Everyone is welcome. For more information, please call 770-684-8054.

Restoration Church Cedartown will be having their Easter service on Sunday, April 12, 2020 at 11 a.m. at the Cedartown Performing Arts Center, 205 East Avenue. Pastor Danny Rhodes invites everyone to attend.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners will continue the Citizen of the Year

Award in 2020, and want to honor individuals that have made a positive contribution to the county. Know a volunteer, someone who has committed a selfless act or dedicated their time to special projects locally? Nominate them today for the 2020 Citizen of the Year award at polkga.org/citizenof-the-year.

Celebrate Recovery meets every Monday night at the First Baptist Church of Rockmart starting with dinner at 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Large Group at 7 p.m. and Small Share Group at 8 p.m.

The Polk County Democratic Committee meets on the second Saturday of every month except December at 10 a.m. In the “even” months (February, April, June, August, etc.) the organization meets at the Rockmart Library at 316 N. Piedmont Ave., Rockmart and during the “odd” months (January, March, etc) they meet at the Cedartown Welcome Center, 600 Main St., Cedartown, GA 30125. There will be no meeting in December due to the holidays.

RCAC has classes for toddlers, children and adults at the Rockmart Cultural Arts Center in drawing, painting, photography, yoga, chorus, piano, whittling, and pottery. For more information, call 770-684-2707 or email rcac@rockmart-ga.gov

Give a child a safe place to go after school and learn valuable lessons about community, life and academics by getting involved in the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Georgia in Cedartown. Visit their center at 321 E. Queen St., Cedartown from 2:30 to 6 p.m. on weekdays and bring your children ages 5-18 for afternoon activities. For more information on how to participate or volunteer, call our office at 770749-0869 or email asams@ bgcnwga.org.

The Rockmart History Museum on South Marble Street in downtown Rockmart is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and on Saturday 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. The Museum welcomes visitors and group tours. Contact Pat Sampson at 678764-5201 for information. RHM meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month and volunteers are welcome and encouraged to take part.

Interested in becoming a Foster or Adoptive Parent? Open your heart to a child in need and find out how you can help. Join others who seek the love of a child every second Tuesday night of each month at 6 p.m. at Polk County Division of Family and Children Services office, 100 County Loop Road in Cedartown. Information sessions explain what is required to become a foster or adoptive parent in Georgia. For more information call Robin Forston at 404895-6517 or email robin. forston@dhs.ga.gov or call 1-877-210-KIDS. Visit www. fostergeorgia.com for more information.

The American Legion in Rockmart is hosting their monthly all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner coming up this Wednesday, January 15. Meal of spaghetti, meatballs, garlic toast and salad, $5. They hold dinners on the third Wednesday of every month. Join the group for a good meal and to support veteran and children’s programs. The Legion is located at 1 Veterans Circle, Rockmart.

USAPA Pickelball Ambassador Daneen England is holding a free pickleball clinic every Monday (weather permitting) from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Rockmart Tennis courts, located at 436 Hogue Avenue, Rockmart. Loaner paddles and all necessary equipment will be on hand to learn t he sport. This is a free event for anyone and they just need to wear comfortable gym clothes and tennis shoes. Contact England at 770-356-1282, or by email at howardd999@ yahoo.com for more information.

The office of Exceptional Students of Polk School District is available to assist with the identification of children with disabilities and provision a free appropriate public education beginning at the age of three through the age of 21. If you suspect your child is experiencing any developmental delay or you suspect your child might have a disability and would like assistance or for more information about services available through Polk School District, contact the PSD Exceptional Student Services office at 770-684-8718.

Lutheran Services of Georgia’s Heritage Adoption Program partners with DFCS to find Forever Families for children waiting in Georgia’s foster care system. Information Sessions are held on the third Thursday of every month at 6 p.m. at the Rome Office, located at 336 Broad St., Suite 200. Individual sessions may be scheduled to accommodate families as needed. For more email aweaver@lsga.org or call 706-506-0649.

Did you know that nationwide the American Red Cross assists 53 people every 60 seconds during personal and local disasters? Our Northwest Georgia Red Cross Chapter serves Polk County. If you’d like to do some meaningful volunteering, please contact Arthene Bressler at 762-231-9896 and visit our website at www. redcross.org/local/georgia.

Get assistance

Do you think you might be pregnant? You can know for sure. Contact Life Matters Outreach today to schedule a free pregnancy test. You have a right to know all the options available to you. We offer free evidencebased education and resources so that you can make a well-informed decision. The

services provided at LMO Pregnancy Care Center are free of charge. Clients are treated with respect and unconditional acceptance. We are here to help YOU. Call 770-748-8911 for more information.

Anna Kresge Memorial United Methodist Church will be sponsoring a clothing bank for children ages infant to 5 years old on the first Thursday of each month beginning in September from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the conference room of One Door Polk in Cedartown. Contact 770-748-6811 for more information on how to donate or participate in the giveaway.

Victory Baptist Church’s Bread of Life Food Pantry is now open. One bag of nonperishable food, five items to pick from produce, eggs and milk and two items from frozen meats, breads and others will be available. ID is required. Limit of two IDs per address. Regular hours are Mondays, 1 to 3 p.m.; Tuesdays, 5 to 7 p.m.; and Thursdays, 8 to 10 a.m.

Community Share Ministries is hosting “Hope for the Hungry” on the first Tuesday of every month to provide food assistance to the community. They’ll be in town again on Tuesday, June 4. Food is provided free of charge, and no identification is required to get help. Those interested can visit Community Share Ministries Cedartown thrift store at 1116 N. Main St., Cedartown.

The Georgia Legal Services Program’s Claire Sherburne will be on hand at One Door Polk in Cedartown every fourth Monday to help those in need with free civil legal services to low-income persons. This will include all cases related to housing, employment, education, domestic violence, consumer fraud, wills, healthcare and other issues involved in the legal complications of everyday life. Call 404-206-5175 for more information.

The Polk County Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support group will meet monthly on the first Monday at 11 a.m. at Polk Medical Center. Those interested can join for fellowship and lunch in the cafeteria. For more information call John Giglio at 678-246-8188.

Aragon First United Methodist Church offers a food pantry for the community to use if they need assistance. They are open Mondays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. A picture ID is required to participate. Call 770-684-4855 for more information.

Soup and Savior, a local nonprofit organization, meets from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to provide needed items to deserving people. This includes a free meal (soup), clothing and gives other assistance. Meetings are held at Glad Tidings, located at 703 Robert L Parks Blvd. in Cedartown. Donations are accepted.