MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Wednesday, March 17

The Workforce Development Board of Northwest Georgia will meet at noon, Wednesday, March 17, via GoTo Meeting. Register for the meeting at www.careerdepot.org.

The Council of Chief Elected Officials of Northwest Georgia will meet at 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 17, via GoTo Meeting. Register for the meeting at www.careerdepot.org.

Saturday, March 20

Flourish Foster Care Closet & Support Inc. will open a new closet in Ringgold for foster families in the tri-state area and beyond that is exclusively for teens in foster care. The grand opening will be Saturday, March 20, with a ribbon-cutting at 2 p.m. at 364 Cleveland St. The nonprofit organization is committed to supporting foster families in the community. Flourish Foster Care has impacted more than 125 children since the beginning of 2021 and countless more since its founding in 2017. The organization has supplied services, items, and clothing valued at more than $7,000 in January and February.

In observance and celebration of World Water Day, Catoosa County Conservation District will host a Water-wise Workshop on Saturday, March 20, at 96 Depot Street in Ringgold. The workshop will feature information presented by District Conservationist Nick Mooneyham (USDA/ NRCS) and Wade Hutcheson (UGA Extension). There will be a makeand-take portion where registered participants will be able to assemble their own rain barrel to take home. Topics will include wise water use, irrigation basics, benefits of rainwater diversion and capturing. Rain barrels will be available for $45.

Wednesday, March 31

CHI Memorial’s mobile lung CT coach will be at Primary Healthcare Center’s Rossville Clinic at Fairview on Wednesday, March 31, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Primary Healthcare Center’s Rossville Clinic at Fairview is located at 205 Jenkins Road. All patients will wear a mask and are asked to bring their own if they have one. A mask will be provided if a patient does not already have one. Lung cancer screening is a test to look for signs of lung cancer in otherwise healthy people. The low-dose CT scan shows a 3-D image of your lungs that is clearer and more detailed than regular X-rays, allowing doctors to diagnose lung cancer at its earliest stage, before there are any symptoms. This is when lung cancer is most curable. The whole process takes less than ten minutes and there is no need to do anything special to prepare for the screening. The low-dose CT lung cancer scan has been shown to improve survival by 20 percent, according to The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Factors that put you at high risk of developing lung cancer include: age 50 or greater, smoking history, family history of cancer, and exposure to cancer-causing agents (asbestos, diesel fumes, Radon, coal smoke, soot, etc.) Private insurance companies cover lung cancer screening for high-risk individuals. Medicare and Medicaid also cover lung cancer screening. Grant funds are available for eligible uninsured and under-insured people to have the low-dose lung CT screening. If you feel you are at risk, call us at 423-495-LUNG (5864) to discuss if a lung screening is right for you, or to schedule an appointment.

Saturday, May 1

The Clayton Bell Scholarship Program of the Marsh House Museum (308 N. Main St., LaFayette) offers rising seniors (those who have completed the junior year) at any of the three Walker County high schools the opportunity to complete an internship of 50 hours in historic preservation at the Marsh House Museum during the senior year. On successful completion of the internship, the student receives a scholarship of $1,000. The program offers in-depth experiences in historic preservation and is especially attractive to young people interested in any aspect of local history. Applications will be accepted until May 1. Application forms are posted the website, Marshhouseoflafayette.org, and on the Marshhouseoflafayette Facebook page. For more information, call 706-638-7735.

Tuesday, April 6

Register for a Vegetable Gardening 101 class by calling UGA Extension – Walker County at 706-6382548 or walker.extension@uga.edu. The free class is offered Tuesday, April 6, at 6 p.m., at the Walker County Ag Center, 10052 N. Highway 27, Rock Spring; Wednesday, April 7, at 11 a.m. at the LaFayette-Walker County Library, 305 S. Duke St., LaFayette; or Thursday, April 8, at 1:30 p.m. for an online webinar. Topics include soil preparation, fertilizers, plant selection and more; participants are invited to ask gardening questions.

Friday, May 7

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

Thursday, May 20

Heritage High School’s graduation will held 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 on Friday, May 21, at 8 p.m. inside the gym.

GENERAL

♦ 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.

♦ MANSION TOURS The Friends of the Gordon-Lee Mansion March 2021 tour dates have been canceled due to rescheduling by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. The Friends plan to open the Mansion for Chickamauga Turn passengers on April 10, 17, and 24 from noon to 2 p.m. for train passengers and any other visitors wishing to tour. Tours are $5 for adults and $1 for children under 12. All proceeds go to the Friends 501c3 charity for Mansion promotion. Volunteers are needed to assist in greeting and assisting visitors to the Mansion and to participate in Friends meetings held the fourth Tuesday each month. If interested, contact Debbie at 423903-5168 or Gary at 423-488-0861.

♦ 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 services at 2 p.m. on Sundays online. The services may be viewed on Facebook Live or on Zoom. There are no activities in the building due to health concerns. A recording of the service is posted on YouTube and on the church Facebook page to be viewed later: https:// www.facebook.com/Lafayette-Presbyterian-Church-116541731703616/. Everyone is invited. The church is not closed, just meeting in a different way. Prayer requests can be sent from the website: https://www.facebook.com/Lafayette-PresbyterianChurch-116541731703616/. Pastor Clay Gunter and the elders are available as needed.

♦ 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.

♦ LOSE WEIGHT TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. at Harbor Lights Baptist Church, 600 Crane St., LaFayette. Have fun while losing those extra pounds. Call 423-432-0520 for details.

♦ MEETINGS Chickamauga American Legion Post 217 meets the first Saturday each month at 8 a.m. at West 14th Street in Chickamauga.

♦ MEETINGS Southern Lit Book Club meets at Caffeine Addicts, 7819 Nashville Street in Ringgold, the last Tuesday each month at 6 p.m. For more information, call Donna Greeson at 706-935-2810.

♦ CHURCH Join Foster Mill Drive Baptist Church in LaFayette for worship. Sunday school is at 10 a.m., with classes for all ages. Morning worship service is at 11 a.m. Sunday night worship is at 6 p.m. Wednesday night worship is at 7 p.m. For more information, call 423-667-4521.

♦ MEETINGS The American Legion, LaFayette Post 339 meets on the third Monday of each month. The meeting is held at 6 p.m. in the Wardlaw-Bible meeting room at the LaFayette-Walker County Public Library. This meeting is open to active and prospective members of The American Legion and their guests.