Calendar

Deadline: Noon Wednesday

and noon Thursday

Upcoming events Sat., May 3

Gordon County Emergency Management Agency and RAK Outfitters are hosting an Emergency Preparedness Day from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Outlet Mall. The event will be held in front of the RAK store. The Mobile Command Vehicle will be there to show people, and people can signup for CodeRed. There will be preparedness gear displayed and demonstrations given throughout the event. Door prizes will be every hour with a complete emergency preparedness kit to be giving away at noon.

The Calhoun Elkettes are hosting Derby Day 2014 starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Calhoun Elks Lodge. There will be a sweet sixteen, mint juleps, betting boards, hat contest and fun derby games. The cost is $15 to participate.

Calhoun Animal Control is hosting it’s 1st Annual Adoption Day and Open House event on Saturday, May 3. The event will be held from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the City Shelter, located at 202 Kirby Rd. on Line St. (Hwy. 156) Approx. ¾ mile and through the gate. There will also be a free hot dog lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Clyde Burchett and Dustin Wilbanks will be there to answer any questions regarding daily operations and local animal rescue groups and veterinarians will also be there to discuss health and the spay/neuter process.

Gordon County 4-H will host a rabies clinic with Drs. Jay and Betsy Hendley, with Animal Hospital of Gordon County, at various locations around Gordon County on Saturday, May 3. Please have your pets on a leash or in a carrier. The vaccinations will be $10 per cat and per dog. The clinic will be as followed: W.L. Swain from 8-9:30 a.m., Oostanaula Church from 9:45-10:45 a.m., Sugar Valley Grocery from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m., Old Resaca Fire Station from 1:15-2 p.m., Nickelsville Fire Station from 2:15-3 p.m. and Gingers Grocery from 3:15-4 p.m. For more information, call 706-6298685.

Mon., May 5

The Conasauga Chapter of the Georgia Nurses Association will meet Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. at the Whitfield County Health Center. We will be celebrating Nurse Week, which runs Tuesday, May 6, through Monday, May 12. The Conasauga Chapter will host the Georgia Nurses Association’s President Rebecca M. Wheeler, and her board members. Their panel presentation will be on the 12-hour shifts, patient safety, safe staffing and the new requirements for CEU’s for registered nurses trying to re-license. The meal will be catered by Lisa’s Café in Dalton. For questions and to RSVP, call J. Bernice Whaley at 706-259-5508 by noon on Friday, May 2. All members and registered nurses are invited to attend.

Tues., May 6

There will a town hall meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, at the Calhoun Depot. The meeting is for a face-to-face discussion with the candidates for Gordon County Board of Education and the public.

Wed., May 7

The Calhoun Rotary Club is holding a golf tournament at Fields Ferry Wednesday, May 7. Registration begins at 9:30 p.m. and shotgun start at 11 a.m. Proceeds from the tournament will be used to support Rotary’s youth efforts, such as local Boy Scouts and Interact Clubs and the Georgia Rotary Student Program. Please consider sponsoring and playing in this tournament. For more information, contact William Hamilton at 678-899-7515.

Mon., May 12

Gordon County GOP will hold its monthly meeting

at 6 p.m. Monday, May 12, at Shoney’s on Red Bud Road. Senatorial candidate Phil Gingrey will be the featured speaker. Please arrive at 5:15 p.m. if you care to dine. For more information, contact Jim McGarvey Chairman at 706-669-1015.

Sat., May 17

Belwood Alumni Association will hold its annual meeting at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 17, at the Christian Life Center of Belmont Baptist Church, 126 West Belmont Drive, Calhoun. Make your reservations no later than May 10 by sending $15 per person to Patsy Hughey, 139 Countryside Drive SW, Calhoun.

Sat., May 24

May 24th: Calhoun CruiseIn 2:00 Tunes in the park. Pick-up your official Cruise-In Map. 2:00 - 5:00 Car Show, Cruising 2:00 - 5:00 Public Safety Display, BB&T Parking lot. Performances by One Touch Quartet, Jess Shirley and Friends and Conner Tribble. To benefit Ray of Hope and Gordon County Historical Society.

Tues., May 27

The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission’s Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council will hold its quarterly meeting on Tuesday, May 27, at the Thornton Recreation Center, 102 North Floyd Park Road, Rome. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and will conclude at 12 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.

Sat., May 31

To all previous Plainville School students: you are invited to a Plainville School reunion at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 31 at the old school lunchroom. Bring finger foods, desserts, drinks, lawn chair and pictures. Come with your family and join the fun. If you have any questions, call 706-602-5337 and leave a message.

Sat., June 28

Bowling 4 Butterflies, a bowling tournament by Camp Cocoon to help children deal with grief after loss, will be from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, June 28, at the Calhoun Bowling Center, 123 Columbus Circle. There will be a raffle for a Kindle Fire, and other items, during the event. Also, there will be food and fellowship for all. Enter a team of five for $100, or sponsor a lane for $100. Trophies will be awarded to the top three teams. For more information on the event, contact Casey Blankenship at 706766-5635 or Teresa Burns at 770-548-5491 or the office at 706-602-9546.

Sat., Oct. 18

The Wings Over North Georgia air show headlining the USAF Thunderbirds and GEICO Skytypers demo teams is scheduled for Oct 18 - 19 at Rome’s Russell Regional Airport. We are very excited to announce the 2014 Wings Over North Georgia air show and Smoke-n-Thunder BBQ Classic weekend continues to get bigger by extending the Saturday air show and BBQ Classic operating hours into the to deal with to satisfy the EPD, Crawford believes the utilities department can begin to improve its water systems.

“We plan to address each issue that is required by current regulations, and we will take under consideration those that are not required, but are suggested by the hours of those facilities,” Randall said. “If nothing is open, then people say, ‘Ooh that’s cute, and then drive on.’”

One area that doesn’t disappoint visitors is the sporting events hosted in Gordon County, and Randall believes Gordon County has done well in promoting these events.

“Some of the best recreation sports facilities in Georgia,” Randall said. “That gives you a leg up in recruiting sports tournaments.”

When it comes to attractions, Randall said that Gordon County has two historic stories that interest travelers: Civil War and Native American history.

“You don’t only have good attractions, but free attractions,” Randall said.

Once again, Randall believes the problem was the lack of advertising in promoting these two historic attractions.

She suggested, must like with restaurants, get these places on TripAdvisor, and let travelers know these places exist in Gordon County.

The last area Randall touched on was lodging, which she believes needs improvement due to the age of these establishments and the amount of economy class lodging.

According to the study, more than 50 percent of lodging in Gordon County was built between evening. The Saturday evening events begin immediately after the last aerial day performance concludes around 5 p.m. ending with a mini-night air show and fireworks grand finale.

Notices

The Georgia String Band Festival returns April 25 and 26 to downtown Calhoun, with an opening concert Friday starring the Rising Fawn String Ensemble, featuring the much-celebrated Norman and Nancy Blake, with fiddler James Bryan, at 7:30 p.m. in The Harris Arts Center Theater. Saturday, April 26, at 12 p.m., also at the center, is the return of the Gordon County Fiddlers’ Convention, the traditional competitions in fiddle, banjo, string bands, singing and buck dancing that ran annually downtown from 1924 until 1940. Information can be found at the Harris Arts Center by calling 706-6292599, or by visiting www. calhounfestival.com or the festival Facebook page. This event is held in conjunction with BBQ Boogie and Blues, in historic downtown Calhoun.

The 2014 spring book sale will be held at the Book Depot on Wednesday, April 23; Friday, April 25; and Saturday, April 26. Books will be sold at half price on Wednesday and Friday, and on Saturday for $1 per bag (standard plastic grocery bag). Because of the book sale, the Book Depot will not be open on the third Saturday in April.

The Book Depot, operated by the Friends of the Library, is open each Wednesday from Georgia Environmental Protection Division,” Crawford said.

The EPD carries out these studies every three years, and this was one of the better years for the Calhoun Utilities.

“In the past we have scored somewhat lower with scores ranging from 82 to 88. We have never 1970 and 1980; more than 40 percent was built between 1990 and 2000; the remaining 8.6 percent are unknown.

“Older lodging can be a problem and start costing you more money than it makes you,” Randall said. She added, “All the ones in the economy class are suspect until proven otherwise.”

Randall explained that with all the benefits Gordon County has to offer to visitors, occupancy rate at the lodging facilities should be higher.

“Occupancy should be higher for who you are,” Randall said. “What that tells me is you aren’t advertised on the interstate, and you aren’t using trip advisor.”

Randall ended the presentation to the tourism committee with some advice on what Gordon County should address in order to increase tourism’s impact.

Her advice was to educated current and future leaders of the importance of tourism; address the night and weekend atmosphere in downtown Calhoun; put up signage on I-75.

“It’s like the goose that lays the golden egg. Feed the goose and it lays the golden egg. Don’t feed the goose, don’t get the golden egg,” Randall said.

She believes with the potential that exist, and current tourism leader- 1-5 p.m. and the first and third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Book Depot is located in a small brick building at the corner of Court and King Streets. Proceeds from book sales go to support the Calhoun-Gordon County Library.

The Red Bud Cardinal Alumni Association will meet on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Sonoraville Recreation Department. All Alumni of Red Bud Schools are encouraged to attend. Annual dues are $20 per year. Please watch the Red Bud High School Facebook page for important information or any meeting changes. You may contact us at redbudreunion@yahoo.com with any questions.

Volunteer Host families are needed for high school foreign exchange students for the 2014 - 2015 academic year. This is a wonderful way to open your home, share the American experience and grow your family culturally. The U.S. Deptartment of Immigration and the Cultural Standards on International Education and Travel approve student American International. For more information on hosting a student, please call Annemarie Hodges at 770-276-5700.

Action Ministries Housing is accepting applications for a transitional home - A singlefamily home in Gordon County is now available for up to two years. For more information or to refer a family, email Rebecca Hickom at rhickom@actionministries.net or call 404-862-1821.

Emergency Repair of gotten any “bad grades” related to water treatment,” Crawford said. “Calhoun Utilities welcome these surveys by EPD, and it is always good to have another individual’s perspective and input.”

On Monday, Director of Calhoun Utilities Larry Vickery presented ship making decisions to try and improve, Gordon County has a positive Gas Furnaces and Gas Water Heaters - Lowincome seniors, 65 and older, who own and live in their home, may be eligible for repairs help and assistance. Contact Bruce Walters, Tallatoona Community Action Partnership, 770-382-5388 (ext. 106).

Additional funding has been allocated for the LIHEAP program that assists low-income residents with their heating bill, only those who have not received assistance with their heating bill. Only those who have not received assistance with their heating bill this program year, which started on November 1, 2013, are eligible to apply for assistance. Please call 770-773-7730 to schedule an appointment.

US Rep. Tom Graves will host County Connection Days from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on May 20, September 9 and October 21 at the Gordon County Chamber of Commerce, 300 South Wall St., Calhoun. On County Connection Days, Rep. Graves’ constituent service representatives will be available to take both scheduled and walk-in meetings and are trained to help constituents on federal issues, particularly matters involving casework with federal agencies. Constituents often seek assistance with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, immigration and passports, veterans’ benefits and military service academies, among other issues. Constituents can always seek assistance from the Rome or Dalton District Offices, which are open Monday the study to the Calhoun City Council. He said that this study is not only good for the water department, but also the community.

“It’s a real plus for this community, and it gives us a better relationship with the EPD and the state of Georgia. It also gives us lots of targets on areas to improve,” Vickery said. future in the industry.

“You got blue skies ahead,” Randall said. through Friday. For 14th Congressional District office information visit http://tomgraves.house. gov/contact/officeinformation.html.

The Gordon County Nutrition Site would like to invite seniors ages 60 and over to come to the senior center, located at 150 Cambridge Court Monday – Friday at 11:30 a.m. for a nutritious meal. The meal is free of charge. For more information, please contact Ann Bradford, Nutrition Site Manager at 706-6290392.

The Rome Chapter 525 of The Military Order of the Purple Heart meets the first Monday of the month at the senior citizens center on the Kingston Hwy in Rome at 1900 hours. Anyone who has been awarded the Purple Heart is eligible for membership and is invited to attend the meeting and join the organization. For more information, contact Mel Hibbard at 706-232-0184 or Verne Hoover at 706234-0155.

ABATE (American Bikers Active Toward Education) of Georgia District 1, a non-profit organization, serving 9 counties including Gilmer, Gordon, Pickens, Fannin, Whitfield and Murray, will meet at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at Logan’s Road House in Dalton. For more information log on to the website www. abategad1.org or call Heidi Stockwell at 706217-8317.