ELLAVILLE — Becky Weaver   honored with

luncheon

On Saturday, Oct. 8, Becky Weaver was honored with a celebration luncheon.

This special event was held at the home of Mrs. Deborah Yelverton. The ladies of the Concord United Methodist Church hosted the luncheon.

The guest tables were covered with three different colored overlays, reversing them at each table, so that all tables were different. The colors of the overlays were black, hot pink and white. Some tables had runners and the others had place mats. The center pieces were different as well.

Deborah used crystal dishes that held candles and mirrored balls on the guest tables. At each plate setting there was a card folded into a triangle, and on all three sides there were different words: "Blue Berry, Chocolate” and a Bible verse, and a pen for each guest. The guests were asked to unfold the card and write special memories about Becky and what she meant to them and how special she has been to them.

The guests were asked to arrive earlier than the honoree so they could complete their cards. They were asked to place the cards, as well as a love offering, into a box that was beautifully wrapped. As the guest arrived they saw a banner that read "CELEBRATE  BECKY.”

When Becky entered she was so surprised. She didn't realize that some family and other friends had been invited for this special occasion. She was only looking for six or eight ladies from the Concord Church.

Becky's Sunday School Class and two of her sisters-in-law that have the same name. Betty Weaver from Atlanta and Betty Weaver of Columbus, and two co-workers were invited as well.

They served a cold plate that consisted of chicken salad, grape salad, broccoli salad, celery sticks with pimento-cheese, crackers, tea, and for dessert they served two rich desserts, blueberry shortcake with whipped cream and Almond Hershey Bar cake, and coffee.

Deborah's mother Gloria Burnett of Cuthbert and her sister Susanne McNair of Albany helped serve the guests.

Deborah presented Becky with the box of notes and love offering after lunch.

The hosts were Lillian Flynt, Betty Wells, Penny Daniels, Cissy Morris, Bessie Hill, Elaine Phillips and hostess Deborah Yelverton.

There were 30 ladies that attended this celebration of life luncheon for a very special lady.



A special thank you

Eunice Wisham said that she could never find the words to thank her friends and family for what all they have done for her since she had surgery on her leg at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany.

Your love and care with food, cards, visits, phone calls and prayers have meant so much to me.

No one can realize what friends mean until you get down, and can't move.



Ellaville Lions Club Halloween Carnival

The Ellaville Lions Club sponsors its annual Halloween Carnival at 6 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion in Ellaville.

They will serve barbecue sandwiches, hot-dogs, chicken tenders, French fries and drinks.

Come and join the great entertainment which will include various Halloween booths for the young goblins and ghosts, including the "Fortune Teller,” face painting, bean bag toss, and cup cake walk, and others.

There will be a Costume Contest for all children ages 10 and under. Judging is at 7:30.

The highlight of the night will be the annual bingo games featuring a wide assortment of prizes donated by area businesses and individuals.

Tickets for a chance to win a $100 will be sold throughout the evening with the drawing to be held that night.

This is a special family event that helps to support the Ellaville Lions Club which works to preserve sight on a local basis through the Lighthouse for the Blind as well as other community needs. This is a very special club and they always are there helping others.

If any one of you has old glasses and don't need them please donate them to the Lions Club. They can always use the frames and glasses as well. You may drop them off at Miller's Home and Auto downtown in Ellaville.

Looking to seeing you all at 6 p.m. Saturday.



Annual    Downtown Trick or Treat

The Ellaville-Schley County Chamber of Commerce and the local businesses are sponsoring the annual Downtown Trick or Treat on from 4-6 p.m. Thursday. All children 12 years old and younger may participate.

This has been a tradition for a while, and we hope that you will bring your children so  they can enjoy this special event.

Be sure and bring your children to the City Hall. There will be a fire truck and a special gift for all of the children who come. There were 650 children that participated last year.

Businesses, call John Greene at 937-2591 or 591-2323 to let him know if you will be participating in the Trick or Treat this year.



HOPE holds Fall Luncheon

On Saturday, Oct. 15, the ladies of County Line Methodist Church H.O.P.E. Circle held its first Fall Luncheon. They have an annual Spring Luncheon each year, and they have started a Fall Luncheon this year.

H.O.P.E. stands for "Helping Other  People Everyday."

As guests entered the Social Hall, guest tables were covered with white table cloths with light gold place mats and napkins of different colored falling leaves, and each guest received a program that was placed at each plate setting. The center pieces were gold miniature mums placed on a bronze ceramic leaf dish with bronze candles on each side and surrounded by fall leaves.

The counter had three large gold mums, one on each end and one in the center. A scare crow was placed inside the mums and two ceramic pumpkins that lighted up were placed on either side of the center mum.

The tea table was covered with a white table cloth with a large lighted pumpkin; another mum was placed on this table as well.

A small table was placed with a sign that read HOPE and Christmas ornaments for sale.

On top of the piano was a pumpkin with a fall arrangement placed inside.

Before the meal was served, Michele Gattis welcomed everyone, then asked Fran Kinservek to ask the blessing.

A lovely meal was served which consisted of baked ham, green beans, deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese, rolls, cheese cake, tea and coffee.

After the delicious lunch was served Virginia Ray Sewell introduced Marie Howard to entertain the ladies with real pretty piano music. The guests sang along. Marcia McClung did the door prize drawing. Each winner was given a center piece off the tables.

Michele Gattis closed by thanking each one for attending this special fall event. Around 50 attended this special event.



Certified Literate Community

Schley County will officially be designated as a Certified Literate Community from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  today with a ceremony and reception.

You are invited to come and join us in celebrating our county on this special occasion, and have refreshments as well.





History of ‘God Bless America’

On Sunday, Sept. 11, my heart was heavy, and being patriotic, I was thinking about where I was on 9/11/01.

I received this history by e-mail, and I want to share this with all of you.

The very first singing of "God Bless America.”

Time was 1940. America was still in a terrible economic depression. Hitler was taking over Europe, and Americans were afraid we'd have to go to war. It was a time of hardship and worry for most Americans.

This was the era just before TV, when radio shows were huge, and Americans families sat around their radios in the evenings, listening to their favorite entertainers — and no entertainer of that era was bigger than Kate Smith.

Kate was also large in size, and the popular phrase still used today is deference to her is "It ain't over until the fat lady sings."

Kate Smith might not have made it big in the age of TV, but with her voice coming over the radio, she was the biggest star of her time.

Kate was also very patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so depressed and afraid of what the next day would bring. She had hope for America and faith in her fellow Americans. She wanted to do something to cheer them up, so she went to the famous song-writer Irving Berlin [also wrote “White Christmas”] and asked him to write a song that would make Americans feel good again about their country. When she described what she was looking for, he said he had just the song for her. He went to his files and found a song that he had written, but never published, 22 years before — way back in 1917. He gave it to Kate Smith, and she worked on it with her studio orchestra.

She and Irving Berlin were not sure how the song would be received by the public, but both agreed they would they not take any profits from "God Bless America” — any profits would go to the Boy Scouts of America. Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of dollars in royalties from this song.

It starts out with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the orchestra and an audience. She introduced the new song for the very first time. Frank Sinatra considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time, and said when he and millions of other people first heard her song God Bless America" on the radio, they pretended to have "dust in their eyes" as they wiped away a tear or two.

To this day "God Bless America” stirs our patriotic feelings and pride in our country. Back in 1940, when Kate Smith went looking for a song to raise the spirits of her fellow Americans, I doubt she realized just her successful the results would be — for her fellow Americans during those years of hardship and worry, and for many generations of Americans to follow.

Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you will enjoy and treasure it even more.



Correction

Last week, in Timothy Rooks’ obituary, his sisters Biceye Rooks Niblet of Magnolia Manor Nursing Home and Mary Rooks of the assisted living of Magnolia Manor, both of Americus, were listed as aunts; and his is brother Nathan and Jean Rooks of Morris as an uncle.