Friday, Jan, 11

ENTERTAINMENT · Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga (ETC) will open its 2013 season with AVENUE Q. The show will run weekends from Jan. 11-27; Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Performances will take place at Eastgate Town Center, 5600 Brainerd Road in Chattanooga. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for students and are available at ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com or call 423-987-5141. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance. Free parking is available at the Eastgate Town Center.

RELIGIOUS ENTERTAINMENT · The Southern gospel trio Voices Won will appear for Sacred Sounds Friday, Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Ringgold Depot, corner of Depot Street and U.S. 41 in Ringgold, Ga. for the Share America Foundation. Randall Franks from TV's "In the Heat of the Night” will emcee. The event is a fundraiser for the Pearl and Floyd Franks Scholarship Fund helping musicians achieve higher education. Donations for tickets are adults: $5, Children 5 and under free with adult. Tickets may be purchased locally in advance during business hours at SonShine Christian Books (706) 861-7675 in Fort Oglethorpe. For more information, Share America Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 42 Tunnel Hill, Ga. 30755 or visit shareamericafoundation.org.

COMMUNITY · Lyerly United Methodist Church is selling cookbooks for $10 each. They can be purchased from any church member, or at Pine Ridge Outdoor Supply in Lyerly, or by sending $10 (plus $2.00 shipping and handling) to Lyerly United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 152, Lyerly, GA 30730, and a church cookbook will be mailed to you. For more information, call Jo Ann Mitchell at 706-895-2636.

COMMUNITY · January is National Blood Donor Month and Blood Assurance is asking area residents to add “saving lives” to their New Year’s resolutions. Donors must be at least 17 years old (16 years old with parental consent) and weigh at least 110 pounds. Donors at any Blood Assurance will receive a long-sleeved t-shirt commemorating National Blood Donor Month. For more information, visit bloodassurance.org/blooddrives or call 1-800-962-0628.

COMMUNITY · Learn the waltz and the foxtrot! Registration for ballroom dancing classes at FortOGeorgia.com headquarters has begun. To sign up call 706-866-9919 or drop by the store (2738 Lafayette Road, next to Sears Shoes Clearance Store in Fort Oglethorpe). Darla Toker of The Tempo Dance Studio will teach the six-week course on Thursdays: Jan. 24, 31, and Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28, from 6:30 –8 p.m. Cost: Individual: $55 for entire course, or $99 for two people (team up and save). Note: One of the classes falls on Valentine's Day. A special class will be offered that evening -- but if you have other plans, a make-up class will be made available.

COMMUNITY · Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park has announced that the Mountain Beautiful Trail will be closed until further notice. The Mountain Beautiful Trail is located on the east side of Lookout Mountain, above the Hardy Tail near Scenic Highway. For more information, call 706-866-9241 or visit nps.gov/chch.

COMMUNITY · The Friends of the Catoosa County Library have used books for sale daily in the Friends’ Nook at the library. Hardbacks cost $1, paperbacks cost 50 cents. The library is at 108 Catoosa Circle (Benton Place campus off Battlefield Parkway) in Ringgold.

Saturday Jan. 12

COMMUNITY · A Childbirth Education class will be offered from 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Jan. 12, at Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road) in Chattanooga.This childbirth education class/series is designed for expectant parents and taught by experienced OB nurses. These classes include stages of labor, relaxation and labor support techniques, hospital procedures, pain management options, after birth and home care for moms and in-hospital care for newborns. There will also be time for questions and answers. Registration fee is $125. Call Erlanger’s HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) to register.

COMMUNITY · The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society will hold genealogy workshops in January and February at the Crown Gardens & Archives. On Jan. 12, from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Organizing Your Records (beginning level) and from 1-4:30 p.m. Finding Census and Other Records on the Computer (beginning/intermediate level), will be offered. The cost is $35 for one workshop, $40 for a full day, or $70 for two full days. Sack lunches are available for $6. Email wmhs@optilink.us to enroll, and then mail your check to, WMHS, P. O. Box 6180, Dalton, GA 30722. Please call the Archives if you have any questions 706 278-0217.

COMMUNITY · The American Cancer Society Relay For Life® of Catoosa-Walker Counties gives everyone in the community a chance to help the organization save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Register your team today by visiting Catoosa-WalkerRelay.org or call 1-800-227-2345. Former and current cancer patients, those who have lost a loved one to cancer, families, businesses, faith-based and civic organizations, and anyone wanting to make a difference in the fight against cancer are invited to take part in this exciting team event. Relay For Life of Catoosa-Walker Counties takes place from 6 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2013, until midnight, at Lakeview-Fort Ogelthorpe High School off Battlefield Parkway in Fort Oglethorpe.

COMMUNITY · Parkridge East Hospital in East Ridge, Tenn., will offer a breastfeeding class ($15 per couple) – Jan. 12 or March 16, from 10 a.m.-noon, or Feb. 7, from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. This class includes topics such as physiology of breastfeeding, advantages of breastfeeding, techniques for successful breastfeeding, common pitfalls and challenges, returning to work and pumping. Mothers are strongly encouraged to bring a support person, but it is not required. This class is free with any Labor of Love Lamaze class. For more information and to register for classes, call MedLine at 800-242-5662 or visit ParkridgeEastHospital.com.

COMMUNITY · Parkridge East Hospital in East Ridge, Tenn., will offer free tours of the birthplace on Saturdays, Jan. 12, and March 16, from noon-1 p.m., or Saturdays, Jan. 19, Feb. 9 and March 2, from 1-2 p.m., or Saturday, Feb. 2, from 5-6 p.m. Participants can tour the labor and delivery area and the mother/baby area (based on availability). Prenatal services and classes will be discussed with a time for questions and answers. This tour begins in the Rowe Conference Room. For more information and to register for classes, call MedLine at 800-242-5662 or visit ParkridgeEastHospital.com.

Monday, Jan. 14

ENTERTAINMENT · The deadline to register for the Walker County Chamber of Commerce 2013 annual membership dinner is at midnight on Monday, Jan. 14. The annual dinner will be held on Friday, Jan. 18, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Mountain Cove Farms Show Barn. The program will include the recognition of retiring directors, as well as the official passing of the gavel from Chair Vickie Hodge of The Jimmy Simpson Foundation to Incoming Chair Sherry Foster of the City of Rossville. The winners of the 2012 Chamber Member of the Year and the 2012 Small Business of the Year will also be announced. Entertainment and dancing will be provided by the Nathan Farrow Band. Attendees are reminded that the event will be taking place in a converted barn; cowboy boots and western themed clothing are encourage The cost to attend is $50 per person or $500 for a reserved corporate table of eight. No walk-ins will be accepted. Non-Chamber members are required to pay online by Visa or MasterCard at the time of registration.For more information, email: info@walkercochamber.com

COMMUNITY · Hold the Gluten support group for people with celiac disease will meet Monday, Jan. 14, at 6:30 p.m. at Lyerly United Methodist Church, 105 Oak Hill Road, in Lyerly. For more information, contact HoldTheGlutenXX@yahoo.com, or facebook Hold the Gluten. Celiac Disease is an acquired autoimmune disorder that develops in genetically susceptible individuals after exposure to dietary gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye and barley that humans cannot fully digest. Celiac Disease can affect many organ systems, causing chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, and can potentially cause serious medical consequences, including osteoporosis, breast cancer, epilepsy, migraines, infertility, irritable bowel syndrome, anemia, mal-absorption, infections and malignancies. Currently there is no approved therapy for celiac disease and the only option for patients is to follow a strict, life-long gluten-free diet.

COMMUNITY · Overdue fines for items such as audiobooks, e-books, CDs, DVDs and event passes have now increased at PINES libraries around the state. Rates will vary by item. The fine for audiobooks on CD is 20 cents per day; while the fine for videos on DVD is 50 cents per day. The overdue fee for books, which increased on July 1 from 10 cents to 20 cents per day, will remain at that level after Jan. 1. Items checked out before Jan. 1, 2013, will be charged a late fee at the current rate even if they are returned on or after Jan. 1. Items checked out or renewed Jan. 1 or later will be charged the revised per day rate. The PINES software program will automatically apply the amount in effect at the time of checkout. Because a renewal is considered a new checkout, fines for renewals placed on Jan. 1 or after will accrue at the new rate. These overdue fine ncreases are the first made since 1999, according to PINES officials.

COMMUNITY · The Cherokee Regional Library Board of Trustees will meet at 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14, at the LaFayette-Walker County Public Library’s temporary location (old Food Lion building), 1105 N. Main Street, in LaFayette. For more information, call 706-638-7557.

COMMUNITY · A bariatric support group will meet from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 14, at Erlanger Chattanooga Lifestyle Center. Bariatric support group meetings are for individuals scheduled to have bariatric surgery or who have already had weight loss surgery. Call Erlanger’s HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) for more information.