Thursday, March 14

COMMUNITY · The Friends of the LaFayette-Walker County Public Library will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, in the Bank of LaFayette's Community Room off Main Street, behind the current Walker County Messenger building. Representing the Friends at the Annual Music on the Square festival by renting a booth will be discussed, along with other topics. Newcomers are always welcome.

COMMUNITY · Catoosa Retired Educators Association, CREA, will meet Thursday, March 14, at 11:30 a.m. at the Boynton Baptist Life Center. Lunch will be a soup, salad, and dessert fundraiser for the scholarship fund and other projects. Monetary donations for Nourishing Children in Catoosa Schools will be taken at March and April meetings. Legislative session updates will be shared, and David Carroll, local news anchor, will discuss his book about Chattanooga. Volunteer hour totals are due by this meeting. All retirees from Catoosa County Schools are encouraged to attend.

RELIGIOUS · Second Baptist Church of LaFayette, 500 W. Main Street, will hold their annual Missions Conference through Sunday, March 17. The conference will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday with music and missionary speakers each night. On Saturday, March 16, there will be a Missions and Ministry Fair beginning at 6 p.m. in the gym featuring an African covered dish meal. There will be displays from many of the countries represented as well as from ministries here in LaFayette. On Sunday morning, March 17, keynote speaker, Lammie Lammersfeld, will speak during the 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. services. There will be a nursery during each service for children up through three years of age, and a children's conference for children from four years through fifth grade. For more information, please contact us at 706-638-2732.

COMMUNITY · The Berry College Fine Arts Department presents “Journeys into the Unknown” by artist Julia Kjelgaard through April 5 in the Moon Gallery. The gallery is open from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is free and open to the public.

COMMUNITY · The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) and Mohawk Industries are hosting a job fair to fill several positions at the company’s manufacturing facility in Summerville. The job fair is planned for Thursday, March 14, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Chattooga County Civic Center, 44 Highway 48, across from the BB&T Bank, in Summerville. The company will recruit sorters, material handlers, utility workers, palletizer operators, lead maintenance technicians, and forklift operations. Company representatives will be on site, and applicants should bring copies of their resume, two forms of identification, and be prepared to interview. Due to U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, applicants must be at least 18 years of age. They must also have a high school diploma or a General Education Diploma (GED). Mohawk offers a number of benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance, competitive salaries, healthy life centers, and a 401k plan. For more information on the Mohawk recruiting events, contact Cathy Toles at the LaFayette Career Center at (706) 638-5525 or email cathy.toles@gdol.ga.gov.

COMMUNITY · The Chickamauga Public Library will hold a “Ready to R.E.A.D” story time program at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 14. The library is at 306 Cove Road in Chickamauga.

COMMUNITY · An Infant CPR Class will be offered from 4-5 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at Erlanger Baroness Campus (downtown Chattanooga). This one-hour class teaches basic CPR for an infant (birth to 1 year of age). Class time includes infant safety instructions and hands-on practice of CPR and choking management techniques for an infant. Anyone is welcome to take this class including parents, grandparents and babysitters. Registration fee is $25. Call Erlanger’s HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) to register.

Friday, March 15

COMMUNITY · The Cookie Boss, in the Mars Theater District, on S. Chattanooga Street in LaFayette, will hold a grand opening from 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 15. Meet the owner and enjoy samples of baked goodies.

COMMUNITY · Dalton State College will hold a lunch and learn about “Birds of Georgia” at noon Friday, March 15, in The James E. Brown Center. Featured speaker is Dr. David DesRochers, assistant professor of biology at Dalton State College. The program costs $10. March 13 is the deadline to RSVP. Reservations can be made online at alumni.daltonstate.edu/events. For more information, call 706-272-4473.

COMMUNITY · From March 15 through April 15, the Tennessee Aquarium will offer kids, ages six and up, special activities designed to give up-close creature encounters. Young visitors can sign up for two of the 17 different adventures upon arrival. These are offered free with Aquarium admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Whether it’s feeding otters, trout or turtles, kids can meet Aquarium experts and tour areas that are normally off-limits to guests. To see the complete list of Keeper Kids activities, go to: http://www.tnaqua.org/SpringBreak.

ENTERTAINMENT · Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga (ETC) is presenting “Sight For Sore Eyes.” The production runs through March 24. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. at the theatre's space inside Eastgate Town Center at 5600 Brainerd Road. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students with a valid student ID. They can be purchased online at http://www.ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com, by phone at (423) 987-5141, or at the door beginning one hour before each performance. Doors open 30 minutes before show time. Free parking is available at Eastgate Town Center.

COMMUNITY · Georgia Christian Society is requesting gift baskets for Shepherd Hills Nursing Home in LaFayette. You may drop your basket off at Shepherd Hills Nursing Home. Call (706) 638-0025 for a list of what you can put in your basket.

CHURCH · 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.

SUMMER CAMP · Digital Media Summer Camp at Mercer University, Center for Collaborative Journalism, 1400 Coleman Avenue in Macon, will be held June 23-29. The regular application deadline is May 10; late registration deadline is May 31. Call director Tim Regan-Porter at (478) 301-2907 or email ccj@mercer.edu or visit ccj.mercer.edu/camp for more information. Rising 10th through 12th grade students will be taught to build mobile apps, learn html, CSS and JavaScript, hone writing and photography, improve social media skills, try their hand at radio and video and work with professional journalists from The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Cost: $650 before May 10, $700 after May 10. Numerous full scholarships are available.

COMMUNITY · The Chickamauga Public Library, 306 Cove Road in Chickamauga, will exhibit a “Time Line of Chickamauga from 1820-1899” now through Saturday, March 30. Regular library hours are Tuesday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon.

COMMUNITY · Registration is open for the sixth annual Berry Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K races to be run Saturday, March 23, at Berry College in Rome. The Berry Half Marathon raises funds for need-based scholarships to the local (Rome) elementary and middle school. Runners have given to Soles4Soles in past years, and organizers plan to continue to support this charity, as well as contribute $1 for each pair of shoes donated to help offset the cost of mailing the shoes to needed destinations. There will be collection boxes set up at race registration March 22 and 23. There will also continue to be a collection site for Medals4Mettle, a non-profit organization that facilitates the gifting of marathon, half marathon, and triathlon finishers’ medals to children and adults fighting debilitating diseases. To register for the 2013 Berry Half Marathon and further information on registration fees, visit: berryhalfmarathon.com.

Saturday, March 16

COMMUNITY · The Elks Lodge is sponsoring a blood drive for Terry Woodard on Saturday, March 16, from 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Donate blood and get a free T-shirt and a chance to win a John Deere Tractor. For more information, call (706) 638-3591.

ENTERTAINMENT · Drs. Deborah Popham and Rebekah Jordan-Miller from Shorter College in Rome team up to provide an evening of opera and classical piano when Dalton State’s Concerts on Campus series presents the pair together in recital at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16, in the Goodroe Auditorium of Gignilliat Memorial Hall in Dalton. Admission is free. Seating is first-com, first served. For more information, call Dr. Ellie Jenkins at 706-272-2528.

COMMUNITY · The Catoosa County Democratic Party will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 16, at Caffeine Addicts Coffee Shop, 7819 Nashville Street in Historic Downtown Ringgold. The public is welcome.

COMMUNITY · The Jarrett Little Memorial Ride will begin at 1 p.m. at Rossville City Park Saturday, March 16. Ride registration begins at 11 a.m. at Rossville City Park. Riders will pay a $15 fee per bike and will have an opportunity to participate in a 50/50 drawing. Proceeds go to the Georgia Fallen Firefighters Foundation. For more information, call Edwin Stevens at 706-463-8615.

COMMUNITY · Ika, the LaFayette-Walker County Public Library’s Reading Dog, is looking for children to come read to her! The Paws to Read program will be held from noon-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 16. Readers of all ages and levels are welcome.

ENTERTAINMENT · Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in greenified style at Shamrock (Rock) City, Saturday and Sunday March 16 and 17, 23 and 24. Rock City hosts this sixth annual Irish festival with Irish food, drinks, bands, jig lessons, and children’s activities.

COMMUNITY · Calling all car, truck and motorcycle enthusiasts! Cruise-ins at Fort Oglethorpe’s Gateway Mall wil begin Saturday, March 16, from 4-8 p.m., and will run the third Saturday of every month through October. There is no charge to show your vehicle and the event is free to the public. In addition, there will be door prizes, a 50/50 cash prize, swap meet, kids’activities, music and food. The Gateway Mall is at exit 353 off I-75. For more information, contact Kathleen Davies at 706-866-4753, or Linda Halpin at 423-290-2400, send an e-mail to gbcenter@att.net or visit FortOGeorgia.com/cruisein.html

CHURCH · New Bethel Baptist Church will hold a singing starting at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 16. The church is at 1635 Salem Valley Road in Ringgold. Appointed Quartet is featured. For more information, call Bobby at 706-935-4208 or Nelson at 706-965-2778.

COMMUNITY · Boot Camp for Dads will be offered from 9-11:30 a.m.9:00 a.m., Saturday, March 16, at Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road, Chattanooga). This session is for first time dads who want to learn more about the upcoming new addition in their family. Topics include diapering, feeding, why babies cry and how to handle it, how you can help the new mom, learn about postpartum depression and general hands-on infant care. A new “veteran” dad is invited (along with his new baby) to the class for question and answer time. Call Erlanger’s HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) to register.

COMMUNITY · The Menlo Housing Resident Association and Reading Buddies Volunteers are hosting a Spring Quilt Show from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the Lawrence Center in Menlo. The show will feature quilting demonstraions, country store, vintage quilt displays, refreshment, door prizes and show entry prizes. General admission is $3. A door prize drawing will be held each hour. For more information, contact Glenda Hamilton at 706-862-2426 or Diane Mealer at 256-294-3663 or suitcase3@hotmailcom.

COMMUNITY · Parkridge East Hospital in East Ridge, Tenn., will offer a breastfeeding class ($15 per couple) – Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m.-noon. 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 Saturday, March 16, from noon-1 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.