Tuesday, Feb. 5

COMMUNITY · Rock Spring Athletic Association will hold Baseball and Softball sign ups every Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through Feb. 16, at Rock Spring Elementary School. For ages are 3-12.

COMMUNITY · The LaFayette-Walker County Public Library will have their Ready to Read Story Time on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 10:30 a.m. This program prepares children for school with books, songs, games and activities.

COMMUNITY · Two free eight-hour series of basic diabetes management classes are being offered by the Walker County Health Department. The first series will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb. 5 and 7, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Chickamauga Public Library. The second series will be on Fridays, Feb. 15 and 22, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the health department in LaFayette. Call 706-638-5577 to register.

COMMUNITY · The first Wash Me Pink Color Run to benefit Susan G. Komen will be held Saturday, March 9. The 5K color run course begins at 9 a.m. at 1104 Redwine Cove, in Dalton. Registration is from 7 a.m.-8:45 a.m. Color washers will douse participants with Komen color at the color stations strategically placed throughout the course. Parking passes cost $5 if pre-purchased and $10 at the venue, and are required for each car. Visit washmepink.com.

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 · Entries in the annual DNR “Give Wildlife a Chance” poster contest must be postmarked by Wednesday, March 27. This year’s theme is “Everyone can be a citizen scientist.” The contest is open to kindergarten through fifth-grade students in public and private schools and homeschool groups. Participants enter at the local school level with drawings that depict their observations of Georgia’s native nongame animals and plants. Visit georgiawildlife.com/PosterContest or botgarden.uga.edu for more information.

COMMUNITY · An introduction to beekeeping class will be taught by Randy Rolen, Journeyman Beekeeper. To register, call Continuing Education at 706-295-6963, at Georgia Northwestern Technical College. The class will be held at the GNTC Gordon County Campus, 1151 Highway 53 Spur, in Calhoun, Saturday, Feb. 9, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Cost is $49.

CHURCH · A year-round Parents Day Out program will be offered from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, at Rock Spring United Methodist Church, 3477 Peavine Road in Rock Spring. Children ages 6 months to 5 years old may participate. Bring your child to socialize and play in a Christian environment. There is no registration fee. Cost is $12 a day per child, or $10 a day per child for two or more siblings. Call 706-764-1404 for more information.

COMMUNITY · Dalton Science Café, informal get-togethers on all things science, is held from 7-8 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at the Dalton Freight Depot. On Tuesday, Feb. 5, the program is “Aquatic life in Northwest Georgia.”

ENTERTAINMENT · Award-winning singer/songwriter Chinua (pronounced Shin-Wa) Hawk will perform a free concert at Dalton State College, Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Goodroe Auditorium of Gignilliat Memorial Hall. Seating is first-come, first-served.

COMMUNITY · Girl Scouts have started taking orders for Girl Scout cookies. Orders will be taken through Feb. 10. Cookie deliveries and booth sales are March 1 - 24. For more information, visit girlscoutcsa.org or call 1-800-474-1912.

COMMUNITY · LaFayette Parks and Recreation Department will offer line dance lessons for beginners and advanced students Mondays and Tuesdays at the Max Stoker facility. Learn the two-step, the cha cha, waltz, mumbo and salsa. No partner needed. For more information, contact Vicky Jones at 706-639-5401.

COMMUNITY · The Tennessee Small Business Development Center will offer a series of QuickBooks classes during the year at 100 Cherokee Boulevard, Chattanooga. QuickBooks set-up and for beginners classes will begin Tuesday, Feb. 12. QuickBooks set-up is from 8 a.m.-noon and QuickBooks for beginners is from 1-5 p.m. The cost is $95 for each class, and is due prior to the day of class. Class size is limited to 10. To register call 423-756-8668.

Wednesday, Feb. 6

COMMUNITY · Seniors and Friends of Fort Oglethorpe meet from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, at Constitution Hall on Forrest Road in Fort Oglethorpe, for games, crafts, refreshments and blood pressure and blood sugar checks. For information or transportation, call Peggy Stanfield at 706-866-1369.

COMMUNITY · LaFayette Parks and Recreation Department will offer zumba classes Wednesdays at the Max Stoker facility from 5:30-6:30 p.m. For more information, call Gabriel Dudley at 423-413-0958.

COMMUNITY · A Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery seminar will be held from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, at Erlanger Baroness (Plaza Surgery waiting room). Area residents who are overweight and /or with health problems related to obesity are invited to learn more about the Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Center at Erlanger. It is a free seminar and registration is required. Call Erlanger’s HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) to register.Visit Erlanger’s You Tube Channel at www.youtube.com/erlangerhealth and click The Weight Loss Program under Playlist to watch first-hand accounts from those who have gone through the program.

COMMUNITY · Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has partnered with local libraries to host Reading with Ringling Brothers. All branches of the Cherokee Regional Library System will be participating. Children who read five books will be rewarded with a free ticket to the circus at Philips Arena in Atlanta for Feb. 13-18. Children must be aged 2-12 to participate. Stop by your Walker or Dade County public library today to register for the program.

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.

COMMUNITY · The Veterans of All Wars Museum, at 71 Red Belt Road in Chickamauga, will be closed through Thursday, Feb. 28, and will reopen Friday, March 1. The museum has a collection of guns and other memorabilia on display. The museum was founded by Robert H. Honeycutt, a WWII veteran, POW, and survivor of the 800 mile German death march. Call Randy Culbreth at 423-488-4789 for more information.

Thursday, Feb. 7

COMMUNITY · The Walker County Chamber’s Young Professionals Council (adults age 40 and younger) will meet from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at The Hideaway (Formerly Rockamauga Bar & Grille), 96 Fieldstone Village Drive, in Rock Spring. The Walker County Young Professionals Council aims to enhance the quality of life for the Walker County community by connecting young, working people to the county civically, professionally and socially. Bring your business cards, bring some friends and socialize with other young professionals from Northwest Georgia. This event is free to attend and non-members are also invited.

ENTERTAINMENT · Swedish soprano Stina Ohman will perform in the Berry College Ford Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7. This event is free and open to the public. Ohman will be accompanied on the piano by Jacksonville State University faculty pianist Wendy Faughn.

COMMUNITY · Parkridge East Hospital in East Ridge, Tenn., will offer a breastfeeding class ($15 per couple) – Thursday, 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 · Cholestech Lipid and Glucose screenings will be offered from 8 a.m.-noon Thursday, Feb. 7, at Erlanger East (Gunbarrel Road) in Chattanooga. A lipid panel will show HDL, LDL, Total cholesterol, non-HDL, cholesterol ratio and triglycerides. A 12-hour fast is required to produce an accurate result. No eating or drinking coffee prior to the test, but please drink water the night before and morning of testing. Reservations are required, no walk-ins will be taken. Lipid plus Glucose is $25. Call Erlanger’s HealthLink at (423) 778-LINK (5465) for information.

COMMUNITY · Man to Man Support Group begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at Erlanger Baroness. This support group is for spouses, friends and patients who have prostate cancer. For more information, call (423) 855-2778.

COMMUNITY · A Diabetes Education Class will be held from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at Erlanger Chattanooga Lifestyle Center. This class will explore ways to manage diabetes. Call 778-9400 for more information on physician referral and insurance reimbursement.

COMMUNITY · Pilates - helps reduce stress and tension, restores natural balance, improves circulation, range of motion, strength and flexibility. Certified instructor Denise McGaughey offers classes every Monday mornings at 8:30 a.m. and Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. at Boynton United Methodist Church. Cost is $33 per month or a flex-pass is available. For more information, go to BoyntonUMC.org or call 423-779-4468. Boynton United Methodist is located at 4246 Boynton Drive in Ringgold, two miles west of I-75, south of Battlefield Parkway at Pine Grove and Boynton.