Thursday, Feb. 21

COMMUNITY · The Chickamauga Public Library will hold a “Ready to R.E.A.D” story time program at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 21. The library is at 306 Cove Road in Chickamauga.

COMMUNITY · The Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce will kick-off its Leadership Alumni Association on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. at the Ringgold Depot in downtown Ringgold. Desserts and coffee will be served and guest speakers will be James Howard and Kim Carson from Sunny 92.3 radio. The cost for membership is $50 per year. If you are a graduate of Leadership Catoosa you are eligible for membership in the association. Call 706-965-5201 for more information and to RSVP. There is no charge for Alumni Association members to attend, however there is a $25 charge for non members. You may also join the evening of the event.

EDUCATION · Berry College is offering a drunk driving and distracted driving education program for students. The Arrive Alive Tour from UNITE will visit Berry College, at 2277 Martha Berry Highway, at Mount Berry (Rome), on Feb. 21, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. If you have any questions, or for more information, please call Patrick DeGrasse at 888-436-3394. UNITE’s Arrive Alive program uses a high-tech simulator, impact video, and a number of other resources to educate students about the dangers of drunk driving and texting while driving. The simulator allows students to experience, in a controlled environment, the potential consequences of drunk and distracted driving.

COMMUNITY · The Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will host Mid-Day Café, a family caregiver lunch and learn, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Chattooga County Library, 360 Farrar Drive, Summerville. Call 800-272-3900 to register. Admission is free. The Mid-Day Café provides caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias an opportunity to interact with other family caregivers. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to learn from Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, Susan Greene. Susan will present “The Basics – Memory Loss, Dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease,” and will answer caregiver questions. The Mid-Day Cafe is free for family caregivers and includes lunch.

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 · Bill Lennie, president of The Home Depot Canada, is the featured speaker at the Berry College Executive Round Table on Feb. 21. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Krannert Ballroom where students will have an opportunity to network with business professionals about future internships and careers as well as hear the guest speaker. Lennie, who began his career at Home Depot in 1992, is responsible for the sales and operations of more than 170 stores and leads a team of approximately 28,000 associates. Cost is $30 per person or $250 to sponsor a corporate table. Please register by Feb. 12 by following the link: Campbell.berry.edu/ERT For more information, contact alex.livingston@vikings.berry.edu.

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.

COMMUNITY · Berry College accounting students will offer free tax assistance, to families and individuals with moderate levels of income. VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) is designed by the IRS to assist families to complete their annual tax returns free of charge. This marks the fourth year that Berry has offered the student-operated program. Through VITA, students acquire firsthand experience with tax preparation and client relationships in addition to continuously researching and getting familiar with changing tax laws. To make an appointment, email freetaxes@berry.edu or call (706) 236-2233. Hours of operation are Fridays from 3-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11a.m.- 4 p.m. in the Campbell School of Business, Room 109.

Friday, Feb. 22

COMMUNITY · The Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting for Laura Geddie State Farm Insurance at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at 5636 Battlefield Parkway in Ringgold.

ENTERTAINMENT · Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga (ETC) will present Martin McDonagh's black comedy, “The Pillowman,” from Feb. 8-24. Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. All performances will be held 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 · 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 · 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 · Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Week, is Feb. 17-23. Farm Bureau volunteers and staff will focus on spreading the word about how consumers can stretch their grocery dollars with healthy, nutritious food. To celebrate the safe and affordable food supply our country enjoys, Catoosa County Farm Bureau is participating in a statewide Food Check-Out Week event and will donate $100 to the Georgia Farm Bureau Women’s Committee, the sponsor of the statewide effort, to help assist visiting families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Atlanta.

Saturday, Feb. 23

COMMUNITY · The La Fayette-Walker County Public Library is continuing its new monthly series of Teen Programming called DIY Teen. February’s program will be hosted on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 1 p.m. The month’s theme is DIY Teen: Cake Decorating with “Cakeboss” Bo Eubanks.

COMMUNITY · A prom dress resale and vendor showcase will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Heritage High School gym. Sellers can drop off gently used dresses, shoes and handbags Saturday, Feb. 16 and Feb. 23, from 11 am.-3 p.m. Cash or checks only. No credit cards will be accepted. All sales are final, no refunds or returns. Entrance fee of $2 gets each attendee one raffle ticket. For more information, contact Rhonda Cox at 423-987-7175 or rcox0310@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY · In commemoration of Black History Month, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park ranger Lee White will speak about the important roles African Americans played in seizing their freedom. The event will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Chickamauga Visitor Center. For more information, call 706-866-9241 or visit nps.gov/chch.

COMMUNITY · An African American celebration will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Walker County Civic Center in Rock Spring. The theme is, “The Legacy of African Americans: The Past, The Present, The Future.” “Let’s Make A Difference,” headed by Rev. Dr. Willie Womble CEO, is sponsoring the event.

COMMUNITY · Express Regional Soccer Association (ERSA) in Rossville, formerly located at Camp Jordan, will hold sign-ups for the 2013 spring season at the Rossville Athletic Center Stadium Field, 301 Williams Street, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, with a late sign-up on March 2, and from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, with a late sign-up on March 3. Ages U4-U19 and all levels of experience welcome. U4/6 costs $70, and U8-U19 costs $j80 and includes a uniform set. Adult leagues are available. Player fee is $60. Contact Chris Carpenter, director of adults, at 2coachchris@gmail.com.

ENTERTAINMENT · The Georgia Winery will host its third annual Wine & Chocolate Open House every Saturday in February from noon-4 p.m. A Wine & Chocolate Pairing class that will take place every Saturday at 3 p.m. During the class there will be pairings of five Georgia Wines and five Dove Chocolates. Those who attend will also take home a souvenir wine glass. Classes are $20. Reservations are recommended and tickets can be purchased online from the Winery’s website. Following the Pairing Class, at 4 p.m. will be a Winery Tour. Tours are $15 and include a behind the scenes look at how their wine is made, a tasting flight of their two organic wines, a cheese and cracker tray and a souvenir glass. For more information, call 706-937-9463.

ENTERTAINMENT · Lyerly United Methodist Church will have a free movie night on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. “National Treasure,” will be shown. Free refreshments will be served halfway through the movie. All ages are invited. Call Michelle Floyd at 706-676-5645.