American Legion Riders of Post 111 organized a benefit ride for Operation Not Forgotten. The ride started out at Hooters in Hiram and ended at Post 111 of Scoggins Road. Benefit riders were greeted with BBQ, provided by the Happy Hog in Hiram, a raffle, silent auction, and a live band.

Spring has arrived and it is time to search out good plants at a good price. Each year the Paulding County Master Gardeners have a spring plant sale to give the public an opportunity to collect plants at excellent prices, receive education about those plants and help us fund the many projects in which our Master Gardeners are involved.

Jessica Moore the Executive Director of McKenna Farms gave everyone an update and progress report. McKenna Farms has been providing therapy since 2001. Over 500 children receive therapy here on a weekly basis. They currently have 25 therapists on staff and a total of 45 employees.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta recently announced the 2018 lineup for its annual “Power of Words” event. D’Kalyn Morris and I’lasia Brown, young poet, and writers from Paulding have been selected and will be performing their works on stage at the prestigious Woodruff Arts Center. Held Tuesday, April 24, hundreds of community supporters are expected to attend.

The first camp - Kinder Art - will be held June 12, 13, and 14 for ages 4, 5 and 6. This camp will invite little artists to explore their creativity. The curriculum will incorporate art, stories, song, and play. The second camp - Magic of the Arts - will be held June 25-29, and is for children ages 7 to 12.

The Invitational Christmas Parade for 2017 was a great success thanks to the participation of our local community, those businesses and individuals who participate, and our co-coordinators. Paulding Rotary Club president John Grant presented a check for $5000 to Vicki Paris and Shirley Smith of Paulding Christmas.

Labor Commissioner of Georgia Mark Butler addressed Paulding business leaders last week at the Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, which was followed by the presentation of this year’s Industry Appreciation Awards.

Grammy-award winning Guitarist Coy Bowles’ next performance won’t be with the Zac Brown Band in one of its usual concert venues, but in small Georgia Pre-K classrooms in Athens and Dallas. Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.

Here in Georgia young girls, and boys, are being lured via social media (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Kik, or any other web-based application) into a very dark and sinister trap. Mrs. Crawford explained that this is a parents' worst nightmare and can easily happen right under their noses.

UGA Extension office for Paulding offers a wide variety of opportunities including conservation and management of natural resources, agricultural programs water quality and youth leadership. Their ultimate goal is to produce better citizens through clubs and after-school activities that provide education and a wide variety of meaningful activities in science-based learning programs.