Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010

Community Notes

'Boots, Bands and Bulls'

The second annual Boots, Bands and Bulls benefit concert will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 11, at the Longbranch of Raleigh.

This year's event will feature 2009 Clayton Idol winner, Scott McCreery of Garner, Nashville artist Kevin Lee from Henderson and national recording artist Jason Michael Carroll from Wake Forest. The event will incude carnival games, children's entertainment, food and drinks and arts and crafts.

The event is hosted by Brittany's Battle Inc., a nonprofit agency founded in honor of Brittany Coppedge, a 19-year-old Garner resident who died in 2006 after battling cancer. Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for seniors and military personnel; and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. For more details, or to order tickets go to www.BootsBandsandBulls.com. To find out about sponsoring the event, call Tammy Coppedge at 919-621-2721 or e-mail tammyc@brittanysbattle.org.

Senior health fair

The 20th annual Senior Health Fair will be held from 9 a.m. till noon Friday, March 12, at Garner Senior Center, 205 E. Garner Road. The event, co-sponsored by the senior center and Resources for Seniors, will include free health screenings. For more details, call 919-779-0122.

Johnston County GOP

The Johnston County Republican Party will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, at the White Swan Restaurant Annex, 3156 S. Bright Leaf Blvd., Smithfield. For more details, call chairman Andrew Tyree at 919-634-0015.

Diabetes class

Dine and Take Charge of Your Diabetes is a five-week class that meets from 6 till 8 p.m. starting March 4. The course will give attendees practical information, including recipes for diabetics. The cost is $15 per person. Each evening will include a cooking demonstration. The event will be held at the Johnston County Extension Service, 2736 N.C. 210, Smithfield.

Attendees must register in advance. For more details, call 919-989-5380, send an e-mail to debra_stroud@ncsu.edu or go to www.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=events&event_id=3312.

Summer fun fair

The Town of Garner's parks and recreation department will host a summer fun fair from 10 a.m. till noon Saturday, March 6, at the Avery Street Recreation Center, 125 Avery St. The fair will give families the chance to learn about upcoming summer camps and activities in Garner and the surrounding area. For more details, call the recreation department at 919-890-7300.

Relay golf tournament

The Relay Road Runners team will host a golf tournament at noon March 19, at the Riverwood Golf Course in Clayton. All proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

To participate, mail name, address, phone number and a check for $65 made out to American Cancer Society to Hearbert Locklear, 213 Fawn Lane, Clayton, N.C. 27527. The deadline for payment is March 1.

Garner grows

A meeting about Garner Grows, a project to create the town's first community garden, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, at Southeast Regional Library. For more details, go to garnergrows.com or call 919-285-1DIG.

Asthma Fair

To celebrate World Asthma Day and Asthma Awareness Month, the Wake County Asthma Coalition is hosting an asthma fair from 9 a.m. till noon Saturday, April 10, at WakeMed's Andrews Conference Center, 3024 New Bern Ave. Free parking will be available at the center.

Haiti fundraiser

A recent fundraiser for Haitian earthquake victims raised more than $1,500. Revolution Self Defense in Clayton had a goal to raise $1,000. Students participated in a kick-a-thon where they received pledges for kicks. The money will be donated to the U.S. fund for UNICEF.

Garden volunteers

The Johnston Community College Arboretum will dedicate several rows of spring and fall vegetables to feed the hungry.

The arboretum is seeking volunteers to help tend the vegetables, which will go to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. To prepare volunteers, the arboretum staff will conduct informal gardening sessions from 10 till 11 a.m. Thursdays.

For more information, or to sign up, call Lin Frye, arboretum director, at 209-2052, or Minda Daughtry, technician, at 209-2184.

Newcomers to meet

The Clayton Newcomers and Neighbors Club will meet at 7 p.m. today (Wednesday, Feb. 24) in the Rotary Room at The Clayton Center, 111 E. 2nd St., Clayton. Jim Lee will speak. He has flown supplies to earthquake-stricken Haiti. For more information, call club president Margaret Lee at 359-6003 or visit claytonnewcomers.com.

Blood drive

A blood drive is scheduled from 2:30 till 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at Lighthouse Christian Academy, 2850 Old Fairground Road near McGee's Crossroads. For more details, call Becky Shearer at 919-868-0361.

Food drive

From March 1 to 31, Curves locations in Johnston County will collect nonperishable food items and monetary donations for local food banks. Curves members who donate a bag of groceries or $30 will receive a reusable grocery freezer bag. Non-members who do likewise between March 8 and 20 can join Curves for free. In Johnston County, Curves are located at 1252 N. Bright Leaf Blvd., Smithfield; 27 Annette Drive, Suite 101, near N.C. 210 and Interstate 40 in the McGee's Crossroads community; 181 N.C. 42 East, Clayton; and 201-B E. Main St., Benson.

Fruit trees

A workshop on training and pruning fruit trees is scheduled from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at the Central Crops Research Station, 13223 U.S. 70 Business, Clayton. Dr. Mike Parker will demonstrate proper pruning of apple and peach trees. To register, call the Cooperative Extension Service at 919-989-5380 or send an e-mail to shawn_banks@ncsu.edu.

Dance in Clayton

A Spring Fling dance is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, March 13, at the American Legion building in Clayton. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For tickets, call Effie Sanders at 919-231-1500 or Lillie Kirby at 919-934-7821. The dance is a project of the Cooper Heritage Alumni and the Friends Association. Proceeds will go to a scholarship fund and community projects.

A trip for seniors

On March 30, the Selma Parks and Recreation Department invites older adults to travel to Chinqua Penn Plantation near Reidsville. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the plantation includes a 27-room English country manor filled with furnishings from 30 countries. Surrounding the house are 22 acres of gardens and landscaping. The cost is $35. An optional winery tour is $5. The deadline to register is March 3. For more details, call 919-975-1411.

Ornamental trees

A workshop on pruning ornamental trees is scheduled from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m.Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Johnston County Agricultural Center, 2736 N.C. 210, Smithfield. Doug White of the N.C. Forest Service will conduct the workshop, which will include hands-on practice. To register, call the Cooperative Extension Service at 919-989-5380 or e-mail shawn_banks@ncsu.edu.

Farmers market

The Garner Revitalization Association will open a farmers market this spring. Anyone interested in selling locally grown produce or other products should e-mail downtowngarner@nc.rr.com or go to downtowngarner.com and click the "contact us" link.

Little Relay Stars

The Johnston County Relay for Life is accepting applications for its 2010 Little Relay Stars Baby Photo Contest. The contest is open to Johnston County residents who will be no older than 24 months on June 4. Applications are available at Four Oaks Bank branches, online at jcncrelay.org or via fax by calling Cindy Blackwelder at 919-963-1146. The deadline to enter is April 19.

Black history

A Black History Month program is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, 305 E. Market St., Smithfield. The program will feature speakers and music.

4-H Alumni

The Johnston County 4-H Alumni Association will hold its annual meeting and dinner at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at the Agricultural Building, 2736 N.C. 210, Smithfield. Dr. Ed Maxa of N.C. State University will speak on the future of 4-H in North Carolina. A buffet will offer marinated chicken, pork loin, green beans, potatoes, stewed apples and dessert. The cost is $12. For more information, call Lori McBryde, 4-H agent, at 989-5380.