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Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Community briefs

Museum of Aviation celebrates 25th year

Amanda Wright Lane, the great-grand niece of Wilbur and Orville Wright, will be one of the guests of honor at the Museum of Aviation’s 25th Anniversary Celebration Dinner on Friday.

The event will start at 6 p.m. at the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame exhibit area, and the dinner and program will start at 7 p.m., according to a news release.

U.S. Air Force Historian Dick Anderegg, past commanders of Robins Air Force Base, former Museum of Aviation officials and Middle Georgia community leaders will be present to help celebrate the history and growth of the museum, which has seen a record 655,892 visitors this year, according to a news release.

The Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve will present a patriotic musical program. Maj. Gen. Polly Peyer, commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, and U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall also are scheduled to attend.

The dinner in the Century of Flight Hangar is open to the public, and tickets are $45 per person. For reservations, call Mary Lynn Harrison at 923-6600.

Energy assistance program open now

Georgia’s regular Energy Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance to help pay home heating costs, is now open for homebound and elderly households.

It will open for all other eligible households Dec. 1.

To participate in the program, households must meet income criteria and be responsible for home heating, according to a news release.

Eligible households must have an income equal to or less than 60 percent of the state median income guidelines.

The state median income for a family of four is $41,266.

The one-time payments will be mailed directly to home energy suppliers.

Payments will average about $345 per household, according to a news release.

For more information, call the Warner Robins Neighborhood Service Center, 1112 S. Davis Drive, at 328-0333.

Hodac collects toys for needy children

Toy collection for the Gateway and Aftercare Christmas Donation Program is underway.

Donors may drop off new, unwrapped toys 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at Hodac, located at 2762 Watson Blvd. in Warner Robins. The toys will be stored in warehouses, sorted by age and gender and delivered to needy children at Christmas time, according to a news release.

Family Christmas wish lists are available at Hodac. To request a wish list, contact bcalloway@hodac.org or call 953-5675, extension 236.

Donations will be accepted until Dec. 22.

Registration open for Garden Academy

Registration is open for the 2010 Garden Academy.

The academy, hosted by the University of Georgia Houston County Extension Office and Houston County Master Gardeners, is a multi-week program designed to help gardeners get the most from their plants, according to a news release.

Garden Academy will be held 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays Jan. 19 through March 4. Classes will be taught in the extension office in the Government Services Building in downtown Perry. The academy costs $120.

For more information and to sign up, call 987-2028 or e-mail mg@uga.edu for a registration form.

Golf tournament raises $330,450

The 20th Annual Georgia Invitational Golf Tournament, held Sept. 24-25, raised $330,450 for the Museum of Aviation Foundation, according to a news release.

The event was held at Pine Oaks Golf Club at Robins Air Force Base, with 340 competitors. The overall winners of the tournament were Jeff Baggett, Stan Gann, Barbara Shaheen and Chuck Shaheen. The 20-year total the golf tournament has brought in is just more than $5 million.

“The overwhelming support for this tournament this year was really gratifying,” Pat Bartness, president and chief operating officer of the foundation, said in a news release. “The generous support each year for this tournament helps keep the Museum of Aviation one of the best aviation museums in America which honors the history and contributions of our armed forces.”

Flu shots offered at fall festival

Andrew United Methodist Church will hold its fall festival 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

There will be a craft fair with vendors from around the state, a community-wide yard sale and gently-worn clothing sale for $2 per bag. Inflatables and hayrides will be available for children.

There also will be health screenings, flu shots at various prices and H1N1 (swine flu) shots for free.

To rent a lot for $10 to sell yard sale items, contact 808-6035.

The church is located at 2430 Ga. 127 in Kathleen.

Monsanto gives farming tips

The Monsanto Mobile Technology Unit has rolled into Middle Georgia. The tractor-trailer features hands-on agriculture exhibits showing how the Monsanto agricultural company uses technology in plant breeding, biotechnology and new product innovations, according to a news release.

The unit will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Friday. It is located near the Health and Physical Education Complex on Fort Valley State University’s campus.

Monsanto educators will give tours of exhibits in the unit, which features a high-definition theater, interactive stations, displays, models and video presentations.

Breast cancer event raises $4,000

The “Breast Cancer Bunko” event held Oct. 22 raised $4,000 for breast cancer support.

Proceeds were given to the Central Georgia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. More than 200 people attended the event, according to a news release.

This was the second year of the fundraiser, put on by Color Me Pink and a committee of 15 people that included breast cancer survivors.

— Staff reports