AARP

AARP Chapter No. 2564 meets Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 10 a.m. at First Bank, 205 E. Broad St., Southern Pines.

The program will be presented by Terri Protts, director of the Moore County Department of Aging.

AARP meets the third Tuesday of each month, except July and August.

Browns Backers

The Cleveland Browns Backers of the Sandhills, a club made up of loyal Cleveland Browns football fans living in the Sandhills area, meets at 4:15 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, at Easys Sports Bar and Grill (215-0346), in Olmsted Village Shopping Center, next to Nina's restaurant. The Browns will play the Washington Redskins.

For information, call Fred at 295-6480 or visit www.brownsbackersofthesandhills.com.

Civil War Round Table

The Rufus Barringer Civil War Round Table meets at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Southern Pines Civic Club, located at the corner of Ashe Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

The speaker is Sheridan Barringer, whose topic is "The Life and Times of Brig. Gen Rufus Barringer."

For information, call 315-1213.

Holly Branch

The Holly Branch of the Pinehurst Garden Club met Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the Village Hall.

After the business and planning meeting, speaker Karen Backall, MPT, was introduced.

Backall spoke to the club about how to protect the back and knees when gardening, demonstrating "dos and don'ts" on how to sit, stand and work in ways to reduce injuries.

MCARS

The Moore County Amateur Radio Society will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, on the lower level of the Moore County Emergency Operations Center, Carthage.

The meeting will summarize the club's participation in assisting in communications for the Pinehurst Triathalon and share details regarding the technician licensing class being offered.

"Everyone with an interest in amateur radio is welcome to attend," says a spokesman.

For further information, contact James Johnson, PIO, at (910) 400-3019.

Seven Lakes Lions

Seven Lakes Lions meet Thursday, Oct. 16, at the West Side Community Center. The social time begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m.

The guest speaker is Carolyn C. Register, member of the Board of Trustees for Boys and Girls Homes of N.C. Inc. Register is a North Carolina native who has a bachelor's degree in home economics education and a master's in adult education from N.C. State University. She has served as an associate professor at N.C. State and has taught heritage craft classes for 17 years. She serves on numerous boards.

This meeting is open to the community.

For reservations, call Roger at 673-0845.

S.P. Garden Club

The Southern Pines Garden Club met Monday, Sept. 22, at the home of Mary Alice Gozzi. Gozzi, Joyce White, Suzanne Daughtridge, and Mary Joe Worth hosted the meeting.

A short business meeting was held before the program. "Christmas at Weymouth" was discussed. Jackie Garris, Kea Meacham, Billy Ann Peterson, Andrea Wise Leach, and Mary Schwab agreed to serve on the committee to decorate the front entrance of Weymouth.

The club's Spring Home and Garden Tour, which is scheduled for April 8, was discussed. The club has held the tour for over 50 years. The committee is in the process of securing homes to be shown.

The profits from the tour go to the beautification of Southern Pines and other worthy causes. The club gives a $3,000 scholarship to the Sandhills Community College horticultural programs every year.

The speaker for the program was Taylor Williams, a Moore County agricultural agent. He spoke about farmers markets in this area and introduced the club members to Lovacore, an organization founded in 2007 by four women. The purpose of the organization is to get people to eat food grown in a 100-mile radius from where they live.

The next meeting will be held at the home of Susan Rice, who has the Truffles Farm in Vass. Hostesses for the meeting will be Patsy Bonsal, Joan Meade, and Alice Robbins.

Vass Lions

On Oct. 2, the Vass Lions Club welcomed Lakisha Williams. Under the auspices of the North Carolina Community College System, she had participated in a program held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Here she received training that prepared her to be a "Holocaust Educator."

Williams, an honor student at UNC Pembroke, spoke on the continuing impact of the Holocaust. She explained that teaching and learning about the Holocaust, and about the society that allowed these crimes to occur is crucial to building awareness about current episodes of genocide happening in various parts of the world today.

In the business meeting that followed, Dan Heib received a certificate of appreciation for a job well done in planning and coordinating the Vision Van project. This project provides free vision checkups for local citizens.

Women of Weymouth

Bea O'Rand will present the program for the Oct. 20 Women of Weymouth meeting. She will speak on the topic "One Family's Legacy -- the Boyds," giving the story of the Boyd family and the history of the house that is now the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities.

Born in County Durham, England, O'Rand came to the United States in 1946, where she lived first in Texas and then in California before moving to North Carolina in 1995. She evacuated to Cambridge, England, during World War II and attended the University of London.

Later, she received her bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Texas, Austin, followed by her master's degree in education from California State University in San Francisco. She spent 30 years as an educator in California.

O'Rand participates in a number of community activities in the Sandhills. She is a Master Gardener volunteer in Moore County and works with the Weymouth Dirt Gardeners to maintain the garden and grounds.

She also serves on the board of the Sandhills Community College Horticultural Gardens.

She belongs to the American Association of University Women and the local League of Women Voters and is a representative of the League of Women Voters on the Ruth Pauley Lecture Series board.

O'Rand acted as president of the Friends of Weymouth board from 2003-2004, and she continues to serve as a member of the board as chairman of the Boyd Library/Hunt Room FOW Archives/Oral History committee.

Taking an interest in the history of the Boyd family, O'Rand has conducted an oral history study of members of the community who knew the Boyds.

She recently participated as a speaker at "The Best of Our State" three-day seminar held at the Carolina Hotel in July.

"This will be an interesting and informative talk on the legacy of the family and house that we all enjoy today," says the program chairman. "Members are encouraged to come and guests are welcome."

The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. with a coffee time, followed by the business meeting at 10 a.m. and the program.

Linden Garden Club

The Linden Garden Club of Pinewild held its opening meeting Sept. 18 at Pinewild Country Club. Vice-President/Program Chairman Jane Waldemar introduced Donna Hefton, who presented an informative presentation on the variety of birds in this area and how to attract them into yards with birdbaths and bird houses to create a friendly environment.

The meeting was opened by Jeanne Leone, president, who welcomed the members back after a summer hiatus. After the business meeting was conducted, many members enjoyed a delicious luncheon.

The next meeting is 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Pinewild Country Club.

A workshop on Christmas ornaments will be conducted to prepare for the decorating of Weymouth House. This activity is always a creative and fun event led by Nona Burrell and Renee Scesa. They may be contacted for further information or questions.

Members are reminded to contact Dawn Munday to make reservations prior to the meeting.