Aberdeen Home and Garden

The Aberdeen Home and Garden Club met Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the Inn at the Bryant House, with Grace Brigman as hostess. There were 13 members and one guest present. Frances Marks, vice president, called the meeting to order, and Barbara Greer led the club collect.

Jenny Veasey, program chairman, introduced Bryan Gordon, a graduate of East Carolina University and coordinator for the Aberdeen Parks and Recreation Department. This department has six full-time employees with activities in four Aberdeen parks: Aberdeen Lake, Colonial Heights, Sharpe, and Berkley.

The Aberdeen Lake Park houses the new Recreation Station, which opened in June of this year. Many of the activities sponsored by the department such as bingo, chair exercises, and an after-school program, take place in this building on a regular basis. The four main rooms in this building are open for rental to citizens of Aberdeen and the surrounding communities. Information may be found on the Aberdeen Web site.

The recreation department also sponsors many special events as the Halloween Carnival, Breakfast in the Park, Supper with Santa, the Christmas parade and tree lighting, and Arbor Day. Volunteer opportunities are available. Trips to various locations are in the planning stages.

Following the program, Janet Kenworthy, president, conducted the business meeting. Committee reports were given: pansies are being planted in the Aberdeen Post Office garden, the garden club award was placed in one location during the past month, Ella Ruth Clark was added to the honorary member lists, and plans were discussed for the Dec. 16 meeting at the Postmaster's House, with Fay Honeycutt and Harriet Sloan as hostesses.

Seven Lakes Kiwanis

At its Oct. 14 meeting, Wendy Russell, the Lt. Governor for the District that includes Moore County, and also current president of the Aktion Club, spoke to the Seven Lakes Kiwanis.

Russell was formerly president of the Sandhills chapter in Pinehurst, and, in 1994, was instrumental in forming the Aktion Club in Moore County. The Aktion Club is composed of people with mental or retardation problems but with the capacity of contributing to the activities of the club, many of which are similar to those of the various Kiwanis Clubs, and that give the members an opportunity to work on projects that involve interaction with the community.

Speaking about her involvement with Kiwanis International, Russell commented that the international president had recently established the very ambitious goal of 1,000,000 members by 2015. That translates into 18,000 members in the Carolinas District where currently there are about 10,000 members. She outlined her "Three R" program for attracting new members: recruiting, relevance, and revitalization.

She remarked that every Kiwanian will have to act as "membership chairman" during the next seven years if the million-member goal is to be met.

Seven Lakes Kiwanis meets every Tuesday at noon at the Seven Lakes CC, and visitors are always welcome.

Browns Backers

The Cleveland Browns Backers of the Sandhills, a club made up of loyal Cleveland Browns football fans living in the Sandhills area, meet every time the Browns play a game. The local chapter meets at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at Easy's Sports Bar and Grill (215-0346), at 211 A. Central Park Dr. in Olmsted Village shopping center next to Nina's restaurant. The Browns play the Baltimore Ravens.

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

College Club

The College Club will have its second luncheon of the 2008-09 year Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Pinewild Country Club. The featured speaker will be Patricia "Trish" Parker, a certified personal trainer. Her topic will be "Pilates, Yoga, and QiGong: How you can benefit from the gifts they offer."

Parker is actively involved in teaching at FirstHealth Center for Health and Fitness in Pinehurst and at the Awakened Heart Center in Southern Pines.

The College Club has been in operation for 20 years. The requirement for membership is a degree from a four-year institution. The College Club members expand their knowledge through various speakers, programs, and interest groups, as well as providing two scholarships at the end of the year. These two scholarships will go to either an academically proficient female high-school graduate entering a four-year accredited college or university for the first time, or to a deserving woman who is seeking to further her education at a four-year institution.

The club has six yearly luncheons with speakers or entertainment included. The dates and times of the luncheon meetings, as well as the location and price of the luncheons are published at least two weeks prior to each event.

For further information, contact Katharine Bozarth, vice president and membership chairman, at (910) 255-6286.

S.P. Civic Club

The Southern Pines Civic Club plans a variety of programs for 2008-2009, on topics ranging from elections to medicine, fashion, and genealogy.

All programs are open, free, to the public. The club holds meetings starting at 1 p.m. for the general public and membership at its historic building, 105 S. Ashe St.

Appropriately for the Nov. 4 election, the club's next regular monthly meeting falls on Monday, Nov. 3.

This election eve program is on the history of women voting, presented by SPCC Board member Suzanne Coleman. Coleman is the club's community relations chairperson. She spearheaded last year's candidates' forum held for the odd-year municipal elections, and for the first time ever, expanded to include speakers on the fall, 2007 educational bond issue on the same ballot. For the first time, the club's annual council candidates' fall forum was co-sponsored with the League of Women Voters of Moore County, to attract audience from all over the county for the additional bond issue forum.

The club's festive pre-holiday meeting Dec. 1 will be a luncheon meeting starting at noon, with speaker Joan Hart, with an interactive Christmas decoration program with the audience.

On Jan. 5, 2009, the 1 p.m. meeting program will be presented by a representative from the pharmacy at FirstHealth of the Carolinas at Moore Regional Hospital on "PolyPharmacy." This concept is likely to be new to many members of the audience.

The Feb. 2 meeting will be another luncheon meeting at noon, with speaker Lauri Williams from Sandhills Community College, speaking on the Senior Program.

Hats, hats, and more hats will be the topic of March 9 at 1 p.m., from designer Janet Kenworthy, who will explore spring fashions with the audience.

On April 6, genealogy will be the topic by speakers Jill Bonacci and Dorothy Shankle, both SPCC Board members. Shankle has long been active in the Moore County Historical Association and is a descendant of Squire Shaw, who built the Shaw House and owned many acres of property that morphed into Southern Pines in 1886. Bonacci is a retiree from the Midwest, and handles hospitality plus ways and means committees for the Club projects. She and her husband are tireless community volunteers. She brings her own "take" on genealogy to what promises to be an informative and stimulating program starting at 1 p.m.

The club program year winds up May 4 with the traditional luncheon meeting starting at noon, followed by the election and installation of officers for the 2009-2010 year.

The club welcomes visitors and new members. For more information, call (910) 692-3719.

Ladies Special Events

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, Ladies Special Events will have luncheon at the Pinehurst Member's Club, followed by a program by Alice and Vertrees Hollingsworth, who will star in "I'm Herbert," a one-act comedy from Robert Anderson's "You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running."

Alice Hollingsworth has sung and acted from a young age, has a couple of degrees in music education from the University of Kentucky, raised four children, taught music and acting, played church organs, and has sung in choirs all over the U.S. and some in Spain. She is happy now to be acting, playing the organ, and singing in Moore County with the Moore County Choral Society, the Note-A-Belles, and her church choir, among others. She has appeared in several local theater productions.

Vertrees Hollingsworth is a family physician, health-care organization administrator, teacher, and retired naval officer. He has a bachelor's degree from Yale, a master's degree in management and an M.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He has taught family medicine residents and students, and was an administrator from Spain to Japan. Retired now, he enjoys traveling. He also has appeared in many local theater productions. His mother was a playwright who took him to the theater when he was young, and he has been acting ever since 1943. He is the chairman of the local branch of English-Speaking Union's Shakespeare Competition in the county's high schools.

Beginning with complimentary wine or juice in the main lobby at noon, lunch will be served in the main dining room at 12:30.

Reservations should be made by calling 235-8100, hitting the No. 1 as soon as the recording comes on.

There is an elevator to the second floor for any who need it.

For more information, or suggestions or questions about Ladies Special Events, call Cynthia Strecker, chairman, at 295-8828.

Kennel Club

The Moore County Kennel Club's monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Table On The Green. The restaurant is located at Midland Country Club on Midland Road in Pinehurst. This will be the last formal meeting of the year, as next month the club will have its annual Christmas meeting.

The members will discuss the AKC Agility Trials at Corgi Hill, which were held in October.

Moore County Kennel Club is constantly on the lookout for new members.

"Whether you are someone who shows dogs, are a breeder, would like to know more about showing or are simply a dog lover, MCKC is the club for you," says a spokesman. "The club members are also involved in activities other than breed showing, for example: obedience, agility, rally, field trials, herding and 'earthdog' are just an example of those activities that keep the club and its members on the go."

For information, call Nick Lynn at (910) 947-1748 or Nona Burrell at (910) 295-3909.

Women of the Pines

On Sept. 17, the Women of the Pines met at the Pinehurst Member's Club.

Don Sweeting, executive vice president of golf and club operations, Pinehurst Country Club, was the guest speaker.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Pinehurst Member's Club. Aldena Fry, a local florist, will show members how to make holiday arrangements.

The meeting starts at 11:30 for socializing, lunch at noon.

If you would like to attend the meeting, call Francine Crumbaugh at 281-4905.

Pointing Breeds

The Sandhills Pointing Breeds Club will hold its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. on the club grounds, 3280 Jackson Springs Road, Jackson Springs.

The club usually meets the first Tuesday of every month from September through May.

The SPBC is open to anyone interested in the pointing dog breeds. Dog ownership is not required.

For more information about the club, contact Donna Boyce at dboyce@nc.rr.com or at (910) 246-0190.

Vass Lions Club

Dr. Susan Purser, superintendent of schools for Moore County, was the guest speaker at the Oct. 16 Vass Lions Club meeting. She updated the club members on Phase I of the Moore County Schools Master Facilities Plan. Her main topic was "How should we measure school success?"

Purser explained that we are looking at three forces coming together: today's students, federal regulations and community expectations. She is hoping to turn what could be a problem into a positive by reaching out to the community to learn more about their expectations.

Purser describes today's students as driven by different factors from those that influenced earlier generations. Students today are surrounded by technology that helps them search for meaning and relevance in their learning. They thrive on working together to achieve success.

"The No Child Left Behind Act, in contrast, focuses on one-time tests to evaluate success. This bipartisan federal legislation was passed in an effort to have all students be proficient in math, reading and some science by 2013-2014.

"A school is judged by these tests which must show 100 percent improvement with all students including those with disabilities.

This has caused some schools to no longer focus on other areas such as history, geography, music, art, and physical education."

Purser expressed her belief that learning is not mastery of content but is about the ability to access, understand and use information that supports culture. Unfortunately a one-time test does not assess this.

The audience was then asked to discuss what they as a community feel determines success for our students.

Many expressed a strong preference for students having a foundation in math facts, geography, and writing that could be demonstrated in everyday aspects of life.

W.P. Garden Club

The Whispering Pines Garden Club's Oct. 7 meeting featured Shawna Smith, who addressed things to do in the garden during the early fall/cooler weather, such as resizing plants, moving over-crowded plants, and pruning certain species to give better results in the spring.

She also was emphatic about remembering to keep plants watered even though the temperatures are cooler in fall. Smith also mentioned planting cool-weather bloomers such as pansies and spring-blooming bulbs.

The next club meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. when a representative from the Moore County Recycling Center will present a program on recycling.

The club meets on Rays Bridge Road behind the Rescue Squad Building.