Browns Backers

The Cleveland Browns Backers of the Sandhills will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, when the Browns play the Minnesota Vikings, at The Bell Tree (692-4766) 155 NE Broad St in Southern Pines, a nonsmoking facility that used to be Brooks.

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

SCWC

Sandhills Christian Women's Connection will hold its monthly luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at the National Golf Club in Pinehurst.

The speaker is Susan DeVos, of McCormick, S.C., a former military wife.

Rachel Yates, who owns Hope Cottage in Aberdeen, will talk about products that she has to help women on their journey of cancer recovery.

Kristin Terry will offer musical entertainment.

Call Joan at 673-5146 or Anne at 215-0074 to make reservations. A courtesy call by Tuesday, Sept. 15, will be appreciated.

"Be sure to let us know if you will be taking advantage of our free nursery for your young children," says a spokesman.

The cost of this month's luncheon is $13, all inclusive.

Civil War Roundtable

The Rufus Barringer Civil War Roundtable will meet at the Southern Pines Civic Club, located across from the tennis courts, at the corner of Ashe Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m.

The special guest speaker will be noted Virginia Civil War historian, Clark "Bud" Hall, who will speak on "An Assessment of Cavalry Leadership in the Gettysburg Campaign."

New members and visitors are welcome. Refreshments are served. For information, call (910) 315-1213.

Chess Club

The Sandhills Chess Club meets every Monday and every Thursday at the Moore County Senior Center on U.S. 15-501, two miles north of the Pinehurst Traffic Circle.

Monday meetings are at 2:45 p.m. and Thursday meetings are at 7 p.m.

Call Joe McDonald at 315-1233 for more information.

New Club Forming

A new club especially for retired and semi-retired people in Southern Pines, Pinehurst and Moore County area will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at Table on the Green.

Call 692-4587, 603-1410 or (910) 400-3052 to make a reservation or find out more about the group.

Computer Club

Of the Sandhills

Computer Club of the Sandhills will meet at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, on the lower level of the Whispering Pines Village Hall.

Jim Reetz will discuss some of the many differences and improvements between Windows 7 and VISTA with lots of demonstrations. Reetz has been running the Beta version for the past several months and can answer any questions about Microsoft's new operating system.

Reetz moved back east to North Carolina in 1997 from Phoenix, Ariz., after a 20-year career as an electrical engineer in the semiconductor industry.

He then joined ICL Retail Systems/North America as a systems and network engineer before he started his own PC consulting business in Whispering Pines emphasizing onsite service. He is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with an extensive background in computer hardware, Microsoft operating systems and Unix.

The computer club meets the second Monday of each month at 4 p.m. in the lower level of the Village Hall of Whispering Pines. The purpose of the club is to bring users of personal computers together for the exchange of ideas, knowledge, skills and technical information.

Membership is open to computer users with all levels of expertise.For information contact George McNally at 949-2294.

Foxfire Garden Club

Foxfire Garden Club will meet at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, at the Village Town Hall.

The speaker is Shawna Smith, proprietress of the Blacksmith Inn in Carthage, and the meeting will conclude with the installation of new officers. Members will receive their 2009-10 meeting schedule, listing dates, speakers, and programs planned for this season.

Club membership dues will be collected at this meeting.

"Foxfire's Garden Club welcomes new residents and nonresidents to stop by, enjoy our speaker's presentation, learn about our clubs activities, and pick up a program," says a spokesman.

MCGS

The Moore County Genealogical Society will meet Saturday, Sept. 19, at 10:30 a.m. at the restored Jackson Springs Depot, in Jackson Springs. It is located four miles west of West End at 6277 N.C. 73.

State Senator Harris Blake, a Jackson Springs native, who restored the depot in 2001, will be the featured speaker. Following Senator Blake, will be a discussion of the Copeland family, and, after lunch, a visit to the Copeland family home site about two miles away.

Before the Revolutionary War, Peter Copeland and his wife, Rebeckah, settled near Drowning Creek on what is now known as the Sandhills Pointing Breeds Dog Club.

Wade Copeland, MCGS board member hopes many of the families related to the Copelands will be able to attend. These families include: Agnes, Allum, Bailey, Berglund, Bledsoe, Brewer, Chriscoe, Cole, Cox, Deaton, Dewey, Donley, Dunlap, Eden, Ewings, Franklin, Harris, Kennedy, Key, McKenzie, McKinnon, McLean, Moore, Nelson, Parker, Ray, Ritter, Shepherd, Smith, Stout, Thomas, and Wicker. The Rev. Patrick Copeland was a settler in Jamestown in 1621. Other ancestors have been traced to the 1300s. For information on lineage contact Wade at ewcnnc@gmail.com.

"Make plans now to join us on the 19th," says a spokesman. "It is BYOC -- bring your own chair. Lunch will be provided. Visitors are always welcome."

For more information on the Moore County Genealogical Society, call 947-2689 or e-mail kayla@carolina.net.

NARFE

The National Active & Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Sandhills Chapter 1895 will hold its quarterly "Eating Meeting" on Monday, Sept. 14, at 11 a.m. at Kenny's Country Restaurant, U.S. 1, opposite the Shell Station in Pinebluff.

Chapter 1895 welcomes all Federal (including U.S. Postal Service) active employees, retirees, spouses and surviving spouses to monthly meetings.

Additional information about NARFE is available by contacting Vilma Geisert at (910) 215-5898 or George Sandoval at (910) 246-9881.

PFLAG

The fall meeting of the Sandhills Chapter of PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, will be at its usual place, the Congregational Church of Pinehurst, UCC at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.

The address is 895 Linden Road.

Members, friends, students, interested persons and potential new members are always welcome.

Business will include the election of officers, program suggestions, and developing ideas for activities and special educational events.

Fellowship and refreshments are part of the morning activities, as well. Those desiring additiional information may call Chas Griffin at (910) 400-5090.

Pointing Breed Club

The Sandhills Pointing Breeds Club will hold its first meeting of the hunting season at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the club grounds.

All members are invited to attend. There will be a brief memorial service in honor of Doug Jackson, longtime member of the club.

Refreshments will be available. The club's meeting house is located at 3280 Jackson Springs Road, Jackson Springs.

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

For more information about the club, contact Kathy Apffel at eapffel@earthlink.net or at (910) 235-0636.

Women of Weymouth

The Women of Weymouth will kick off their 2009-2010 season Monday, Sept. 21, with a literary program presented by Dr. Mardy Grothe.

Grothe, a psychologist who lived and practiced in New England for over 25 years, originally trained as an individual therapist and marriage counselor. He expanded his practice to the business arena in the early 1980s. He was instrumental in establishing an important sub-specialty in the field of management consulting which helps business owners, business partners and top executives to resolve personal and interpersonal problems.

In 1984, a cover story in Inc. magazine (titled "Sparring Partners"), called Grothe a pioneer in the new and emerging field of "business therapy." Much of his work is now better described by expressions like "executive coaching" and "team-building." In addition to his clinical practice and consulting work, Grothe is also an engaging and entertaining speaker.

Grothe is also a popular speaker at the annual meetings of trade and professional associations, giving seminars and speeches on topics such as "Effective Leadership," "Forging the Leader-Follower Conn-ection," and "Creative Conflict Resolution." He is the co-author of a number of books and future projects, including such titles as: "Luxurious Wives and Uxorious Husbands," "Two Kinds of People and Three Kinds of Lies," "The Dictionary of Quotable Definitions and Definitive Quotes," and "Chaste Makes Waste and Familiarity Breeds Consent."

Grothe was born and raised in North Dakota and graduated from the University Of North Dakota in 1964. He worked for three years as director of student activities at Beloit College in Wisconsin and in 1968 he embarked on a doctoral program in psychology at Columbia University in New York City, receiving his doctorate in 1974. After living many years in the western suburbs of Boston, in 2005, he and his wife, Katherine, moved to Raleigh. They have four grown children and one grandchild.

Grothe's talk at Weymouth is titled "Confessions of a Quotation Junkie and Reflections of a Lifelong Quotation Collector." The Sept. 21 morning meeting will begin with a 9:30 coffee and a 10 a.m. business meeting followed by the program.

"This promises to be a very interesting talk," says Dona May, program chairman. "Members, if they like, may bring a guest."