The recently formed Georgia Writers Museum group is holding its first Creative Writing Contest this spring. Some general guidelines for the contest are that entries can be short stories, flash prose, essays or memoirs of 750 words. No poetry will be accepted. Entries shall be original unpublished works. The contest is open to adults 18 years of age and older. The entry fee is $20 per submission. There will be a number of judges reviewing the work. The Greensboro Writers Guild is helping the efforts of organizing the Amateur Writers Contest.

Awards will be presented at a reception for writers and family on June 21. The first place prize will be awarded $125 cash. The winner will be interviewed by Lake Oconee Living Magazine. The interview and winning entry will be printed in the magazine in its Fall 2013 issue. The second place prize is $75 cash, and the third place award is $50 cash.

More detailed submission rules and information about the contest will be available on their Facebook page: https//www.facebook.com/pages/Georgia-Writers-Museum/110556575781424. This information is also available at branches of The Farmers and Merchants Bank and The Peoples Bank. Entries can be sent as an email attachment to the address below, or mailed to: The Georgia Writers Museum; P.O. Box 3429; Eatonton, GA 31024. For more information contact Janet Kelhoffer at 404-895-7103; dkelhoffer240@gmail.com.

 

The Lake Oconee Bible Bee is excited to announce the beginning of the 5th Bible Bee season. Family registration runs from April 1 through May 31, and study materials will be released on June 1. Every registered young person will receive a Bible, Scripture memory cards, inductive Bible study curriculum, a T-shirt and more. The Lake Oconee Bible Bee will be holding monthly fun family activities in preparation for the local contest, which will be held on August 24 at Lake Oconee Presbyterian Church.

The competition challenges youth from ages seven to 18 years in Bible knowledge and memorization first at local contests held around the country at the end of August, and then at a National Competition held in November for the top 300 contestants from across the nation. The winners of the National Bible Bee Competition earn $260,000 in cash prizes, as well as other awards.

Please contact Melinda Spivey or Christie Pineda at BibleBee.org/LakeOconee if you have any questions or would like to volunteer. Learn more about the National Bible Bee and register at www.BibleBee.org.

 

May 11

The Rock Hawk Talk, a historically inspired cruise on Lake Oconee, will take place. Local historian Larry Moore and Georgia Power Lake Resources Manager Scott Hendricks (for Sinclair and Oconee) will once again explore the archeological sites and culture of Lake Oconee including some of the mysterious 3,000 archaeological sites hidden by the lake, prehistoric ceremonial sites, early historical plantations, as well as Wallace Dam, the Oconee Wildlife Management Area and the general Oconee Valley area.

The Rock Hawk Talk Cruise will hold two tour times, both on May 11. The first tour will be from 1 to 3 p.m. and the second tour will be from 4 to 6 p.m.

Rock Hawk Talk fundraiser tickets are $50 and are on sale now. Tickets will include hors d’oeuvres and one drink ticket; a cash bar is also available. There will be history mystery prizes, Oconee Valley history/archaeology books and a raffle for hand-carved Rock Hawk walking sticks and other items. Only 40 tickets will be sold on a first come/first serve basis.

To purchase tickets contact Bonnie Simmons at the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce, 706-485-7701 or bonnie@eatonton.com.

 

Lake Oconee Elks Lodge #2849 will host its annual Car Show. The event will be held in the spacious Lodge parking lot at 1116 Greensboro Road, Eatonton, next to the old Sears location. The spacious lot will be host to more than 100 rare and vintage cars. If you wish to show your car there is a $20 pre-registration fee and $25 the day of the event. There will be over 20 prizes to participants and dozens of door prizes for everyone. The grand prize is three days and two nights in Biloxi Mississippi.

For more information contact Jim Oliver at 404-317-1580 or Morgan Stapp at 706-473-0521.

 

May 15

Do you know all the details on upcoming mandates for healthcare? How about new restrictions on health plans? Employer responsibilities for new taxes? Plan documentation? Well look no further, the Greene County Chamber is here to help you better understand all of the above. Guest speaker Trey Tompkins, President of the National Association of Health Underwriter’s Georgia Chapter, will be presenting “How Healthcare Reform Will Affect Your Business.” This is a great opportunity for Chamber members and non-members to better understand the details related to healthcare reform, The Federal Exchange, Single Carrier Exchanges and Private Individual and Group Exchanges. This will be informative for both large and small businesses and is co-sponsored by BeneTrend. The seminar begins at 10 a.m. at Lakeside Church, 5800 Lake Oconee Parkway, Greensboro. For registration fees and further details contact the Greene County Chamber at 706-453-7592 or visit the website at www.greeneccoc.org.

 

Georgia Cancer Specialists is holding free monthly community education talks at their Lake Oconee office in Greensboro (1000 Cowles Clinic Way, Magnolia Building) as part of their commitment to educate the public about all aspects of cancer.

This month’s talk is from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and will focus on skin cancer, including types, risk factors, screening and diagnosis and newly approved treatments. The event is free and light snacks will be provided.

Dr. Priya Rudolph and Dr. Richard Loyd will lead the discussions and question and answer sessions. Dr. Rudolph will lead the skin cancer discussion and will be ready to answer questions from the community.

For more information visit www.gacancer.com or call 706-454-0159.

 

May 18

The Steffen Thomas Museum of Art, 4200 Bethany Road, Buckhead, is inviting 25 imaginative and energetic children to take part in an Expanded Workshop on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Come have great fun with the costumed characters of Alice in Wonderland: Alice, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the March Hare and others. Be sure to bring a sack lunch to eat at the tea party. Children will learn about acting, prop making and costumes in order to put on a show. Reservations are required so call Pam at 706-342-7557.

 

Just around the corner is Union Point, Georgia, a wealth of history.  Wisteria Cemetery was a part of the James Brooks Hart plantation. Today Wisteria Cemetery is the site for a Living History Event, Wayside Ladies Speak. Come and hear the stories of the women that sacrificed so much for the wounded soldiers of the Confederacy as they stand by their graves and tell their stories. Come and celebrate Southern Heritage at 714 Park Avenue at 2 p.m., Union Point First Methodist Church, Union Point. For information contact 706-486-2351, upbht01@windstream.net or Facebook, Union Point, A Better Hometown.