The Chickamauga Lions Club will host their annual Truck Giveaway and Steak Dinner on Nov. 7 at the Walker County Civic Center.

Veterans’ Day is Nov. 11, and I would like to encourage everyone to do something to celebrate it.

The second annual Best of Walker County voting will begin next week.

The Ghosts and History Walk of LaFayette will begin Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

Care Mission, 105 N. Chattanooga Street, opened June 25, 2005, currently helps more than 40 families daily and desperately needs financial contributions to cover operating expenses.

The Marsh House, 308 N. Main Street, will celebrate Heritage Day on Oct. 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering food and craft vendors, Cherokee Indian storytelling, Civil War re-enactors and more family activities. For more information, call the Marsh House at 706-638-5187. On Oct. 17, the Marsh House will sponsor a ghost and history walk in LaFayette. The historic house is open for regular tours on Thursdays and Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m., with group tours by appointment by calling 706-639-3535. For reservations for weddings, receptions, meetings and other events, call 423-718-9918 or 706-638-3391.

This week, a precious family lost three loved ones in an auto accident. Many others suffered because of the storms.

According to a news release, there’s a new chapter in LaFayette of the National Society Colonial Dames of the Seventeenth Century. The dedication of the Giles Webb Chapter was Sept. 5 at the William Marsh House on Main St. in LaFayette. Formerly the Chatanuga Chapter, the Giles Webb Chapter welcomed honored guest Ms. Lynabel Price Crowe, formerly of LaFayette and a direct descendant of Giles Webb. She was a charter member and organizing president of the Chatanuga Chapter along with Ms. Louise Otting of LaFayette. Ms. Sarah Roach gave a short history of Giles Webb, who was born in England and came to America in 1629. He died after 1667 in Richmond County, Va.

According to a news release, the Jewelry Chest, 311 N. Main St., Suite 4, has been named September’s Downtown Business of the Month by LaFayette Downtown Development Authority.

Center Grove Baptist Church will host its free annual Labor Day Picnic and Auction on Sept. 7 on Highway 95 in Rock Spring. Activities will begin at 11 a.m. and will include free food, games and an auction. Games will include a cake walk, horseshoes and softball. Children may bring their bicycles and skateboards. An auction of donated items will begin at 3 p.m., and proceeds will go to the youth department. For more information, call the church office at 706-764-2060, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or visit www.centergrovebaptist.com.

The second annual Arville “Doodle” Drennan Memorial Ride is scheduled for Sept. 12. Registration will begin at 3 p.m. Fees are 25 for a single riders and $35 for doubles. The ride will begin at 4 p.m. at the Shops of Remco beside Cracker Barrel in Ringgold and will end at Willow Tree Farm, 607 Post Oak Rd., Ringgold. Barbecue will be sold, and the Casey Adams Band will play at the farm. Proceeds will support activities of the Foster and Adoptive Parents Association of Catoosa County. Arville Drennan, a 1961 graduate of LaFayette High School, was active in Rock Spring athletics as a baseball coach and referee and generously supported children’s organizations and charities. For more information, visit www.cfapa.org or call Shay Drennan Love, ride founder and coordinator, at 706-937-2222.

The LaFayette High School Athletic Club is sponsoring two events this month. The second annual Football 101 will be on Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the LHS gym. The LHS football coaches and select officials will be present to explain the basics of football and officiating. This event is designed for all ages.

The Walker County Chamber of Commerce is coordinating the 2009 Balloons and Tunes Festival from Sept. 18-20 in Rock Spring. The festival is planned to include 10 hot air balloons, three stages with live entertainment, a Kids’ Zone, craft and food vendors, inflatables and more. Opportunities for festival sponsorship levels range from $250 to $15,000 and include festival activity compensation. Volunteers are also needed in various capacities. For more information or to volunteer, call Stephanie Snodgrass at 706-375-7702, visit www.balloonsandtunesfestival.com or e-mail info@balloonsandtunesfestival.com.

Organizers hope efforts to promote tourism in LaFayette will get a jump-start with a town hall meeting this month.

One of the most fun and rewarding things I’ve done this year is volunteer as a bus driver and helper at Kids 4 Christ on Thursday evenings. There are usually 100 or more children attending the weekly program. The children are from diverse economic, spiritual and family backgrounds and benefit from the program in various ways.