Meetings

Beef Cattle Dinner Meeting — There is a dinner meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, at 5:30 p.m. at the Sunday Road Baptist Church in Hico. The topic is “Beef Cattle Outlook,” with presenter Emmitt Rowls, PH. D., a graduate of Virginia Tech and an extension specialist and professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee. Please call 304-872-7898 to reserve a place at this dinner meeting.

Fayette County Commission — The Fayette County Commission will meet Friday, March 8 — regular meeting, 9 a.m., budget elected officials; Friday, March 15 — 9 a.m., budget work session; Friday, March 22 — regular meeting, 9 a.m., budget, in the Fayette County Commission chambers of the Fayette County Courthouse. The meetings are open to the public.

Board of Education — The Fayette County Board of Education will meet as follows: regular meeting — Monday, March 4, Fayetteville High School, 6 p.m.; regular meeting — Monday, March 18, BOE office, 6 p.m.; and special meeting (Local School Improvement Council Meadow Bridge area schools) — Monday, March 25, Meadow Bridge High School, 6 p.m.

Oak Hill Lions Club — The Oak Hill Lions Club meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Scout Cabin, City Park, Oak Hill. For more information, call 304-574-2836.

Oak Hill Rotary — The Oak Hill Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at noon at the LifeBridge Fellowship Hall in East End Oak Hill. Call 304-640-1497 for more information. The first Tuesday of each month is Business Meeting day, and each following Tuesday has a member program scheduled, with guests invited to visit.

Vandalia Garden Club — Vandalia Garden Club meets the fourth Tuesday of the month from March through November at the Fayetteville United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall at 12:30 p.m. Prospective members are welcome.



Announcements

ARC Blood Drives — The following blood drives are scheduled in the area this month: March 11 — Lewis Community Building, Oak Hill, 12 to 6 p.m.; March 12 — Sunday Road Baptist Church, Hico, 12 to 6 p.m.; March 18 — Crossroads Mall, Mount Hope, 2 to 6 p.m.; March 18 — St. John’s Catholic Church, Summersville, 12 to 6 p.m.; March 19 — Midland Trail High School, Hico, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; March 22 — Oak Hill High School, Oak Hill, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and March 28 — Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also, walk-ins are welcome at the Inez O’Brien Donor Center in Beckley each Wednesday from 12 to 6 p.m. If you have any questions about blood drives, feel free to call 540-580-3908 or e-mail scott.hill2@redcross.org.

Basketball Tournament — The Clay County High School sophomore class will host the annual 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, March 16. Teams must have at least 3 players and no more than 6 players. All teams must be registered no later than March 8. For more information, please contact Amy Nichols at 304-632-0220.

West Virginia International Pageant — The 2013 WV International Pageant will be held on Saturday, May 4 in Beckley, at Tamarack’s Gov. Hulett C. Smith Theater. Deadline to enter is April 1. There are divisions for Miss, Teen, Mrs., Junior Miss, and Ms. More information and entry forms are available online at www.wvintlpageants.com. Currently entry numbers are very, very low and some divisions have no entries yet so this is a wonderful chance for a state title. The winners in the Miss, Teen, and Mrs. divisions will represent West Virginia at the international pageant this July in Chicago, Ill. Prizes and sponsors are listed on the pageant website and new prizes are being added weekly. If you have any questions, please contact Kristi Atha-Rader, director, at katha17@aol.com or by calling 304-228-7129.



Places to Go/Things to Do

Diamonds and Burlap — Save the date for an evening of fun with the Lewisburg Rotary Club at its annual Diamonds and Burlap extravaganza on Saturday, March 23 at the Lewisburg Elks Club. The popular event includes wine and dinner prepared by Bella Casa, a silent and a live auction, as well as numerous opportunities to win cash prizes. The evening begins at 5:30 with drinks and a preview of the auction items.  At 6:30, dinner is served. The entertainment begins at 7:30 hosted by auctioneers Paul Grist and Steve Hunter. Some of the activities planned are a half-and-half drawing and a Heads and Tails game that was greatly enjoyed last year by attendees. The event is open to all. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased by contacting Martha Hilton at 111 E. Washington Street, Lewisburg or 304-645-4966 ext. 104. Proceeds from the event will benefit the various charitable activities of the Lewisburg Rotary Club.

RHS National Convention — Norfolk and Western and Virginian Railway Historical Society members will hold their national convention June 12-16 at Twin Falls Resort State Park. Local retirees are encouraged to join the society or attend the convention and share railroad experiences. Two railroad tours are scheduled. The first, June 14, will include the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, along with a tour of the Virginian lines near Mullens. The second tour, June 15, follows the Virginian mainline to Page, visiting coal towns and trestles, with lunch at Whipple Company Store, returning by way of Thurmond. The park lodge will be available June 12, with convention committee members exhibiting maps and other area information concerning railroad sites. An informal “get-together” is scheduled Saturday as opposed to a formal dinner. While there will be no model contest, “modelers are encouraged to bring their work for ‘show and tell’ displays” and modeling clinics. Updated information is available at www.nwhs. org, click on “Convention 2013.” For reservations, phone Twin Falls Resort State Park at 304-294-4000 and mention the convention. Tom Marshall, of Mullens, is the local coordinator; contact him at 304-294-6986.

Concert — Ivy & Stone is pleased to present Sweet Potato Pie, an all-female band with a classy blend of bluegrass, country and gospel music mixed together in a style called “sweet grass,” in performance Saturday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Nicholas County High School. Tickets are available in advance in Summersville at Soundwaves Music, Summersville Public Library, and at all First Community Bank branches, by e-mail at ivyandstone@frontier.com or by calling 304- 872-4228 (leave a message). Advance sale tickets are $12 for adults and $9 for students and senior citizens.  Tickets will be $3 more at the door on the night of the performance.

Scrip Show — The National Scrip Collectors Association will hold its semi-annual show and meeting in Beckley April 19, starting at 8 a.m. and ending at noon on April 20 at the Country Inn & Suites, 2120 Harper Road. There is no admission fee and the public is invited and encouraged to attend. Coal scrip was the private currency of coal companies in over 612 towns in West Virginia alone. In the mid-1950s, scrip had all but disappeared as a method of labor payment. Coal scrip, like other obsolete currency, has survived and today is thriving in the hands of collectors. No one ever thought that coal, merchant and lumber scrip would have another life. As hard as the work was to earn a few dollars, the miner and lumberman’s families had no thought of saving the scrip. Almost all scrip is in circulated condition. Even so, some few are worth hundreds of dollars or more. There will be vendors, dealers and collectors at the show who would offer their opinions as to the value of any scrip and maybe where to sell it if desired. Other mining memorabilia, artifacts, coal scrip books and catalogues usually have dealers also. Part of the purpose of NSCA is to encourage the study and research of the history of coal mining companies as it relates to the usage of scrip tokens and the families who used it. For more information, please contact Bill Campbell (bwcok@knology.net) or nationalscripcollectorsassociation.org.

Bean Dinners — The Fayetteville United Methodist Church will host monthly bean dinners for the winter and spring. Each month through May, on the third Wednesday of the month, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the church will serve beans, cole slaw, cornbread, dessert and a drink for a suggested donation of $6. Take out is available by ordering at the church or calling 304-574-0187 in advance to have your order ready. The proceeds from this event help support various missions the church participates in. Mark the following dates on your calendar: March 20, April 17 and May 15.



Schools

Pre-school Enrollment — Mountain View Christian School in Hilltop currently is enrolling 3- and 4-year-old pre-schoolers for the 2013-14 school year. For more information, call 304-465-0502.



Fundraisers

Flea Market — There will be a Relay for Life flea market on Saturday, April 13 at the Oak Hill Nazarene Church beginning at 9 a.m. Cost for a table (which are provided) is $10. What you sell at your table is yours. There will be a concession stand offering beans and cornbread, hot dogs with all the fixings, nachos and cheese, drinks and desserts. Entry forms are available at the Fayetteville Walmart service desk. The event is open to everyone, including businesses such as photographers, jewelry makers, Avon, Mary Kay, and to all individuals.

Fish Dinner — The annual Lenten fish dinner at the Saints Peter & Paul School cafeteria will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. each Friday of Lent: March 8, 15, and 22. Meal costs are as follows: flounder, $8; combo, $10; and shrimp, $9. Children’s meals are $5. Dinners include baked potato, baked beans, slaw, dessert, bread and drink. Children can choose from a smaller portion of fish or cheese pizza. Dine-in or carry out. All proceeds benefit Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School.