Bonnie Spears of Canton, current President of the Service League of Cherokee County, accepted a check on behalf of the Service League from the 2015 Riverfest Committee in the amount of $86,288.87 at the organizations recent monthly meeting. The check was presented by Riverfest Committee Chairwoman, Barbara Jacoby, of Waleska. The Service League of Cherokee County and its Riverfest Committee are so grateful for our communitys generosity. Sponsors, exhibitors and volunteers worked together to overcome the challenges, and guests braved the rain to help us raise funds for our communitys children in need. Every dollar donated and every hour volunteered helps make a difference in the life of a child says Ms. Jacoby.

The funds raised during this event will be used throughout the upcoming year to provide assistance with everything from health care and eyeglasses for children in need, to rent and utilities for their families.

Capt. John New of Cherokee County Sheriffs Office recently graduated from the FBI National Academy, which is a 10-week-long program in Quantico, Virginia. Capt. New is currently the east side commander of the Uniform Patrol Division and Commander of the SWAT Team.

There were a total of 223 law enforcement officers from 48 states who graduated in the Academys 261st session.

Capt. New also participated in the FBI National Academy Muscle Mania Event, a voluntary competition consisting of four different events, which test strength. Capt.New won all four events and was awarded the title for the Light Heavy Division.

The Childrens Park of Georgia, a project of the Remember Georgias Children Foundation intended to honor the lives of all children, is pleased to officially be working with Northside Hospital Cherokee to locate its amazing grounds near the hospitals new campus at Canton Marketplace.

This new location plan offers tremendous accessibility and convenience to welcome the parks anticipated visitors from all over the state. With this central location near the new hospital, the Childrens Park of Georgia will be able to reach its full potential and better serve the community, including patients, visitors and hospital employees who will benefit from having the refuge of these healing gardens close by.

Engraved stones will border the sidewalks in the park and will feature the names of individual children. You can reserve stones to honor your children and grandchildren at ChildrensParkOfGeorgia.org. Other naming opportunities are also available.

Members of local Hightower Trail Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Cherokee Rose Society, Children of the American Revolution (CAR) unveiled the Braille American Flag monument at the Georgia National Cemetery, located in Canton, GA. DAR and CAR members raised funds to donate the Braille Flag. Over 80 veterans from the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, U.S. Submarine Veterans and Georgia Fallen Firefighters Foundation, along with the Lions Club and Rotary Club had members in attendance. The Braille Flag has a dual purpose: to honor the 125th anniversary of the founding of the DAR, and to honor veterans and active service men and women who suffer from ocular trauma and premature blindness. The Blinded Veterans Association reports 132,000+ American veterans have lost their sight in defending our freedoms.

The Cherokee Chorale is starting rehearsals soon for their annual Christmas concert. The music selected by guest conductor, Wes Stoner, promises to be eclectic but also familiar. A native of Canton, Georgia, Stoner is the Choral Director at Hillgrove High School in Cobb County. This is the fourth time Stoner has directed the Cherokee Chorale. I love to conduct them because of the incredible energy in the room every time we get together, he said. Ive known several of the singers my entire life, some of them for 20 years, and some for just a short time. Its very special to be truly connected to these wonderful people and have the opportunity to share what I love with mentors and friends from my hometown.

The Cherokee Chorale, established in 1987, is a long-standing member of the community. It consists of more than 85 men and women, who must audition to become part of the group. They are accompanied by very talented musicians, some being members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The Chorale is a group of superb singers with a very professional approach to the music we perform, no matter if it is Classic or a Broadway tune. This years Christmas concert, called Where Peace, and Love, and Hope Abide, is Dec. 12-13 at the Canton First United Methodist Church. For more information, visit CherokeeChorale.org

A Cherokee County firefighter was recently promoted during ceremonies at the Cherokee County Fire Training Center, located just south of Holly Springs. Nathan Croft was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

Croft came to work for Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services in September of 2008.  He currently works at Fire Station #23 in Hickory Flat. He lives in Woodstock with his wife, Jackie. Numerous firefighters, chiefs and friends attended the event. Congratulations to Croft for being promoted!

Tommy McFarland has come to think of the northern pine snake as an emblem of rural north Georgia; a species associated with dirt roads, working forests, and small farms. They are a Good Old Days kind of animal, along with other species, such as bobwhite quail and fox squirrels. Are pine snakes part of a vanishing community of days gone past, or can we preserve this important species? How common is the species in our region? What kinds of habitats do they use?

As part of his research at Reinhardt University, McFarland is looking for answers to these questions, and he is seeking the communitys help. You can help him by sharing what you know about pine, or bull snakes. Have you ever seen one? If you have old photos hed love to see them. If you see a pine snake, even one run over by a car, please take a picture of it and share it with him. These pictures are valuable because they serve as a permanent record of the snakes presence at a time and place.

Members from the Cherokee Rose Society, Children of the American Revolution donated a beautifully framed replica of Rembrandt Peales Porthole portrait of George Washington to the Fort Benjamin Hawkins Commission to be displayed at the Fort Hawkins Museum, located in Macon, Georgia. Ancestors of C.A.R. members served at Fort Hawkins. Among those attending were (left to right) Judy Smith, Vice-Chairman, Fort Benjamin Hawkins Commission; Anderson Wheatley, Society President, Cherokee Rose Society, C.A.R.

The 27th annual Reinhardt University Dave Henritze Scholarship Golf Classic, played at Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Ball Ground, GA on May 4, was an enormous success. All funds from this event are going towards scholarships for deserving Reinhardt students.

Thank you to all our sponsors and participants who helped make this event a successful one, said Dale Morrissey, director of fundraising campaigns and church relations. Without your support, this would not be possible.

Georgia First Lady, Sandra Deal, and Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), visited Northside Hospital-Cherokee on Wednesday, July 22, as part of a statewide tour of Georgia hospitals to discuss the importance of childhood immunizations with new parents.

Mrs. Deal and Dr. Fitzgerald made personal visits to two families, who had just delivered at Northside, offering each a free Hallmark immunization card to aid them in keeping their new babys immunization records organized. The pocket-sized card allows parents to keep their childs immunization records in their wallet, where they are easily accessible during school or athletics registration, and doctors appointments. If you have this piece in your wallet, the nurse or you can write that down, Deal said. We want the child to be immunized properly and this little piece of paper helps with that.