Remembering Maya Angelou 

KANNAPOLIS — The Kneeling Gardeners met on Feb. 23 at Trinity United Methodist Church for an evening with speaker David Goforth, Cabarrus County Agriculture/Horticulture Agent. David has been in this position since 1986 and plans retirement in June of 2015. He began telling humorous stories of being called about bats in the crawlspace, bats marking their territory, and the story behind the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s crabgrass problem. You see, it turns red in October. The solution, paint it green. Who’s going crazy portrayed a Harrisburg residence that was sure a troublesome neighborhood had followed them to their new home. To confirm this, they installed a security camera to watch over their yard. You see, white specs had been sprinkled on their phlox. Not really, just powder mill dew. Soil is very important for growing anything. Do not guess; have the soil tested for the correct PH. Remember to compost. Pile it up and let it rot. Plus, you can compost your mistakes. Trees are first. Never top a tree. Remove them when dangerous, not when dead. If you think you need a ladder, you need a professional. When building a new home, do not save old trees, get them away from the house. Edible landscaping is important. Our landscape should feed and shelter wildlife. The top three edible shrubs are blueberries, muscadines, and figs. Mushrooms have become a growing opportunity for urban areas. Remember the right plant for the right place; 90% common and 10% unusual. Try to work with nature and not against it. We need to plan and plant for a better world. People are more important than plants. President Chris Wielandt welcomed members and guests. Noted changes to the Piedmont Floral trip on Nov. 28. We will meet at the church at 10 a.m. and lunch afterwards. More information is forthcoming closer to time. Northwest Cabarrus High School Plant Sale will be April 10-11. If anyone has plants for our plant sale that needs to be moved or dug,  contact Earl Gray or Chris Wielandt. A special thanks to Nancy Rutledge for purchasing booties utilizing monies contributed by Summer Goodson, Nancy and our treasury. The booties were delivered to Levine Children’s Hospital. The Garden Club annual banquet will be March 21. Reservations deadline is March 12. Refreshments were provided by Vanessa Baucom, Rose Salois and Carolyn and Royce Thomason. Dr. Harold Bales will be the guest speaker for March on Biblical Plants. Anyone interested in gardening is invited to attend. (SUBMITTED)

 

Operation: GoodJobs Information Session

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina invites military veterans and their families to learn more about the opportunities available through Operation: GoodJobs, which provides free employment assistance services, including: career assessment, planning and coaching; job skills training; resume preparation; job placement; career readiness certification and more. The program is unique because it is open to veterans, military spouses and adult children dependents (ages 18-24), with particular focus on female veterans and post-9/11 veterans.

Held Fridays, 9-11 a.m. at the Goodwill Career Connections Center, 1923 S. Main St. Contact Rosa Adkins at radkins@goodwillnwnc.org or 704-638-6434. For a complete schedule of info session times and locations, visit www.operationgoodjobs.org

 

35th annual North Carolina Homecoming Queen Selection

The 35th Annual North Carolina Homecoming Queen Selection will be held March 15 at the Ramada Inn Conference Center in Statesville. America’s Homecoming Queen Inc. is a non-profit organization promoting education and community service for high school homecoming queens. If you are a 2014-2015 high school homecoming queen and have not received your application from your high school, contact ahq1181@aol.com or 901-755-9144 for an application.

 

Quality-Of-Life  at the Crossroads

6:30 p.m. March 24 at Center for the Environment at Catawba College.

No two factors in the 21st century will be more important in determining North Carolina’s economic vitality than education and the environment. Tom Earnhardt will discuss why education and the environment are inextricably bound, and why quality of life for future generations is being determined right now. Earnhardt is an attorney, former law professor and past chair of the board of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences as well as the producer/writer of the state-wide UNC-TV series “Exploring North Carolina.” He is an avid naturalist and conservationist with a passion for a wild things and places.

Free, but preregister at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event