Lynchburg recently celebrated their 18th annual Village Christmas on Dec. 10 and 11. It was originally started by Jan Dean and her daughter-in-law in 1992. Jan loved to cook, and she thought she should open her home to the public and offer her secret family recipes to them. Jan's daughter-in-law was a crafter, so the two of them started the Village Christmas.

Lynchburg recently celebrated their 18th annual Village Christmas on Dec. 10 and 11. It was originally started by Jan Dean and her daughter-in-law in 1992. Jan loved to cook, and she thought she should open her home to the public and offer her secret family recipes to them. Jan's daughter-in-law was a crafter, so the two of them started the Village Christmas.

The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is excited to announce the beginning of 2011 Bible Bee season. Host registration for the third annual National Bible Bee opens on Feb. 1 and will remain open until March 31. Contestant registration runs from April 1 through May 31, and official contest materials will be released on June 1. Every contestant will receive a Bible, Scripture memory cards, inductive Bible study curriculum, a T-shirt and more as part of registration.

It’s Girl Scout cookie time! This year the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Council is premiering the new Cookie Locator app, an application for smart phone users that will make finding nearby Girl Scout cookie activities just a tap away.

To bring light to some of the issues that surround poverty and to help educate participants who may never be faced with the circumstances of poverty, through a partnership between the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF), the City of Columbus Community Relations Commission, the City of Columbus Neighborhood Pride Centers, Grange Insurance, Gladden Community House and United Way of Central Ohio, individuals from throughout Ohio gathered on Friday, January 14, 2011 in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service to participate in the MLK Day Capital City Poverty Simulations.

Another year is beginning and is moving quickly. The new year always seems to be the perfect time for new beginnings. Beginning things that you have always wanted to do, or have just put off.

This is the second year for this scholarship that is being offered by the Southern Ohio Agricultural and Community Development Foundation. The details are included in the news release from the SOACDF below.

Membershp Drive
Just a reminder that the Senior Center membership year now is on a calendar year; it’s time to “Be-New or Re-New.”

Court House Manor in Washington Court House has an updated 2011 easy-to-read Medicare brochure that helps understand the Medicare benefits, covered by Medicare Part A & B.

Petland offers a number of choices to those in search of a decorative aquarium.  Glass aquariums with black, oak, or walnut trim come in a variety of shapes – bow, corner, hexagon and rectangular – as well as sizes – 10-gallon up to 180-gallon. Larger tanks are made available at Petland through special orders.

The New Vienna Lions Club will host an afternoon of poker, food, and fun to support improvements in their community. Beginning with registration at noon on Saturday, Jan. 15, the public is invited to play Texas Hold-Em and enjoy great food with others.

Do you know someone who has positively developed or enhanced relationships between neighbors in Ohio’s farm communities? The Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC), in partnership with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Neighbor of the Year awards, which recognizes two rural residents – one farmer and one non-farmer.

The children of Wee Care Preschool began the New Year with thoughts of people all over the world; realizing the New Year symbolizes the beginning of a better tomorrow. With these thoughts in mind the children and staff are making greetings cards for "Totally for Troops."  This is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing greetings cards to deployed service men and women, who in turn are able to personalize the cards and mail them home to family and loved ones.

Kevin Giffin visited all 88 counties in his native Ohio in a quest to learn more about his beloved Buckeye State and the history of its high school football. After collecting anecdotes and compiling information on its greatest players, games and traditions, Giffin gave it all a fictional twist, and the result is A Few Yards Shy of Heaven, his first published book

The Southern Ohio Agricultural and Community Development Foundation will once again offer the Educational Excellence Competitive Grant for school year 2011-12.