Branford News Serving southern Suwannee County, including Branford, O'Brien and McAlpin Branford majorette to twirl at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Submitted Lyndsey Horton, a mem- ber of the Branford High School Majorette Team, was recently selected and will be participating as an "All American" cast mem- ber to perform in the . Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City with more than 22,000 dancers, cheerleaders and �r. .auxiliaries. She is extreme- ly honored to be chosen to participate in this presti- gious event. She will be performing in front of more than 2.5 S million spectators and an anticipated national televi- sion audience of more than 44 million viewers live on NBC. The "All American" cast consists of outstand- ing student performers from nearly every state in the country. Lyndsey is seeking benefactors to help defray her expenses for this event. A major source of her "All American" sup- port comes from the vol- untary contributions of . family, friends and com- munity leaders. This con- tribution will allow her to - " "; represent our local com- munity and share in this once-in-a-lifetime perfor- Lyndsey Horton mance opportunity in New O'BRIEN AND OUR NEIGHBORS 'Bits & Pieces' from south Suwannee Co. By Ana Smith It's been a long time since I've seen some of my neighbors, but I was happy to see a few of them these last couple of weeks, and happier to know most of them were planning to be at the polls last Tuesday. And I was very happy to read in the newspaper that Wednesday that J.M. Holtzclaw made it in the primary. He's been a dedicated school board member who has made a positive impact on what happens in our end of the county, especially for the students and teachers of the Branford schools. Congratula- tions, J.M.! And congratulations to all those who won their seats in this primary. And I want to repeat what I said in last week's article: Now that this local primary election is over, don't forget you have an even greater re- sponsibility coming up in November. Do your homework!!! Check the Internet, if you have a computer, for as much information as you can get about those people who are running for of- fice, especially in Florida. Read all the infor- mation furnished in this newspaper. And please remember ... if you do not vote, you are saying you don't really care what happens to our state, to our country. And if you do not vote, then you do not have the right to criticize those who do get elected that you don't like, or whose policies and political views and determinations you don't agree with. Take a lesson from the elec- tions in 2008!!! Labor Day weekend is coming up quick, folks! Traditionally the last big weekend of summer to gather for a cookout with your friends and family, so I hope everyone has a great time. The kids are back in school, so be careful when you're driving early in the morn- ing or when school is out. Slow down when you see them at the side of the roads waiting for the bus, or after they get off the bus after school and are walking along the road on their way home. I was in the Dollar Tree one day last week and noticed a very little girl standing over by some Christmas tree ornaments, a basket of those "picks" you can use on your tree or to decorate packages. She stood there very quiet, but then I saw her turn to a woman I think was her grand- ma and, pointing to the basket, asked when they were going to put up their tree and could she have what was in the basket to put on it! It seems Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations come out earlier and earlier with each year, don't you think? I'm trying my best not to get too upset over that ... I would expect Halloween to be the holiday of focus, but have seen only a few things out in the stores. I guess it's my age, but folks, I'm not in any rush to start celebrating just yet! I think buying for Halloween can wait until October, and buying those seasonal orna- ments for Thanksgiving can wait until Novem- ber, though I do agree, in this economy, if you want to give your family a nice Christmas, start- ing your holiday shopping in November is not too soon. When our children were small we counted on lay-aways started in October be- cause it took some time (and some money) to buy for seven children as well as the young cousins. Too bad lay-aways are a thing of the past! I know a lot of young families that would benefit from that process. In recent years gifts have been exchanged strictly within the family and only on the grand- children and great-grands who lived within a reasonable distance. The few who were too far away for a visit were sent gift cards to spend as they wished, and that was a limited amount. We have learned over the years to really concentrate on the meanings of the holidays, and to cele- brate with sincere thanksgiving for what we have as a family, and to honor the true meaning of Christmas. So, as we head into the "fall" of the year, we are concentrating on those services and projects that mean something both to the person receiv- ing as well as us, the givers. And it's not too early to start planning for that. There are several very worthwhile charities and causes right here in Suwannee County that will need a lot of help this year. Start learning about them, and deciding which ones will be the beneficiary of your time, your gifts, and your money. I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy to Wanda Petrena and her family on George's pass- ing. It was a surprise to read about it in the newspaper. I remember reading George's arti- cles, seeing him as he hustled around so many times taking pictures for the Branford News, running into him at various events all over the county, and always receiving a warm hello. He will be greatly missed. From Readers Digest "Quotable Quotes": "When I get one of those 'Mom' headaches I take the advice on the aspirin bottle: take two and keep away from children." -- Roseanne Barr "Having a family is like having a bowling al- ley installed in your brain." --Martin Mull "No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?" -- Lee Iacocca "Everybody wants to save the earth; nobody wants to help Mom with the dishes." -- P.J. O'Rourke "Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home." -- Bill Cosby "The other night I ate at a really nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument go- ing." -- George Carlin Have a blessed week! The weatherman said it's going to be cooler ... let's see what that means! God bless! York City. Lyndsey would like to thank her family and friends, including Ernest DeLeon, M.D.; Jennifer Scott, ARNP; Cliff Bradley; Melody Christian Center; and the following businesses: Branford Bumper to Bumper; Live Oak Tractor Co.; Java Jax; Pulmonary Care Center; Hatch Enterprises, Inc.; Gaylord Pump; Cooper Chiropractic and members of the Dixie Darlin's Red Hat Society for their cur- rent sponsorship. If you are interested in sponsor- ing Lyndsey, please con- tact Deanna Horton at 386-688-1973. 21stl Ctry In liftom The 21st CCLC After- school Program began on Monday in Branford. It goes from 3:15 to 6:15 Monday through Thursday each week unless there is no regular day school for stu- dents. We will also have sev- eral Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Unfortunately, we will not provide transportation this year due to budget cuts. Any student interested in a mentoring, tutoring, and an enriched educational ex- perience is invited to attend. For more information contact Karen Koon at Branford High School 935-5615. Branford Area Inter Church Ministries yard sale The Branford Area Inter Church Ministries will have a yard sale on Satur- day, Sept. 18 from 7 a.m. until noon at the San Juan Catholic Mission located at 304 SE Plant Ave. in Bran- ford. All proceeds will go the the Branford Area Inter Church Ministries. Branford Area Inter- Church Ministries meets the second Thursday of the month at The Gathering restaurant. All area church- es are invited to have a representative present. The BAICM ministers to the benevolent needs in the community as well as pro- vides fellowship and com- munication between the lo- cal churches in our com- munity. Our annual activities in- clude Christmas parade, Easter sunrise service, Thanksgiving community service, and other events. For more information con- tact one of the participating churches, or visit www.baicm.org. INDEX Arrests ....... Legal Notices ... Obituaries ...... .....2A . . . . . .4B .... . 5A Sports ............... 1 B Suwannee Living ......4A Viewpoint .......... . 6A HI94LO71 Followuson PAGE 2B FACEBOOK WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 PAGE 7A * SUWANNEE DEMOCRAT/LIVE OAK