Dateline Wharton
Upcoming events in and around our community

GCMC blood drive

Gulf Coast Medical Center will host a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18 in Classrooms A and B. Walk-ins are welcome. Remember, "Giving Blood Saves Lives."

Boling Christmas Parade

The annual Boling Christmas Parade will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20. The parade will line up beginning at 12:30 p.m. at the Boling High School stadium and will end at the Boling Fire Station on FM 442. Entry forms are available from members of the BVFD Ladies Auxiliary or calling 657-3629. This year we are asking for an unwrapped toy as an entry fee. Toys will be donated to a local toy drive for Christmas. Pictures taken with Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Boling Fire Station following the parade.

Keeping Christ in Christmas

Bethlehem Baptist Church along with their Pastor Ray Felder are hosting a Gospel Extravaganza on Saturday, Dec. 20. Performers include such as It's Not About Us and 4-Real. For information or tickets, contact Felder at 979-253-0890, Sis. K. Jackson at 453-0174 or Sis. C. Black at 453-0010.

T.L. Pink banquets

The T.L. Pink National Alumni and Ex-Students Association will celebrate its 20th Annual Holiday Scholarship Banquet at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Wharton Civic Center. The guest speaker will be Mrs. Lillie Francis of Dallas. Donations at the door are $30 for adults and $15 for children. For information, call 523-5133.

One Voice concert

One Voice, an organization comprised of area youth from various churches, will hold a professionally produced outdoor Praise and Worship concert in downtown Wharton at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21. One Voice is the brain storm of a local youth leader, Carl Hlavinka of Holy Family Catholic Church. If your church may be interested in joining in the effort, call 532-2533 for the rehearsal schedule or for more information. A rehearsal for all participants has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19, at Caney Creek Church.

Library movie time

Family Movie Time at the Wharton County Library. Come to the Library and help celebrate the Christmas holiday with an evening movie staring Tigger and Pooh. Movie starts at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 22. The library staff will have popcorn and juice to snack on while everyone watches the movie.

WCJC registration

Wharton County Junior College is currently registering for the Winter Mini- Term and the Spring 2009 semester. Students may register on campus or on the web through Dec. 11 for the Winter Mini-Term. Students may register in person through Dec. 12. and Jan. 2-14. for the Spring semester. On campus registration is held at the WCJC Fort Bend Technical Center, Sugar Land campus, and Wharton campus. Web registration will be held through Jan. 14. Winter Mini- Term classes begin Dec. 15 and Spring classes begin Jan. 12. For more information about programs or registration, call 800-561-9252 or 532-4560 for the Wharton campus.

Keeping the Dream

The 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. march will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17. The march will gather at the Wharton County Courthouse Square at 9:30 a.m. and proceed starting at 10 a.m. to the Boys & Girls Club of Wharton. The march will be followed by a program at the BGCW.

MLK Scholarship

The 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship program will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18 at Caney Creek Church. Those wishing to donated to the fund, which provides scholarships to students from Wharton County schools, can make a deposit at the Capital One Bank branch in Wharton.

Sons of the Legion

The Sons of the American Legion is hosting a New Year's Eve Dance with the Dujka Brothers from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at the American Legion Hall in East Bernard. Tickets are $8 for singles, $15 for couples and will be available at the door. For table reservations, call Mike at 335-7501 (work) or 533-1796 (cell).

Community Calendar A calendar of local events is maintained by the Wharton Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. Before scheduling an event, check with the chamber for possible conflicts. And notify the chamber, 532-1862, as early as possible to get your event on the calendar. There is no charge.

Heather's Dream

The Heather's Dream Cancer Support Group for cancer patients, survivors and families will meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. the first Monday of every month at Caney Creek Church. A children's cancer support group, Heather's Angels, is forming and will meet a the same time as the Heather's Dream group. For information, call Misty at 361-258-1611.

Survivors group

The Hope After Shattered Dreams ministry for Wharton County residents who have experienced a loss resulting from, but not limited to, death, divorce, job or deteriorating health is welcome to attend. Meetings are the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the El Campo Church of Christ, 315 E. Calhoun. For information, call 979-543-4279.

Spay/Neuter assistance

The Matagorda County SPCA has a program to help people who can't afford the cost of spay/neuter surgery for their dogs/cats. The program includes Wharton, Jackson, Matagorda and the southern part of Colorado County. Please call the SPCA at 979-323-8787 for information about the program or for an application. "If you want to help us out with this effort to get dogs/cats sterilized. Please give us a call."

Bilingual services

The New Faith Church - La Iglesia de Nueva Fe - is now holding bilingual services every fourth Sunday of the month at 7 p.m. New Faith Church is located at 2412 N. Walnut St., Felicia Matthews, pastor. Call 531-1453 if you need more information or for transportation.

Emergency radio on air

The NOAA weather radio site (located on CenterPoint energy's property behind the city's 911 call center) is operational at this time. The broadcast can be heard on 1670 AM. NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Dateline Wharton is a calendar of upcoming events in Wharton and surrounding communities. Normally space permits only events that will occur in the next two weeks. It is intended for special activities open to the public rather than regularly recurring meetings. To place an item in Dateline Wharton, drop the information off at the Journal-Spectator Office at 115 W. Burleson or an e-mail to bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com.