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Clothing giveaway

There will be a free clothing giveaway to the community (new Target clothing for men, women, children, babies and other miscellaneous items) on Wednesday, April 27, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Bethlehem Baptist Church Family Life Center gymnasium, located at 837 E. Seventh St. in Bogalusa.

Franklinton Chamber meet and greet

The Franklinton Chamber of Commerce will return to activity Friday, April 29, at noon at Sugar Shack, located at 1223 Washington St. in Franklinton. This event will be a “meet and greet” for citizens to re-connect and network with business associates and others.

Drug take-back day

Nielsen’s Pharmacy, located at 1619 S. Columbia St. in Bogalusa, will have a drug take-back day on Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Accepted items will include expired prescription drugs, unwanted prescription drugs, over-the-counter pills, controlled and non-controlled substances. Non-accepted items will include liquid products, injectable drugs and syringes.

Thomas reunion

On Aug. 10, 1875, Mr. Simon Stephen Thomas was born. He is the founder of Thomas Community and Thomas School. The Thomas School Plant was erected and equipped with his personal funds in 1926, as a result of his interest in education. In 1937, his cherished dream, the recognition of Thomas School as an accredited high school by the Washington Parish School Board, came true. Mr. Simon donated land for Thomas Cemetery and 20 acres of land for the school plant, the church and other public buildings. He erected a memorial for the Thomas soldiers who fought in World War II. Mr. Thomas was a public servant for 28 years. He was postmaster of Thomastown from 1897-1905, a Police Juryman for two terms from 1916-1924, and a member of the Washington Parish School Board from 1936-1948. His work was a source of pleasure; however, he experienced many hardships during his lifetime, for the improvement of his community. As a remembrance to him, we gather together to be with one another and meet all the generations carried on by this man. A reunion for his community and people would be what he would want us to do. He will be with us in spirit and proud that the Thomas name and community lives on. The Thomas Reunion will be Saturday, April 30, beginning at noon at Bible Baptist Church’s fellowship hall. Bring a covered dish and old pictures to share with everyone.

Recipes needed

The Mile Branch Settlement Cookbook Committee has begun collecting recipes for its newest fund-raiser project. You are invited to submit your favorite recipes, including those related to canning, freezing, and freeze-drying to preserve foods. Forms necessary for submitting recipes are available on the Mile Branch and Washington Parish Free Fair Facebook pages. You may also obtain email or hard copy forms by emailing MBSCookbook@gmail.com. Printed forms will be available through local civic organizations, businesses and churches in your area. Printed forms should be mailed to: “Mile Branch Cookbook c/o Washington Parish Free Fair, P. O. Box 574, Franklinton, LA 70438.” Deadline for submission of recipes is Saturday, April 30.

Garage sale

A garage sale will be held Friday, May 6, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sun United Methodist Church. This event will be canceled if it is raining. For more information, call Joyce Corse at 985-516-9045 or Paul Corse at 985-516-9923.

Community Unity Day

ADAPT will be sponsoring a Community Unity Day on Saturday, April 30, at Cassidy Park in Bogalusa, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The purpose of this event is to bring the community together to share resources, educate citizens and have a good time with family and friends. There will be a variety of vendors at the event, including Prevention, Human Resource Services, Arts and Crafts, and Food Vendors. Washington Parish has a wealth of resources that many of our residents do not know are available. Vendors will be teaching about substance use, sexual assault precautions, domestic violence, and other things. Activities will be plentiful for youth and adults to learn about areas of interest in a fun, informal way. Many of the vendors will be providing free giveaways, and will be onsite to sell some of their products. For more information, contact the ADAPT office at 985-735-0160.

Bogalusa Balloon Festival

The Bogalusa Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission will be presenting the “Bogalusa Balloon Festival” from May 20-22 at George R. Carr Memorial Airfield, located at 401 Walker St. in Bogalusa. More information will be released in the future.

Open Road Cruisers

The Open Road Cruisers monthly “Cruise-In” will be held the second Thursday night of each month, from March through August, from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. in the parking lot of Zesto’s Drive-In, located at 100 Richmond St. in Bogalusa. There is a $1,000 cash giveaway each month. For more information, call Jeff at 985-516-0643 or Robert at 985-750-2112.

YouthBuild Bogalusa

YouthBuild Bogalusa (YBB) is enrolling students for its program. To gain entry in the program, a student will need to be between the ages of 16-24, and have not graduated from high school or earned his or her HISET. The new applicant will take the TABE placement test, in order to gain entry in the program. There will be testing for placement, Monday through Thursday every week from 9 a.m. until noon. YBB offers opportunities in educational aid in passing the HISET, Carpentry Skills (NCCER Certification/OSHA 30), mentoring, AmeriCorps (educational stipend/award), CNA, and welding, along with life skills (community involvement/leadership skills). YBB provides monetary incentives to learn — up to $500 every two weeks. YBB also has a full-time Case Manager and Counselor on staff. If you have any interest in the program or know of any one that will benefit from the program, visit YBB at 1242 Austin St. in Bogalusa, or call 985-545-1622.

Washington Parish alert system

Stay alert by enrolling in the Washington Parish Emergency Notification System. This alert system provides rapid notification of emergencies, critical events and urgent situations. The alert system can send notifications through the following methods: phone call, text, email or TTY/TTD service for the hearing impaired. Landline phones are automatically entered for the alert system. To receive alerts through a mobile phone or email, a citizen must register through one of the following options: call 985-282-2620, text “Alert” to 985-282-2620, or sign up online at www.hyper-reach.com/lawashingtonsignup.html. Citizens can also download the Hyper Reach Anywhere app to any smartphone. This alert system is completely free.