The Good News for Jan. 27

Eat, play, volunteer, and put your worship shoes on in Columbus over the weekend. Catch up on any news you may have missed by visiting www.columbuscountynews.com. It's absolutely free, and no subscription is required to find out what's going on in your area.

Happening this week in Columbus

• Shizzy's Wildlife Rescue still has one volunteer day set for this month. The nonprofit will need help installing wolf habitats and fencing Saturday from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Anyone interested in volunteering can call Rhonda Billeaud at 910.840.1886. Volunteers must be 18 years old or older.

• The Anchorage Camp at Lake Waccamaw holds skate night every Saturday evening through March 18 beginning at 7 p.m. The snack shop and coffee bar will be open. For more information, call the camp office at 910.646.4111. The camp is located at 412 Lakeshore Drive.

• There's a new food truck in town, and two of Whiteville's favorite businesses have paired to bring Columbus County a taste of the Mediterranean. Zeko's Italian Restaurant and the Whiteville Fun Factory will be pumping out fresh grilled favorites at various locations around town in the Zeko's International big blue truck. To find out what they are serving up, call 910.207.2951 or visit the Zeko's International Facebook page for a list of menu items, times, and locations.

• The Columbus Baptist Association is partnering with the N.C. Baptist State Convention and the North American Mission Board to present a large fellowship event for Columbus County youth and youth workers called Momentum. The rally has two more events.

Share Jesus Without Fear, will be at Riegelwood Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan. 29, from 5-7 p.m. RBC can be found at 103 N.C. 87 in Riegelwood.

Western Prong Baptist Church will host Momentum on Sunday, Feb. 12, from 5-7 p.m. for the final installment. Guest speaker is Scott Pace with music by The Museum. Western Prong is located at 167 Peacock Road in Whiteville.

Momentum is for children in grades 6-12. The event is free, and snacks will be provided each evening. If you or your youth group is interested in attending, please call the CBA office at 910.642.2155 so they can plan accordingly.

• Old Dock Cypress Creek Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting a community blood drive on Sunday, Jan. 29, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the station. You can make an appointment by visiting www.thebloodconnection.org. The sponsor code for the drive is 8317. All blood donors will receive a $20 eGift card. Old Dock VFD can be found at 10635 New Britton Highway East in Whiteville. For more information, call 910.640.2203.

Happy events and more

• Dustin Chapman and Ryleigh Madison are paving their way through the music industry once again. The pair won 'Duo of the Year' and 'Emerging New Artist' at the Carolina County Music Awards.

• There's good news out of Lake Waccamaw this week. The town received their state certification for Emergency Medical Services. The Lake Waccamaw Fire and Rescue Department will begin serving the area on Feb. 1.

• The Gator Media room at East Columbus has a fresh new look and is open again after eight months. One of those who helped with the makeover was 88 year old Kenwood Royal, whose son Fuller played a big role in establishing and expanding the program.

• The Whiteville Junior Woman's Club was a big help at Whiteville Primary School on Thursday. The ladies helped fill Backpack Buddies' food bags for children to take home to be able to have meals over the weekend.

• Pireway Original Freewill Baptist Church is putting out a call to both the congregation and the public to help out with their VBS this summer. Those interested can attend the meeting scheduled for Feb. 5 at 5 p.m. The church is located at 16213 Swamp Fox Highway East in Tabor City.

• It was a big day at Whiteville High Friday. Xztashya Porter signed with Fayetteville State University to play softball, and Ashley Hester signed up to furtherher volleyball career at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

• The Columbus Council of N.C. Reading Association (CCNCRA) will partner with the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Whiteville to host Children's author Annette Whipple on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m.

Whipple will be speaking via Zoom about using curiosity to spark education in the minds of children. The event is free, and both the public and other authors are encouraged to participate. Snacks will be served, and folks who would like to join virtually can register online at Celebrating Curiosity with Non-Fiction featuring a zoom with Annette Whipple (Sponsored and hosted by CCNCRA and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville).

• Brown Street Station and Kool 103.9 F.M. are teaming up to bring you their first ever Super Ball party in honor of the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 12. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m.

There will be two large screens to watch the game, football pool, and door prizes after each commercial break. The cost is $10 per person. Brown Street Station is located at 202 North Brown Street in Chadbourn. No alcoholic beverages will be served at this event.

• Lake Waccamaw resident Coburn Powell was caught doing a good deed on the water. He picked up the trash from 1400 Canal Cove to 400 Canal Cove with a small paddle boat.

• The Greater Tabor City Chamber of Commerce Spring Has Sprung Festival is April 22. The chamber is looking for vendors and parade participants for the event. Call 910.377.3012 or send an email to tccofc@yahoo.com.

The GOOD NEWS is featured every Saturday morning on WTXY Kool 1039FM AM1540, and throughout the week under the GOOD NEWS tab at columbuscountynews.com. Email crystalfaircloth@columbuscounty.news with your church announcements, pageant winners, fundraisers, yard sales, club news, community celebrations, good deeds or just plain happy stories. There is no charge for publicizing your events.