Friends of the Library is starting a new program which is free and simply presented as community service.

In the afternoon of March 2, the first Sunday in March, we will start a SCRABBLE Club from 2 till 5 p.m. Anyone 12 and over may come and play two games of Scrabble. We are asking you to BYOB (Bring Your Own Board). This is so we don't have to buy any. Munchies will be provided by FOL, and a semi-responsible leader (joke) will take charge of the afternoon's playing. If the spirit moves you, call the library (706) 359- 4014 and indicate your desire to take part. If there is a good response, we will continue the Scrabble Club on the first Sunday of each month. To give credit where it's due, we are copy-catting a similar program at the Columbia County Library.

We thank each of you who made our December book sale a success. We took in enough money to help us continue to support many of the library's needs. The dime-store chili dogs were a big success as was the spaghetti. There's a story behind the chili dogs which may bring memories to some of you. If you recall the delicious fragrance of the dime store hot dogs, you know what we mean. When the Willinghams and then the Bentleys owned the dime store, they made their own chili from Mildred Willingham's special recipe. It was very hard to go into the dime store for anything and not want a hot dog since the chili smell wafted over the whole store. Lordy, those hot dogs were good! (We got the recipe by nefarious means.)

We want to thank everyone who worked during the sale and the cooks who donated baked goods. Debbie Carter from Atlanta won the Leonard Jones picture and Nicole Kelly won the wood chipper. We especially thank Leonard Jones for painting and displaying during the sale and for donating the picture we raffled off. Also, we thank Dianne Poteat for donating the wood chipper in memory of her husband, Johnny.

Right now we're again asking for book donations during this spring cleaning time. Our spring semi-annual book sale will run for a week, starting April 28 and running through May 3. You'll be able to stock up on your summer reading needs at fantastically low prices, and we'll be able to spend more money on the library.

The library's genealogy department was designated as a recipient of memorial gifts in memory of Mary Lucy Probst. As you may know, Mary Lucy donated many artifacts and equipment to that department and offered much knowledge and many suggestions to Dianne Poteat, our official geneology director. If you want to give a tax-deductible memorial gift, make your check payable to Lincoln County Library and designate the genealogy department and the fact that it's a memorial gift in Mary Lucy's honor. We really miss her and will continue to when we need her knowledge of Lincoln County.

Within the next few weeks, you may receive a letter from Friends of the Library encouraging you to become a 2008 member. Membership dues provide a steady source of income for many of our projects, and the cost is minimal- only $5 for an individual membership. There are other levels, too. Our most recent new members are Ms. Jane Guillebeau (individual) and Kay and Eddie Rhodes (Sponsor, $100). We encourage you to respond to the membership letter. We'd also like to have some members who are willing to help with book sales and other projects and who are willing to attend our monthly meetings. We have a core group, but we'd like to add to that since we need new ideas and new sets of hands.

The library is gearing up for the summer reading program. Whet your kids' appetites now for the fun of reading which the program encourages.

The library director also asked that I mention that the library does not have income tax forms at the library. The Federal Government has gone little crazy this year by not mailing out 1040s. You may access their website on one of the library's computers and print out the forms you need or you may do the same from your home computer. There's a tollfree number, also, but we hear it's hard to reach a human being when you call. Mrs. Dawkins intends to try to get some forms for the library to disperse, but she doesn't have them yet.