BRIEFS

WAITSBURG SCHOOL BANDS TO PERFORM

WAITSBURG -- Hometown Christmas is Sunday, Dec. 4 and musicians from the Waitsburg School District and the community will perform onstage at Ye Towne Hall from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The Preston Hall band will ride and play in the Hometown Christmas parade at 5 p.m. On Monday, Dec. 14, the Waitsburg High School guitar class will join with bands from the sixth, seventh and eighth grade, and Waitsburg High School for a Christmas Concert in the WHS Auditorium at 7 p.m. Non-perishable food donations will be collected at the door. The Waitsburg community is warmly invited.

BROWN GRADUATES FROM BASIC TRAINING

WAITSBURG -- Air Force Airman Blake C. Brown graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate degree in applied science through the Community College of the Air Force. Brown is the son of Edward Brown of Northeast Cedar Creek Road, Amboy. He is a 2010 graduate of Waitsburg High School.

WAITSBURG LIONS SMOKED TURKEY SALE

WAITSBURG - The Lions are cooking up turkeys for Christmas. In November, the club cooked and sold 168 turkeys. On Dec. 8, they will cook up 420 turkeys at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds. Turkeys can be purchased and reserved at the Waitsburg Grocery Store and picked up there on Dec. 10. The price is $30. Proceeds fund their many community activities throughout the year. For information, call 509-337-6641.

OLD TIME CHRISTMAS PARTY

WAITSBURG - An Old Time Christmas Party will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Waitsburg Hardware & Mercantile. Nevada Slim & Cimarron Sue will be there and there will be a book signing by Carolyn Parker who authored "Squeaky's Farm." All proceeds benefit Black Dog Rescue.

COLUMBIA REA SCHOLARSHIP ENROLLMENT OPENS

DAYTON -- Application packets are available Thursday for the Columbia REA scholarship program. The program will provide scholarship funding for the school term beginning in the fall of 2012. The scholarship program is available to members or dependents of members with an active account served by Columbia REA. Four scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible applicants. Three are academic scholarships. One of the three in the amount of $1,500, awarded to the highest scoring applicant, is the Clark A. Brewington Memorial Scholarship. The remaining two scholarships will be in the amount of $1,000 each. Once awarded, these scholarships will be renewable for up to three additional consecutive years provided the recipient remains a student in good standing with at least a 2.75 grade point average at an accredited institution. A fourth scholarship is available for eligible applicants wishing to pursue a career in the electric industry as a journey lineman. The Jeff Meredith Scholarship is for $1,000 and for one year only. The Jeff Meredith Scholarship is available to any applicant; and does not need to be a member of Columbia REA. Application packets are available beginning Thursday at Columbia REA's offices in Dayton and Walla Walla and at all high schools within Columbia REA's service area. A complete application packet is also available on the Columbia REA web site at www.columbiarea. coop. The deadline for submitting applications is Feb. 17. Recipients will be notified by March 30.

LEADERSHIP PARTICIPANT SELECTED

WALLA WALLA -- Lori Stonecipher, Partner, Farmer with Stonecipher Ranches, LLC, has been selected to participate in an 18-month Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Development Program. As a member of Class 34 of the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Leadership Program, Stonecipher will attend 14 seminars designed to enhance leadership skills and increase the motivation to contribute meaningfully to the natural resource industries of the State of Washington.

The seminars are jointly sponsored by institutions of higher education and agriculture and forestry related businesses. The program is conducted under the auspices of the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation. The foundation's goal is to improve the leadership skills of program participants by broadening their cultural, economic, social and political perspectives, thus encouraging the participation of astute and well trained leaders in their communities and organizations.

Participants will study local, state, national and international public affairs issues and how they interrelate, learn how to analyze issues in a decision-making process, improve personal skills in working with people and in communications, and study issues impacting Washington's natural resource industries. They will also study political systems and how to influence them and broaden their understanding of cultural groups, both within the nation and abroad.