BRIEFS

CAR SHOW DONATION

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg Classic Auto Show donated $200 to the Waitsburg Resource Center last Thursday. The show has donated money to the center for the past four years, said orga- nizer Ken Lenhart. This year's auto show has been scheduled for May 17-18, 2013.

SENIOR CENTER OFFERS LUNCH

DAYTON - The Columbia County Senior Center will contin- ue to offer lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. for $4 per senior and $7 for non-seniors. Before lunch, the center offers music and games and the lunches consist of good filling meals. The menu schedule is available at the center. Thursday, Sept. 6, the center will serve baked pork chops, oven-browned potatoes, broccoli/cauliflower and applesauce pudding. The center is also working to collect school supplies for local students and currently needs gently used backpacks to donate to the school.

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP

DAYTON - Teeny McMunn will be leading a second grief support group in Dayton from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at the Congregational Church at 214 S. Third Street in Dayton. The group will meet for 10 weeks and will fol- low the Walla Walla Hospice format working with the book "Understanding Your Grief." Anyone struggling with grief is invited to consider joining the group. Signing up in advance is recommended. For more information, call McMunn at 386- 5287. McMunn also leads a group that meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays at the Congregational Church. The group has already worked through the book and is open to anyone interested in joining them.

LETTER MAY BE MISLEADING

DAYTON - A company called Home Emergency Insur- ance Solutions recently sent out a letter to local residents offering insurance on water and sewer lines on private property. Mayor Craig George said the company is legitimate but the city is not connected to the company or the offer in any way. George said the city does not endorse it but is not against it and reminds citizens that the dealing is between the insurance company and the resident and the city is not involved.

POND AND GARDEN TOUR

WALLA WALLA -- Walla Walla Community Hospice will host its annual Pond and Garden Tour on Saturday, Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This hospice fund raising event is a self-guided tour of 10 gardens in the Walla Walla area. It is a delightful tour of unique and creative gardens incorporating ponds, creeks and other water features. Tickets for this event include a tour map and provide entrance to all 10 gardens. Other features will include a raffle for pond and garden accessories, featured vendors of garden art, musicians and "Artists in the Garden". Tickets are limited, and must be purchased in advance. Cost is $20 per person. Tickets may be purchased after August 8 at Bright's Candies & Gifts, 11 E. Main Street or at the WWCH Office at 1067 Isaacs Avenue. Tickets may also be mailed for credit card orders placed by phone to (509) 525-5561 ($2 per order shipping and handling). More details about the Pond and Garden Tour are available on the web at www.wwhospice.org or www.facebook.com/wallawallahospice. Walla Walla Community Hospice is a non-profit organization committed to providing quality hospice care to adults and chil- dren facing a limited life expectancy. No patient is denied hospice services for financial reasons. All proceeds from the Pond and Garden Tour will be used toward providing quality hospice care in Walla Walla, Columbia and Northeast Umatilla counties.

NEW SUPPORT GROUP

WALLA WALLA -- A new grief support group sponsored by Walla Walla Community Hospice will begin in September. The group will begin Sept. 5 and will continue weekly through Nov. 7. The group will meet from 6 - 7:30 p.m. The WWCH bereave- ment team will facilitate the group. The book "Understanding Your Grief" by Dr. Allan Wolfelt is used as a guideline. There is no charge, but participants are encouraged to register by calling the WWCH office at 525-5561 or by email to info@wwhospice.org before Aug. 31. Walla Walla Community Hospice is a non-profit organization committed to providing quality hospice care to adults and children facing a limited life expectancy. Hospice care also addresses the needs of the patients' family members, including grief and bereavement counseling for up to 12 months following the death of a patient. Grief support groups are offered to anyone living in Walla Walla, Columbia or northeast Umatilla Counties, not just the family members of hospice patients.

CHORAL CONCERTS COMING UP

WALLA WALLA -- The Walla Walla Choral Society is an- nouncing the formation of a new, select Chamber Choir to perform with the Choral Society throughout its upcoming concert season. The Walla Walla Choral Society Chamber Choir will perform at each of this season's Choral Society concerts starting with "A Trip Through Tin Pan Alley" in October, followed by "On This Shining Night" in December with guest conductor Paul Dennis. A special spring concert, "A Gwyneth Walker Portrait," follows in March of 2013, and the season is capped off as the Choral Society joins the Walla Walla Symphony for Verdi's "Requiem" in May. In addition to the Choral Society's four concerts, the Chamber Choir will also perform on other occasions as the Walla Walla Choral Society's outreach ambassadors to the community. The Chamber Choir is open to returning Choral Society singers and new singers by audi- tion only. Auditions will be held Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. in the choir room of the Melvin K West Fine Arts Building at Walla Walla University. Singers interested in auditioning can contact Artistic Director and Conductor, Christine Janis at 509- 525-8586 for more information and to schedule an audition time.

LODGING TAX COMMITTEE OPENINGS

WALLA WALLA -- Walla Walla County is seeking applicants to fill at least two vacant positions on the County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Members of the committee make recom- mendations to the Board of County Commissioners regarding disposition of the tax revenue collected for tourism promotion, in compliance with state statute and advisory guidelines. Members serve without compensation. Meetings of the committee are held on an "as-needed" basis. Applications can be obtained from the county website (www.co.walla-walla.wa.us), Walla Walla County Com- missioners' Office, County Public Health and Legislative Building, 314 West Main/P.O. Box 1506, Walla Walla, or by calling the Commissioners' Office at (509) 524-2505.