Americus
Book Signing: A book signing this for author Robert Buccellato,  The Presidential Hometown, is at 3 p.m. Feb. 13 at Bittersweet Books & Coffee, 111 W. Forsyth St.

Farmers’ Meeting: A Weed Control Meeting (all crops) is at 6 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Sumter County Agricultural Center Auditorium, 127 William Bowen Pointe. Stanley Culpepper, UGA Extension Weed scientist and Eric Prostko, UGA Extension agronomist present the program. Earn one hour credit toward private and commercial (Category 21) Pesticide License. There will be a sponsored meal so PLEASE call 924-4476 to register.

Backyard Peach Production Meeting: Growing peaches and other fruit trees in Georgia and the southeastern U.S. is challenging. Peaches are not native to North America; however, many cultivars have been developed for our area, and Georgia has a long history of successful peach production. One must choose the site and the proper cultivar and provide care throughout the year to be successful. At noon, Feb. 24 at the Sumter County Agricultural Center Auditorium, Jeff Cook, Georgia Peach agent and County Extension agent for Taylor and Peach counties discusses peaches. Topics will peaches onsite selection and preparation, planting, fertilizing, insects, diseases, and harvesting. Call 924-4476 by Feb. 23 to let them know that you will attend.

Servsafe Training: Servsafe Training for Food Service Managers is April 11 and 12. Pre-registration is required by March 24. Cost is $140. Call 924-4476 for  information or stop by the Sumter County Extension Office, 127 William Bowen Pointe.

Andersonville
Veterans Help: A movement is underway in Andersonville to help out veterans. Free booths/spaces for veterans or their spouses are available to come and sell their crafts, trade or antiques for extra income. Many veterans are disabled or cannot find work so Andersonville is trying to give them the opportunity to come to a veteran friendly town. A lot of military and other visitors visit downtown Andersonville after visiting the POW Museum and National Cemetery and this would be the ideal time for veterans to make some extra income. And this is all free! If you are a veteran or know of veterans that could take advantage of this great opportunity, call 229-591-8023 for more information.

Macon County
Forestry Pageant: The 57th Annual Macon County Forestry Pageant is Feb. 27. This is a scholarship pageant. Prizes include: official round crown with emerald and crystal stones, crowning pin, sash, and their entry fee to the 77th Annual Miss Georgia Forestry Pageant. The age divisions are 0 months to 24 years old. Baby through Junior Miss is $85. Teen and Miss is $100. Deadline to enter is Feb. 12. Contact Amy R. Parker at 478-244-1562 or amymaconcoforestrypageant@yahoo.com

Vienna
Board Meeting: The Lake Blackshear Regional Library board of trustees holds its quarterly meeting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Vienna First Baptist Church, 127 Church St. The meeting is open to the public.

Albany
Federal Retirees: National Active and Retired Federal Employees meets at 11:30 a.m. Feb.17 at Knights of Columbus, Gillionville Road. Buffet lunch available. Speaker is Susan Nelson, health coach.

Elsewhere
Scholarship Pageant: The 2016 Miss Georgia Peach Scholarship Pageant is March 19 at Fort Valley State University and is open to any Georgia girl, ages 4 -24. Queens serve as the official ambassadors of the Georgia Peach Festival and the peach industry and are honored for service by the Georgia Senate, House, and Governor. The deadline to enter is March 12. Only 15 entries accepted per age group and may close out before the deadline if 15 is reached. Optionals, including talent, are available. Admission to the pageant event is free. For more information call 478 923-3846, Email: missgapeachpageant@email.com, visit www.missgeorgiapeach.org, or visit our Facebook page.

Ongoing
Americus
Narcotics Anonymous: First Step Group meetings have moved to a new location at 126 Forest Street and are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.

Volunteers Needed: Learning for Everyone Inc. (LEAP) is seeking volunteers for its Mentor Partnership with the Sumter County School System. Volunteers will mentor children in the grades 3-9. Interested applicants may check out our website at www.learningforeveryone.org or contact Brittany Dawson, Mentor coordinator at 229-924-9443 or bdawson@learningforeveryone.org. They may also attend our mentor trainings. Mentor trainings are held at 5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at 200 Cotton Ave.

Volunteers Needed: The Flint River Chapter of the American Red Cross seeks volunteers willing to invest time in Disaster Preparedness Education for our chapter and the surrounding areas. We are looking for dedicated individuals that are willing to speak and train others on what to do before, during and after a disaster. Any volunteer with time on his/her hands is an excellent candidate for this program. This is of vital importance to our area as we never know when a disaster will happen. Call Marvin Grace, Community Disaster Educator at 229-733-9738 or the chapter at 229-436-4845 for more information.

Weight Watchers: Weight Watchers meets Thursdays at First Presbyterian Church, 125 S. Jackson St. Weigh-in is at 5 p.m., followed by meeting at 5:30 p.m. Visit weightwatchers.com

Become a Mentor:  LEAP “Learning for Everyone … Avenue to Progress” continues to provide mentorship to elementary, middle and ninth-grade academy students and free adult education classes to the citizens of Sumter County. LEAP is currently accepting applications for the 2013-2014 school year. Applicants need to be 18 or older and commit 30 minutes per week for one academic school year. For more information or to make a donation, contact Brittany Dawson at leapcis@gmail.com or call at 229-924-9443.