Schley County Health  Department announces National Immunization Week
The  Schley County Health Department announces that this week is National Immunization Week. These special vaccinations  are the best way parents can protect their babies from 14 serious childhood diseases before the age of two.
Parents are encouraged to contact their baby’s doctors or the Schley County Health Department to ensure that these infants are updated on their immunizations.
The Georgia Department of Public Health and Schley County Health Nurse, Kristy Smith urged Schley Countians to speak with their health care provider or doctor to make sure their babies are up to date with these shots.
This year, immunizations are recommended for children from birth through age 6 years.
Fact: Vaccines are safe and scientists are continually working to make sure they become even safer.
Fact: Childhood vaccines produce immunity 90 to 100 percent of the time. Without these vaccinations your child is at great risk of catching one of the vaccine-preventative diseases.
Fact: There are 10 vaccines recommended to protect infants from 14 diseases.
• DTaP  protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough)
• MMR protects from measles, mumps and rubella.
• Hep A protects from Hepatitis A.
• Hep B protects against Hepatitis B.
• HIB protects against haemophilus influenza type B.
• Flu protects against influenza.
• PCV 13 protects against pneumococcal disease.
• Polio protects against polio.
• RV protects against rotavirus.
• Varicella protects against chicken pox.
Infants traveling abroad may need other vaccines along with the 10 required ones.
One dose of the DTP vaccine is recommended for pregnant women during their third trimester of each pregnancy regardless of prior vaccinations history.
There is a lot more that parents should know about the vaccinations so call or go by the Schley County Health Department and speak to Kristy or call her at 9374-2208. If there are parents that can’t pay for these services see Kristy and she has a plan for all Schley County families whether they can pay or not.

Former resident  visits friends in Ellaville
On April 14, Bob Mowbray came up to Ellaville to spend a long weekend with Bobby, Nancy and Frederick Young. Bob lives in Gainesville, Florida. He lived in Ellaville with his late wife Sharon and daughter Arron Mowbray before moving to Florida.
While here he did some hunting.
It’s always a pleasure to have him to come up and see all of us as well as other special friends here.
He returned home on Sunday.

Community saddened at death of former resident
Our community is sad to have heard of the death of Jack Gilchrist, who was reared in Schley County. Hr passed away in the Hospice House in Columbus. He was living in Columbus at the time of his death at age 92.
Jack attended school here and served in World War II. He was married to the late Mary McMickle Gilchrist, who was also reared in Schley County.
Jack was a very interesting person. He could talk on any subject you could mention. He worked many years in newspapers in a lot of towns. He was such a highly educated man.
Jack and Mary Gilchrist had two sons and two daughters. He has a sister-in-law in Ellaville, Margaret McMickle Gooding, and a brother and sister-in-law, Murray and Angie McMickle, and a number of nieces and nephews.
Let’s remember Gilchrist family in our prayers.

Historic society is landscaping the courthouse
The Ellaville-Schley County Historical Society has volunteered  to landscape the front of the newly renovated Schley County Courthouse.
If you remember there was a flower bed on the left side of the front door of the courthouse when the County was moving some of the sidewalks to redo the entrance and getting ready for repaving the sidewalk. Before they started pouring the new  cement we decided to make two larger flower beds for balance.
Kim Lawhorn will be in charge to see that it’s done correctly and being she is downtown it easier for her to look across and check on things.
Have you noticed how pretty the courthouse looks now that they have repainted it? It’s a lovely place to see and you should see the inside.
Everyone is so proud of our commissioners, County Administrator Bill Sawyer and Douglas Jamieson for over-seeing the work at the courthouse, Ellaville and Schley County’s landmark.
Come and ride through town and see this lovely building. I would love to hear what these old walls would say if they could talk.

Ernie Jones, former resident, visits Ellaville
A few days before Springtime Ellaville, Ernie Jones came home to be with family and friends here. Ernie lives in Kansas City, Missouri, and is retired from the  U.S. Postal Service.
He real interested in our local history. During his visit he visited a lot of cemeteries, the Schley County Library, Lake Blackshear Regional Library in Americus and special family and friends.
He stayed with two of his sisters in Americus. He  comes this time of the year because he loves to go to the Masters in Augusta.  He plays golf all the time.
He came by to get some history from Bobby on Saturday before leaving to return home on Monday.
It’s always a pleasure to see him.