Library closed until January

The Roddenbery Memorial Library is temporarily closed to prepare for the renovation of the library. It will re-open Monday, Jan. 8, with services provided in the Grady Room, the Brown House behind the library at 321 Bell Alley, the Trustee’s room and the children’s room. Items checked out before Dec. 8 will be due in January. Books may be placed on hold from your mobile device or by calling the Thomas County Public Library at (229) 225-5252 or the Southwest Georgia Regional Library in Bainbridge at (229) 248-2665. All book drops will be available for returns. If you would like to request books that you would like RML to purchase for the collection, contact Pam Grigg at pgrigg@rmlibrary.org or Roddenbery Memorial Library, 320 N. Broad St., Cairo, GA 39828. Questions? Call Pamela Grigg at (229) 377-3632.

Chamber website offer free job postings

Members of the Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce can now post any job openings they have on the chamber’s website for free. The chamber has added a new page to its website, www.cairogachamber.com, that lists available positions and job opportunities in the community and any member of the chamber may post their jobs onto the page at no charge. Visit the chamber’s website for more information or call 377-3663.

Faith Temple to hold services 

Faith Temple Church will be having Family and Friends Day at 11:30 a.m., on Sunday and everyone is invited to come and bring a friend. Pastor Ambers Glynn Jr. and the congregation also invite everyone to come back for their Watch Night Service that evening starting at 10:30 as they prepare to say goodbye to 2017 and celebrate the new year with dynamic praise and worship. The church is located at 231 Legion Blvd., SW in Cairo. For more information, call 377-9318.

Church plans watch night service

Mt. Calvary M.B. Church members are holding their annual Watch Night Service at 10 p.m., Sunday. Wilson Chapel and the Rev. Dr. Simon Simmons Jr. will be in charge of the services. A breakfast will be served after the services and everyone in the community is invited to attend.

Spoken Word Project planned

The MLK Collaborative of Cairo is sponsoring “Voices of Dreams,” a spoken or musical composition contest, as part of the upcoming celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January. Participants are encouraged to create an original spoken word piece (speech or poem), or a musical composition (song or rap) in honor of Dr. King or the Civil Rights Movement. There are three age categories, and the winner of each age group wins $100. All entries must be submitted to the judges by 5 p.m., Monday. As part of the submission, contestants must upload a video of themselves performing their finished product onto Facebook and tag Jevar Shango McGhee on the post. In addition, contestants must also email the written version of the work to jevar24@yahoo.com. All winners will be announced on Jan. 6. All are students ages 7-high school are encouraged to participate.

Chamber seeks nominations

It’s that time of year again. The 92nd annual meeting of the Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce is right around the corner and the chamber is now accepting nominations for annual awards. In addition to written submissions to the chamber, nominations can be made online this year. For more information, call the chamber at 377-3663.

Class of 1972 meets Saturday 

The Cairo High School Class of 1972 will be having a class reunion gathering this Saturday at Mr. Chick. The “dutch treat” lunch will be held at 11 a.m. and all class members are invited to attend. For more information, call 977-0951.

Parade to mark anniversary of King’s death

Members of the the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collaborative Group are working to make the 2018 MLK Parade a truly special event because it is the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. The parade is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 15 beginning at 11 a.m. in downtown Cairo with floats, clubs, church groups, civic organizations and other walking groups participating. Anyone who wishes to participate and carry banners that display their group’s name and the day’s theme are also welcome. The grand marshal and program speaker for this year’s event will be Gary Grant and the day’s theme is “50 Years, Soaring Towards Justice.” If you would like to participate in the parade or any of the special events planned for the day, contact Renee Gee-Theophine at 377-6629 or 221-5914.

Chamber to hold Listening Lunch

The Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce will start a new monthly “Listening Lunch” program in January that will offer training in various areas of business for the community. The first event will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at the Foundry from 12 to 2 p.m. and will feature representatives from the Small Business Development Center of the University of Georgia. They will be presenting a program on how to make sure your business shows up online for free and how to utilize the power of Google Maps to help publicize your business. Seats are limited to the event so call 377-3663 to register.

Free services to women offered

The Southwest Health District is offering a program to women ages 40-64 who reside in Georgia that is aimed at reducing cases of breast and cervical cancer. The Grady County Health Department is participating in this program which will provide free breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic testing and referral for treatment as medically indicated to uninsured or under-insured women with limited income in Georgia. There is no charge for the services for women enrolled in the BCCP program. For more information, contact the Grady County Health Department.

To submit an item to Cairo Newsbeat, call Jeff Lovett at (229) 221-1030.