Spotlight items must be typed and submitted to the Ledger-News the Wednesday before publication date. Send entries to editor@ledgernews.com or fax them to (888) 761-1989. Please include address of event.

Special events

• The North Metro Homeschool Expo will be held June19-20 at Piedmont Baptist Church, 570 Piedmont Road, Marietta. There will be homeschooling seminars and a huge used book sale. Shoppers also will receive a discount coupon for Homeschool Hangout’s Marietta and Alpharetta locations. For more information, visit www.chooseofwoodstockga.org.

• The Ball Ground Heritage Days festival will be May 17-18 and will feature entertainment, arts and crafts, food and children’s activities. The Grand Marshal of this year’s festival and parade will be Monika Kelly, daughter of world famous clown, Emmett Kelly Sr. For more information, or to participate, contact Nancy Dobbs at tiggergram42@aol.com or call (770) 735-1142.

Fundraisers

• Free-Flite Bicycles, 2949 Canton Road, Marietta, will host a fundraiser event to support local mountain bike trails and the Woodstock chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle AssociationMay 17 at 5:30 p.m. The 10K Day event will include a silent auction, an autograph session with mountain bike legend Gary Fisher, raffles, giveaways, free food and a swap/meet. For more information, call (770) 422-5237.

• The Kiwanis Club of Woodstock will hold its 6th annual 5K Fun Run/Walk May 17 at 8:30 a.m. Registration is $20. The race will begin and end at Bogey's in Towne Lake and the course will run through Deer Run. For more information, or to register, visit www.active.com or www.woodstockkiwanis.org or call Mark Buoch at (770) 578-8967.

• The 6th Annual “Step Forward to Cure TSC” walk/run will be held May 17 at 8:30 a.m. at Marietta Square. Portions of the proceeds will benefit Joe Baird, a child who suffers tuberous sclerosis. Registration begins at 7 a.m. To sign up for the walk as a sponsor for Joe, contact his mother, Heather, at (770) 345-9765 or heatherandthebairdboys@windstream.net .

• The 2008 Etowah Golf Tournament to benefit the Etowah Eagles Touchdown Club will be held at the Bradshaw Farm Golf Club May 29. For more information, to sponsor, or to register, contact Jeff Rowell at (404) 610-7941 or coachrowell@etowaheaglesfootball.com.

• The Sequoyah Cross Country Booster Club will hold a 5k run and 1-mile Fun Run May 17 at Sequoyah High School, 4485 Hickory Road, Canton. Registration opens at 6:30 a.m.; 5K run starts at 7:30 a.m. and Fun Run starts at 8:30 a.m. Entry fees for the 5K are $15 for pre-registration and $20 for race day registration; fee for the Fun Run is $5. For more information, or to register, contact Christy Lee at wslcdl1@bellsouth.net or (770) 354-2962.

• The Etowah Eagles TakeDown Club will hold a Car Show fundraiser May 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for all cars, trucks, and motorcycles. The cost is $2 for adults and $1 for students. Entry fee is $25 per vehicle ($20 in advance). All proceeds go to support the Etowah Eagles Wrestling Program. For more information, to register, or to help sponsor, call (770) 516-7422.

Blood drives

• The following American Red Cross blood drive is scheduled for Cherokee County: May 16 from noon to 5 p.m. at Wal-Mart of Woodstock, 12182 Ga. 92.

Reunions

• The Wilkie Family Reunion will be held June 8 at the old Hightower Baptist Church near Free Home. Covered dish lunch will be served after the church service. All relatives and friends are invited. For more information, call Jerry and Donna Stanfield at (706) 692-5292.

Car clubs

• The 1ST Mountain Cruisers car club will host a free cruise-in the first Saturday of each month through October from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Physicians Specialty Center, 80 Fairview Road, Jasper. There will be a DJ, door prizes and a 50/50 drawing.

Classes

• Cherokee County Safety Town is still accepting registrations for its program June 9-13 and June 16-20 at Bascomb Elementary School in Woodstock for children entering kindergarten in fall 2008. Participants learn a different safety concept each day, and local public safety officials visit. Cost is $45 per week. For more information, visit www.cherokeecountysafetytown.org or call Debi at ( 770) 592-7864.

Gardening

• The Cherokee County Master Gardeners will hold the following free class: “Harvesting Rainwater in Barrels,” May 17 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Public Safety Facility at 150 Chattin Drive in Canton. For more information, or to register, call (770) 479-0418.

• The Cherokee County Cooperative Extension Agency, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners and the Cherokee County Master Gardeners will hold the free class “Drought tolerant and native plants of Georgia,” May 24 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Ball Ground Public Library. The class will cover plant selection and landscaping practices for success in dry conditions. Registration is encouraged. For more information, or to register, call (770) 479-0418.

Seniors

• Cherokee County Senior Services will sponsor the AARP Driver Safety Class May 22-23 from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at their facility at 1001 Univeter Road, Canton. Cost is $10, and participants must attend both days. AARP members who provide their AARP membership number when registering may bring a friend for free. Automobile insurance discounts are given, dependant on each drivers’ record, for completion of this defensive driving course. For more information, or to register, call (770) 479-6125.
service organizations

• The Pilot Club of Cherokee County meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Featherstone’s at Bridge Mill, 1190 Bridgemill Avenue, Canton. For more information, call (770) 393-1766 or email Lynda@edgoodwinassociates.com.

• The Hickory Flat Optimist Club meets every first and third Tuesday of the month at Family Traditions on Ga. 140. The group’s purpose is to benefit the children of Cherokee County. For more information, or to register, call (770) 345-5506 or (770) 633-1313.

• The Rotary Club of Cherokee County meets Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Ryan’s Family Steakhouse, I-575 at exit 20, adjacent to Wal-Mart in Canton. For more information, call (770) 517-4504.

Saddle club

• Cherokee County Saddle Club will host Garland Mountain Trail work days the second Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Garland Mountain Way in Waleska. The May 17 clinic on Safety and Survival on the Trail will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Towne Lake Equestrian Club located at 406 Old Boring Lane in Woodstock. For more information, contact Tamma Trump at (770) 655-0819 or mswhinney@juno.com.

Quilting

• Quiltin’ Time, 126 Barrett Road, Holly Springs, holds free “Sit and Sew” sessions each week. The quilts created by the Thursday group are donated to the Family Violence Center. For more information, call Mervyn at (678)493-2112.

• The Cherokee Crazy Quilters meet Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Historic Rock Barn, 658 Marietta Highway, Canton. All are welcome, and fabric donations for charity quilts are appreciated. For more information, call Sandy Brannon at (678) 493-7229.

The arts

• FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., #138, Woodstock, has the following events scheduled: Cathy Kaemmerlen, author of “General Sherman and the Georgia Belles” and “Speaking Stones: Voices from Historic Oakland Cemetery” will sign copies May 17 at 1 p.m.; Virginia Willis will prepare a recipe from and sign copies of her cookbook “Bon Appetit, Y’all” May 24 at 1 p.m.; Pulitzer-winning author Rick Bragg will sign copies of his new book “The Prince of Frogtown” May 28 at 7 p.m.; Elisabeth Payne Rosen will read from and sign copies of “Hallam's War,” June 3 at 7 p.m. For more information, call (770) 516-9989.

• The Ivy Garden Antique and Gift House, 113 Palm St., Holly Springs, has a free book exchange. Bring a book to take a book. All topics and subjects are available and requested. For more information, call (770) 479-2647.

• The Georgia Art Exchange meets every Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 8295 Ga. 92, Suite B, Woodstock, for informal/social sessions aimed at developing future Georgia Art promotions. All are welcome. For more information, call (770) 882-5911.

• The Christian Authors Guild meets at Prayer and Praise Christian Fellowship in Woodstock on the first and third Mondays of each month. Call (770) 928-2588 or visit www.christianauthorsguild.org.

Medical

• Piedmont Mountainside Hospital will hold a free open house and discussion at its new sleep disorders center May 15 at 4 p.m. The “Dessert and Discussion” series event will follow at 5:30 p.m. with David R. Lesch, M.D., medical director of the center leading the discussion, “Catching All Your ZZZZ’s? Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Disorders.” For more information, or to register, call (866) 900-4321.