Nation Day of Prayer observed May 1

Special to the Herald

Effingham County will observe the 74th annual National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 1, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Veterans’ Park in Springfield (next to Effingham Hospital).

The pastors participating in the service are Pastor Don Davis from Oak Grove Church of Christ, Pastor Greg Davis from Hurst Baptist Church, Pastor Ken Morgan from Springfield Oaks Church, and Pastor Lon Harden from Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. 

Bring your own chair for the service.  In case of inclement weather, the service will be held in the Board of Education’s auditorium, 405 N. Ash St., Springfield.

For more information contact Morgan Phillips at 912-659-1373.

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Healthy Kids Day hosted by Effingham Y

Special to the Herald

The event is free and open to the public.

Healthy Kids Day will include bounce houses from Party Harbour, interactive activities and a “foam party” from 11 a.m.-noon.

The first 50 kids who attend will receive goody bags which include the 2025 Healthy Kids Day shirt.

Participating vendors include: Rincon Fire Department, EMS, Effingham County Sheriff Office, Coastal Chatham Search and Rescue, Humane Society, Fuzzy Therapy Ponies, Small Steps, Katie Brown, Rincon Day Spa, Family Promise, 4H Pet Safety, and Renasant Bank.

Local businesses can still sign up as vendors. Contact Ariel Gernatt, youth development director, at 912.826.2199, or ariel.gernatt@ymcaofcoastalga.org.

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Guyton Historic Preservation Committee seeks more members

Special to the Herald

Guyton is full of history, and if you know a lot about the city’s history or are new and would like to learn about Guyton’s past, the Guyton Historic Preservation Committee wants to talk with you.

The Guyton Historic Preservation Committee is currently seeking new members. Residents of Guyton can be voting members; nonresidents of Guyton are welcome to join, but cannot be voting members – although their input and help would be appreciated by Lucy Powell, the committee chairperson.

The committee meets the first Tuesday of the month at 5 p.m., “But we can change the day and time to make it convenient for the members,” Powell said. Membership in the committee is volunteer. Powell added they can always use volunteers to help with their various projects.

Anyone interested in serving on the Guyton Historic Preservation Committee can contact Guyton City Hall at 912-772-3353, or Powell at 912-772- 3515.

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Springfield launches First Fridays again in 2025

Special to the Herald

As a way to increase food options in downtown Springfield, the Mobile Food Vending Ordinance was adopted in 2019.

Food Trucks seemed like a great solution but Springfield still wanted to make sure rules were in place that would protect the city’s existing restaurants. The ordinance limits how often a food truck can come to Springfield, where they can be, and requires them to get a license from the city and a permit from the Dept. of Public Health or Dept. of Agriculture.

It took a few years to get the word out that food trucks were welcome in downtown. To gain more interest, The City of Springfield started First Fridays. For this specific day of the month food trucks were invited downtown. Residents could look forward to having a different dining option and businesses could capitalize on the extra people and activity downtown. While this helped a little, it wasn’t as popular as anticipated, so Springfield took another step forward and started First Friday Family Nights in the summer months.

First Friday kicks off May 2 with the Mars Theatre showing a short film about the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail; and the Kids Bike League will also be on site.

For the full schedule of First Friday events, check out the city’s website at: Springfield First Fridays | The City of Springfield, Georgia.

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Family Connection seeks input from area youth organizations

Special to the Herald

As a part of its planning for Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026, Effingham Family Connection is seeking information from those in the county who work with youth ages 13-18. Family Connection needs feedback on the resources organizations need to be better equipped to assist this population and feedback on the resources that the children need.

For more information, contact Family Connection Executive Director Elaine Spencer at ecfamilyconnection@gmail.com, Amber Fordham at trhc.amber@gmail.com or Kristen Wert at treutlen.wert@yahoo.com.

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All Scouts invited to reunion picnic in June

Special to the Herald

Scouting is a family program that doesn’t have to end after childhood. Coastal Georgia Council Scouting America invites all Scouts, past and present, and their families to join an afternoon of fellowship and fun for an alumni reunion picnic at Black Creek Scout Reservation in Sylvania on June 14 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

This free event will feature a lunch cookout, tours of the camping facilities, and the chance to enjoy fellowship with former Scouts and leaders while taking part in aquatic, climbing, and shooting sports activities. Registration is free and available online at https://scoutingevent.com/099-Picnic.

For more information, contact the Coastal Georgia Council at (912) 927-7272.