The Highland Home School Fall Festival has been scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 6.

The festivities will began at 6 p.m. and will end at approximately 8 p.m. An auction will immediately follow in the auditorium.

Donations are being sought in order to assist with this major fundraiser. Most items are accepted. Typical yard sale items are sought for the country store. Also, any major items, such as used furniture or new items that can be auctioned are greatly needed.

Cakes are being solicited for the cake walk or you may purchase supplies such as cake mixes, eggs, oil, or frosting. The cakes will then be made by the home economics department. Old stuff animals may also be donated for the stuff animal walk. The only item that will not be accepted at this time is clothing.

Anything else will be accepted if reasonable.

If you would like to make a donation, please call me at 537-4511.

Every little bit helps.

Hope to see you there.

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Last week I asked for names of people that have given to our community and/or have contributed acts of kindness.

I was contacted regarding Mr. Ben McNeill.

McNeill is the owner of

Highland Home Food and Fuel, otherwise known as the "Citgo". He has owned land in our area for many years. He decided to develop the land and chose to open the previously named convenience store. He has contributed to the youth in our area in many ways.

McNeill sponsors a Dixie Youth softball team every year. He is also given a great deal of support to the Highland Home High School football team and is known for having the back page of the football programs each year. He also supplies the small footballs that are thrown into the stands by the cheerleaders at home games.

In July, he contributed the land that the Highland Home Public Library now occupies.

He was awarded a plaque by the Highland Home Community for this donation. In the past, he allowed fundraisers such as car washes and church yard sales to occur on the "Citgo" property free of charge. However, due to the recent construction, this has been unable to continue.

This construction is going to be Highland Home's first fast food eatery.

A Subway should be opening up there in the next few weeks. He incurred the cost of the construction, as well the sanitation requirements, so that a local citizen, Ms. Teresa Stovall, could go in business. He has always had the economic development of our area as a priority.

McNeill is a devoted Christian who has served on the Montgomery City Council for eight years until his recent retirement.

He supports the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the fight against Juvenile Diabetes. He is committed to the people of our community by keeping gas prices low and having any open door policy. He encourages customers to contact him directly regarding concerns or other issues.

For these reasons, we would like to thank Mr. McNeill for his loyalty and support of our community.

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Recently,

I had the honor of visiting Ms. Daniel's Home Economics room at Highland Home School.

Amazingly, it had the same smell it had all those years ago when I attended school there. Of course, Ms. Daniel was horrified, but I reassured her it was a good thing. It was the smell of years of baking.

I had forgotten what it was like to be sitting under the hill with all the girls in my class. It was the one place where we could still be girls without those annoying boys bothering us. We passed notes, shared boy stories and talked about all the other things teenage girls talk about.

(Sometimes it was each other.)

It was a place were I realized that I was domestically challenged.

I still can barely sew on a button and I have not been blessed with any artistic ability. We all got lots of laughs off each other's cooking catostrophies and sewing debacles. But I think Ms. Daniel knew that it was more than becoming homemakers of tomorrow. It was about the challenges of growing up and one day becoming a woman. It was about finding our own way and enjoying our youthful girl days.

I look back now and I truly miss those days. Those days when I was me. The world hadn't changed me yet and best friends were always a piece of paper away.

Sometimes I make those biscuit dough pizzas that was the first thing we learned how to make in home ec. Not because I think they are great eating, but because they are simple and remind me that a long time ago, so was my life.