Starting this October, the Thermal Belt Friendship Council will be holding its
meetings on the fourth Tuesday of every month instead of the second Tuesday. The
location, at the Roseland Community Center on the corner of East Howard and
Peake Streets, will remain the same as will the time, 6:00 pm.

All members and interested parties are welcome to attend this month’s meeting on October 28.

The Friendship Council is a non-profit local organization that promotes social and
racial equality and diversity in the surrounding communities. Members are not
required to pay dues but are encouraged to support community-building activities
in the area. The organization also offers two annual events that are free and open to
public:

• The Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration in January, where a Martin Luther
King scholarship is awarded to a qualified graduating high school senior in Polk
County.

• An annual community picnic in June, where participants may partake in a
potluck meal and have a chance to win prizes from local merchants through a raffle
that benefits the scholarship fund.

Members and the public are also welcome to attend monthly luncheons, which are
held at various local restaurants. This October’s lunch, on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 11:45
a.m., will be slightly different. Everyone is encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch
for a “get to know your neighbor” gathering at Bryan Park near St. Luke’s Church on
Markham Road in Tryon. In case of inclement weather, the lunch will be held in the
Fellowship Hall of St. Luke’s Church.

Presiding over the upcoming October meeting will be the Friendship Council’s
newly elected president and vice president, Donna Tatnall and Franklin Smith, as
well as incumbent treasurer, Meg Rogers. In addition to discussing upcoming events
for the year, attendees will also have a chance to vote for the nominees for
corresponding secretary, Robin Edgar, and recording secretary, Mary Parker.

For information about the Thermal Belt Friendship Council or the October lunch at
Bryan Park, contact Donna Tatnall at 828-859-7099.

– article submitted by Robin Edgar