Hello, neighbors.  I hope everyone had a safe Veteran’s Day weekend.  I regret that I forgot to mention it in last week’s column, but I do want to thank everyone who has served and is serving in uniform, putting their lives on the line to defend our freedom.  The students at Carolina Forest Elementary put on a very nice assembly, along with the Carolina Forest High Color Guard, for the veterans.  The ceremony included a slide show with family pictures of veterans, which included photos Benjamin submitted of both of his grandfathers.

Speaking of CFES, please remember that the 4th graders are competing to see which school can recycle the most between now and March.  Let’s show our support.  Please save your magazines, newspapers, aluminum cans and plastics for Walkers Woods 4th grader Raina Mills.  Contact her mom at Bonnie.Mills@sanofi.com to arrange a pickup.

Christmas will be here before we know it, and I would like to remind everyone to keep in mind the children who may not be receiving gifts this year.  The Marine Corps sent me a Toys for Tots stocking, and I need your help to fill it.  I will be collecting toys at the Carolina Forest Civic Association meeting on Dec. 7 in the HTC building.  Please note, the December meeting has been moved up because of Christmas. 

If you can, please bring a new, unwrapped toy in the original packaging.  If you want to donate a toy but can’t make it to the meetings, feel free to call me at 503-4804.  You are welcome to bring the toy by the house.  Mine is the one that usually has colorful chalk graffiti, I mean art, in the driveway.

Neighbors, this is my 86th Walkers Woods column, and will be my last.  The Civic Association board recently appointed me as chair of the public relations committee.  One of the things I want to do is to write a bi-weekly column which will include news of CFCA activities & events, and information from the other committees as well as the board.  Since I don’t have enough spare time to write two columns, I’m dropping “This Week around Walkers Woods”.

This plan has been in the works for several weeks, but I wanted to wait until the neighborhood traffic study was complete so I could get the facts out to you.  Walkers Woods is now eligible for speed humps.  I have asked the POA board to schedule a community meeting with Horry County deputy engineer Andy Markunas so an informed decision can be made.  This is a very important safety issue.  Please be sure to get the facts before forming an opinion one way or the other.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being your community writer.  I want to thank everyone for your support.  It always made my day whenever someone came up to me and said, “I enjoy reading your column, Steve.”  I’m very excited about the opportunity to write the “CFCA Notebook”.  The first one will be in the Dec. 1 edition of the Chronicle.

If you are on Facebook, remember to “like” the Walkers Woods at Carolina Forest and Carolina Forest Civic Association pages.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and I’ll see you around The Forest.