Deborah Potter McCormick, 540-463-7652
Orders for the 2026 Effinger Community Birthday Calendar will be accepted until Aug. 15. This is the 49th edition of the Effinger Community Calendar prepared and sold by the Effinger Ruritan Club. The cost of the calendar is $4. Birthday, anniversary and memorial listings are 35 cents each. Calendars and listings may be purchased by contacting a Ruritan Club member.
The Collierstown Presbyterian Women are making “kids kits” filled with school supplies for distribution by Church World Service to children in the United States and abroad. This year’s goal is to fill 225 canvas tote bags with 11 basic school supplies needed by elementary school students. The community is invited to help reach this year’s goal by giving a financial gift to buy supplies or by filling the canvas tote bags made and donated by Louise Tardy. Tote bags and the required supply list can be obtained by calling the church office at (540) 463-5918. Information about the 2026 Kids Kit campaign is also on the Collierstown Presbyterian Church’s website and Facebook page. Those wishing to make a financial gift to the Kids Kit campaign should designate the gift for school supplies and mail it to Collierstown Presbyterian Church, 31 Church Drive, Lexington, VA 24450. Filled bags are to be returned to the church by Aug.
17 for distribution.
The 35th Palmer Ice Cream Supper sponsored by the Effinger Ruritan Club will be held on Saturday, Aug. 16, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Palmer Community Center, 1230 Blue Grass Trail. Food items available for purchase will include hamburgers, French fries, barbecue, coleslaw, corn on the cob and homemade ice cream in a variety of flavors. A dairy-free ice cream option will also be available. The evening will include a 50/50 drawing, live music and good fellowship. Volunteers willing to lend a hand with this year’s ice cream supper are asked to contact Lynda Miller by email (lyndamil@gmail. com) or by phone, (540) 797-0126 or (540) 258-2122. The Effinger Ruritan Club looks forward to welcoming patrons to this popular summer event.
The Collierstown Presbyterian Church family will gather on the church grounds at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 24, for the church’s annual summer outdoor worship service followed by a covered-dish picnic lunch. Special music will be provided by Stacy Stevens.
On Sunday, Aug. 28, a community revival will be held at the Lake Robertson Pavilion beginning at 6 p.m. The speaker for the event is Dorsey Hostetter. Special music will be provided by Junior Painter & Friends. The event is being hosted by Union View Advent Christian Church, Collierstown and Mount Horeb United Methodist Churches, Oxford and Collierstown Presbyterian churches, and the Rapps Mill Church. Refreshments will be provided.
The Buffalo, Collierstown and greater Effinger communities are remembering and celebrating Gatha Hall who passed away on Saturday, July 26. Gatha was a graduate of Effinger High School and an active volunteer in all three communities helping with meals at the Effinger firehouse, serving as an Effinger Elementary School volunteer, and working with the Effinger Ruritan Club’s Palmer Ice Cream Supper and other service projects. Gatha had a deep faith and her commitment to Christianity was evident as an active member of the Collierstown Presbyterian Church and as a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was an ambassador of joy whether teaching Sunday school, participating in the C&F Bible study group, filling plates at the annual church dinner, or praying for the needs of others. Her infectious smile and warm hospitality welcomed and encouraged many. Gatha will always be remembered for her kindness and for her commitment to faith, family and friends. We honor and celebrate her life and will hold her example close for years to come.
