This past week our community said good-bye to its oldest member, as well as the oldest member of Flat Rock Baptist Church. Mr. Hugh Dorsey Hembree turned 99 on June 3. He was born in 1914. He was a part of the very large Hembree family. I would be surprised if almost everyone native to our area was not acquainted with someone in the Hembree family. You would know him by his trademark Liberty overalls and baseball cap. Mr. Hugh Dorsey had many brothers and sisters. While I do not remember them all, I do remember Mildred Boyd Hembree, Ralph, Fred and Guy Hembree, as they all attended Flat Rock Baptist Church regularly. As the years went by like turning the pages in a book, this generation was slipping away. I had the good fortune of spending time with Mr. Hugh Dorsey, attending several of his last birthday parties with his brother Mr. Fred. Hearing war stories from one and witty stories from the other. Mr. Hugh Dorsey left this world on June 13, 2013. It was especially sad because he was the last member of the Hembree family of that generation. He and his wife Linnie Fay are together again with two of their children Charles and Rudine. So, with the closing of that chapter, we begin the next chapter. The Hembree generation they left with us are Stanley, Malinda, Virgil, Lamar, Tim, Bobby, Vicky, Cindy and Gail. We were rooting for you to turn 100 Mr. Hugh Dorsey, but we know you were tired. We will miss you. One of the kinder, gentler, greatest generation with some great stories to tell. Keep the Hembree family in your prayers. Last week Ephesus Baptist Church had 88 youth and adults attend Centrifuge youth camp on the North Greenville University Campus in Greenville, Sc. This week Ephesus is hosting their annual Vacation Bible School from 9 a.m. to noon daily thru Friday. Father's Day was observed at area churches on Sunday. FRBC had a 20 member men's choir doing special music for the occasion. All fathers were recognized during the service. The evening service was canceled so families could spend time together. FRBC will present their patriotic music on Sunday June 30 for the 4th of July. Powell's Chapel UMC said farewell to Brother Bill Tidwell on Sunday. Their new pastor, Brother Robert Pierce, will bring the message next Sunday. Those on the prayer list include Kay Brown, Dorothy Cohran, Brenda Dockery, Peggy Fernander, ,Danny Fleming, Sammy Herrell, Bobby McCord, Donald Tyson, Mrs. Horace Wilson, Blanche Hudgins, Harold and Jeanette Meeks, Gene Mayfield and Chase Mayfield. June birthdays include Berwyn Hembree, 15, Jennifer Vaught, Jennifer Wade, Karlie Weaver and Jan Mayfield, 20, Bobby Fendley, Will Hembree, Gail Shadrix and Steve Turner, 21, Casey Cochran, Don Wilson and Denise, 24, Abby Worley and James Richardson, 25, Dale Bryant Windsor, 26 Cassie Bryce and Keny Mullins, 27, Jan Berry, 28, Ashley Bryant Rice and Barbara Tolbert, 29, Jeanette Meeks and Buddy Corn, 30. Anniversaries include William and Viola Gantt, 25, Allen and Cheryl Tyson, Gene and Janette Mayfield and Joe and Charlotte Doyal on June 30.

During their regular meeting Monday night, the Tallapoosa City Council approved a measure to allow Salem Baptist Church to use the Tallapoosa Community and Cultural Arts Center until their new church, The Refuge, is completed. In return, church members will provide the city with free labor on select projects that remain unfinished in the Arts Center. Pastor John Ellis spoke before the council Monday night and made the proposal on behalf of his congregation. “We’ve grown as a congregation, and we’ve simply run out of room,” he said. Though the church recently purchased 25 acres at the corner of Highway 100 and Jacksonville Road, Ellis said the new church campus isn’t expected to be completed for another year. In the meantime, they’ve already outgrown their current location. “We’re just asking for temporary use of the Cultural Arts Center on Sunday mornings until we can build our building,” Ellis said. Ellis said his congregation has several skilled contractors who can provide the city with free labor to install hardwood, tile, sound equipment, electrical equipment, etc., as well as clean up and paint rooms that are currently out of use. “We’d like to do the things that are needed while we’re there, and we have members who are more than qualified to do these tasks and save the city the cost of labor,” Ellis said. Tallapoosa Mayor William “Pete” Bridges said he agreed that it was a win-win situation and proposed the city approve the agreement with the church on the condition Ellis meet with city representatives by Friday to outline what projects they would do while they are using the space. The council approved the motion unanimously. In other news, the council approved a motion to replace another 1.5 miles of cast iron gas pipelines with modern plastic pipes, as the Public Service Commission requested. For several years now, the city has been replacing between one and two miles of pipeline each year. “This year we’ll be replacing pipe along Alabama Street, Lipham Street and Brock Street, and that will complete our work in the downtown area,” said Tallapoosa City Manager Phillip Eidson. “After that, we will begin to move north on Highway 100.” The council approved a motion to move forward with the pipe replacements on condition the lowest bid is accepted. The city also approved a motion to purchase fire works for the annual Fourth of July celebration at Helton Howland Park. However, they approved a purchase of $7,500 rather than the usual $10,000 purchase. The board also approved a motion that will close the swimming areas of the park at 5 p.m. that day to ensure city and police officials have time to remove all persons from the area before the fireworks are launched that night. City officials also spoke on the issue of community pride during the meeting, expressing a wish for all residents to keep their homes and lawns in good shape. “Haralson County has just joined Keep America Beautiful,” said Eidson, “and we’d like everyone to participate in that by keeping their lawns mowed, picking up litter that falls in their yard, bringing your garbage can back to the house on Friday after the truck comes around on Thursday; and everyone needs to be aware that the city can’t mow in the ditches, so residents need to come all the way to the street when they’re mowing. If everyone participates, it will help keep our town beautiful.” In other business, the city appointed Sue Mews and Carmela Lyons to the Library Board, and Charles Hildabrand and Jaeson Smith to the Tallapoosa Development Authority. The next city council meeting will be at 7 p.m. July 8.