"This Week around Walkers Woods" is a community column written for the neighborhood of Walkers Woods, but pertains to the entire Carolina Forest community.

Hello, neighbors.  I hope y’all are enjoying the first week of fall.  New TV shows are on the air, the football season is in full swing and the weather is cooling off.

As such, the Walkers Woods pool will close for the season at 10pm this Sunday, October 2.  And before we know it, the ghosts & goblins will be ringing our doorbells on their yearly quest for mischief, candy and cavities.

The annual Walkers Woods “Spooktacular” Halloween Party is Saturday, October 29, from 5 to 7pm at the amenities center.  Suzanne Noonan & Jane Hillpot will have new games and events this year in addition to favorites like the treasure hunt.  And Nelson Estrada is bringing back the hayride.  More details will be announced soon.

Mark your calendars also for Wednesday, October 12.  The quarterly open meeting of the Walkers Woods POA will be at 6:30pm in the amenities center, and the 2012 budget will be presented to the membership.

If you are home in the afternoons and looking for something fun to do this fall, the canasta players are looking for more residents to join them.  They meet in the amenities center at 1pm every Wednesday.  I wanted to come up with a catchy name for this group.  Problem is, nothing rhymes with “canasta”.

As mentioned in the Aug. 18 column, I was contacted this summer by Christopher Klement, a Senior Planner with the Horry County Planning Dept.  As part of his job, he works with the Horry County Parks and Open Space Board, as well as Keep Horry County Beautiful.  The latter was created to tackle the growing litter problem in our community.

Mr. Klement proposed establishing a partnership between Keep Horry County Beautiful and Walkers Woods.  He said he will help us obtain a tree grant from the state to beautify our common areas.  In exchange, we will help with litter cleanup in The Forest.  I put him in touch with the POA board and Waccamaw Management to start the ball rolling on this great idea.

The tree grant application has been filed, and 14 crepe myrtles will soon be planted in two of our common areas.  We also have three new palm trees in the amenities center yard. 

As agreed, Walkers Woods will be assisting Keep Horry County Beautiful in the spring.  Volunteers will be needed to help with litter cleanup along Carolina Forest Blvd.

Other neighborhoods in The Forest are doing the same thing, along with the Civic Association.  Families in the Forest will be planting 126 trees, obtained through the state grant, at Ocean Bay Elementary School on Saturday, October 22.  Volunteers are needed.  Families is headed by Walkers Woods resident Colleen Mills.  Please email her at wrestlersmom93@gmail.com if you can help. 

Congratulations to Carolina Forest High for their fourth straight win against North Myrtle Beach last week.  The Panthers are having an outstanding season at 5-1, and are currently ranked 45th in the state.

The Civic Association will be serving two pre-game dinners for the team.  The first will be Friday, October 28.  The Panthers will be hosting West Florence High, my wife’s alma mater.  The second dinner will be the following week, November 4, before the team heads to Conway for their final game of the regular season. 

Preparation will begin at the school at 2:30pm.  Dinner will be served promptly at 4:30, and the team will have 30 minutes to eat.  This will be a major undertaking as it will include the 56 football players and the coaching staff, plus the cheerleading squad.  Volunteers are needed.  Please shoot me an email if you would like to help us support our local high school.

If you are on Facebook, check out the Walkers Woods at Carolina Forest page to connect with your neighbors.  Log on to www.walkerswoodsatcarolinaforest.com for POA information.  And if you have any items you would like me to include in this column, please send them to me at walkerswoodsnews@gmail.com.  Have a great week.