"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.  Hopefully you have all had a chance to get out and enjoy this beautiful fall weather, and maybe even do some fishing. 

I want to thank the Horry County Sheriff’s Foundation for sponsoring this year’s fishing trip for the Waccamaw Youth Center.  I’ve been taking my boys fishing every October for four years now, and our annual trip was this past Saturday.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day.  The weather was perfect and the spots, blues, whitings and Spanish mackerel were hungry.  We caught well over 50 fish from the Garden City pier.

Afterward, we took the boys to Ocean Lakes for pizza and arcade games.  There was a smile on every face, especially when they got back on the bus wearing the fake mustaches and vampire teeth they won in the arcade.  Thank you to the Sheriff’s Foundation for their generosity and time spent with the boys who don’t have dads to take them fishing.

Speaking of the Waccmaw Youth Center, don’t miss the Battle of the Bands at the Rocking Railroad on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 4-8pm.  Enjoy food, fun and fellowship while local bands battle it out for bragging rights.  This fun event will be at the Myrtle Beach train depot, and tickets are only $10.  Call the WYC at 369-0200 for more information.

Don’t forget that next Wednesday, October 12, is the quarterly open meeting of the Walkers Woods POA.  It will be at 6:30pm in the amenities center, and the 2012 budget will be presented to the membership.

Parents, make sure your calendars are marked for Saturday, October 29.  The annual Walkers Woods “Spooktacular” Halloween Party will be 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.  I heard that there might even be an apple bob.  And Nelson Estrada told me he is bringing back my son’s favorite, the hayride. 

Last Wednesday, Sept. 28, I received a text message and picture from a friend who was at the accident scene at Carolina Forest Blvd. and 501.  That was the terrible wreck caused by a careless dump truck driver that we all saw in the news.  What you might not have known was that the Civic Association board of directors had a meeting that same afternoon with Councilman Jody Prince and the safety manager of Southern Asphalt.  The board president was late due to heavy traffic resulting from the accident, which underscored the necessity of the meeting.

The meeting had been scheduled to discuss the ongoing problem of dump truck drivers speeding, intimidating other drivers, making a mess of the roads and operating after hours.  Board member Cliff Abrams told me he felt the meeting was productive, and that Southern Asphalt is taking the issue seriously.  They have agreed to work more closely with their trucking contractors to emphasize safety. 

As a member of the public safety committee, I can assure you that the Civic Association will continue to work with Horry County Council, Horry County Police and Southern Asphalt to slow those trucks down.  We have already seen one result from that meeting.  Board member Diana Lawler told me on Saturday that Southern Asphalt had installed an electronic safety message board on Postal Way, pertaining to dump trucks sharing the road.  The sign will be changed and moved periodically.

Best of luck to the 5-1 Carolina Forest Panthers in their home game against Lugoff-Elgin this Friday night.  CFHS has a great football program, and the community wants to show its support.  The Civic Association will be serving two pre-game dinners for the team on Fridays October 28 and November 4.

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 approximately 100 players, cheerleaders and coaches will be eating.  The food will be donated by Civic Association business members.  Volunteers are needed to help serve.  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.  Enjoy the Columbus Day weekend.