Thumbs Up! Sept. 25, 2017

As the calender zooms ahead into the busiest time of the year, there are still a few chances to take advantage of the Albany Recreation & Parks Departments 2017 fishing rodeos. Four dates remain before the rodeo season comes to an end. Tuesday and Oct. 4 from 8 a.m until 11 a.m. are the final weekday rodeos of the season. The last two weekend rodeos will be Oct. 14 and 21 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. All fishing takes place at Ken Gardens Pond. Fisherboys and fishergirls under the age of 16 are not required to have a Georgia fishing license. The fishing is free and open to the public. Youngsters must bring an adult.

Before the water could recede in Texas, Westover High School conducted a fundraiser for the people suffering from Hurricane Harvey. Faculty and staff were asked to donate $5. Students, if at all possible, were asked to give $1 each. One group of students, the first period class of Ronald Dees, had 100 percent participation and, for their efforts, were treated to a pizza party. The total collected came to $2,328. While the money is surely important, teaching young people to help others is an even more important life-lasting lesson.

Theatre Albany has opened its season with a big undertaking, Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” It has one of the biggest casts in recent years — 32 actors and actresses — and features a cast that includes several who did an excellent job last spring in “The Addams Family,” another musical that hit the right chord with theater-goers. Response to the first weekend has been great — Sunday’s matinee was a sell-out — and the local theater has five more opportunities to see this elaborate musical this week, including a rare Saturday matinee. Get out an support the arts in Albany — and have a good time doing it!

The establishment and success of small businesses is how this country started and is no less important today. One such case can be found with A. West Enterprise. The electrical contractor started work out of a horse barn just eight years ago. Since that time it has grown and then grown some more. In 2013, A. West was named the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year. In 2015, and again in 2016, the company was given the Blue Ribbon Small Business of the Year Award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Last week, news came that the company’s bid for a $15 million project at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas has been accepted. The project will require more than 110,000 man hours and is expected to last a total of 749 days. From the barn to the base, A. West Enterprise has built a business from hard and honest work, the epitome of what Americans need for success.

Sponsored by the Albany Kiwanis Club and in partnership with the Challenger League and the 11 Foundation, an iCan Bike program was recently held in Albany. With two instructors and a host of volunteers, 19 of the 24 children enrolled in the class could ride a traditional two-wheeled bicycle a minimum of 75 feet without assistance at the end of the five-day session. Unless touched by the needs of children with disabilities through work or family connections, such routine skills as bike riding are all too often taken for granted. What the iCan Bike program does is remove one of many barriers special needs children face every day. To the Kiwanis Club, the volunteers, the parents and the sponsors who provided food, thanks for caring enough to make a difference in the lives of these special children and their families.