May the 4th… today is 🙂

It’s Drinking Water Week (May 3-9) celebrating the tireless efforts of water professionals who keep ‘tap water’ flowing around the clock.

Drinking Water Week is a reminder for everyone that water is our most valuable natural resource. We are all stewards of the environment and are called upon to help protect storm drains, creeks, streams, lakes and rivers from pollution. Learn more about the safety of local tap water in the latest annual water quality report at cityofws.org/wqr2025.

It’s Hurricane Preparedness Week in North Carolina (May 3-9, 2026)

Thanks to Leigha Cordell (with Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Emergency Management Team) sharing more about being prepared for any season.

 “Hurricane Helene was a stark reminder of how destructive tropical systems can be,

and it should prompt all of us in every corner of the state to make sure we’re prepared,”

-Governor Josh Stein

Preparedness kits (for everyone in our family including pets) to sustain for 3 to 7 days.

Stay informed with NOAA weather. Keep a battery powered radio in your kit tuned to WBFJ. *The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30.

www.readyforsyth.org          https://www.noaa.gov/hurricane-prep

Good News: Burn Ban has been lifted for 81 counties across the state.

Note: The Piedmont Triad remains under the outdoor Burn Ban…as drought conditions continue in all 100 counties statewide. www.ncdrought.org/

Statewide agricultural disaster. The U.S. Department of Agriculture now labeling 82 out of the state’s 100 counties as natural disaster areas. Farmers in these 82 counties – including Forsyth, Guilford, Davidson, Davie, Randolph, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin- now qualify for emergency loans and other types of disaster assistance. *More information at https://www.farmers.gov/

At the Box Office

#1 “The Devil Wears Prada 2” tops the Box Office.

#6 ‘Animal Farm’, a satirical animated remake of George Orwell’s ‘animal revolution as pigs seize power and their farm descends into a ruthless dictatorship, a warning about the dangers of communism’.

BTW: “A Great Awakening” now available to stream on demand.  It’s the true story of an unlikely friendship between Reverend George Whitfield and Benjamin Franklin.

Check out movie and music reviews from ‘Unplugged’ and Focus on the Family…

https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/great-awakening-2026/

American Red Cross: Local blood drives for Monday, May 4…

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist /Lexington Medical Center = 1:30pm – 5:30pm

Spears Family YMCA in Greensboro = Noon – 4pm

Stallings Memorial Baptist, S Main Street in Salisbury = 11:30am – 4pm

Schedule your blood donation appointment TODAY at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/

Download the Red Cross Blood Donor App or call 1-800-RED CROSS

Grab your buckets: Strawberry season is here…

The NC Strawberry Association offers a Berry Farm search tool (by zip code) at https://ncstrawberry.com/farm-locator/#!directory/map

What is your favorite ‘berry’ picking farm locally? Facebook

Forsyth Jail & Prison Ministries

Ribbon cutting for their Re-Entry Center this Thursday morning (May 7) at 11am

– at the corner of University Parkway and Brownsboro Road in Winston-Salem.

Check out their website www.fjpm.org for ways to help, volunteer and gather. and pray.

‘Breaking the cycle of crime and punishment in the name of Jesus’

Helene recovery continues in Western North Carolina.

A year and a half after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, Samaritan’s Purse is still hard at work, helping families with long-term recovery needs.

(New) Samaritan’s Purse is accepting applications for rebuilds and other long-term recovery needs in Western North Carolina.   www.SamaritansPurse.org/HeleneRebuild

Attracting Hummingbirds 101 (helpful tips)

Putting your hummingbird feeder just anywhere won’t work. You need to think about where hummingbirds are most active and possible safety issues.

Feeder placement

Don’t put your feeder too close to a window.  Birds can’t always see windows very well, and territorial birds may attack their own reflection.

Hummingbirds need to hide when predators or too many birds come by.

Never use food coloring to attract Hummingbirds

You don’t need fancy ingredients for hummingbird feed. Plain white sugar and clean water work perfectly.

Sugar to Water Ratio: Use one part sugar to four parts water.

If you just have one feeder that only sees a little activity, refilling it every three to four days is usually enough.

https://www.wildbirdscoop.com/hummingbird-feeding-mistakes.html?