The Chamber of Commerce is planning to sponsor a Christmas House Tour on Dec. 10 from 4-8 p.m. In the past, these tours have really been wonderful and put everyone in the holiday spirit. The chamber invites you to share your Christmas decorations and your Christmas spirit with the community. If you are interested, please contact Melissa Louis Wallace at (434) 944-8391 or Faye Shumaker at (434) 395-8931 by Sept. 15 for more information.

The Buckingham County Ruritan Club invites you to join their organization. Monthly meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Ellis Acres, located at 245 Camden St. in Dillwyn. The club’s motto is “Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service.”

Virginia Hunter Skills Weekend will be offered at Holiday Lake from Sept. 29-Oct. 1. If you want to learn new hunting skills or hone the ones you have and looking for expert instruction, this workshop is for you.

It’s designed for ages 11 and up. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. (Hunter education class a plus but not required). Numerous class selections are available, including bow hunting, deer hunting skills, archery, basic pistol and shotgun live fire, recovering wounded game, reloading skills, small game and predator hunting skills, tree stand safety, wild game cooking and many more. Cost before Sept. 1 is $120; cost after Sept. 1 is $130. Cost covers meals, lodging, and all instructions. There is rustic but comfortable bunk-style lodging. Please bring your own linens, pillow and toiletries. Deadline for registration is Sept. 15. Contact the Education Center at (434) 248-5444 for more details or questions.

Holiday Lake Education Center is offering a Decoy Carving Workshop from Sept. 17-21. Participants will learn to carve a decoy or sharpen carving skills. Beginners are welcome. Carving experience is not needed. Instructions and kits provided by carver Ed Morrison. First-time carvers will carve and paint a canvasback, one of the most popular of all decoys.

Returning students will carve and paint a decoy of their choice. Decoys will be carved from tupelo, a favored decoy wood. Head position can be straight or turned, and some feather detail can be carved in. Decoys will be carved using knives and rasps. All tools provided, but personal tools are welcomed. The instructor, Ed Morrison, lives in Virginia Beach. He has been carving since 1982 and teaching carving classes for over 20 years. He is a member of the Back Bay Wildfowl Guild and the Albemarle Craftsman’s Guild.

His working style decoys are carved using knives, spoke shaves and rasps to help preserve the traditional way of decoy making at a time when the trend is toward power carving. Cost and registration is only $295 and covers all programming and instructor fees, decoy kit, meals and lodging. Participation is limited to 15 participants. Rustic but comfortable bunk-style lodging is available. Please bring your own linens, pillow and toiletries. Registration deadline is Sept. 1. Contact the Education Center at (434) 248-5444 for more details or questions.

As we are in the hottest months of the year, many producers across the state of Virginia are experiencing a very dry summer, which is a growing concern for crops and livestock. If your farming operation has been impacted by recent weather events, please remember your local Farm Service Agency administers programs which may be helpful in disaster events such as drought, tornadoes and floods. Let’s hope we do not have any disasters, but if it does happen, the local Farm Service Agency Offices may be of assistance to affected producers.

Sherri Wise is the columnist for the Buckingham Bulletin. Her email address is wise.buckingham@gmail.com and her telephone number is (434) 983-1393.