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Join the parade – or come watch it
It’s that time of year once again. The lighted snowflakes have been hung with care on every streetlight, and the historic Courthouse is decked out with wreaths and lights.
Our annual Christmas parade will be Tuesday, Nov. 29, and we encourage everyone to be on hand as Sylva ushers in the holiday season. This year’s theme is “A Mountain Christmas,” and Smoky Mountain High School’s national champion cheerleading sqaud will serve as grand marshals.
See you there!
Share turkey, family history this Thanksgiving
While turkey and football may come instantly to mind when you mention Thanksgiving, history should have a place at your holiday table as well this year. Living Proof, a national educational campaign aimed at older Americans, is urging families to participate in the Surgeon General’s National Family History Day.
“I encourage all families to take time on this day – or at any other family gathering throughout the year – to collect important health history information that can benefit all family members,” says U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona. “Even with all the high-tech tests, medicines and procedures available in today’s modern health-care setting, family health history remains the cornerstone of our efforts to prevent disease and promote personal health.”
Dr. Carmona has released an updated, Web-based version of a free, computerized tool that organizes family health information into a printout that people can take to health-care professionals to help determine whether they are at higher risk for disease. The tool, called “My Family Health Portrait,” is available at www.hhs.gov/familyhistory.
The Living Proof campaign recognizes that Americans 55 years of age and older have a unique perspective on health and advances in medical care – that they are living proof of the value of research – and the campaign asks these citizens to share their stories with others through the Living Proof Web site: www.living-proof.us.
“Medical advances are often called miracles, but in reality they are the results of many years of research,” a spokesman said. “By combining personal experiences with the research history that makes the story possible, we hope to make research real for the public.”
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