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Meet Tom Oglesby:

 
Tom Oglesby joined the National Guard in 1935 at age 18 and was
mobilized with the 30th ID (Infantry Division, aka “Old Hickory”) in
1940. He was a Sergeant in WWII, landed on Omaha Beach on D+2 (June 8,
1944) and served for the duration of the war. He remained in the
National Guard until 1967 and in the Reserves until 1977, retiring as a
Chief Warrant Officer. He is still active in 30th Division Reunion
events both nationally and in North Carolina and by all accounts was an
outstanding soldier.

Tom is the neighbor of Jennie Malcolm of Raleigh, who knitted the scarf that he is wearing. Jennie has started a local arm of Knit Your Bit, which makes scarves for veterans of World War II. The brainchild of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, the venture is now in its third year. The local group will meet Oct 5, 1:30-4:30 p.m. at Cameron Village Library in Raleigh. The scarves will be collected by Oct. 31, then distributed to local veterans on Nov. 11, Veterans Day.For information, send email to Jennie.
If you want to get a head start, the scarf pattern -- in both knit and crochet -- click here.

Yes, I know your calendars are already marked for National Alpaca Farm Days this weekend! Last April we introduced you to this lovely lady:

 This is Prissy Girl, just after her coif in the spring. She lives at Kipling Pines Alpacas in Kipling, in Harnett County. On Saturday, the farm will be open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Cathy Knight, owner of the farm, writes: "You are  invited to come sit on the porch or under the shade trees and spin or knit if you would like.  "

"Children are definitely welcome! Bring your camera and friends. We are about 8 miles south of Fuquay, just off Hwy 401South."

Included in this weekend's SPARKcon activities is groundSPARK, a Street Painting Festival, this weekend (September 19-21) at City Market in the Moore Square Art District. Remember all those times as a kid you had a great urge to draw on the walls and (probably) squelched it? Well, more than 400 artists will be doing the paint work, in 27 hours, to turn the Raleigh streets into a work of art. And on Parham Street in City Market, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, kids can create their own street art with chalk. And The Scrap Exchange will be there with loads of goodies to make art to take home.

Here's the scoop from John & Emily McCoy, owners of The Real McCoy Toy Shop and members of the Amazing Carolina Etsians Team (ACE Team):

> These hand-crafted toys, games & puzzles of both old & new design, are made exclusively by John & Emily, from US products, wood, paint, etc..
> We are passionate about what we do, and take great pride in our work.
> Our etsy shop features a sampling of our products & we continue to add new items.
> Children (of all ages) are amazed and fascinated by the simplicity and yet pleasure that comes from playing with these toys of yesterday-year.
> We take pride in saying: "No Batteries Required - Just Imagination"
 

We told you about Jill of Orange Cat Art this week. This is one of the products that she sells at her Etsy shop: It's a nifty desk top calendar with photos of North Carolina. You can see a closer view here. We love this size calendar -- just right for a quick glance at the date without taking up much room. And with pictures of North Carolina -- all taken by Jill or her sister Sheri -- you can take a little vacation everytime you look. It's also great as a gift for someone who moved away from the Tar Heel State to seek their fortune elsewhere.