The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive October 13 from 2 to 7 pm in the main room of the County Extension Office.

Both Cochran City Hall and the Bleckley County Courthouse will be closed October 12, Columbus Day.  As it is a federal holiday, banks will also be closed and there will be no mail delivery.

  Middle School Girls Middle School boys Teams with the grand champion trophy.   (Photos contributed.)  The Georgia Middle School State Cross Country Championships were held on a wet Saturday morning in Cochran.  It was a great day for the Runnin' Barons.  Both JV teams as well as the varsity girls and boys teams finished in first place.  Jasper Faulk capped his middle school career with another individual state title.  And BCMS got the grand champion trophy for having the lowest combined total score in all Division 1 races.  Click the link for milesplit.com results. https://ga.milesplit.com/meets/714888-georgia-middle-school-state-cross-country-championships-2026/results?type=formatted

For the first time in four years, BCHS softball will open the GHSA playoffs at home.  They'll host region rival A.C.E. in a first round best of three series October 12.  Game one starts at 4 pm with game two beginning at 6 pm.  Ticket prices are $17 and are available ONLY on GoFan.

Vidalia High School announced Friday afternoon the Sweet Onion Cheer Classic scheduled for tomorrow was postponed until Monday due to tomorrow's forecast.  Both the BCHS and BCMS squads were scheduled to compete.  But with next week being Fall Break, neither will be going.  The next scheduled competition for both squads is the East Laurens Falcon Frenzy October 24.

The Cochran Farmers Market has closed for 2026.  In an announcement on Facebook, the final one of the year was supposed to be tomorrow but has been cancelled due to the inclement weather threat from Hurricane Isais,

Kelmonie Sneed was crowed 2026 Bleckley County High School Homecoming queen during ceremonies held Thursday night. Click to view photos of the entire court.

    Cheryl Ates is presented with the award. The elections team with Sec. Raffensperger. L-R: Dr. Billy Faircloth, Elections Supervisor Cheryl Ates, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Annette Wyche, Rene Yawn. (Photos contributed.  Written with aid of AI.)  The Bleckley County Board of Elections and Registration were visited by Secretary of State Brad Brad Raffensperger Thursday.  He was on hand to present Elections Supervisor Chery Ates and her team the EAGLE award.  EAGLE stands for Excellence, Security, Innovation, Accuracy, Accessibility, and Voter Education. Early voting for this year's elections begin October 13.

Though the game had to be moved to Thursday due to the rain threat, it was still a happy homecoming as BCHS beat A.C.E. 45-15.

Due to the forecast for inclement weather, Bleckley Books & Banter Book Club will NOT meet this Saturday, October 10. We would love to reschedule for one of the last two Saturdays in October — October 24 or October 31. Your safety comes first, and we look forward to getting together soon to talk books, share recommendations and enjoy a little bookish fellowship! In the meantime, Saturday sounds like the perfect day to curl up somewhere cozy with a good book, a warm drink and absolutely no reason to leave the house! Stay safe, stay dry and happy reading!

BCHS had just one hit and committed two errors as they lost their regular season finale at Jones County 8-0 Thursday afternoon.  Playoff info is TBD.