On the road

As part of the First Family's 2nd Annual Family Fitness Challenge, all South Carolinians and Georgians are invited to a fall bike ride Sunday. The ride will begin at 9 a.m. at the Newberry Street Festival Center in Aiken and end at the Governor's Mansion in Columbia.

At the end of the ride, cyclists are invited to lunch at the mansion. For more information, visit Gov. Mark Sanford's Web site at www.scgovernor.com.

Here's some tips from the Healthy South Carolina Challenge:

Activities and entertainment events scheduled for this week include:

CYCLING

Make sure you are seen and heard by vehicles, pedestrians and other cyclists. You should always wear highly visible clothing, and a bell or horn is required by law. - Palmetto Cycling Coalition

NUTRITION

Make olive oil your oil of choice when preparing room temperature and cold foods. This "make-me-healthier" monounsaturated fat has been shown to protect the cardiovascular system in several ways, including lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol, boosting good (HDL) cholesterol, and decreasing the clotting-tendency of the blood. - Ann Kulze, MD, nationally recognized nutrition and wellness expert

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Incorporate physical fitness into your daily activities by walking "laps" around the local mall, church, or school. - South Carolina Governor's Council on Physical Fitness

Source: www.healthysc.gov

Back in time

Today in regional history:

OCT. 5, 1983

Augusta and its volunteers were recognized Monday by the first lady of Georgia.

"I salute you and say thank you and encourage you to keep on," Mary Beth Busbee told the group.

Augusta had been selected by the Georgia Department of Community Service as one of six cities in the state to be recognized for its volunteerism efforts.

Mrs. Busbee told the volunteers at the Monday recognition ceremony that they probably would be amazed at the variety of activities and number of hours put in by volunteers in the city.

Joseph Rogers, president of United Way of the Central Savannah River Area, had said earlier that in one month more than 3.350 volunteers put in more than 25,600 hours with the 24 United Way agencies in the area.

If that time is computed at the minimum wage, it works out to more "than $1 million a month in volunteer work," he said.

Around Town

TODAY

HEALTH FAIR: Cholesterol and blood pressure checks and vision and hearing screenings will be among the services offered at the free event, sponsored by the Augusta State University Department of Nursing. It will be at ASU's Christenberry Fieldhouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 737-1759.

THURSDAY

BEST OF AUGUSTA BASH: Meet winners of the annual Best of Augusta contest, sample food and listen to live entertainment from 6 to 9 p.m. at Fort Discovery, 1 Seventh St. The After Bash will be at Imperial Theatre, 725 Broad St. Tickets cost $12 in advance and $17 at the door. For more information, call 823-3722.