Any Good Samaritans in Paulding?

Have you experienced or heard of the contribution of what some have referred to as “Secret Santas” or “layaway angels”? Share your stories with Patch.

A store in Providence, R.I., recently saw an anonymous individual pay off the layaway balances of eight strangers. During a week earlier this month in D'Iberville, Miss., 35 layaway bills were paid off at a Walmart. We’re wondering if there have been any such stories in Dallas or Hiram. Have you experienced or heard of the contribution of what some have referred to as “Secret Santas” or “layaway angels”—those who pay off the layaway balance belonging to someone they don’t know? Has a Good Samaritan helped you in some other way this holiday season? Share your stories in the comments or email them to Editor Jon Gargis at jon.gargis@patch.com and we may follow up with you in the coming days.

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Last Day To Enter Patch's 'Deck the House' Contest

Share your photos of your house decked out for the holidays by midnight tonight and you may help Paulding County Schools win $100,000.

Is This Home the Best “Decked” House in the Country?

Here's Topher H.'s entry into the "Deck the House" contest. Share your photos of your house decked out for the holidays, and enter to win $100,000 for your local school district.

Patch 101

How Can Nonprofits Use Patch?

In our latest edition of “Patch 101,” we share how nonprofit officials and volunteers can post events, photos and calls for action to be seen by Dallas-Hiram Patch readers.

It’s December, which means many nonprofits are in the midst of community projects such as toy drives or feed the hungry events, while others are soliciting donations before the end of the 2012 tax year. If you represent or volunteer with a Paulding-based nonprofit or one that serves the Dallas-Hiram area, you have many ways with which you can utilize Dallas-Hiram Patch to get the word out: 1. Start a blog about your nonprofit or its campaign(s). Maybe you’re with a lesser-known nonprofit in the area, or perhaps you perform a service or hold an event that few people are aware of. Or maybe you want the public to know why they should donate to your cause before the end of the year. One way to educate the public is by posting a blog. Clicking …

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'Mommy Market' Set for Downtown Hiram Today

Shoppers can support local and "mommy-owned" businesses in Hiram this afternoon.

Dallas Walmart Hosting Toy, Coat Drive Today

The store is holding the drive to benefit The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta.

The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta is partnering with Walmart stores across the metro Atlanta area, including the one in Dallas, to host a “Fill the Truck” toy drive that will help provide new toys and coats to local children in need this Christmas. The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., is open to the general public who would like to donate new toys and coats to children who take part in The Salvation Army programs year-round. As they enter the store, Walmart shoppers will receive a list of suggested gifts to help fill The Salvation Army’s collection bins. Once the bins are full, The Salvation Army will distribute the gifts to local children in need. The collection is expected to provide gifts to many children this Christmas season…

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For Real Estate, It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

The holiday season is ringing in a renewed real estate market, says C. Mark Willix in his latest offering.

Yes friends, the holiday season is in full swing. There are presents to be wrapped, baking to be done, holiday parties filled with revelry and the joy of the season filling each heart. And even with all of the hustle of post-Black Friday events the real estate market is usually expected to be slow this time of year. While we do generally see a bit of a drop in sales, this is definitely not a slow market. 2012 has been a banner year for the market recovery. Inventory levels started off strong and then began to drop at the end of the first quarter. As I've been telling you for most of the last six months, the inventory levels are spurring rising prices. While conditions still favor buyers, sellers are seeing a strong market as well. It is my…

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Christmas Marches into Paulding [VIDEO]

We’ve found several videos shot during Hiram’s Tree Lighting event Friday and the Invitational Christmas Parade in Dallas on Saturday. We’ll be featuring the videos we found—and the photos and videos you upload—throughout the week.

The Christmas season got into full swing in Paulding over the weekend with the occurrence of two of the county’s premiere holiday events—the city of Hiram’s seventh-annual Christmas Tree Lighting event on Friday and the 20th-annual Invitational Christmas Parade in downtown Dallas on Saturday. There was plenty to see at these two events, and we’re guessing that many of you saw some of them through the viewfinder of your cameras and/or smartphones. We’d love to see the moments you captured, either in photo or video form. We’ve already found a few local videos on YouTube, and we’re starting our gallery with those. We’ll be on the lookout for your additions, and if you’re lucky, your photo or video could show up on the front page of Dallas-…

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Christmas Parade To Coast Through Dallas Today

Paulding residents and visitors can enjoy this afternoon's Invitational Christmas Parade, but should plan to arrive early in order to secure good seating along the parade route.