By the time you read this, most of you who still have someone for whom to buy Mother’s Day gifts for have already done so. But the friend who called before I left to come to “our beautiful beach” had a suggestion that could work for many kinds of gift-giving occasions.

“May I give an idea for a column?” she asked.

As usual, my answer was affirmative, although I can’t always follow up just as the suggester wishes. This time I was in full agreement.  Instead of a present that the recipient might not even need or desire, why not consider a ticket to a fundraiser.

She was specifically pushing for a mystery play  at Peach Brandy Cottage on Mother’s Day weekend, to benefit the Dawson County Humane Society.  That is also the time of the Community Chorale Spring Concert.  Either of these would provide an enjoyable outing, probably please mom, and certainly support a worthy local group.

The idea of giving tickets for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthday, anniversary or just “go out and have fun” gifts is a wonderful one.

There are numerous fundraisers planned for spring and summer — just watch the local papers, listen to friends, go to organizational Web sites, and be aware of places and times.

The humane society, for instance, will also be getting proceeds from a series of monthly summer concerts at the Peach Brandy amphitheater, beginning in June with a “rock ‘n’ roll” revival.  Animals as well as people are suffering from budget cuts.

If you’re going to spend some money buying gifts and if you want to have good times with family and friends and if you would like to support local worthy causes, you can do all these things at once by purchasing tickets, either in advance or at the door.  And it is painless shopping.

Not everyone enjoys the same type of entertainment, of course, and it is interesting to note how many different kinds of events one can attend right in Dawson  County  — most of them not really expensive.

There’s the WEE Books’ Barn Dance, for example, coming up shortly at Kinsey Family Farm; even if you don’t dance, you can enjoy the food and the music.

Dawson County Chamber of Commerce personnel are always encouraging us to “shop locally,” and they often carry information about upcoming events, especially fundraisers, on their Web site.

I write this in the midst of a glorious sunny day at Cape San Blas, and an equally glorious one in Dawsonville, I hear.

Hopefully, the upcoming Mother’s Day weekend will be a great one.

Helen Taylor’s colum appears periodically in the Dawson Community News.