Military Wives Club luncheon Nov. 12
The Columbus Area Military Wives Club will meet for a luncheon Nov. 12 at Kensington Place, Lutheran Village, 1001 Parkview Blvd., Bexley. A social time will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch at 12:15 p.m. For reservations, call (614) 837-6283 or (614) 231-0915 before Nov. 6.
Reynoldsburg to host two town hall meetings
School officials and representatives of the Vote 4 R Kids campaign will be available to answer residents’ questions about the 6.9 mill operating levy on the Nov. 4 ballot at two upcoming town hall meetings.
The meetings will take place at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at Reynoldsburg VFW Hall, 1420 Waggoner Road, and at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Reynoldsburg High School Media Center, 6699 Livingston Ave.
Residents are encouraged to ask questions about the levy, as well as plans for building improvements, current programs or anything that is important to them.
The Reynoldsburg High School orchestra will perform at both meetings, as well as the Slate Ridge 4th-grade choir at the Oct. 23 meeting. Refreshments will be served, and there will be a school photo slide show. The open forum will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
For more information, call (614) 501-1020 or go to www.reyn.org.
Trick or Treat at Marcus
Children are invited to trick or treat at Marcus Pickerington from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 25. Admission is free and children are encouraged to wear their costumes.
Home tour deadline extended to Oct. 25
The Pickerington Lions Club has extended its deadline for entering homes for the Holiday Home Tour until Oct. 25.
The Lions Club will hold its 2nd Annual Home Tour on Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will select six homes throughout the Pickerington area to be shown.
Homes of every style, age and décor are eligible to participate.
To submit your home or to nominate someone’s home, contact Pat Deskins at (614) 837-4217 or Jeff and Jo Ann Seaman at (614) 833-1574.
Safari Literacy Night
Reynoldsburg’s Taylor Road Elementary School will present Safari Literacy Night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 23. The event will feature the Columbus Zoo, with two performances at 6:30 and 7:15 p.m.
Literacy activities will take place in every hall and the event will include prizes, a book walk, the storybook characters of Clifford and Geronimo and a book fair.
Nov. 15 bicentennial finale tickets on sale
Tickets are now on sale for the Violet Township Bicentennial Finale Evening, which will be held Nov. 15 at Hickory Lakes, 12495 Ault Road, Pickerington.
The evening is open to the public and is being held to honor those sponsors and volunteers who helped make the 12 events of the Bicentennial Celebration a success.
Tickets may be purchased at the Violet Township Offices, 12970 Rustic Drive, or at the Pickerington Chamber of Commerce, 13 W. Columbus St. or by mail.
Order forms are available on the Web site. The price of the tickets is $17 per person and includes hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, music by the Pickerington High School North Jazz Ensemble and a brief program.
For more information go to www.violetbicentennial.com or call (614) 382-5989.
Cassingham interpreter earns national certification
Cassingham Elementary School staff member Heidi Kinnamon recently learned that she has achieved national certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Ms. Kinnamon has been an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter at the school since 2005; she previously served in Bexley Schools from 2000 until 2003.
Superintendent Mike Johnson will honor Ms. Kinnamon’s achievement by presenting her with the district’s Star Thrower Award at the upcoming Board of Education Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cassingham Complex Community Room.
The National Interpreter Certification exam tests interpreting skills and knowledge in three areas: general knowledge of the field of interpreting; ethical decision making; and interpreting and transliterating skills.
In addition to her work as an Interpreter for the Deaf, Ms. Kinnamon interprets phone calls for deaf people across the country in her work for Sorenson Video Relay Service. She has also published an arts and crafts book Stamp a Card, which teaches stamp art techniques and offers sample projects.
For more information about Ms. Kinnamon’s certification, contact Ms. Bauer Morrow at (614) 231-7611 or Frances.BauerMorrow@bexleyschools.org.
Flu shots offered in Reynoldsburg, Bexley
The Franklin County Board of Health is offering flu shots from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Reynoldsburg Senior Center, 1520 Davidson Drive, Reynoldsburg. For an appointment, call (614) 866-5890.
The Board of Health also will offer a flu shot clinic from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 19 at Jeffrey Mansion, 165 N. Parkview Ave., Bexley. No appointment is necessary.
The cost for flu shots is $25 for those who are not Medicare, Medicaid, MediGold or Anthem Senior Advantage eligible. No one will be turned away for the inability to pay thanks to funding from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners.
For questions about childhood flu vaccine and clinic locations, contact the Franklin County Board of Health at (614) 462-3849. For information on other flu shot clinics in the area, visit www.vaccine4me.com or call the Flu Hotline at (614) 437-2900.
Fairfield going green
Paper recycling is now available at Fairfield Elementary School in Pickerington. Bring your old papers to the green and yellow paper retriever bin located in the rear of the parking lot of the school, located at 13000 Coventry Ave. Proceeds benefit the Fairfield Elementary PTO. Accepted items include newspaper, magazines, shopping catalogs, old mail, office papers, school papers and envelopes. Items not accepted are cardboard, cereal/soda cartons, food wrap/containers, tissue products, phone books, plastic or glass.
American Legion Post 283 to hold Halloween party
American Legion Post 283 will hold a steak dinner and Halloween party from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 31 at the post, located at 7725 Refugee Road, Pickerington. The public is invited to attend.
Reynoldsburg Class of 1998 to hold reunion
The Reynoldsburg High School Class of 1998 will hold its 10-year reunion from 7 p.m. to midnight Oct. 18 at the Lodge Bar, 165 Vine St., Columbus. Cost is $10 at the door and $5 for parking. One drink ticket and food are included. For more information, go to www.set2-go.com/1998.
Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging looking for help
The Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) is accepting volunteer applications from residents of Franklin, Licking, Madison and Union Counties to fill vacancies on the COAAA Advisory Council. Council members are highly valued volunteers who represent the interests of older adults in their specific communities and advise COAAA on services, policies and programs.
The 32-member council meets eight times a year, at 10 a.m., on the first Thursday of the month. Meetings are held at the agency’s office on the edge of downtown Columbus, with on-site parking provided.
The deadline for applications is Nov. 14. To request a volunteer application or additional information on Advisory Council membership, contact the Advisory Council Coordinator at 1-800-589-7277.
Flu shots offered at Pickerington Senior Center
The Fairfield County Health Department will offer flu shots from 9 to 11 a.m. Oct. 30 at the Pickerington Senior Center. Cost is $25. If you have Medicare Part B, Medicaid or Medigold, bring your card with you. If you are home-bound, call the Fairfield County Health Department at (740) 653-4489 to make all the arrangements on that day for them to come to your home.
‘Violetopoly’ games for sale
The Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce will sell "Violetopoly" games for $29.95. You may pick up the games at the Taste of Pickerington, or stop by the Chamber office, 13 W. Columbus St., Pickerington. There is a limited quantity of these games, and they will never be reproduced.
Pickerington students named semifinalists
Nine Pickerington high school students were named as semifinalists in the 2009 Merit Scholarship Competition. The seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 8,200 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $35 million.
More than 16,000 semifinalists were named by the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP) for the 2009 competition. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), more than 1.5 million juniors in nearly 21,000 high schools entered the 2009 NMSP by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
The pool of semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the stateÌs percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
Pickerington’s 2009 NMSP semifinalists include Bethany Blakely, PHSC; Jeremiah McCracken, PHSC; Nathaniel Robinson, PHSC; Adam Taylor, PHSC; Charles Combs, PHSN; Paul Filppelli, PHSN; Julie Guzman, PHSN; Kevin Solon, PHSN; and Camille Everhart, PHSN.
Garden Club to host ‘Moravian Star’ program
A program entitled "What is a Moravian Star" will be featured at the monthly meeting of the Pickerington Garden Club Oct. 15. Members and guests should meet at 1 p.m. at the Pickerington Public Library, 201 Opportunity Way. The library is located directly across from Pickerington Central High School. Visitors and new members are welcomed. For more information and reservations, call Libby Stearns at (614) 837-4455 or Barbara Kochick at (614) 837-3951.
JCC to host ‘Art of Positive Thinking’ class
The Art of Positive Parenting will present a three-week parent education class at the Jewish Community Center, 1125 College, Bexley. It will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 30, Nov. 6 and Nov. 13. Cost is $75 per person or $125 per couple. To sign up, call (614) 224-0222, ext. 103. For more information, visit www.positiveparents.com. Class number is TP 08-37.
Truro Township Fire holding coat drive
The Truro Township Fire Department, along with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2932 and the Reynoldsburg School District, are teaming up to have a coats, hats and gloves drive from now until the end of October.
The goal is to get new or gently used coats, hats and gloves donated at either of the two fire stations: 6900 E. Main St. or 6305 E. Livingston Ave., both in Reynoldsburg.
Once there is a sizeable amount of donations, the department will call a representative from the schools and the clothes and will be picked up and dispersed according to need.
Pickerington Senior Center to hold craft bazaar Oct. 25
The Pickerington Senior Center will hold its annual craft bazaar from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 25. The center will have 12-foot tables and 6-foot tables that are available for rent. For more information, call the center at 837-3020.
Fall Turkey Shoot Sundays
The Reynoldsburg Lions Club will host their Annual Fall Turkey Shoot every Sunday now through Nov. 23 at 13685 Basil Road. Take U.S. 40 East nine miles east of Reynoldsburg and turn south on York Road for two miles. York turns into Basil Road.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shots are $2.50 each with prizes of bacon, turkey or cash. Special shoots are available for $4 to $7 with great prizes of special cut of meats such as rib eye steaks.
The Lions Club also will host some great food and beverages on site so come hungry and enjoy the day. A "Turkey Shoot" is shot gun bingo in which targets are used, and no live turkeys are involved. Bring your shot gun, but no sleeved guns please.
This is one of the largest fundraiser of the year for the Lions Club. The Reynoldsburg Lions Club is a non-profit organization that raises money for local charities including Reynoldsburg Special Olympics, Reynoldsburg Helping Hands and to assist with the prevention of blindness. Proceeds from this event will benefit local charities.
For any additional information, contact Bob Martin at (614) 861-8811.
Capital gallery to feature early works of Ansel Adams
The Schumacher Gallery at Capital University will feature "Ansel Adams: Early Works" now through Oct. 16. Adams, a photographer, musician, naturalist, explorer, critic and teacher, is a giant in the field of landscape photography. This exhibition, featuring works from the 1920s through the 1950s, provides a fresh look at this legendary master. The show is organized by art2art Circulating Exhibitions of New York. The gallery is located on the fourth floor of the library at the university, located at 1 College and Main in Bexley.
Hotline volunteers needed
Caring volunteers are urgently needed to answer the Suicide Prevention Hotline. Because the hotline is answered 24 hours a day, it is vital to recruit and train enough volunteers to cover all shifts.
Volunteers at Suicide Prevention Services will receive 50 hours of training before they begin to answer the hotline. Volunteers make a commitment to answer the hotline for six hours a week for six months and many volunteers choose to continue working once they have completed their original commitment.
Volunteering for Suicide Prevention brings special rewards: training that will prove useful in many life situations, the chance to meet and work with an incredible group of caring people and the opportunity to save lives.
Training for the fall class of volunteers will begin in late September and end in November. Volunteers then work their weekly shifts from December through May.
To learn more about the program or to volunteer, call Mary Brennen-Hofmann or Susan Jennings at 299-6600.
JCC early bird season subscription sale
An early bird season subscription sale is going on now through Nov. 1, offering 20 percent discounts on Gallery Players’ 60th season subscriptions orders. The prices for a season subscription for all four shows are: JCC Member, $35; JCC Senior Member (60+), $30; Non-member, $45; and Non-member senior (60+), $40. For more information on the upcoming Gallery Players season, visit the Gallery Players Web site at www.jccgalleryplayers.org or call 559-6248.
JCC winter cruise
The JCC Travel Group is planning a Caribbean cruise on board the Emerald Princess for 10 days beginning Feb. 8, 2009.
The cruise will depart from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and include ports of call at Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Thomas, and Princess Cay, Bahamas. Pricing starts at $970 for an inside cabin, $1,250 for an ocean view cabin, and $1,599 for a balcony cabin. Prices are per person, double occupancy, and include 10 nights on board the Emerald Princess, all cruise features on board the ship, and all meals and entertainment. For information, contact Tour Leader Peggy Kaplan at (614) 235-8813 or (614) 560-5652.
Bexley Farmers’ Market
The Bexley Farmers’ Market will be open for business in front of Bexley City Hall on Saturdays through October. Hours are from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m. Central Ohio farmers will be featuring a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers and much more.
Short term radon kits
The city of Bexley, in conjunction with the Franklin County Board of Health, has free, short term radon testing kits available for residents to check radon levels in their homes.
Radon is odorless, tasteless, and invisible, but it could be a problem in a home. Radon comes from the natural decay of uranium found in nearly all soils. According to to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, indoor radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. and leading cause among non-smokers.
To pick up a free radon testing kit, visit the Bexley Muncipal Building, 2242 E. Main St., Monday through Friday during normal business hours. For information call the Franklin County Board of Health at (614) 462-3859 or visit www.franklincountyohio.gov/health
Briggs class of 1993
Briggs High School Class of 1993 is looking for former classmates for the 15-year reunion. The reunion is in the planning phase and those involved would welcome anyone interested in helping out. The plan is to have the event sometime in the latter part of October, 2008. Interested alumni can contact Mark Clanin at mclanin@wowway.com or call Michael Crist at 274-9692. Leave contact information and note if you can help.
Food pantry reorganizes
The PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington is the new name of the reorganized food pantry for the Pickerington area.
The Pickerington Christian Ministerial Association (PCMA) and other concerned citizens organized the food pantry in the early 1990s. After several months of study the Food Pantry and the PCMA are strengthening their ties to one another in an effort to expand and better serve the community.
Kathy Vogt became the new director in July and the new phone number is (614) 284-1205. The Web address is now PCMAfoodpantry.com. Hours of operation remain Monday from 7 to 8 p.m. and Thursday and Saturday 10 a.m. to noon.
The PCMA Food Pantry serves families located within the boundary of the Pickerington Local School District, providing canned and dried foods, meat and personal items for those in need. The food pantry is located on the lower level of the Pickerington Historical Society (former Carnegie Library) on Columbus Street. Anyone interested in volunteering or contributing to this ministry, can contact the director Kathy Vogt.
