Austintown briefs

Curves offers Silver Sneakers classes

Free Silver Sneakers classes are offered Monday through Saturday for eligible women over 65 at Curves in Austintown. The 30-minute classes are designed to improve strength, flexibility and overall health. For information, call 330-793-9802.

Put on a red scarf and run

The Nick Dubos Red Scarf Invitational 2.2-mile fun run and 1.1-mile run/walk is scheduled Sunday at Roosevelt Park, 351 Tenney Ave. in Campbell.

The entry fee is 6 to 12 cookies or a handful of leftover Christmas cookies or fruitcake. Canned goods to be donated to the Mahoning Valley Food Bank will also be accepted.

Lunch, coffee, cookies and drinks will follow after the race.

To make a reservation, e-mail marke919@msn.com or call Mark at 216-392-8935.

AARP meeting planned

The Austintown AARP, a group that has been serving the community for more than 20 years, is still going strong. The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month at Grace Lutheran Church. The organization is known for its bus tours and entertaining at nursing homes through its choir.

For more information, contact Harriett Jones at 330-792-3425.

Great food program offers affordable meals

Smith Corners United Methodist Church, 3000 S. Canfield-Niles Road, Austintown, is the local site for the Great Food For All program.

Each big value box costs $30 and comes complete and ready for pick-up. The family variety box is available for $36. Cash, money order or cashier’s checks are accepted at the time the order is placed. No checks are accepted.

Credit cards are accepted with a $1 convenience fee.

Go to www.greatfoodforall.com, type in zip code 44515, and scroll down until Smith Corners UMC pops up. Then pick up the ordered food boxes at Smith Corners UMC. For information, contact the church office at 330-799-9390.

Library closed for holiday

All public libraries in the Mahoning County system will be closed for the holidays today, Friday and Jan. 1.

Scholarship opportunity for Catholic women

The Catholic Collegiate Association is offering a $1,000 scholarship to be used in the academic year 2011/2012 at any college or university.

All applicants must be Catholic women in good standing with their university and they must provide a recent transcript showing a 3.0 GPA. Applicants must also have successfully completed one year of college and submit a letter of recommendation from their pastor and an adviser or professor.

A short essay describing the reasons why the applicant should be awarded the scholarship will also be required.

To obtain an application or additional information, call 330-726-8063 before Jan. 12 or call the YSU financial aid and scholarship office at 330-941-3504. The deadline for the scholarship application is March 23.

Railroad layout at local museum

The Western Reserve Modular Railroad Club is featuring its large modular layout at the National Packard Museum in Warren through Wednesday.

Take the best drive in the park

Original drawings, vintage photos and equipment of Mill Creek Golf Course will be on display in the Melnik Musuem at Fellows Riverside Gardens through December.

Light display continues in Columbiana

The Joy of Christmas Light display in Columbiana’s Firestone Park will continue through Jan. 2 from 5 to 10 p.m., nightly. Cost is a $5 donation per car. Net proceeds will rebuild the park’s Funland for children and benefit Toys for Tots.

Explore the winter woods

Need a respite from the holiday rush? Join Bill Whitehouse on an exploration of the peaceful Hitchcock Woods at Mill Creek MetroParks Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is available on Deerpath Drive. This 2-mile hike is moderately difficult.

Winter Celebration: Holiday Scent-sation

Visit Fellows Riverside Gardens at Mill Creek MetroParks for the holidays and be greeted by the scent of cedar, fir and cinnamon through Jan. 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The decorated trees and seasonal flowers throughout the Davis Center will display the “Holiday Scent-sation” theme. Make sure to see the Rainforest Room, stop by the Shop in the Gardens for unique holiday gift ideas and catch the view of Lake Glacier while dining in the Garden Caf .

Join a celebration of family, friends and life

Help support Karen Rohan in her fight against breast cancer Jan. 16 from noon to 5 p.m. at St. Maron’s Church Antioch Hall, 1555 S. Meridian Road, Youngstown.

She was diagnosed with large globular differential carcinoma in June 2010.

The benefit includes a spaghetti dinner, Chinese auction and 50/50 raffle.

The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 10. Carry-out is available and tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.

To donate for the Chinese auction, call Bill Rohan at 330-398-3232 or Nikki Martin at 330-652-6630.

Nature photography exhibit at Riverside

The annual Nature Photography Exhibit will be displayed at Mill Creek MetroParks Fellows Riverside Gardens in Weller Gallery Feb. 13 through March 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Deadline for entries is Jan. 23. Applications will be available for download at www.millcreekmetroparks.org in January. Call Ford Nature Center at 330-740-7107 for information.

Health and wellness walks offered

Join Mill Creek MetroParks for several walks throughout December. All walks start at 9 a.m.

Meet at the Golf Course overflow parking lot on West Golf Drive Wednesday for an easy 1 or 3-mile walk.

Do yoga in the gardens

Join yoga instructor Heidi Suraci at Mill Creek Parks Fellows Riverside Garden Tuesdays in December from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for beginner classes and from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. for intermediate classes. All level classes are Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Bring a mat and small blanket. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens at 330-740-7116 for information. The cost is $10 per class.

T’ai Chi step one in the gardens

Ease stress, improve health and increase vitality at Mill Creek Parks Fellows Riverside Garden with Marie Lew in warm-ups, breathing exercises and selected movements from a classic Chen T’ai Chi form Wednesdays in December from noon to 1 p.m. Call Fellows Riverside Gardens at 330-740-7116 for information.

The cost is $10 per class.

View the wldlife art of John A. Ruthven

Wildlife artist John Ruthven paints what he knows and loves. Often called the modern day Audubon, Ruthven thoroughly studies his animal subjects and paints them in their habitats with technical detail. His work will be on display at Mill Creek MetroParks Davis Education and Visitor Center daily through Jan. 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bond with babies and books at library

Join the Austintown library for developmentally-appropriate books, songs, rhymes, finger play and other activities for babies 6-23 months Thursdays in January at 10 a.m.

The program is designed to make children successful readers. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

The library will host a similar program for children ages 2 and 3 Wednesdays in January at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and a program for children ages 4 and 5 Jan. 25 at 10 a.m.

Get moving with a story

Tire out the young and restless with an active story time at the Austintown library Thursdays in January at 11 a.m.

The program is developmentally-appropriate for children 2 to 5. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Participate in a pajamarama

Put on PJs and bring the family to the Austintown library Jan. 31 at 6;30 p.m. for stories, songs, holiday cheer and more. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Find baby new year

Children of all ages can try to find Baby New Year during regular library hours.

Each week in January, Baby New Year will be in a new location around the Austintown library. Do not touch or move him, but whisper his location to the librarian and receive a bookmark stamp.

Playstation fun at the library

The Austintown library will host PS2 day Jan. 4 and Jan. 11 at 2:30 p.m. for teens in grades seven through 12.

Blood pressure check offered

The Mahoning Chapter of the American Red Cross will host a blood pressure screening at the Austintown library Jan. 19 at 1 p.m.

Meet friends at the library

The Austintown Friends of the Library will meet Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. at the Austintown library,

The program will feature Donald Alan on Tara: The Aftermath.

Public library closed Jan. 17

All public libraries in Mahoning County will be closed Jan. 17 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Join in a Kulig winter celebration

Join Polish Youngstown and Mill Creek Metroparks for a sleigh-ride around Lake Glacier Jan. 13 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Fellows Riverside Gardens.

Traditional Polish food, a bonfire, music and more will be available.

For information, call 330-740-7118.

Metroparks looking for seasonal workers

Learn about seasonal and part-time employments opportunities at the Metroparks Jan. 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Davis Center in Fellows Riverside Gardens.

Representatives from several departments will be available to answer questions and provide information about jobs for the 2011 season.

Feed the chickadees at Ford Nature Center

Meet at Ford Nature Center Jan. 8 at 9 a.m. and feed Black-capped chickadees with certified volunteer Naturalist Nancy Brundage. Feed will be provided.

Learn about the park

Kristen Peetz, environmental land manager for Mill Creek Metroparks, will discuss the park district’s undeveloped areas Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at MetroParks Farm.

A social time will begin at 6:30 p.m. For information, call 888-846-8851.

Share a few soup recipes

David Armstrong will share recipes and culinary techniques as he demonstrates how to prepare and serve a vegetarian, a beef and a seafood soup Jan. 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The cost for the event is $28 for garden members and $35 for nonmembers.

To register, call Fellows Riverside Garden at 330-740-7116.

Look for icicles at Mill Creek

Grab a camera and enjoy a two-mile, moderately-difficult, slow-paced exploration of the Mill Creek gorge Jan. 2.

Meet at the Lanterman’s Mill parking lot at 2 p.m.

Remember Edward Galaida during walk

Join Bill Whitehouse for a two-mile, moderately-difficult hike that will visit many of the places Edward Galaida wrote about in his book, “Mill Creek Park,” Jan. 9.

Meet at the Ford Nature Center at 2 p.m.

Learn about animal tracking

Meet at Bear’s Den Cabin Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. for a short presentation on animal tracking. Afterward, look for tracks of Mill Creek’s winter wildlife on a two-mile, moderately-difficult hike and make a cast of them to take home.

Hike for winter skeletons

Meet at MetroParks Bikeway Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. for a two-mile, moderately-difficult hike to look for the remaining subtle beauty of wildflowers.

Harvest ice the old-fashioned way

Learn how the Youngstown Ice Company harvested ice for commercial use from Mill Creek and the Mahoning River in the early 1900s during a º-mile hike around Lake Glacier Jan. 30 at 1:30 p.m.

A three-mile hike to see what’s left of the ice company will be offered immediately afterward. The hike contains hills and steps.

Walk for health and wellness

Mill Creek Metroparks is offering health and wellness walks throughout January.

For easy-rated walks, meet at the Main Golf Course overflow parking lot for a one to three-mile walk Jan. 12 at 9 a.m. or at the Metropark’s bikeway trail at Metroparks Farm Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. for a full moon two-mile walk.

A moderately-difficult two or four-mile walk is available Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. Meet at the Metroparks’ Bikeway Trailhead at Kirk Road.

Gardens offers botany and breakfast

Start Jan. 21 with a brisk garden walk and then return to the Garden Caf for a light breakfast and lesson on spruce, pine and fir.

The cost is $7 for garden members and $9 for nonmembers. To register, call the gardens at 330-740-7116.

Do yoga at the gardens

Bring a mat and small blanket to learn a blend of energizing yoga styles from Heidi Suraci at Fellows Riverside Gardens on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout January.

Tuesdays will feature beginners’ classes from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and intermediate classes from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Thursday classes will be from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and are open to all levels.

The fee is $10 per class. For information, call the gardens at 330-740-7116.

T’ai Chi in the garden

Ease stress, improve health and increase vitality with breathing exercises and selected movements from a classic Chen T’ai Chi form taught by Marie Lew Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. during January at Fellows Riverside Gardens.

The costs is $10 per class. For information, call the gardens at 330-740-7116.

Have fun with feathered friends

The Ford Nature Center will host a “Winter Snow, Blue Feather” program for 2-year-old children Jan. 6 at 10 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

During the program, children can listen to stories about birds and make edible crafts for their feathered friends. Children must be accompanied by a parent. The costs is $2. To register, call the nature center at 330-740-7107.