Canfield Community Briefs

Newcomers Club fundraiser set for April 5

The Newcomers Club of Canfield will sponsor its annual fundraiser, “Making A Difference Through Laughter,” April 5. The event will take place at Mojos Pub-n-Grill on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. and a comedy show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person and also include a chance to win a grand prize. The event will also include a basket auction. For tickets or sponsorship information, call Jeannie Gulia at 330-651-1713 or Paula Lavin at 678-557-6414. Reservations must be completed by March 28. The Newcomers Club of Canfield Foundation provides vital funds to various local charities who support the needs of the community.

Vrabel named to Deans’ List

Sarah Vrabel, a Canfield native, was one of 1,950 students from Saginaw Valley State University named to the Deans’ List for the fall 2013 semester. To be eligible for the Deans’ List, a student must take at least 12 credit hours and carry a semester GPA of 3.4 or better.

Adult Career Center offers sailing classes

Sailing classes are being offered this spring at the Adult Career Center Mahoning County Career and Technical Center in Canfield. The class is taught by experienced sailors from the Berlin Yacht Club. Students will learn sailing terms, parts of a sailboat, how sails work, safe boating practices and all of the fundamentals necessary to sail a small sailboat. The class is called “Come Sail Away.”

Everyone who takes the class is invited to participate in Discover Sailing Day at Berlin Yacht Club, where they will apply what they have learned in the classroom by sailing a boat owned by a member of Berlin Yacht Club (berlinyachtclub.com). The cost of the class is $55 and includes a sailing manual. This class meets on three consecutive Tuesday evenings beginning April 29. To register, go to mahoningctc.com under special interest, “Come Sail Away” or call 330-758-5689.

GA to meet

Gamblers Anonymous, a 12-Step fellowship of compulsive gamblers who want to recover from their gambling addictions, will meet twice this week in the Youngstown-Warren area. A GA meeting is offered every Friday at Westminster Church, located at 119 Stadium Drive, and another is offered every Sunday at Christ Church Presbyterian, located at 3425 Hopkins Road in Cornersburg. Both meetings begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. and last about 1-1 1/2 hours. Those who believe gambling has affected any part of their lives are urged to attend. For more information, call 330-505-5060.

Historical society to give presentation

On March 25 at 7 p.m., the Mahoning Valley Historical Society and the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown present “Founding Mothers: Great Women in Mahoning Valley History” at the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center, located at 325 West Federal Street in downtown Youngstown. Catherine Dougherty Hillman, Margaret Van Horn Dwight, Dora Schwebel, Mary Ann Campana - the lives of these women are woven into the history of the Mahoning Valley. Join Traci Manning, the Historical Society’s Curator of Education, for a celebration of women’s history. Learn about the women who lived, worked, and learned here – and how their stories and struggles helped to shape and change the Mahoning Valley. This lecture is free and open to the public. Free adjacent parking is available at the History Center. For more information, call 330-743-2589 or visit www.mahoninghistory.org.

Canfield Players present Night of the Living Beauty Pageant

It’s not your ordinary beauty pageant, especially when there are only five contestants and no sponsors. Canfield High School will be performing the comedy Night of the Living Beauty Pageant on March 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The play involves two teenage boys hoping to get rich by having auditions for a beauty pageant, but instead encounter many obstacles, demanding characters and just keeping themselves alive. Tickets for the show are $8 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the door.

Canfield schools and Rotary project to benefit Dominica

The Canfield Rotary and Canfield Local Schools have joined forces in a community project to help a small island in Dominica hear better.

The Canfield Schools will be collecting used, broken and no longer needed hearing aides in each school building until March 28. Rotary member, Carolina Figley is heading up this project.

Yoga basics

Learn the basics of yoga taught by Karres Cvetkovich Sundays in March at 10:30 a.m. at Fellows Riverside Gardens. Bring a mat and small blanket. Fee: $10 per class.

Host family opportunities

Mahoning, Columbiana, Portage, and Trumbull County families will have the opportunity to welcome a young person from Japan into their home for one month this year, as part of an international exchange program being offered by the County OSU Extension, 4-H. Statewide, host families are needed for 100 Japanese youngsters (aged 12-18) and their adult chaperones, who will visit Ohio from July 23 through Aug. 18. Host families provide the exchangees with room and board and a chance to experience daily life in America. Families are urged not to alter their daily routines or lifestyles during their visitor’s stay. Exchangees provide their own spending money, and the sponsoring organization furnishes comprehensive medical insurance. All types of families are welcome to apply to become hosts, including urban, rural, single-parent, childless, and non-4-H families. The only requirements are that for the Japanese month-long exchange, hosts must have a family member of the same gender and approximate age of the exchangee, three meals a day, and a separate bed for the visitor. Those interested should contact Gretchen Kalinay at 330-799-8407 or Gary Reel at 330-533-7712 for an application form and more information about this and other 4-H international exchange programs. More information and an application can be found at the website www.ohio4h.org/youth/international

Pilates basics

Work on toning, shaping, core strength, alignment, and breathing with Angela Lubonovich Mondays in March from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Fellows Riverside Gardens. Bring a mat and water. Fee: $10 per class.

Yoga in the gardens

Join Marina Perdos Tuesdays and Thursdays in March from 9:30-11 a.m. and Karres Cvetkovich Tuesdays and Thursdays in March from 5:30-7 p.m. at Fellows Riverside Gardens for a blend of yoga styles. All levels are welcome. Bring a mat and small blanket. The fee is $10 per class.

T’ai Chi in the gardens

Join Marie Lew at Fellows Riverside Gardens Wednesdays in March from 12-1 p.m. for warm-ups, breathing exercises and selected movements from a classic Chen T’ai Chi form. Fee: $10 per class.

Pilates sculpt

Join Angela Lubonovich Wednesdays in March from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Fellows Riverside Gardens to be guided in using hand weights to tone the body with an emphasis on core strength and control. Bring a mat, water, and two pound weights if you have them. The fee is $10 per class.

T’ai Chi course

Join Marie Lew Thursdays in March and April and May 1 and 8 at Fellows Riverside Gardens for a ten-week course that includes warm-ups, breathing exercises and instruction in the first steps of a complete classic Chen T’ai Chi form. It is designed for beginners with little or no previous background in this art of energy balancing.

Taken as a whole, this course will ground the student in the basic principles of movement and the meaning behind the movements while developing coordination, strength and flexibility.

Registration required. The fee is $100; 10 percent discount ($90) if registered by March 1.

Creating with herbs

Come to Fellows Riverside Gardens March 22 from 1-3:30 p.m. to learn how to use herbs and other natural ingredients to make salves, creams and lip balms, each of which you will take home. There will be herbal infusions and other treats as you learn self-care for yourself and your family. Registration required. Fee: $39; FFRG member $30.

Spring garden

Children ages 6-11 are invited to Fellows Riverside Gardens March 15 from 12:30-2 p.m. to explore the gardens in search of signs of spring. Learn why plants start emerging and growing, plus make your own sundial. Registration required. Fee: $5.

Papermaking

Children ages 7-12 are invited to Ford Nature Center March 22 from 1-2 p.m. to learn how paper is made and recycle waste paper into new paper for writing, drawing, or art. There will also be an opportunity to do origami. Pre-register/pay at Ford Nature Center by March 21. Fee: $2 R; $3 NR.

A day of Asian culture

Travel to Cleveland April 24 from 8 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. to explore gardens, art, and food. Visit Cleveland’s Chinatown with guide Dr. Y.T. Chiu, tour Japanese gardens at Cleveland Cultural Gardens and Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and discover the Asian exhibits at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Register by calling Fellows Riverside Gardens. Fee: $155; FFRG member $110. Registration deadline is March 28.

Twinkie, deconstructed

After reading Steve Ettlinger’s exploration of the ingredients on a Twinkie label, join a group discussion on the book at Ford Nature Center March 22 from 10-11 a.m.

Spring break hike

Meet at Yellow Creek Park March 23 from 2-4 p.m. for a hike followed by an indoor presentation about Florida. Moderate rating, 2 miles.

Ask the naturalist

Meet at Ford Nature Center March 30 from 2-4 p.m. for a hike. Bring along your nature and MetroParks questions (or think of them along the trail) for naturalist Bill Whitehouse, and he will do his best to answer them. Moderate rating, 2 miles.

Audubon Society presentation

Join Jeffrey Hall at MetroParks Farm March 25 from 7-8 p.m. for the presentation “Spring Beauty–Seasons’ Beginnings.” Hall is the past president of Washington County Audubon Society in New Jersey and now lives in Pennsylvania. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m.; program begins at 7 p.m. The public is welcome.

Watercolor display

Come to the Weller Gallery Jan. 17 - March 23 to view the watercolors of local artist Don Wright whose botanical work plays on light and shadow.

Fibonacci numbers exhibit

Come to the Weller Gallery March 28 - June 8 to take a look at the world of Fibonacci numbers and their relationship to the world.

Through the Lens exhibit

Come to the Melnick Museum through December 2014 to take a peek at the evolution of photography during the Melnick Museum’s 2014 exhibit Through the Lens. The exhibit will display a rare collection of glass negatives and acetate film negatives produced by two local photographers which chronicle scenes of Mill Creek Park from 1907-1926. In addition to nature scenes, several portrait negatives from the period will also be on display.

Neighborhood Ministries seeks meal sites for summer program

Neighborhood Ministries, a sponsor for the Summer Food Service Program, is seeking churches or organizations to join in providing free meals to children ages 18 and under who live in the Youngstown area. The meals are provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Ohio Department of Education from June 9 – Aug. 22. Sites may choose one or two meals per day, including breakfast, lunch and/or a snack. If your church or organization is interested in receiving free meals for children this summer, please contact Neighborhood Ministries at 330-755-8696 or email SFSP@ohionm.org. The deadline for submitting a site request is March 31.

Tales and Talk for 2s and 3s

Join the Canfield library Wednesdays in March at 10 a.m. for developmentally-appropriate books, songs, rhymes, finger plays and other activities that will help your children, ages 2-3, become successful readers. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Fun time for 4s and 5s

Join the Canfield library Tuesdays in March at 10 a.m. for developmentally-appropriate books, songs, rhymes, finger plays, and other activities that will help your children, ages 4-5, become successful readers. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Signs of spring

Come to the Canfield library throughout March to list as many signs as you find that spring is here for a chance to win a prize. For children of all ages.

Luck O’ the Irish

Come to the Canfield library during March to match the following famous Irish-born individuals with what they’re most known for. If you get all of them right, you could win a prize. For teens in grades 7-12.

Teen read

Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to join the Canfield library March 25 at 3:30 p.m to discuss, “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman. Reading the book prior to attending is recommended but not required. Meetings are monthly on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 3:30 p.m.

Volunteers needed

Do you want to volunteer for the new library buildings in Canfield? Contact the Development Office for information and ways that you can help at 330-740-6086.

Free tax preparation and electronic filing for qualifying individuals

The Canfield library will again provide locations for free tax preparation and electronic filing for seniors and those (at any age) with low to moderate income Wednesdays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. beginning the week of Feb. 11. For an appointment, call 330-533-8420. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify. All sites are staffed by volunteers who have been trained and certified by the IRS. TCE sites are staffed by AARP volunteers. Volunteers will provide counseling on eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Newcomers Club fundraiser

The Newcomers Club of Canfield will sponsor its annual fundraiser, “Making A Difference Through Laughter” April 5. The event will take place at Mojos Pub-n-Grill on Mahoning Avenue in Austintown. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. and a comedy show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person and also include a chance to win a grand prize. The event will include a basket auction. For tickets or sponsorship information, call Jeannie Gulia at 330-651-1713 or Paula Lavin at 678-557-6414. Reservations must be completed by March 28.

Church to offer Lenten breakfasts

Canfield Christian Church, located at 123 S. Broad Street, is offering free Lenten breakfasts on Wednesdays starting March 5 through April 16 from 6:30-9:30 a.m. Donations will be accepted.

The Ursuline Center Offers Women in Scripture Series for Lent

Ursuline Sister of Youngstown Patricia McNicholas is offering a series of lectures on Women in Scripture for Lent. The series will be Mondays March 10 - April 14, the lectures will be offered twice daily, either from 10-11:30 a.m., or 6:30-8 p.m., at the Ursuline Center, located at 4280 Shields Road. The donation is $15 per session or $60 for all five lectures. To register, contact Eileen Novotny, Ursuline Associate, at 330-533-3831.

Light, shadow and a jukebox

Come to the Weller Gallery Jan. 17 - March 23 to experience the watercolor work of local artist Don Wright whose botanical work plays on light and shadow. The exhibit will have a jukebox.

Through the lens

Come see at the evolution of photography during the Melnick Museum’s 2014 exhibit Through the Lens. The exhibit will display a rare collection of glass negatives and acetate film negatives produced by two local photographers, which chronicle scenes of Mill Creek Park from 1907 through 1926. In addition to park scenes, several portrait negatives of the period will also be on display. The photographs be on display until Dec. of 2014.

Free tax preparation and electronic filing for qualifying individuals

The Canfied library will again provide locations for free tax preparation and electronic filing for seniors and those (at any age) with low to moderate income beginning the week of Feb. 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify. All sites are staffed by volunteers who have been trained and certified by the IRS. TCE sites staffed by AARP volunteers. Volunteers will provide counseling on eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Canfield Library (TCE). To make an appointment call 330-533-8420.