WEPOSC meeting

The West End Planning and Open Space Commission is slated to meet at 6:30 tonight at the Chestnuthill Park.

Auxiliary meets

The Post 927 Legion Auxiliary is slated to meet at 7 p.m. today. The Executive Committee will meet at 6 p.m.

Polk Supervisors

The Polk Township Board of Supervisors is slated to meet at 8 a.m. Thursday for a general meeting.

General meetings are for time sensitive matters that need to be decided on.

Thursday deadline

McMichaels UMC is holding a pizza sale. Orders must be placed by calling Martha at 570-992-6742 by Thursday, for cheese pizza only.

Pickup is at McMichaels UMC by noon on Sept. 19.

PV board meeting

The Pleasant Valley School District Board of Education is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. in the District Office in Brodheadsville.

Party continues

Post 927 is hosting an open community event from 5 to 9 p.m. both Friday and Saturday evenings.

It offers a variety of food and drinks. For information, call Gary Spears at 941-400-2293 or Pattie Heller at 570-688-8303.

Permit-free sale

Ross Township is having its permit-free yard sale on Saturday.

Pasta needed

Effort UMC’s Supplemental Food Resource Center is in need of pasta.

The pantry will have its next distribution day from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Call increase

Once again the West End Fire Company volunteers saw an increase in calls of the past month over that of last year.

Chief Don Zipp reports that in August the volunteers responded to 43 incidents. This is a 10 percent increase over August 2019. The total incidents for the year are at 359.

The year’s total so far includes 50 structure fires, 17 vehicle fires, 29 brush fires, 4 miscellaneous fires, 104 automatic fire alarms, 53 car accidents, 7 hazardous materials, 4 public assists, 2 smoke investigations, 9 medical, 9 fire police only, 15 utility emergencies, 14 CO alarms, 3 technical rescues, 8 burn complaints, 1 search and 30 Officer in Charge call Control Calls.

Rally Day begins

St. Matthew’s UCC, Kunkletown, plans to celebrate Rally Day on Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m. with the worship in the grove.

The children may sit on the carpet squares spread out in front of the gazebo, Staci Gower, Christian EducationCoordinator, said.

Sunday school, however, will be virtual this fall and winter. There will be one class for preschool through fifth-grade students. The teachers will be Dora Tartar, Connie Moretz, Jessica Slawter, Gabby Bentley, Diann Bittenbender and Staci. They will rotate so folks will see them in the weekly welcome video once every six weeks. Pastor Suzanne Brooks-Cope and Norm Burger will teach the Confirmation class, sixth grade and up, and they are planning their class schedule with parents’ input.

The website will be updated Saturday evenings and children can do class Sunday morning or at any time.

The monthly Friday Fun Nights will be held in the grove from 5 to 8 p.m. Parents are encouraged to stay with their kids.

Indoor worship

Effort UMC anticipates it will begin indoor worship in the sanctuary this Sunday, following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state guidelines, and at this time limiting those in the sanctuary to 25 people, with a couple of possible overflow areas which are currently being worked on to set up. The church is planning to have three services: at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and one at 11:15 a.m. Cleaning will be done between each of these services.

The Thursday before the upcoming service one will be able to go on the website and click on a button to register for a service. Once that service fills up, it will close to further registrations. One may choose another service or choose to watch online.

If someone doesn’t know how to use the internet or doesn’t have internet access, call the office to sign up and one’s name will be added to the count.

In addition, two groups will be meeting anew in the church building.

The Basement Bunch, the Adult Sunday school class, will resume at 10 a.m. in the former Day Care kitchen. Masks are to be worn and social distancing will be practiced. The contact for registering and more information is Steve Johnson.

And Sunday school/Body Building classes will also resume in Wesley Hall, beginning with teens. Parents are asked to take the youth directly to Wesley Hall upon arrival and to pick them up (sign them out) at the end of service.

There will be one on-site class a month for each age group at the church. The class will be held in Wesley Hall, with each child having his/her own sanitized table, 6 feet from each other. They will all have their own supplies, that they will need for safety precautions. They will all be asked to wear a mask. If this presents a problem for your child, contact Brenda Mitchell, Christian Education Director.

If you are not comfortable with sending your child, that Is no problem because the lesson will be repeated virtually during the week.

Other classes will be held via Zoom as per schedule.

Middlecreek

The Kresgeville church is making its Sunday 10:30 a.m. worship services available in three ways: watching on its website on the livestream tab or live on the church’s Facebook page @Middlecreek Christian Church, or joining the congregation in person, where guidelines will be in force for safety’s sake.

Special music

St. Peter’s UMC, Saylorsburg, will welcome Yvonne Hartman into the sanctuary to supply special music during worship. Described as an inspirational, contemporary Christian musician, Yvonne has been writing and performing her music since 2006. Join this Suday’s worship service at 10 a.m. in person or via Facebook streaming to become uplifted and encouraged by Hartman’s gift of music.

Riders meet

The Legion Riders are set to meet at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Legion Post Home in Gilbert. For more information, contact everett.shaver@yahoo.com.

SAL meeting

The Sons of the American Legion will meet at 7 p.m. at the Legion Post Home in Gilbert. For more information, contact Jimmy Nugent at 917-217-1387.

Shawl ministry

Effort UMC’s Prayer Shawl Ministry meeting again on Tuesday in Wesley Hall.

CDC guidelines are to be followed. Participants are asked to wear a mask and remember to practice social distancing.

Chestnuthill meeting

The Board of Supervisors for Chestnuthill Township is slated to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the township municipal building in Brodheadsville.

Valor group to meet

Veterans Unstoppable Peer To Peer Support Group meeting is at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Post 927 in Gilbert. It is open to Non-Post members and is sponsored by Valor Paul’s House, Jonas. For more information, contact Jim Grimm at 516-317-0588.

Garden days set

The Garden of Giving, McMichaels, has announced its work days for September. They are from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m, Saturdays, with walk-in helpers welcome, and Tuesdays and Thursdays being Harvest Days.

Family event

West End Park and Open Space Commission is hosting a free family event of Back-to-School Crafting from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 19, at the Chestnuthill Park, 221 Route 715, Brodheadsville, to make Back to School Crafts of either a bus or an owl, while supplies last.

Parents are kindly asked to stay and supervise their children, but craft materials may also be picked up to bring home.

Weather permitting, this event will be at Pavilion #1 to the left of the building. If held inside, there will be limited spots, which will be rotated approximately every 15 or 20 minutes.

Everyone is asked to bring a mask, socially distance from nonhousehold members, and refrain from attending if not feeling well.

Any students ages 11 to college wishing to volunteer, call Bernie Kozen, WEPOSC Executive Director and Kim Tuin, WEPOSC Program Coordinator at 570-992-9733 to sign up for a spot which will begin earlier and end later with setup, sanitizing throughout, and cleanup.

Market vouchers

Older adults residing in Monroe County who are 60 years of age or older and who have a gross income at or below $23,606 for a single individual and $31,894 for a married couple are eligible to participate in the Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program. One may only receive the vouchers once per season. Vouchers can be used to redeem $24 of PA grown fruits and vegetables at participating farmers markets.

Vouchers will only be available until Sept. 30.

For more information about this program and other community service from the MC AAA, call 570-420-3735 or toll-free 800-498-0330.

WEPOSC fundraiser

The basket raffle held by the West End Park & Open Space Commission in the fall will not be held this year due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

In lieu of that, and to raise funds for the community programs offered by WEPOSC such as crafting events such as Blast Off into the New Year rocket making, pine cone bird feeders, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day crafts; summer concerts at Chestnuthill Park; ice cream socials; and holiday events such as Trick or Treating at Chestnuthill Park, an Easter Egg Hunt at Ross Township Park, Santa events at both, the WEPOSC has decided to generate some funds for its programs but also to support the West End businesses.

The organization will be making a punch-card of businesses where each business will offer a free item with purchase (one card per check). The cards will be good for 12 months.

West End Park and Open Space Commission will sell the cards and use the funds toward events such as noted above.

Businesses can contact Bernie or Kim at 570-992-9733 to join, on or before Oct. 5. It is planned to begin selling a limited number before the holidays and through November 2021.

Bird seed sale

Monroe County Conservation District’s Environmental Education Center has scheduled its Truckload Wild Bird Seed Sale for Oct. 24, 2020.

The Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center’s sale offers members and the public the opportunity to purchase high quality bird seed at the lowest prices of the year and just in time for the winter bird feeding season. This year’s sale will once again feature Aspen Song Bird Seed Blends. Also offered will be a wide variety of high quality Droll Yankee and other feeders, some of which are squirrel proof, in the gift shop. All proceeds from the sale of bird seed and feeders go to support our environmental education programs.

This sale is Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ordering deadline is Oct. 15. Obtain a complete order form by calling the Center at 570-629-3061, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. most Saturdays, or download the order form from the website: www.mcconservation.org.

Contact Adele Argot at 717-933-4028 or arargot3@verizon.net. Contact the Times News at 800-443-0377 or tneditor@tnonline.com.