Services tonight

West End churches having Ash Wednesday services tonight include:

• Zion Lutheran in Brodheadsville will hold a service at 7:30 p.m.

• Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Brodheadsville will hold a 7 p.m. Mass, preceded by prayer services at 4 and 5:30 p.m. Ashes will be distributed at all Masses.

• Salem-St. Paul Lutheran Church, Kresgeville, will have a 7 p.m. service with Holy Communion and also post it on Facebook.

• St. Matthew’s ECC, Kunkletown, will host its Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. The church plans on holding midweek Lenten services at 7 p.m. every Wednesday through April 16.

• Effort UMC will hold its Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.

PV crazy socks

“Reading knocks your socks off” is the word from the Pleasant Valley School District, and students are allowed to wear their favorite crazy socks.

Post 927 meeting

West End Memorial American Legion Post 927 in Gilbert is slated to meet at 7 p.m. Thursday.

OES meeting

Monroe Order of the Eastern Star Chapter will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Rimrock Masonic Center in Stroudsburg.

Members are reminded that the evening will include a memorial service as well as a regular order of business and other matters coming before the group.

Fish dinner

Fried or baked fish dinners are available at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church from 5-7 p.m. March 7, 21, 28 and April 4 and 11.

All are welcome but there is a cost.

Children will be served pizza.

Nature walk

Salem-St. Paul Lutheran Church is hosting another nature walk. This one is at Chestnuthill Park in Brodheadsville on Saturday. The snow date is March 15 at 1 p.m.

Anyone with questions can call the call Pastor Deborah Scheffey at 610-681-5191.

Riders meeting

American Legion Riders Chapter 927 monthly meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the West End Post Home.

WISE sessions

The Monroe County Public Safety Center, 100 Gypsum Road, Stroudsburg, is hosting a free six-session wellness program for older adults offered by PennCares Support Services.

Classes are about two hours long and will begin March 13 at 9:30 a.m.

For more information, contact Alexandra at the Monroe County Area Agency on Aging via email at abender@monroecountypa.gov or by calling 570-420-3735 during regular business hours.

Chestnuthill ‘royalty’

The king and queen at the Chestnuthill Senior Center’s Valentine’s Day meeting were recognized. The seniors enjoyed lunch, live music by the Lost Ramblers, and the crowning of a Valentine’s King and Queen.

Pray the rosary

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church invites all to pray the rosary. It precedes the 4 p.m. Saturday Mass at 3:20 p.m. and also precedes the Sunday 8 a.m. Mass at 7:20 a.m.

All are welcome.

WPCL hours

The Western Pocono Community Library, Brodheadsville, is open from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information call 570-992-7247.

Maple Sugaring Day

Quiet Valley members are reminded that March 8 is the tentative date set aside for Maple Sugaring Day.

To verify, contact QV 570-992-6161.

Public bingo night

The American Legion is again hosting a bingo night open to the community on Monday. Card sales begin at 6:30 p.m. The first game will be called at 7 p.m.

There will be game specials, a full bar and the kitchen will be open.

Easter lilies sale

The CIA at St. Matthew’s in Kunkletown will be selling Easter lilies again this year. There should be order forms available this month. The deadline for orders is March 30.

OTH meeting

Operation: Touch of Home’s next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the American Legion Post 927 in Gilbert. Shared will be information about the club’s bingo event in May.

Outreach auction

Effort UMC has scheduled its Missions Outreach Auction for Saturday, April 5, beginning at 6 p.m.

Preview of items begins at 5 p.m.

Items for the auction will be accepted as of this coming Sunday. They will be on indoor display, outside the church office.

People donating an item or items are asked to place a “value” on each donation.

All items donated should be clean and in good condition.

Based on past experience, “handmade items, themed baskets, gift certificates, homemade dinners are ‘hot’ ticket items.”

Polk Historical

The Polk Township Historical Society will meet at the municipal building on April 5 and May 3. All citizens interested in local history are invited. If you have questions, call Norm Burger at 610-681-7561.

Tick reduction

The Tick Research Lab of Pennsylvania, with an office at East Sroudsburg University, offers suggestions for reducing the tick population in gardens, backyards, etc. Among them are adding a variety of plants to the garden, including rosemary, chrysanthemum, mint, lemon grass, sage, lavender, garlic, onions, marigolds, brown-eyed Susan and juniper.

Many of these plants deter animals that carry ticks, such as deer, mice and raccoons.

For more information, visit www.ticklab.org/prevention or follow the group on social media @paticklab on Instagram and PA Tick Research Lab on Facebook.

The lab is continuing to offer free Basic Panel Tick Testing for state residents through funds received from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Volleyball invite

Folks can join a church volleyball team that will be playing May though August, either Wednesday or Thursday, at Effort UMC’s Church Pavilion. Games are played at 7 or 8:15 p.m.

For more information, contact Paul DeBarry at pdaz@ptd.net or 717-414-6165.

RSVP statistics

Monroe County’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program report that its volunteers, average age of 77, served nearly 30,000 hours, which equates to nearly $1 million in services to the community.

Anyone needing more information or interested in being a volunteer can call 570-420-3747.