Around Town (11/08/2016)

Elks bingo

Enjoy bingo every Tuesday night at the Elks Lodge, 1920 M St., Merced. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., the snack bar opens at 5:30, and early bird games begin at 6:30 with regular games starting at 7. For information, call 209-723-1240. All proceeds go to Elks Lodge charities.

Physics Siege Weapons competition

Merced College will host its annual Physics Siege Weapons competition from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Merced College practice soccer fields, next to the Tri-College Center. Each year, professor Lana Jordan’s physics students build trebuchets, or catapults, which must launch a basketball 15 meters as part of their class grade. The event typically draws about 100 participants and observers. For more information, call 209-381-6470.

Merced Peripheral Neuropathy Support Group

The Merced Peripheral Neuropathy Support Group’s next meeting is 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Hoffmeister Center,1920 Canal St., Merced. Informative handouts are available. For more information, call Bill Cavner at 209-723-9405 or Larry Frice at 209-358-2045.

‘Man Can Cook’ competition

This Ain’t Your Mama’s Church is sponsoring “Man Can Cook” from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the church, 1405 W. Main St., Merced. The community is invited to taste dishes entered in the competition. Donations will accepted at the door. The event includes a 50/50 raffle. All proceeds will be donated to “Treasure Our Troops” to help send care packages to deployed troops. Each contestant will bring a homemade dish to be evaluated by a three-judge panel. Contestants can enter the contest by signing up in the church’s lobby or by calling 209-726-6123.

Odd Fellows breakfast

Odd Fellows of LaFayette Historical Lodge 65 is hosting its monthly breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. Sunday. The menu includes biscuits and gravy, sausage, ham and cheese omelets, and french toast. Complimentary coffee and orange juice will be served. The cost is $6 for people ages 12 and up, $3 for children ages 7-12, and free for children 6 and under. The IOOF Hall, a vintage 1881 building on the National Register of Historic Places, is the scene of many community events. The address is 30018 Yosemite Blvd. (Hwy 132), just east of the intersection with J-59. For more information, call Chris at 209-853-2128.

Merced AARP Chapter Monterey bus trip

The Merced AARP Chapter invites all members to take a tour bus trip to Monterey Bay Aquarium and 17-Mile Drive on Dec 6. The deadline to sign up is Nov. 16, at the next AARP meeting. The bus leaves at 7:15 a.m. from Merced and returns at 6 p.m. that day. For more information or to sign up for the trip, contact Bob Langston at 209-357-8101, Jennifer Eberhard at 209-756-7864, Jean Stanley at 209-358-3429 or Dorothy Souza at 209-826-4149.

Poinsettia for the holidays

Native Daughters of the Golden West of Merced is taking orders for beautiful red poinsettia through Nov. 26. They cost $12 in advance and will be available Dec. 3. For more information or to place an order, call Suzi at 209-261-0720.

Tri-tip dinner in Atwater

Buhach Pentecost Church is hosting its drive-through tri-tip dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at 2889 N. Buhach Road, Atwater. The dinner is $30 and includes a whole barbecued tri-tip, Portuguese beans, bread, and a 2-liter bottle of soda pop. For tickets, call 209-595-1375 or 209-261-9178.

This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Around Town (11/08/2016)."