Around Town (12/20/16)
Christmas Eve dinner
The Los Banos Kiwanis Club is holding its annual Christmas Eve dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Fire Station No. 1, 333 Seventh St. The event is co-sponsored by the Los Banos Fire Department and is open to anyone.
Christmas Eve Service in Le Grand
A Christmas Eve service of carols and candlelight will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday in the sanctuary of Le Grand United Methodist Church, 3801 Washington St. in Le Grand. The Christmas morning service will be at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
New Year’s Eve Dance
Club Mercedes will host a New Year’s Eve Dance Dec. 31 at the club, 569 W. Ninth St. in Merced. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Dancing from 9 p.m. to 1 am. Price is $20 per person. No-host bar available at extra cost; must be 21 or older to attend. Limited tickets are for sale. For more information, call 209 383-9906.
Behavioral health
The next Merced County Behavioral Health Board meeting will be 3-5 p.m. Jan. 3 at the county building, 1137 B St., which is open to the public. For more information, call 209-381-6805.
Ceramics Open Lab
Merced College Community Services will be offering beginning ceramics open labs from Jan. 9 through March 13 at 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays, and from Jan. 19 through March 9 at 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays. The cost is $80 per participant. For more information, call 209-384-6224 or email communitysvc@mccd.edu.
Emergency preparedness
The Merced-Atwater Tea Party Patriots will hold a talk and discussion with David Ofwono, an expert on personal emergency preparedness, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Atwater VFW Memorial Hall, 1390 Broadway Ave.
Mariposa Master Gardeners
Mariposa Master Gardeners will present a free workshop on pruning from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 21 in Catheys Valley. Emeritus Fruit and Nut Advisor Maxwell Norton will teach how to prune trees for convenience, the tree’s maximum health, its best support structure and bearing capability. Participants are asked to register at the website, http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu or to call 209-966-2417. This workshop will be outside, so dress accordingly.
Empty Bowls
The seventh annual Empty Bowls event will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Ted Falasco Arts Center, 1105 Fifth St., Los Banos. For $15 per person and $10 per child, visitors can choose a hand-made ceramic bowl and receive a bowl of soup and piece of bread. The event helps raise awareness about community hunger. Money raised will benefit programs in Los Banos that help feed the hungry. Purchase tickets by calling 209-704-3831.
If you would like to have an event announced in Around Town, send information to aroundtown@merced.sunstarcom at least 10 days before the event. Items run according to space available.
This story was originally published December 19, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Around Town (12/20/16)."