Around Town (12/24/16)
City Hall closures
Merced city offices will be closed Monday for the Christmas holiday and Jan. 2 for the New Year’s holiday. There will be no trash collection when city offices are closed. So trash collection will be delayed one day during both weeks. The next Merced City Council meeting will be held Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 678 W. 18th St. Assistant City Manager Stephanie Dietz will be sworn into office at the meeting and staff members plan a ceremony for new fire Chief Michael Wilkinson. For more, call 209-385-6232.
County closed
All offices at the Merced County Administration Building will be closed Monday in recognition of Christmas Day. Offices will also be closed Jan. 2 due to New Year’s Day. Regular business hours will resume for all offices on the following Tuesdays.
Mochi making
Livingston United Methodist Church plans its annual mochi tsuki, or “rice pounding,” event Dec. 30 at the church, 11695 W. Olive Ave., Livingston. Orders are being taken now for $5 per pound for plain mochi and $2 for a piece for ahn mochi. Order by calling the church office at 209-394-2264 from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays before Dec. 27.
Behavioral health
The next Merced County Behavioral Health Board meeting is 3-5 p.m. Jan. 3 at the county building, 1137 B St., which is open to the public. For more, call 209-381-6805.
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.
Ceramic art
Merced College Art Gallery will present an exhibition of ceramic sculptures by Southern California artist Dawn Hart. The reception for “Lost in Repetition” is 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at the gallery, 3600 M St. The display is open Jan. 17 to Feb. 9 on Mondays to Thursdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and noon-2:00 p.m. and by appointment. For more, contact Susanne French, art gallery coordinator, at 209-384-6064 or french.s@mccd.edu.
VFW Hall for rent
Atwater Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9946 is offering its facility for rent for parties, meetings and special events. It is a nonsmoking facility, seats 130 with tables and chairs included, and has 100 parking spaces. A full kitchen is available. For more, call 209-358-7224 or 209-356-0168. Open to the public.
If you would like to have an event announced in Around Town, send information to aroundtown@mercedsunstar.com at least 10 days before the event. Items run according to space available.
This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Around Town (12/24/16)."