Around Town (06/18/16)

‘Lost’ audition

Merced Shakes has set auditions for its 2016 summer play, the comedy “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Merced Multicultural Arts Center, 645 W. Main St. in Merced. At least 18 actors and actresses are needed. There will be cold reading of scenes; a prepared Shakespearean monologue is welcome, but not mandatory. Performances will be outdoors in September. For more, call 209-723-3265 or go to www.mercedshakespearefest.org.

Solstice fest

Sierra Tel presents 2016 Sounds of Solstice Music Festival set to begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Oakhurst Community Park in Oakhurst. Gates open at 1 p.m. and the concert continues through 9 p.m. Tickets are $20. Proceeds benefit Boys & Girls Club of Oakhurst. For more, go to www.soundsofsolstice.com.

Parent Cafe

The Merced Soccer Academy invites locals to the Parent Cafe to share pan dulce and coffee every Monday while discussing issues and information relevant to the community, from 8 to 9 a.m. at the academy’s Youth Center in Stephen Leonard Park, 640 T St. For more information, call Fernando Aguilera at 209-947-0050.

ESL for adults

Merced College is offering free English as a second language (ESL) classes for adults in three locations within the district. Beginning and intermediate level classes will continue through July 28 and students may register at any time in class. Merced College’s Business Resource Center, 630 W. 19th Street in Merced, offers 6-9 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays; free parking is available. Classes are also 6-8 p.m. every Tuesday through Thursday in Building A, Room 105, at the Los Banos Campus, 22240 Highway 152; a parking permit is required. The Chowchilla Alternative Education Center, 445 Trinity Ave., has classes 9 a.m.-noon every Monday through Thursday. For more, call 209-381-6542.

Street Faire

The Merced Community Development Corporation will launch its summer Thursday Night Street Faire starting June 23, featuring car shows, live music, vendors, games and food. The faire will be at Bob Hart Square from 5 to 10 p.m. Proceeds support local youth groups. Contact 209-500-7773.

All-Night Odyssey

The Merced Arts Council, with the assistance of Project Big Top, will hold its first-ever All Night Odyssey Read-A-Thon in which readers will read “The Odyssey” by Homer in its entirety from 6 p.m. July 1 to 8 a.m. July 2. Participants read selections from the poem while competing in games and activities for prizes throughout the night. Proceeds benefit programming at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center. To donate or make a pledge to a reader, go to www.artsmerced.myevent.com. For more, call Colton Dennis at director@artsmerced.org or 209-388-1090.

Summer classes

Merced College’s noncredit program has begun its summer class offerings in more than a dozen locations in Merced County. Aimed at adults, the classes offered are needlecraft and sewing, beginning quilting, music therapy, bus driver training, medical assistant, mature driver improvement, and career and life planning, among other classes. A complete schedule of classes and locations can be found at http://www.mccd.edu/explore/continuing.html. Classes are free, but some charge for materials. For more, call 209-381-6540.

Photo show

Sierra Artists’ Gallery of Mariposa is calling on photographers from the Central Valley and Sierras to submit work to the Photography Fest and Sale. Entries are due by July 9 for the show that runs July 11-24. For a prospectus and application, visit the gallery in Mariposa at Highway 140 and Sixth Street or the website at www.sierraartistsgallery.com. For more, call 209-966-2284.

Scholarships

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Bobcat Central Inc. is giving away two $1,000 scholarships, one each for a student pursuing a construction or agriculture job path. For more, call 800-266-9631 or go to www.bobcatcentral.com.

This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Around Town (06/18/16)."