Around Town (06/22/2016)

Bobby Darin music

The June AARP meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Merced Senior Community Center, 755 W. 15th St. This month includes performances of the music of Bobby Darin, who sang “Beyond the Sea,” “Dream Lover” and “Up the Lazy River,” to name a few. Complimentary refreshments will be served. All members of AARP may attend and bring a guest, but membership is not required. For more, email rayrhae@att.net.

Street Faire

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

Food bank boxes

Merced County Food Bank’s Drought Food Assistance Program is a free temporary program designed to provide assistance to people in Merced County. Those receiving a food box will be asked to self-certify that they live in a household where drought conditions have caused their underemployment, unemployment or reduced their income. People can receive the roughly 30-pound boxes of food up to two times a week. The Merced County Food Bank at 2000 W. Olive Ave. is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. For more, call 209-726-3663.

LGBT center

The Merced LGBT Community Center is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, along with family and friends, to congregate and find support and resources. The center’s doors at 1744 G St., Suite H, are open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3-7 p.m.; Wednesdays from 4:30-7 p.m.; and Saturdays from noon-5 p.m. For questions, contact Jamie Bradley at mercedtransday@gaycentralvalley.org or call 209-626-5551.

ESL for adults

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

All-Night Odyssey

The Merced Arts Council, with the assistance of Project Big Top, will hold its first 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 Merced Multicultural Arts Center. To donate or make a pledge to a reader, go to www.artsmerced.myevent.com. For more information, contact Colton Dennis at director@artsmerced.org or 209-388-1090.

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 go to 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 21, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Around Town (06/22/2016)."