Around Town (07/28/16)

Turf show

The artificial turf fields at McNamara Park will be the focus of an open house/public play from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the park, 1040 Canal St. If there is enough interest, the open house will continue Aug. 2, 4, 9 and 11. On Tuesdays while the fields are open, the city’s Mobile Rec truck will also be at the park. Only athletic shoes and soccer cleats, except for those that are metal, can be worn on the field. No high heels. No drinks are allowed on the field, except water. No food, chewing gum or sunflower seeds are allowed on the field. For more information, call 209-385-6978.

President search

The Merced College Committee overseeing the search for its next college president plans to hold the final public input meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Chowchilla High School, 805 Humboldt Ave., Chowchilla. The college continues to gather input at ceo.search@mccd.edu. For more information, call 209-384-6100.

Street Faire

The Merced Downtown Street Faire continues from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday on Main Street between K and M streets. This week’s offering features the “Pokémon Go” mobile game.

Free oil filter

The Merced County Regional Waste Management Authority offers a free oil filter exchange event throughout Merced County in which residents can take a used oil filter to any AutoZone or O’Reilly Auto Parts Store within the and receive a new filter for free on any Saturday or Sunday in July. For more information, go to www.mercedrecycles.com/usedoilfilters.html or call 209-723-4481, ext. 24.

Bible school in Le Grand

The Le Grand United Methodist Church invites children ages 4 to 11 to “Move, Act, Care, Follow and Share at G-Force: God’s Love Is Action.” Vacation Bible School is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 1-4 at Le Grand United Methodist Church, 3801 Washington St., Le Grand. For more information, call Kari Hansen at 209-756-2815.

Behavioral health

The next Merced County Behavioral Health Board meeting is from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the county building, 1137 B St., and is open to the public. For more information, call 209-381-6805.

Ghost hunting

Full Spectrum Paranormal and the Friends of Columbia State Historic Park plan “Paranormal Prospecting” from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Aug. 6 at Columbia State Historic Park, 1255 Jackson St., Columbia. The three-hour, guided tour by flashlight is a search for ghosts. Participants must be older than 18, and not all areas of the tour are accessible to those with disabilities. The tour is $50 and tickets are available at www.friendsofcolumbiashp.com. For more information, email Amber Cantisano at Amber.Cantisano@parks.ca.gov or call 209-536-2913.

BBQ Cook-Off

Club Mercedes’ third annual BBQ Cook-Off is open to the public at noon Aug. 13 at the club, 569 W. Ninth St., Merced. There’s a $5 cover charge for adults, and $3 for children 5 to 12. Teams of up to four people can now submit entry forms and the entry fee of $50 to compete. Rules can be picked up at the club after 4 p.m. or by calling Danny Tapetillo at 209-769-7252. There will be a meeting for all cooks at 6 p.m. the day before the cook-off in the club’s lounge. For more information, call the club at 209-383-9906.

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 3:31 PM with the headline "Around Town (07/28/16)."