Around Town (08/29/16)
MHS back to school
Merced High School plans Back to School Night at 5 p.m. Thursday at the campus, 205 W. Olive Ave. Parents will be welcomed with free hot dogs, and officials will sell school gear, nicknamed “Bear Wear.” The general session begins at 5:45 p.m. in the gym, followed by classroom visits. For more information, call 209-325-1000.
Senior meals
Merced Senior Social Club plans several social meals to be held from 9 a.m. to about 2:15 p.m. every Friday at the Merced Senior Community Center, 755 W. 15th St. Friday is pizza, salad and cake for $2.50. Sept. 9 is nachos for $1. Sept. 16 is hot dogs or polish sausages and trimmings for $3. Sept. 23 is tostadas for $1. Sept. 30 is a sack lunch. The group socializes, plays card games and bingo about noon. For more information, call Janet at 209-383-6057.
Art classes
The Merced Multicultural Arts Center has a new fall schedule for classes for ages 5-8, 9-16 and adults beginning Sept. 6 at the center, 645 W. Main St. Children’s classes include DinoTastic Art, Fundamentals of Drawing, Explore Portraiture, Fundamentals of Painting, Fun in Leadership and Clay Modeling. Register by Sept. 2 to reserve a spot. For more information, call 209-388-1090, email director@artsmerced.org or go to www.artsmerced.org/classes.html.
Domestic violence
The Valley Crisis Center will host Fostering Cultural Competency through Community Dialogue from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7 in the Sam Pipes Conference Room at City Hall, 678 W. 18th St. The goal is to address the impact of how agencies can best provide services to Asian and Pacific Islander communities and empower participants to support victims and survivors of domestic violence. For more information, call Pana Lee, campus coordinator, at 209-725-7900.
Caregiving workshop
For those who are caring for their loved ones, Pacifica Senior Living plans a free event with information on caregiving from 9-11 a.m. Sept. 8 at Pacifica Senior Living, 3420 R. St. Learn about home care, hospice, self-care and more. Lunch is provided. Reservations are required as seating is limited. For more information, call 209-384-9700.
Virtual auction
The New Beginnings’ fundraiser barbecue at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 is sold out, but can be watched live online to allow those without tickets to bid on the auction. For each $10 donation, the donor will be entered to win one of multiple raffle prizes. For more information about the virtual barbeque, email Sarah at s.ann.rank@gmail.com or call 209-261-4644.
HOW benefit
Helping One Woman plans a fundraiser from 6 to 7 p.m. Sept. 21 at Bella Luna Bistro and Bar, 350 W. Main St. The group honors a single woman in need. Dinner is $18, and attendees are asked to give a gift of at least $10 to the honoree. There is also a drawing; tickets are $1. For more information, email HOWMerced@gmail.com.
CASA volunteers
Merced County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates, a group that works with foster children in the court system, is looking for volunteers who must complete 30 hours of training and 10 hours of court observation. The average CASA volunteer spends eight to 10 hours a month on a case. For more information, call CASA at 209-722-2272 or go to http://mercedcasa.org.
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 August 28, 2016 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Around Town (08/29/16)."