Feb. 11

— Join a park ranger and learn about the geological mysteries of the Carolina Bays. Formation theories and the natural communities associated with Carolina Bays will be discussed. Participants should meet at the Jones Lake State Park Visitor Center at 10 a.m. Call the Park office at 910-588-4550 for more information. This event is free of charge and open to the general public.

Feb. 13

— Bladen County Cooperative Extension and the N.C. Blueberry Council will hold the annual Bladen County Blueberry Growers Meeting at Lu Mil Vineyard. The meeting and dinner will begin at noon and last until 4:30 p.m. Presenters at this event will include Bill Cline – NCSU Extension Specialist and Researcher; Hannah Burrack – NCSU Associate Professor and Extension Specialist; Mike Mainland NCSU Professor Emeritus; O.D. “Chip” Simmons – NCSU Area Specialized Agent and others. Pesticide credits will be available. Registration is requested by Friday, Feb. 10, at 5 p.m., as a meal and presentation handouts will be provided. To register, please call Bladen County Cooperative Extension at 910-862-4591, or email Bruce McLean, Field Crops and Commercial Horticulture Agent, at bruce_mclean@ncsu.edu . There is no cost for this event.

Feb. 14

VALENTINE’S DAY

— The Bladen Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors will meet at 8 a.m. in the small auditorium at the Powell-Melvin Agricultural Center, located at 450 Smith Circle in Elizabethtown. For additional information call 910-862-3179, Opt. 3.

Feb. 15

— All branches of the Bladen County Public Library will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 15, for staff training to prepare staff for the library’s upcoming transition to a new library software that will also include the joining of a group of libraries called NC Cardinal. For more information, call 910-862-6994.

Feb. 18

— Ever wonder what snakes’ species are at home in eastern North Carolina? Which ones are venomous? Join a park ranger at the Visitor Center in exploring the various snakes in this area and the other unique species found throughout our great state. Participants should meet at the Jones Lake State Park Visitor Center at 10:00 am. Call the park office at 910-588-4550 for more information. This event is free of charge and open to the general public.

Feb. 25

— The Bladen County Hospital Foundation will hold a “Black & WHite Masquerade Ball” at 6 p.m. at Lu Mil Vineyard in Dublin. Tickets are $50 per person and seating is limited. Call 910-862-1206 for information.

— Ever wonder what snakes’ species are at home in eastern North Carolina? Which ones are venomous? Join a park ranger at the Visitor Center in exploring the various snakes in this area and the other unique species found throughout our great state. Participants should meet at the Jones Lake State Park Visitor Center at 3 p.m. Call the park office at 910-588-4550 for more information. This event is free of charge and open to the general public.

Feb. 27

— The Elizabethtown Town Council will hold its all-day annual budget planning reatreat at White Lake.

Feb. 28-29

— Exhibit of art, crafts, and photography by September Krueger and Curtis Krueger at the art gallery in the Bladenboro Historical Building, located at 818 S. Main St. in Bladenboro. Among other things it includes quilts, large woodcuts, and photographs on canvas. September Krueger is currently the art instructor for Southeastern Community College in Whiteville and her husband Curtis Krueger is a professional photographer. For information, call Debra Justice at 910-633-7982.

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Out of county

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— NONE LISTED

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Ongoing

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— The Bladen County Health & Human Services Advisory Committee meets the second Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the large conference room at the Health Department.

— The Elizabethtown Rotary Club meets every Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery.

— The Bladenboro Rotary Club meets every Monday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Bladenboro Community Building.

— Families First, Inc. is now located at 103 East Broad Street, Elizabethtown. They will be holding Parenting Classes each Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.

— The Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy’s Board of Trustees meet every second Saturday at noon at The Paul R. Brown Building on Martin Luther King Drive in Elizabethtown. All meetings are open to the public.

— The disabled veterans of Bladen County will meet the third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the VFW building in Elizabethtown. For more information contact David Brown at 910-740-6312.

— Now is a great time to plan your wedding or renew your vows at Harmony Hall Plantation Village. You may decide the amount you wish to give as a donation in lieu of a rental fee. For more information on how to book your wedding at Harmony Hall Plantation Village, call Henry Larock at 910-866-4113.

— Flashback-Community Life through the Lens of Mack Munn will have an exhibit of his work at Bladen Community College’s East Arcadia campus. The exhibit is sponsored by Graham Chapel AME Zion Church and the Lower Bladen Columbus Historical Society. Exhibit hours are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. For special group tours call LBCHS at 910-685-6735.

— The American Legion Post No. 404 of Elizabethtown are asking everyone that have worn or aged U.S. flags to please bring them to the Elizabethtown Municipal Building. A used mailbox is located near the front entrance of the municipal building. The American Legion will properly dispose of them on Flag Day which is June 14.

— Narconon would like to remind families that the use of addicting drugs is on the rise, take steps to protect your family from drug use. If you know anyone who is struggling with drug addiction get them the help they need. Call for a free brochure on the signs of addiction for all drugs. Narconon also offers free screenings and referrals. 800-431-1754 or DrugAbuseSolution.com

— I Am Inc. in conjunction with God’s Garden of Paradise is offering limited amounts of free meals and haircuts on a monthly basis. For more information or participating locations go to Glenda’s Just Desserts and Lunch Counter located at 315 Martin Luther King Drive, Elizabethtown or Barbers Inn (Shaw Wood, manager) located at 410 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Elizabethtown.

— The Baltimore Center Head Start is accepting applications for children who will be 3 to 4 years of age by Aug. 31. Applications for children with special needs are also being accepted. Children will be transported to and from home by bus. Applicants need to bring with them: a birth certificate, shot record, Social Security numbers of all family members in the household, directions to home, mailing and physical address, verification of income, WIC verification and health insurance information. For more information contact the Baltimore Head Start Center, 2100 S. Elwell Ferry Road, Council, or call 910-669-2536.

— Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 8062, meets on the third Saturday of each month at 3 p.m. at the VFW building located at 109 Hill Street, Elizabethtown. All veterans who served in a foreign war are welcomed for membership.

— The Bladen County Military Museum meets on the last Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Bladenboro Historical Society Building located at 818 S. Main Street, Bladenboro. All veterans are welcomed for membership.

—The Cape Fear Farmer’s Market welcomes craft vendors to sell their crafts every Saturday. For more information contact Sarah Baysden at 910-862-2066.

— Every Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Harmony Hall Plantation in White Oak, will be various activities and events on the grounds, as well as tours of the 1760s plantation home of Col. James Richardson and the outbuildings. All activities, tours and demonstrations are free — a donation is always welcome. For information, call Henry Larock at 910-866-4113.

— Woodmen of the World Lodge No. 262 meet on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

— Low-income families who want to get their pets spayed or neutered at A Shelter Friend’s monthly low-income clinic can call 645-2297 for information and sign-up. Volunteers who wish to help with this worthwhile program are also encouraged to call.

— The Bladen County Health Department WIC office is now open during lunch hours (noon to 1 p.m.). Regular WIC department hours are as follows: Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. for ALL SERVICES; Friday 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. for certification and re-certification; Pickups are available daily from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information contact 910-872-6218 or 910-872-6219.

— Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Cape Fear Bladen County Hospital hospital cafeteria in Elizabethtown. Anonymity will be respected. For more information, contact Jim Lane at 910-433-2276.

— Grandparents and kinship caregiver’s raising grandchildren support group meets every third Wednesday of the month at the Bladen County Division on Aging located at 608 McLeod Street, Elizabethtown. For more information, call 910-872-6334.

— Dublin First Baptist Church Child Development Center is enrolling children ages 2-4 in the half-day program. The program uses the A Beka curriculum. For more information or to enroll call 862-2277 or 876-0419.

— The Bladen County Youth Focus Project will meet every second Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. at the Paul R. Brown Building on Martin Luther King Boulevard, Elizabethtown. All interested persons are welcome to attend.

— Bladenboro Visual Arts Council presents a lifetime collection of art by artist Sam Pait and other artists in the Art Gallery. Some of the art will be for sale. The Bladenboro Visual Arts Gallery is open on Saturday and Sunday from 2 until 4 p.m. and by appointment during the week from 10 a.m. until noon. The art gallery is located in the Bladenboro Historical Building at 818 South Main St.

—The Bladen County Amateur Radio Society meets the first Tuesday of every month at the Bladen County Courthouse in Elizabethtown Room G7 at 7 p.m. The public with or without an amateur radio license are welcome to attend.

— The Elizabethtown-White Area Lake Chamber of Commerce meets every second Tuesday at the Cape Fear Farmer’s Market in Elizabethtown at noon.

— The Garland Lodge 1511 of the Woodmen of the World Insurance Society meets the first Friday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Ammon community building. Members and guests are welcome.

— A military monument has been constructed by the Bladen County Military Museum on a brick patio at 818 S. Main St., Bladenboro. Bricks may still be purchased and are $100 each. The bricks honor all branches of service beginning with the Revolutionary War. For more information, call 863-4707.

— Bladen County Habitat for Humanity meets at 9 am. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Elizabethtown Presbyterian Church.

—The Woodmen of The World Lodge 208 meets the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Woodmen of the World Lodge on Whiteville Hwy. Meal will be served.

— The Kelly Historical Society meets on a quarterly basis on the third Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. at the Kelly Museum. For more information, call 910-763-6966.

— The Bladen County Chapter of the NAACP will meet the third Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. in the Focus Building on Martin Luther King Drive in Elizabethtown.

— The Elizabethtown Kiwanis meet the first and third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Cape Fear Farmer’s Market in Elizabethtown.

— Cape Fear Masonic Lodge No. 300 Prince Hall Free & Accepted meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays following the the first and third Sunday of each month at 702 Martin Luther King Drive, Elizabethtown.

— There is a free taxidermy class located at 601 Main Street in Tar Heel for students, the handicapped, and anyone disabled. Please contact David Monroe at 910-585-1739.

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