Oct. 14
— Dublin Boy Scout Troop 622 will be having a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser during the N.C. Grape Festival at Lu Mil Vineyard from 7 a.m. until? Come support the youth in your community.
— There will be a reception at the Bladenboro Art Gallery, located in the Bladenboro Historical Society building from 2 to 4 p.m. as part of a folk art exhibit by Paula Blizzard and Dani Kaye Blizzard. The public is invited.
— Lu Mil Vineyard and Winery will host its annual Grape Festival from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Activities include the Super Yard Sale, vendor sales, a Blackwater Rhythm and Blues Band concert, pancake breakfast, grape stomp competition, antique tractor show, and food truck roundup.
— The Bladen Community Collaborative for Families, Youth and Children will hold “Our Community Connection Day” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lloyd Park, 879 W. Swanzy St. in Elizabethtown. There will be free food and drinks, as well as valuable information from mental health providers, Bladen County Health Department, Bladen County DSS, Jones Lake Forestry, Animal Control and much more. There will also be on-site blood-pressure checks.
Oct. 16
— The Bladen County Extension Office will host “Birds in Your Yard” from 6 to 9 p.m. Learn what brings more birds (and more specific birds) into your landscape. Lane Garner, from the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation will give the program and answer questions. Attendees will also be able to make and take home a suet feeder. Pre-register for $5 by Oct. 13. The Extension Office is located at 450 Smith Circle Drive in Elizabethtown.
Oct. 17
— The Bladen County Educational Foundation, a non-profit corporation organized and existing to provide financial help for the public schools and educators of Bladen County, will hold its regular monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the public meeting room of the Bladen County Board of Education on U.S. 701 South in Elizabethtown. All members and other interested parties are asked to attend this meeting, and the same should not last more than 30 minutes. All individuals who have an interest in and care about the public schools of Bladen County are urged and invited to attend this meeting.
— The Dublin Fire District commissioners and the Dublin Fire District Board of Directors will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the Dublin Fire Department. The meeting is open to the public.
Oct. 21
— The town of Bladenboro will host the Beast fest 5K Color Run starting at 8 a.m. starting at the Bladenboro Town Hall on Ivey Street. Adult registration is $25 (ages 18 and older, T-shirt included) and children’s registration is $20 (ages 13 to 17, T-shirt included). There is no charge for children 12 and under, but T-shirts will cost $12. Race-day registration opens at 7 a.m., but pre-register to reserve a T-shirt. For information, contact Marianne Valentiner or Berkleigh Pridgen at 910-872-6264 or 910-872-6252. Sponsored by Cape Fear Valley Health.
Oct. 23
— The Bladen County Extension Office will host an “End of Year Lawn and Yard Care” workshop from 6 to 9 p.m. Come with your problems and concerns. We will cover pre-emergent herbicides, amendments, soil tests, tree and shrub care, perennials and more. Get your soil tested now so you will have a current soil report with you.
Oct. 24
— The Bladen Community College Board of Trustees will meet at 6 p.m. in the boardroom in the Essic Williams Administration Building (building 10) on the Dublin campus. For more information, contact Missi Hester at 910-879-5502.
— The Bladen County Extension Office will host “Cold, Hardy Citrus and Other Fruits” from 1 to 3 p.m. Ozzie Coor from Smithfield, will be sharing a program on growing cold hardy citrus trees in containers. He will also cover black walnuts, muscadines, figs, Pawpaw, and Japanese persimmon. He will have plants available for purchase (order form available at the office — order prior to him coming and he will bring them with him). Program is free of charge but please pre-register to know how many citrus snacks to bring.
Oct. 25
— The Bladen County Extension Office will host “Pumpkin Patch Treats” from 3 to 5 p.m. Bring your favorite pumpkin treat — there will be a $10 prize for the best-tasting pumpkin treat. Program will include nutrition, best way to store pumpkins (gourds) and fun facts about pumpkins. Entry fee is $1 per person or $1 per treat.
— Elizabethtown First Baptist Church, located at 1800 W. Broad St. in Elizabethtown, will host a “Harvest Hoedown” from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Christain Activity Center.
Oct. 28
— The annual Friends of the Bay Lakes Fall Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jones Lake State Park. There will be a costume contest at noon, hayrides, games, cake walks, face-painting, crafts, animal exhibits and more. Tickets will be sold for the games at 50 cents each or $5 for an unlimited games wristband (cake walk excluded). Candy prize bags will go to winners and every child will receive a goody bag. There will be hot dogs, chips and soda available for purchase. Pre-registration is necessary by calling 910-588-4550.
Nov. 17-18
— The Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the first Elizabethtown Pork Festival at the Cape Fear Farmer’s Market in downtown Elizabethtown. Events include a pork cook-off, vendors selling wares, kids’ activities, and music by Blackwater Rhythm and Blues. Contact the Chamber at 910-862-4368 or at tourism28337@embarqmail.com for additional information.
Now through Dec. 31
— The Bladenboro Art Gallery invites the public to a folk art exhibit by Paula Blizzard and Dani Kaye Blizzard. It will include a wide variety of folk art: painting on wood, glass, metal, rocks, pottery and gourds. You can come view and return home with a nice craft at a reasonable price. The exhibit will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in the Bladenboro Historical Society Building (the old school house) at 818 S. Main St. in Bladenboro. Admission is free. For more information call 910-633-7982.
Jan. 9, 2018
— The Ammon Volunteer Fire Department will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m.. The station is located at 13084 Hwy. 242 North in Elizabethtown. For information, call 910-588-4545.
Out of county
• None listed
Ongoing
• Robert Curtis Hester Chapter of DAV meets the third Tuesday of every month at the VFW at 7 p.m. Membership is open to veterans who have been disabled during service. For further information, visit www.dav.org or contact David Brown at 910-740-6312.
• The Bladen County Democratic Women will meet on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.
• 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.