West End news for May 29, 2019

Ascension Feast

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday. Mass will be offered at 5 p.m. today and at 12:10 and 7 p.m. Thursday. There will be no 8 a.m. Mass either day.

Older Americans

On Friday, the Monroe County senior centers will come together at the American Legion in East Stroudsburg to celebrate Older Americans Month. Anyone interested in attending is asked to call 570-420-3735 to reserve a seat.

There are well over 30,000 older adults, ages 60 or over, residing in Monroe County, according to Brian LaVacca, Administrator of the Monroe County Area Agency on Aging. If the Senior Centers are collecting and submitting responses, seniors need not call.

Special duty

Operation Touch of Home will be at the Pocono 400 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Trivia Night

American Legion Post 927 in Gilbert is hosting another Trivia Night from 7:30 p.m. to midnight Friday at the Post Home on Fairgrounds Road and Route 209.

For more information, call Peggy at 610-681-5838.

Food and beverages will be available.

Church cleanup

Effort UMC has set Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m., as the church cleanup day.

All hands are needed to help clean up the winter’s mess in the buildings or on the grounds.

Board games

The Western Pocono Community Library has Saturdays as game days. Patrons can play a variety of board games available for adults and children from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Photo exhibit

Monroe County Conservation District’s Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center is hosting an art opening of Terry Flatt’s Nature’s Magic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

The exhibit will include beautiful photos from countries including Great Britain, Europe, Africa, South America, Australia/New Zealand, Iceland, Norway and more. The exhibit runs May 31 through July 1.

For more information, call the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center at 570-629-3061 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and most Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

SAL meeting

Sons of the American Legion will meet at 11 a.m. Sunday at the American Legion Post 927 home in Gilbert.

All-Sports meets

Pleasant Valley’s All Sports Club meets at 7 p.m. Monday at the Pleasant Valley High School library.

Ross Supervisors

The Ross Township Board of Supervisors meets at 7 p.m. Monday the Ross Township Municipal Building on Anchorage Road in Saylorsburg.

PVEN needs food

PVEN director Hope Christman was on Facebook eight days ago showing the pantry shelves. They were not filled. She said donations are down, but the facility is serving around 300 families per month at this time, on five different service days.

And with children home from school, families in need do need more food.

Help is greatly appreciated.

Please consider donating any of the following: pasta (not spaghetti), pasta sauce (cans), canned pasta (beefaroni, ravioli), canned green beans, corn, carrots and peas (low or no sodium when possible for dietary restrictions), tuna, mac and cheese, and cereal.

For more information, call 570-992-3136.

Prayer Shawl meets

Effort UMC’s Prayer Shawl group will meet, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Chestnuthill meeting

The Supervisors of Chestnuthill Township will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in regular session at the township building on Route 715 in Brodheadsville.

Walking track

The Western Pocono Community Library in Brodheadsville has an indoor walking track that is particularly useful during very hot or rainy weather. Track hours are 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Friday; and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

To verify, call the library at 570-992-7934.

Blood drive

Every first and third Wednesday the Miller-Keystone Blood Center will be at the Western Pocono Community Library in Brodheadsville collecting blood platelets and whole blood. On the first Wednesday of the month, the blood center is at the library from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and on the third Wednesday it is from noon to 6 p.m.

Call 800-223-6667 to make an appointment.

The American Red Cross has a blood drive coming from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Monroe County Conservation District on Running Valley Road on Saturday, and on June 7, there will be one at the Rimrock Masonic Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Senior Nutrition

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will be offered again this year to eligible Monroe County Seniors.

From 9 a.m. to noon on June 5 at the Chestnuthill Senior Center, housed at Zion Lutheran Church’s Fellowship Hall on Wednesday and Fridays, qualifying adults 60 years of age and older, who have a gross income at or below $22,459 for a single individual and $30,451 for a married couple, can apply for being part of the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Proof of age and residency, such as a driver’s license, photo ID, etc. is required.

The purpose is to encourage older consumers to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables by local growers who make their produce available at farmers markets.

Bog walks

Monroe County Conservation District’s Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center offers guided Tannersville Bog walks at 10 a.m. weekly beginning June 5 through Sept. 11.

These 2½ hour walks will be guided by an Environmental Educator from the Center who will teach attendees about the bog, a unique boreal bog for this area. It is owned by the Nature Conservancy.

The bog is filled with bird songs and interesting insect-eating plants.

Participants will meet at the bog parking lot by 10 a.m.

Spotted lanternfly

Rep. Jack Rader is sponsoring an informative seminar on the invasive spotted lanternfly at the Polk Township firehouse at 6 p.m. June 13. Preregistration is required at 570-620-4341.

ESU tick lab

Pennsylvania residents can now bring or mail ticks to be tested for free at East Stroudsburg University’s Northeast Wildlife DNA according to the Western Pocono Women’s Club newsletter.

Conservation Camp

Monroe County Conservation Camp, sponsored by Monroe County Conservation District and Monroe County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, is open to all teens, ages 14 through this year’s high school graduate. Students are invited to spend a week at Stony Acres, a 119-acre Wildlife Sanctuary/Recreational Facility owned by the students of East Stroudsburg University, to learn about the natural wonders all around us.

The Monroe County Conservation Camp is a residential camp being held from July 20-27.

In its 45th year at Stony Acres, some of the campers’ favorite programs include stream and pond study, trapshooting and firearm safety, bird banding, archery, confidence/ropes course, and bass and fly fishing and a two-day, overnight canoe trip on the Delaware River.

Supported by the Kettle Creek Environmental Fund, the camp program presenters include professionals from the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Tobyhanna Conservation Association, Blue Ridge/Cherry Valley Rod and Gun Club, National Park Service, Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, and Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center. The campers are provided with many programs to teach them about wildlife and natural resource conservation/management.

For costs, an application form and more information, contact the Monroe County Conservation District at 570-629-3061, or visit the website at www.mcconservation.org or email rspotts@ptd.net.

Day camp

Monroe County Conservation District’s Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center announces its exciting Get in Touch with Nature day camp from Aug. 5 through Aug. 16 for 7 to 13-year-olds.

Campers will be split into age groups and will participate in age-appropriate activities. The activities may include exploring the trails at the Kettle Creek Wildlife Sanctuary; learning about the critters, plants and habitats of the Poconos; venturing to other cool places in Monroe County; splashing around in the puddles, ponds and creeks at Kettle Creek and so much more.

Activities may include: creek snorkeling, tie-dyeing, bird banding, off-site hikes, fossils, cool critter activities, nature hikes, pond and stream study, scavenger hunt, tree and plant exploration, citizen science projects and more.

For costs and application, check online at www.mcconservation.org or call the center at 570-629-3061, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and some Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Contact Adele Argot at 717-933-4028 or arargot3@verizon.net. Contact the Times News at 800-443-0377 or tneditor@tnonline.com.