West End news for March 11, 2020

Open Space meets

The West End Park and Open Space Commission is scheduled to meet at 6:30 tonight at the Chestnuthill Township Park Building on Route 715 in Brodheadsville.

Lenten services

• Effort UMC’s Lenten service is held at 7 p.m. Each week features a different person presenting a message.

The service follows a soup and salad supper which will be served from 5:30 to 5:45 p.m.

A Lenten study precedes the soup and salad time.

• The Lenten series continues at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Gilbert at 6 p.m.

• Zion Lutheran, Brodheadsville, holds its Wednesday Lenten service at 7:30 p.m. It will include corporate confession and Holy Communion.

Joint Lent service

The host church for the five-church joint Lenten services tonight is Jerusalem UCC, Trachsville, with the Rev. John Haring, presenting the message. The topic is: Merge.

There will be a simple soup supper before the service, from 6 to 6:45 p.m. The worship service begins at 7 p.m.

Next week’s service will be at Jerusalem Lutheran in Trachsville.

Meeting canceled

The Polk Township Planning Commission meeting for tonight has been canceled due to lack of business.

Auxiliary meets

The Legion Auxiliary of Post 927 will meet tonight, with the Executive Committee meeting at 6 p.m. and the main meeting following at 7 p.m.

For more information contact B. Hill at 570-582-5270.

PVEN meeting

The Board of Directors for the Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Network will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Pleasant Valley Presbyterian Church on Pilgrim Way in Brodheadsville.

Devotions for the meeting will be led by Bob O’Connor.

PVI PTO meets

The Pleasant Valley Intermediate School Parent-Teacher Organization is slated to meet at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Sunday supper

The West End Mission’s next supper will be served at the Lady Queen of Peace Church in Gilbert from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

PV school board

The first meeting for March of the Pleasant Valley School District Board of Education is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. Thursday. The next one is on March 26.

Both are slated to take place in the District Office.

Chestnuthill Seniors

Seniors, who attend or plan to attend the Chestnuthill Senior Center meeting at Zion Lutheran Fellowship Hall, Fridays and Wednesdays, will be able to do Healthy Steps in Motion on Friday and participate in Current Events next Wednesday.

The light lunch for Friday is tuna salad, cucumber salad, sliced peaches, rice pudding, whole grain bread.

The regular menu is garlic shells with broccoli, carrots, beets and applesauce.

Next Wednesday’s light menu is: garden salad, 3-bean salad, plum, cookies, whole wheat crackers.

The regular menu is listed as sweet and sour chicken over brown rice, broccoli, yellow squash, Mandarin oranges.

Participants are reminded to call in their menu choices by 11 a.m. the day before at 570-420-3735 or 570-242-6770.

Free family event

From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, families are invited to drop in at the Chestnuthill Park Building any time to allow kids to make a kids craft in recognition of St. Patrick’s Day.

That can be either a shamrock and/or a colorful wooden bead bracelet or necklace.

This event is sponsored by the West End Park Open Space Commission and is a free family event. Parents are asked to stay and supervise their children.

Fish fry Friday

The Knights of Columbus at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church is having a fish fry dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. this Friday and next Friday a well.

For the cost of dinner one can get soup, salad, fish & chips, and even baked fresh cod for an extra charge. Refreshments, desserts and pizza for children are also included.

Special meeting

Pleasant Valley Assembly of God Church, Brodheadsville, is holding a special night of vision casting and preparation for the future of the church on Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Those who are a partner of PVAG or consider the PVAG church to be his/her home church are invited to Come To The Table with others this night.

Child care will be provided if needed. Attendees are asked to sign up for this event and that a covered dish be brought to share with the church family. Sign up in the Connect Center or reply by email if planning on attending.

Effort pantry

The Supplemental Food Resource Center at Effort UMC will be open from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Those seeking help must be from the West End, Sciota or Albrightsville.

Donations of coloring books, crayons and/or washable markers will be appreciated.

New Mass time

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church Saturday Mass will return to 5 p.m. this Saturday, with Confessions from 4 to 4:45 p.m.

Spaghetti dinner

The REACH Missions Team of Effort UMC will be hosting a spaghetti fundraising dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, in Wesley Hall. All are invited to attend. There is a cost for adults and children from age 4 on up. The young ones under 4 may eat for free.

All proceeds will go toward the REACH mission trip to Littlestown, Pennsylvania, in June.

LAMA meeting

The Latin American Motorcycle Association, Pocono Chapter, monthly meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Legion Post Home in Gilbert.

WPWC meeting

The Western Pocono Women’s Club is having its first meeting of the year 2020 at 7 p.m. Monday, at Effort UMC in Effort.

Kiki Peppard will be presenting a program on the benefits of soft exercises that will lead to a path of happiness and wellness.

Those attendees willing to participate are reminded to wear comfortable clothes.

There will also be a report from the Nominating Committee.

Refreshments will be served and collections of nonperishables, including canned vegetables, such as corn, peas, green beans etc.; canned fruits, including peaches, pears, fruit cocktail, canned pineapple slices; brown sugar, canned or fresh sweet potatoes, 5-pound bags of potatoes, or donations toward the hams, will be accepted for the church’s Easter baskets, which are given to clients of the church’s food pantry.

In addition, colorful plastic eggs for a project at Pleasant Valley Elementary School will also be received.

PVE PTO meets

The Pleasant Valley Elementary School PTO is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Shawl ministry

Effort UMC’s Prayer Shawl Ministry will be meeting again Tuesday, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Watershed Conservancy

The Aquashicola/Pohopoco Watershed Conservancy will be meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Polk Township Municipal Building in Kresgeville.

For more information contact Vogt at 570-992-5125.

Community meals

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Gilbert, is hosting a community lunch at 12:30 p.m. March 18.

Zion Lutheran, Brodheadsville, is hosting a free community dinner on the same day, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Tax help

West Enders can go for help with their taxes from AARP tax volunteers at Salem United Church of Christ, corner of Long Mountain Road and Route 209, Gilbert, from 9 a.m. to noon, Thursdays. No appointment is needed.

If schools are closed due to inclement weather, the tax site will be closed. If there is a delay, the site opens regular time.

Soup sale

McMichaels UMC is holding a homemade soup and bake sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 21. The soups will be sold by the quart.

There is plenty of parking and the church is handicapped accessible.

Purse bingo

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church will be the site for a Designer Purse Bingo on March 21.

Doors open at noon. Games begin at 1 p.m. sharp.

No one under 18 will be admitted without a parent.

For more information, including cost and form of payment contact D. Hurley at 610-681-6137, ext. 117.

Upcoming

The American Red Cross is having a blood drive from 1 to 6 p.m. March 25 at Cornerstone Community Church in Kresgeville.

Both regular blood and Power Red donations will be accepted.

Dysphagia Warriors

Don’t know the term? Attend a Swallow Study through East Stroudsburg University being given at the Chestnuthill Senior Center in Brodheadsville, at the Zion Lutheran Church in Brodheadsville, on March 27, from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. as per an announcement in the March issue of the Monroe County Seniors Express Times.

Learn about swallowing disorders (known as dysphagia) and ways to prevent it by attending this presentation given by Akila T. Rajappa, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-S, and LuAnn Batson-Magnuson Ph.D., CCC-SLP from ESU’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

One may voluntarily participate in the research study by completing pre and post surveys. Participation is not required; attendance at the presentation for informational purposes only is acceptable.

All programs at the Senior Centers are open to the public. For further information on any programs, call 570-420-3746.

Earth Day’s 50th

Monroe County Conservation District and Monroe Campus Northampton Community College in Tannersville have announced a 2020 Earth Day Celebration

On April 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., organizations, businesses and local agencies throughout Monroe County have organized a countywide event to celebrate the conservation successes of the past 20-plus years in Monroe County and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

The day includes: musical entertainment featuring Chris London, Regina Sayles, Woodrow and The Lost Ramblers.

There will also be children’s activities, electronics recycling and tire amnesty sponsored by The Waste Management Authority, speakers and exhibits highlighting local environmental business, organizations and agencies.

The day will also feature the Pocono Arts Council’s Earth Speaks Exhibit from 1 to 3 p.m. Free admission.

For more information about Earth Day, visit http://www.mcearthday.org or call the Monroe County Conservation District at 570-629-3061, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information on other programs offered visit the website mcconservation.org.

Manure’s 3 R’s

As spring approaches, it’s time to think about planting crops and manure applications is the message from the Monroe County Conservation District.

That includes three R’s, including right rate, right time and right placement.

Anyone interested in learning more about the 3R’s or having any questions about soil testing, manure/nutrient management, and crop nutrient needs can contact Amber Funk at Monroe County Conservation District at 570-629-3060.

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