The AARP Chapter 3773 will have its annual catered Christmas Party at the Dillonvale Municipal Building Senior Nutrition Site on Monday, Dec. 5. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Dinner will be served promptly at 5 p.m. and will be catered by Lunches with Love from Smithfield, Ohio.

Menu includes baked pork chops, twice bakes potatoes, two vegetables, cranberry salad, rolls, beverage and choice of pie. Cost is $7 for members and $8 for nonmembers.

Activities for the evening will include a 50/50 drawing, as well as drawings for several door prizes. Featured guest, Dr. Thomas E. Graham, Jefferson County commissioner, will present a selection of Christmas music.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling 769-7773 or 769-2616. Please RSVP by Nov. 27.

The villages represented by AARP Chapter 3773 include Adena, Mt. Pleasant, Dillonvale, Smithfield, Rayland, Tiltonsville and Yorkville. Membership fee is $2 per year and new members are being accepted. Meetings are held the first Monday of each month. Because of possible inclement weather, meetings will not be held in January and February and will resume in March 2012.

Future activities will be discussed at the March meeting. Please contact Joyce Spears, Chapter President at 769-2616 for further details.

Buckeye Local

Family Fun Night

A Family Fun Night (Winter Bash) will be held at Buckeye Local High School from 6 to 8 pm, on Friday, Dec. 2.

All Buckeye Local students and their families are welcome to attend. There will be free games, ornaments, crafts and prizes for students as, well as a chance to win $25 gift cards. There will be a drawing for a grand prize of a $100 gift card. The Counselor Grant and the Creating Lasting Family Connections program, as well as sponsorships from local community groups and churches and the 21st Century grant have made this family event possible. Food is not provided by the grant. The Relay For Life Team will make food available for purchase.

Please enter at the side door by the athletic wing and check in at the registration table. Hope to see you there! For information, call Cindy Schooler at 769-7395.

A special thank you goes to the several school and community organizations that have volunteered their time to plan and implement this enjoyable event.

Lions Club

Christmas Party

The Dillonvale-Mt. Pleasant and Warren Township Lions Clubs combined Christmas Party is planned for Monday, December 12 at 6:30 at the Gathering Place in Smithfield. Cost is $10 per person (includes gratuity). The menu includes baked steak, stuffed chicken breast, mashed potatoes, noodles, green beans with ham, salad, rolls, beverage and assorted homemade pies. The dinner is open to all Lions Club members and guests. Please RSVP to Secretary Russell Reed by Monday, Nov. 28 at any of the following: Phone: 740-859-3162 (work), 740-859-4092 (home) or email russell@russellscomputer repair.com

Meadowbrook

Church of God

The church will hold its Annual Friend Day this Sunday, November 20. A dinner will be held at 10:30 am. Nov. 27 is the first Sunday of Advent and

the traditional “Hanging of the Greens” service will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Families are asked to bring special ornaments and tell stories about

their meaning to those in attendance.

Tears often flow as the meaning of these ornaments is revealed. But each story helps to make this a memorable service for all who attend.

The church Christmas tree is then decorated with these special ornaments.

The Meadowbrook Church will have their annual Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m. It is a well-attended service and everyone is welcome.

Santa Run

The Yorkville Volunteer Fire Department will conduct its annual Santa Run for children on Saturday, Dec. 10 beginning at 10 a.m. Children in the Fire and EMS district, including the village of Yorkville, Upland Heights and Glen Robbins, will get a chance to see Santa as he rides the fire truck.

Santa and his helpers will hand out bags of goodies to the children as they bring joy throughout the area.

Event Reminders

Sunday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. – The TRY Community Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Tiltonsville.

Ongoing until Dec.16 The Rayland Fire Department will continue to accept non perishable food items on Fish Fry Fridays to aid area food pantries.

Monday, Dec. 5- The first day to hang an ornament or token in memory of a loved on the Memorial tree in Yorkville.

Friday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. – Memorial Tree Lighting Service at the Fire House in Yorkville.

Giving Thanks

It seems that after Halloween, the rush to Christmas begins. But please take time to give thanks for all the good in our lives the people, the places, the things that make us who we are not just on Thanksgiving Day, but everyday.

I have so many blessings, too numerous to count. But most meaningful to me are the people who grace my life, those present and those who live on in my heart.

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!