Get a guided tour of local wineries, distilleries

The Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau is offering a weekday Sippin’ Trip of local wineries and distilleries.

The guided walking and bus tour includes transportation, tastings, water, snacks and a Brown County souvenir.

Trips are offered from 1 to 5 p.m. most days Tuesday through Sunday, Dec. 17. Each trip, $45, lasts three to four hours.

For more information/reservations, visit browncounty.com/tours.

Free legal clinic planned at public library

Legal Aid, a nonprofit agency, will host a free legal aid clinic from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Brown County Public Library.

People who attend will receive a 10-minute consultation to answer general questions, offer legal information or to receive other limited assistance or advice. There is no need to register in advance.

Legal Aid provides free civil legal services, lawyer referrals and domestic violence-related legal representation to low-income individuals in Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Rush and Shelby counties.

With questions, contact Legal Aid staff attorney/referral director Kelly Baer at 812-314-2720.

Nazarene church accepting gift-filled shoeboxes for needy children

Parkview Church of Nazarene will serve as a drop-off location for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child, joining nearly 5,000 U.S. locations collecting gift-filled shoeboxes for children in need around the world.

Brown County residents can transform empty shoeboxes into gifts of hope filled with toys, school supplies and hygiene items. After being dropped off, O.C.C. will deliver the shoebox gifts to children living in poverty overseas.

The church, at 1750 State Road 46 East, will receive filled shoeboxes as follows:

• 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 14 and 15;
• 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16;
• 10 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17 and 18;
• noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19; and
• 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20.

To arrange drop-off at another time, contact Donna Magner at 812-345-6022.

For more information on O.C.C. or to view gift suggestions, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

Samaritan’s Purse is an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of O.C.C. is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, O.C.C. has collected and delivered more than 146 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.

Teen Time meets at library Wednesdays 

Teens are welcome to hang out, play games, make crafts, talk about books and do homework during Teen Time at the Brown County Public Library, Wednesday afternoons through December. A snack is included.

For more information, call the library at 812-988-2850.

Lions Club conducting holiday fruit sales

Brown County Lions are taking orders for holiday fruit, to arrive Dec. 15 and 16.

The selection includes navel or juice oranges, pink grapefruit, tangelos/tangerines, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious apples, and D’Anjou green pears. Prices range from $8 for 1/8 bushel of apples to $37.50 for a case of navel oranges. The $12 “mixed bag” includes six pieces of fruit selected by the customer at pickup.

For those who have ordered previously, a Lion will call by Nov. 15 to get this year’s order. Those who have not ordered previously can call Gloria at 812-988-4465 by Nov. 15.

Pickup will be between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16 at the Parkview Church of the Nazarene Annex.

For more information, email [email protected].

Churches to unite for Thanksgiving song fest

A community Thanksgiving song fest will bring churches of Brown County together for praise, thanksgiving, music and fellowship at 6:30 p.m Sunday, Nov. 19, at Parkview Church of the Nazarene. Churches are asked to bring their choir, band, and/or singing group to share two songs.

The public is welcome. A love offering taken at the event will support the emergency relief fund of the Brown County Pastors’ Fellowship.

Those planning to participate should call the Rev. Mary Cartwright at 812-988-4666 by Thursday, Nov. 16, so information can go into the program.

Donate toys for local children at Family Dollar

New, unwrapped toys and new hats and gloves can be donated at the Nashville Family Dollar Store to be distributed to local parents by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Brown County. A box for donations to the charity is in the store at 55 E. Chestnut St. in Salt Creek Plaza.

Last year, St. Vincent de Paul collected 92 gifts from the store, and 608 area children received Christmas presents distributed by the society to parents.

All gifts and donations to St. Vincent’s are tax deductible. For more information or to make donations, visit stvincentdepaulbrowncounty.com.

Young adult group meets Fridays

The Young Adult Hangout group meets at 6:30 p.m. most Friday nights for dinner, fellowship and spiritual discussion.

The group, for young adults 18 and older,  is sponsored by Bean Blossom Community Church. The next meeting on Friday, Nov. 17, will be at 180 Pine Lake Circle. The location varies each week; call or text to confirm the location before attending. Other social events to meet with young adults in Columbus or Bloomington also are planned.

To learn more or to get connected, visit facebook.com/YoungAdultHangout or call/text 208-290-2406.

High school choirs to perform old Hollywood music

The Brown County High School choirs will perform Old Hollywood Movie Night starting at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18 at the high school.

The evening will include skits, a raffle, door prizes and more. Come dressed in formal attire to get your photo taken by “paparazzi” and walk the red carpet.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Proceeds support choir competition fees and travel expenses.

Children’s fund prepares for annual auction

The annual Brown County Children’s Fund auction will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, Dec. 1, at Out of the Ordinary restaurant downtown.

Those who attend can bid on items donated by local artists, merchants and residents. All proceeds are used to buy clothing for Brown County children in need.

To donate an item to be auctioned, drop it off at PNC Bank, 37 W. Main St. in Nashville, or at Out of the Ordinary, 61 S. Van Buren St. downtown.

Youth program meets Wednesdays at Baptist church

HAMBLEN TWP. — A program for children and teens at Unity Baptist Church begins with a meal served at 6 p.m. Wednesdays.

For children ages 4 through high school, the Word of Life program includes a singing challenge, Scripture memorization and study, socializing and games. With an emphasis on “foundational truths from the Bible,” the program meets weekly through the school year at the church, 7361 Spearsville Road.

With questions, call program director Terry Sisson at 812-720-0299.

Story time sessions offered at library

A session of Tuesday morning story time at the Brown County Public Library runs through Dec. 5.

The program, from 10 to 11 a.m., is for children 6 and younger. The purpose is to help kids build their early literacy skills through books, stories, art and play.

For more information, call the library at 812-988-2850.

Kids, build on Thursdays at the library

A new session of Creative Builders on Thursday mornings is until Dec. 7 at the Brown County Public Library.

The program runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon and is for children 12 and younger. Lego, Duplo, Keva Blocks, Magna-Tiles and more will be provided. Meet in meeting room B in the lower level of the library.

For more information call the library at 812-988-2850.

Health department offers food manager’s class

The last ServSafe class of the year will be conducted Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 20 and 21 at the County Office Building, 201 Locust Lane.

Class will start at 8:30 a.m. each day and will finish at 12:30 p.m. Monday and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The cost for the class, text and test is $125. The text is the seventh edition of ServSafe Food Manager.

To reserve a space, or with questions, call the health department at 812-988-2255.

Live raptor program planned at state park lodge

Brown County State Park will host a live bird show with representatives from the Indiana Raptor Center through fall.

The show, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, will be at Abe Martin Lodge.

Presentations are included with park admission.

Donations to the raptor center are welcome. For more information, call the Nature Center at 812-988-5240.

Thanksgiving service with meal planned at church

SPRUNICA — A Thanksgiving service with special music will take place at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 26 at Sprunica Baptist Church.

A free meal will be served afterward at the church, 3902 Sprunica Road.

The public is welcome.

Bluebird nest box kits for sale

The Brown County Bluebird Club is selling cedar bluebird nest boxes for $15 each or two for $25 to raise money for the club. Email Dan Sparks at [email protected] or call 812-200-5700.

Book-a-Librarian service offered

Individuals or small groups can make an appointment with a Brown County Public Library librarian through the free Book-a-Librarian service. Sessions are limited to 30 to 60 minutes and are best used for instruction on how to use the library catalog, databases, digital resources and the internet. Call 812-988-2850 for an appointment.

Indiana Rail Road Santa Train coming to town

HELMSBURG — The Indiana Rail Road Co. will bring Santa, Mrs. Claus and a train full of storybook characters to Morgantown and Helmsburg to visit with local children Friday, Dec. 1.

The Santa Train is due to arrive at the tracks by the Morgantown fire station at 6:30 p.m. The line will close at 7:30 p.m.

The train is scheduled to roll into the Jackson Township Fire Department, 4831 Helmsburg Road, at 8:30 p.m. The line to see Santa will close at 9:30 p.m.

In addition to hearing children’s wishes, Santa Train volunteers deliver donated winter clothing to children who need it. To support the clothing delivery program, make checks payable to Indiana Rail Road with “Santa Train” in the memo line and mail to INRD, Attn. Nancy Herman, 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600, Indianapolis, IN 46240.

Shop, sample wines at art gallery

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, the Brown County Art Gallery will host a winter market featuring nine wineries of the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail. The event includes wine tasting and holiday shopping.

For more information, visit indianauplands.com/event/winter-in-the-uplands.

Steele’s Country Christmas celebration planned

BELMONT — T.C. Steele State Historic Site will open a decorated Studio to friends and neighbors for its annual holiday celebration, Steeles’ Country Christmas.

From 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, children and families can visit and get photos with St. Nicholas and Belsnickel, make a Christmas card, decorate an ornament and hear a holiday music program. Cookies and mulled cider will be served.

The event is free with regular site admission and includes a tour of the historic buildings. Families can receive a special discount rate. Members of the Indiana State Museum and the Friends of T.C. Steele are admitted free.

For more information, visit tcsteele.org/programs or call 812-988-2785.

Register for yoga rejuvenation retreat

HELMSBURG — Barefoot Yoga, 2082 State Road 45, will host a two-hour rejuvenation retreat from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Dec. 9.

Led by guest yoga teacher Yulia Azriel, the retreat will include yoga nidra (psychic sleep) and yoga therapy balls.

Early bird admission is $35; two weeks prior it increases to $40

For reservations, call Patty at 317-431-4967 or Yulia at 317-908-9077.

Circus, magic shows at The Playhouse

The Brown County Playhouse will host illusionist Rich Hill’s World of Magic holiday show at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27.

The family-friendly show includes guest artists with the Crescent Circus from New Orleans performing a blend of juggling, balancing and illusion.

Tickets are $22.50 per adult and $19.50 per student/senior/military. For more information, visit browncountyplayhouse.org or call 812-988-6555.

Get discount tickets for wine fair in May

Story Inn will host the 16th annual Indiana Wine Fair from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 12. Tickets are now on sale, discounted to $45 until Jan. 1, when the cost will go up to $60.

Guests can sample and purchase wines from more than 30 vintners. A variety of food trucks and live chamber music from Indiana University School of Music will be included.

All guests will receive a souvenir IWF tasting glass and Story tote bag.

Tickets for designated drivers are $10.

For tickets, visit indianawinefair.com or call the inn at 812-988-2273.