Call parks and rec office for garden plots
Brown County Parks & Recreation still has some community garden plots at Deer Run Park available for the 2018 growing season. The cost is $25 to $30 for the year.
To reserve a plot, call the parks and rec office at 812-988-5522.
Church announces service time change, Bible study
HAMBLEN TWP. — Sprunica Baptist Church’s morning services now start at 10 a.m. Sundays.
The church at 3902 Sprunica Road will conduct Bible study at 6 p.m. first and third Wednesdays of each month, with snacks and fellowship afterward. The next meeting will be Feb. 28. All are welcome.
Youth Music Showcase fundraiser to help BETA
The annual Youth Music Showcase featuring Kara Barnard and her music students will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3 at the Brown County Playhouse.
This is a fundraiser for nonprofit Brown County Enrichment for Teens Association, or BETA. It will include a silent auction.
Organizers will accept auction items until the day of the event. They can be dropped off in Nashville to Christy McGinley-Hughes of Farmers Insurance at 146 E. Main St., Suite 2, or call Clara Stanley at 312-310-3627 or Guy Knaus at 812-671-5233 for pickup.
Tickets to the concert cost $12 with children 12 and younger admitted free with a paid adult, as space allows. Get tickets at browncountyplayhouse.org or by calling 812-988-6555.
Musicians scheduled to perform are: Ady Grider; Elio Miller; Jackson, Adrian and Allison O’Shea; Mackenzie Crum; Jesse Augsberger; Izy Miller; the Miah Ferran Trio; the Richardson Family String Band; John Oliver; Zelton and Jon Kay; BETA teen strummers with Nathan Dillon; and the Brown County High School show choir.
Percussive Dance Extravaganza and Square Dance set here
The 11th annual Percussive Dance Extravaganza and Square Dance will take place at Mike’s Dance Barn Saturday, March 3.
Tamara Loewenthal and her Foot Squad will perform percussive dance and acoustic string music featuring Jamie Gans on the fiddle, Sam Bartlett playing the banjo, Jim Nelson on guitar and Dido Norris playing string bass. Nelson and Norris also will sing. Loewenthal will dance, play the fiddle and do square dance calling.
The Extravaganza Dance Band will perform a two-hour square dance after the performance. Beginners are welcome. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Advance tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children 14 and younger. Tickets at the door will cost $18 and $12. Buy tickets at the Bloomingfoods east and west side locations or by calling 812-219-1890.
The event is co-sponsored by Lotus Education and Arts Foundation, Bloomingfoods, Bloomington Old Time Music and Dance Group and WFHB.
Retreat for girls at Hope for Hearts Horse Farm
BEAN BLOSSOM — A retreat for girls ages 10 to 14 will take place at Hope for Hearts Horse Farm Monday, March 5.
This is the third year for the “Free to Be Me” retreat. It’s for girls to “discover freedom in who they are” and how to handle issues like body changes, social media and texting along with abstinence from premarital sex, alcohol and drugs. The retreat also will teach girls how to deal with peer pressure and when they make a mistake related to those issues, organizers said.
The cost is $45 and includes snacks and non-riding horse activities. Sessions run from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
To register, call or email Lisa Bowman at 317-496-0189 or [email protected]. Space is limited.
Hope for Hearts Farm is on State Road 45 near Bean Blossom.
Sign up for direct primary care at YMCA
A representative from Brown County Health and Wellness Center will be at the Brown County YMCA to sign people up for direct primary care from 7 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. March 5 and 7.
The clinic, at Brown County Schools’ Eagle Park near Brown County State Park, uses a membership system to allow patients to access services. A monthly membership for one adult is $65, $35 for a child younger than 18, $120 for a couple, or $150 for a family including two adults and one child. There is a $10 fee for each additional child.
Memberships can be cancelled at any time.
The clinic will donate $5 from each membership started on March 5 and 7 to the local YMCA.
Free body composition testing will also be available on these dates.
To sign up for clinic services prior to March 5 and 7, call 812-870-9737. Visit www.dpcindiana.com for more information.
Get technology questions answered at library
Volunteer Ryan Ridge will be at the Brown County Public Library on Tuesday, March 6 to answer questions about technology. People are encouraged to bring their devices from 4 to 6 p.m. to the library’s lower level.
With questions, call 812-988-2850 or stop by the library.
Come to forum to learn about survey responses
The Hometown Collaboration Initiative committee will host a community forum to discuss the results of the HCI survey from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 7 at the Brown County Intermediate School cafeteria.
The survey, which has been offered online for several months, asked how the county can be improved.
Celebrate Red Cross Month by giving blood
During Red Cross Month in March, the American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to give blood. Donors of all blood types, especially type O, are needed.
A local blood drive will take place from 2 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 14 at Parkview Church of the Nazarene, 1750 State Road 46 East.
Make an appointment to donate by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Indiana Parks Alliance founder to speak in town
Tom Hohman will offer insight into the Indiana Parks Alliance when the Brown County Native Woodlands Project meets at the public library Thursday, March 15. The BCNWP’s annual program will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the library, 205 N. Locust Lane.
In 2012, Hohman retired after 38 years as a professional engineer with Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Shortly into retirement, he founded the Indiana Parks Alliance. He will speak about the IPA’s mission: to support and advocate for Indiana’s state parks and state-owned nature preserves. Hohman also will speak about IPA’s Save Our Ash Trees campaign.
A past president of Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society, Hohman is a member of its board and leads the organization’s SWAT team, committed to controlling invasive species that grow on public and private land in central Indiana.
For more information, visit bcnwp.org, email [email protected] or call 812-988-2211.
Introduction to photography offered at library
A free, two-hour introduction to photography is planned from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 20 at the Brown County Public Library. The class, sponsored by the Brown County Photography Club, will be in lower-level meeting room B.
Topics covered by Jessica and Sharon Bussert will include basic camera settings, composition, light metering, post processing, camera care and keeping digital images safe. The class, appropriate for both digital and film photographers, is open to the public.
For more information, call Shirley Lance at 812-606-1029.
Register now for May Spring Blossom Parade
This year’s Spring Blossom Parade day will be Saturday, May 5 in downtown Nashville. The theme will be Unity in Diversity, to celebrate “who we are as unique individuals and citizens as we come together around shared values.”
All organizations can participate in the event, sponsored by the Brown County Lions Club. While there is no entry fee to be in the parade, signed waiver forms are required from all who will be in the parade. The registration deadline is Monday, April 16.
To be judged, entries must be pre-registered. A confirmation with information will be sent after receipt of each organization’s registration form. Forms are available at the Brown County Purdue Extension Office, Brown County Visitors Center, and online at e-clubhouse.org/sites/browncounty.
With questions about registration, contact Lion Gene Niednagel at [email protected] or at 812-988-6865.
After-school activities offered Tuesdays for teens
Brown County Enrichment for Teens Association, or BETA, offers after-school programs from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the BETA Center, 45 S. Jefferson St.
Free, healthy snacks, games, arts and music programs are available to junior high, high school or home-schooled students. Drum lessions are taught from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. by Guy Knaus and free guitar lessons from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. by Nathan Dillon, director of Everybody Rocks.
BETA also offers free tutoring at the junior high from 3 to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays with paraprofessional Sharon Snodgress, and at the high school before school and during hallway time on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays with National Honor Society students. Call Clara Stanley at 312-310-3617 with questions about tutoring.
For more information, call Guy Knaus at 812-671-5233.
Community band seeks new members of all ages
The Brown County Community Band practices from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays in the band room at Brown County High School. New members, young and old, are welcome.
The first concert this year will be the annual Habitat for Humanity concert May 12. The next will be the annual Sweetwater Homeowner’s Association concert June 23. All concert dates are Saturdays.
Sign up for four-wheel drive convention
The Indiana Four Wheel Drive Association will have its annual convention Friday and Saturday, March 16 and 17 at The Seasons Lodge, 560 State Road 46 East.
The event is free for IFWDA members. The sign-up deadline is Saturday, March 10. Those who call The Seasons and mention the IFWDA can get a special rate for lodging.
For non-members, the convention costs $30 per person if signed up before Tuesday, Feb. 20. After that date, the event costs $40 per non-member, which does not include lodging.
The fee includes an Italian buffet dinner Saturday evening with door prizes and awards. Off-road trail driving in the area (depending on weather and ground conditions) is planned for Saturday, as well as a road rally on the back roads of Brown County.
For more information, call 317-729-5752.
Talk to a lawyer for free at the library
The Brown County Public Library will host free, short, legal consultations between 3 and 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 3.
Local attorneys will volunteer their time to help with legal questions on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is sponsored by Legal Aid District 11.
For those who speak Spanish, a helpline will also be available statewide during the same time at 1-800-266-2581.
For more information, call the library at 812-988-2850.
Writers conference planned at History Center in April
Guest speakers will talk about the business of writing, marketing yourself and your book, and writing for children at a conference in Nashville from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 21.
The conference at the History Center, 90 Gould St., costs $35, which includes snacks and drinks. Lunch is on your own downtown. The conference will end with a panel discussion.
For more information, email [email protected]. To register, use [email protected] for PayPal.
Bluebird nest boxes for sale this spring
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.
