n Hometown: The Rush Township tax office of Dolores Walck will be open from 10 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. Nov. 28. It will also be open from 10 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. Dec. 26, according to a release from Walck, who also said bills can be paid by mail to her office at 117 Cumberland Ave., Tamaqua, PA 18252, as long as they are postmarked by Dec. 31.
n Port Carbon: The Port Carbon Fire Department, 88 Washington St., will sponsor a Christmas tree sale beginning Saturday. The sale of Fraser firs and Douglas firs will go from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
n Ringtown: St Paul's United Church of Christ will host the annual community Thanksgiving Eve service at 7:30 p.m. today. The service will be led by the local clergy and will feature the Ringtown Community Chorus. Refreshments will follow. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the Ringtown Area Food Pantry.
n Saint Clair: The Schuylkill Transportation System will provide all fixed-route passengers with an opportunity to participate in Holiday Dollar Days special rides Nov. 23 and 30 and Dec. 7, 14 and 21. Fare-paying passengers who board any fixed-route bus will be able to ride all day, any time, any bus for $1, according to Joan M. Breslin, STS marketing and service support coordinator. Senior citizen passengers always ride free with their senior citizen bus passes and children up to age 8 also ride free. For children 9 to 12, the fee is 50 cents. All children must be accompanied by a fare-paying adult passenger. For more information about the rides or about scheduled time and pick up locations throughout the county, call STS at 800-832-3322 or locally at 570-429-2701.
n Schuylkill Haven: Penn State Schuylkill is inviting the local community, students, faculty and staff to attend the annual informative speech contest set for 7 p.m. Nov. 29 at the John E. Morgan Auditorium in the Student Community Center on campus. One student from each of the seven public speaking (CAS 100) classes will be selected to participate. Each will present his/her informative speech to the audience and to a panel of three judges from the local community, according to a campus press release. The judges will be provided with objective criteria through which they can judge each speech. Opening and closing remarks will be made by Dr. Valerie Schrader, assistant professor of communication arts and sciences. After deliberation, the judges will choose a first-, second- and third-place winner. The winning students will receive gift cards redeemable at the Penn State Schuylkill Bookstore. Light refreshments will be provided after the event. The contest celebrates the accomplishments of Penn State Schuylkill's public speaking students.
n Shenandoah: The Shenandoah Valley Student Council is sponsoring the sale of Christmas wreaths to benefit the Hillside SPCA, Pottsville. The sale includes the following items and prices: Decorated wreaths, $25; undecorated wreaths, $20; door charms-decorated centerpieces, $20 each; basket centerpieces, $18; window swags, $10. To order, contact any student council member or teacher Barb Boyer at 570-462-1957, ext. 3126. The delivery date is Dec. 6.
n Shenandoah: St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church is taking orders for nut or poppy rolls at $10 each, and apricot rolls at $10.50 each. Homemade bread is also available, baked fresh and frozen. The sale is by order only and the deadline to order is Dec. 7. Pickups will be on Dec. 18 in the church hall, 300 W. Oak St. To order or for more information, call the parish office at 570-462-0809.
n Tamaqua: The Tamaqua Community Arts Center will host a presentation titled "Musical Trip Around the World" 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the center, 125 Pine St. The musical tour guide, Barry Gangwer, will draw examples of music from or about places on every continent and tell stories about the music, the composer and the site depicted. The program will also feature slides of the various places. This is the first program in a series that will continue with "The Sounds of Unusual Instruments" on Dec. 4. The program on Dec. 11 will feature "Sounds of Christmas." For more information or reservations, contact the arts center at 570-668-1192.
n Tremont: Tremont's 21st annual community tree lighting will take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Veterans Park, Main Street. The Tremont Community Band will play holiday music while children decorate the tree. A Children's Christmas Party will follow at 7 p.m. at the Clay Street borough building with Santa Claus, cookies and hot chocolate. Registration forms (birth to age 12) are available at Dee's Flowers and Tremont Area Library. Sponsored by Tremont Community Organization.