n Ashland: The fifth annual Ashland Easter Extravaganza for Ashland area children will be held rain or shine at 10:30 a.m. March 30, at Memorial Field. The event will include an Easter egg hunt for children up to 10 years old and a visit by the Easter Bunny. It is sponsored by a group of Ashland community partners. There is no rain date.
n Barnesville: The annual Chinese auction sponsored by the Carbon-Tamaqua Unit of the American Cancer Society Telethon Committee will be held at noon Sunday at the Lakeside Ballroom, Route 54. Organizers said in a release there will be chances to win selective raffle prizes plus 50/50 drawings, food, fresh baked goods and candy as well as a live broadcast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. by disc jockey "Polka Joe" Manjack of Radio WMGH 105.5 FM, Tamaqua. There will also be entertainment by Cody Scott. The auction drawing will begin at 3 p.m. Some of the top prizes on the specially purchased white ticket include a Dell laptop computer, gift certificate for fuel oil, $1,500 in cash, NASCAR Sprint Cup tickets, an Apple iPad 2 with wi-fi, gas gift card, Hershey Lodge stay, Kindle Fire, trampoline, muzzleloader, 32-inch HD TV, and area restaurant gift certificate packs. Proceeds will be presented at the annual ACS Telethon that will air April 6 and 7 at Penn's Peak, Jim Thorpe, and be broadcast live on BRC TV-13 and Service Electric Cable TV. The public is invited to attend the telethon. Tickets are on sale throughout the area. To donate items, call 570-645-4228 or email madula@ptd.net.
n Frackville: The Frackville Recreation Board will hold its annual Easter egg hunt at 2 p.m. March 24 at Memorial Field. All children are welcome to attend the free event. Hunts will be held in the following age groups: Newborn to 11 months, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6. 7-8 and 9-10. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. Participants will need to bring their own baskets/bags to gather eggs. There will be three winners in each age group and every child will receive a chocolate bunny. Each child is permitted to win one prize only. If a child finds more than one marked egg, winners will be selected based on the total number of eggs found. Parents are welcome to take pictures of their children with the Easter Bunny. The rain date is March 30.
n Hegins: The Tri-Valley Senior Citizens group is sponsoring a bus excursion to Myrtle Beach, S.C., May 19 to 25. The public is welcome to participate. For more information, call Shirley at 570-682-3785 or Robert at 570-682-3572.
n Pottsville: St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, 10th and Mahantongo streets, will stage the 29th annual Dramatic Stations of the Cross at 7:30 p.m. March 24 and March 29. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Freewill offerings will be gratefully accepted to defray production expenses.
n Pottsville: Hospice of Central PA, Suite 301, One Norwegian Plaza, will hold a comprehensive eight-week volunteer training regimen designed to "orient participants to the hospice concept and end-of-life issues and prepare them for their vital role as patient and family support volunteers," according to a press release. Training will be from 6 to 9 p.m. beginning March 26 and continue for eight weeks at the plaza office. For an application or more information, call the agency at 570-628-2291 or 866-779-7374 or 717-732-1000 to speak with volunteer coordinator Barbara Hardy. More information also is available at the agency's website at www.hospiceofcentralpa.org and click on "Volunteer Opportunities." Hospital of Central PA, according to the release, is a community-based nonprofit program in operation since 1979.
n Shenandoah: Junior Information Night for parents is set for 6 p.m. Thursday in the Shenandoah Valley High School Auditorium. Parents, according to a release, will be provided with information regarding the college search, admissions, the application process as well as military and work force options. The program is free. Registration is not required. Parents are encouraged to attend.
n Tower City: The public is invited to the Les Brown Big Band Weekend set for Friday through Sunday this year, which marks the diamond jubilee of the Band of Renown. The Les Brown Dance is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Kevin's Place, Lykens, featuring two hours of swing dance music by the valley's big band, After Hours. Admission is $10 per person with a buffet available at an extra cost. The Les Brown Festival will begin at noon Saturday in the Williams Valley High School Auditorium.
