The Middlesboro Daily News will publish local events in the community calendar free of charge as space allows. We do not accept submissions called in via phone. All submissions should be emailed to beth.key@harlandaily.com or dropped off at our office, 1275 North 25th Street, Middlesboro. Submissions should be received no later than four business days prior to the event. If received in time, it will be published one or two days prior to the event. Announcements are also available at middlesborodailynews.com.

FEB. 12

There will be a special-called Middlesboro City Council meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 12 in the council chambers.

The seventh annual Chamber Chocolate Craze, a chocolate sampling event, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 12 at Middlesboro Mall, sponsored by the Bell County Chamber of Commerce.

The Cumberland Valley Chapter of the Kentucky Public Retirees (KPR) will meet Feb. 12 at David’s Steak House in Corbin. Mealtime will begin at 11:30 a.m. with the meeting to follow. The guest speaker will be Brian Towles, medical services specialist for Kentucky Retirement Systems. Any retiree (and spouse) receiving retirement benefits from KERS, CERS or SPRS is welcome to attend. Membership information will be available at the meeting or at kentuckypublicretirees.org. For more information, call 606-877-0079 or 606-260-0490.

FEB 14-17

Trinity Pentecostal Church, located at 3563 U.S. 119 in Pineville, will host a dedication for the new church Feb. 14-16 at 7 p.m., and Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. The service schedule includes: Thursday, Pastor Darrell Lowe; Friday, Assistant Pastor James Teaney; Saturday, Pastor David Rice; and Sunday, Pastor Darrell Lowe (dinner to follow service).

FEB. 14

Middlesboro ARH Hospital will host its women’s health series, Lunch & Learn, beginning at noon on Feb. 14 in the hospital classroom. Dr. Ul Haq will give a presentation on “Women’s Heart Health.” Adult women of all ages are invited. To reserve your lunch, call 606-242-1222. Due to limited seating, reservations are required.

The Bell County Cooperative Extension Service will host a monthly homemaker leader lesson at 1 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the Extension Office. The lesson is “Stay Happy, Stay Healthy!” To sign up, call the Bell County Extension Office at 606-337-2376.

Pine Mountain Settlement School will host a Candlelight Valentine’s Dinner at 6 p.m. on Feb. 14. Relax and enjoy traditional Appalachian cuisine in the historic Laurel House. For more information or to register, call 606-558-3604.

FEB. 19

Regularly scheduled Middlesboro Board of Education meetings for 2019 will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Central Office on the following dates: Feb. 19, March 19, April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug. 20, Sept. 17, Oct. 22, Nov. 19 and Dec. 17.

Regularly scheduled Bell County Board of Education meetings for 2019 will be held on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the District Administration Building in Pineville on the following dates: Feb. 19, March 19, April 16, May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug. 20, Sept. 17, Oct. 15, Nov. 19 and Dec. 17.

TUESDAYS

Stand in the Gap Coalition (SIGCO), a 501(c)3 nonprofit, faith-based organization, along with local churches in the Tri-State area is hosting an evening out for grandparents and caregivers by providing childcare on the second Tuesday of each month. SIGCO is located at 325 Straight Creek Road, New Tazewell, Tennessee. A service of SIGCO is to provide free saliva-based drug testing kits with instructions, called Give Me a Reason. For more information on the evening out, addiction treatment or how you can help “Stand in the Gap“ call 423-300-1302, email standntgap@gmail.com or mail P.O. Box 539, Cumberland Gap TN 37724.

FEB. 23

Pine Mountain Settlement School will kick off the gardening season with the annual seed swap from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 23 in Laurel House. Lunch is provided for free at noon. Heirloom seed expert Bill Best will be on hand. Many rare local bean and tomato varieties will be available for purchase, and be sure to bring your own heirloom seeds to sell or trade. For more information, contact David Hinkle at 606-558-3604 or dhinkle@pinemountainsettlementschool.com.

The 2019 Miss Southeast Pageant will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the Black Box Theater-Godbey Appalachian Center on the Cumberland campus. The winner will receive a $1,000 tuition scholarship for one semester and will represent Southeast at this year’s Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival in May. For more information, contact Rechelle Sampson, Middlesboro campus, at 660-248-0416, or Bobby Grubbs, Pineville campus, at 606-248-2010.

FEB. 28

Dr. Meredith Evans and his family will be speaking on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Middleboro Public Library in the community room. The Bell County Historical Society invites everyone to attend.

MARCH 1

Bloodroot, a literary magazine of Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College, is seeking submissions and contest entries from Appalachian writers in short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and art. Considerations include one short story of up to five pages in length, one creative nonfiction piece up to five pages in length, or up to five poems. Submission deadline is March 1. Prizes include $50 for each category. Sponsored by the Southeast Honors Program. Send electronic submissions to: donnak.cox@kctcs.edu; mail to: Donna Cox – Bloodroot, SKCTC Harlan campus, 164 Ball Park Road, Harlan, KY 401831.

MARCH 7, 14, 21, 28

Beginner line dance classes will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays during March at the Broken Spur Dance Club, located at 335 Fulkerson Street in Tazewell on the top floor of the American Legion building (below SMMS). Dates include: March 7, 14, 21 and 28. All ages are welcome, and classes are $5 each. For more information, call or text 423-489-9829; or check out Facebook and YouTube.

APRIL 13

Antiques, Arts & Crafts in the Crater will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 13 in the Middlesboro City Parking Lot, presented by Middlesboro Main Street, Bell County Tourism, Southern Girls Events and the Bell County Chamber of Commerce.

APRIL 18

Applications are now available at the Bell County Cooperative Extension Office, at http://bell.ca.uky.edu/ and in all local high schools for Bell County Homemakers Scholarships. Scholarships of $500 will be awarded to two students advancing their education beyond the high school level for each semester in the 2019-2020 school year. Applications must be returned by April 19 to the Bell County Extension Service, 101 Courthouse Square, Pineville, KY 40977. For an application, call 606-337-2376.

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Plant sales for the spring season are underway at the Bell County Extension Office. This season will offer a variety of produce. Plants and pricing include strawberries (Allstar and Earliglow), bundles of 25 for $4; blueberries (Blue Crop and Patriot, at least one of each variety should be planted together to allow for cross-pollination), $6 per plant; blackberries (Natchez), $3 per plant; raspberries (Tula Magic), $2 per plant; asparagus (Jersey Knight), $1 per plant; Bristol Black raspberries, $3 per plant; and onions (Candy), $4 for bundle of 60. To place your order, contact the Bell County Extension Office at 606-337-2376. Orders will be available for pick-up at the Extension Office in early April (notification will be sent).

Several posts of the American Legion will provide new coats and new toys to some eligible Appalachian youth in several counties (McCreary, Pulaski, Whitley and Bell counties) of eastern and southeastern Kentucky during this winter season. If you wish to support this effort with monetary donations, new coats or new toys, please contact the Legion representative at Hope.4.estrn.kentuckians@gmail.com.

GED classes are being offered to anyone 19 years or older. Improve your reading, writing and mathematical skills and study to receive your GED. For more information, contact the following: Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College Middlesboro campus at 606-248-3175, Bell County Council on Literacy at 606-248-2014 or the Pineville Learning Center at 606-337-3044.

Volunteers are needed for the Kentucky Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (Cumberland Valley District) to read a while, play a game of checkers, discuss the day’s events, reminisce or just sit and watch TV with a local senior. If you currently visit someone in a long-term care facility or would like to become involved, contact Arlene Gibson at 606-864-7391, ext. 119.

Free saliva-based drug testing kits are provided and sponsored through UNITE and Stand in the Gap Coalition (SIGCO). Give Me a Reason is designed for parents/guardians to use to talk with their children and randomly test them, which gives them a reason to say no when tempted or offered drugs. Kits can be obtained at 44 different distribution points throughout the Tri-State area and at the SIGCO office, at 325 Straight Creek Road, New Tazewell, Tennessee. For more information, contact the SIGCO office at 423-300-1302. To pick up a kit, stop by on Mondays from 1 to 5:30 p.m.

The American Red Cross is seeking volunteers with flexible schedules to respond to single and multi-family home fires in the Lake Cumberland service area, which includes Casey, Adair, Cumberland, Clinton, Russell, Pulaski, Wayne, McCreary, Whitley, Laurel, Clay, Knox, Bell and Harlan counties. Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers respond to assist families with shelter, support and access to basic needs immediately following a home fire – often arriving on scene even as the fire is still burning. Volunteers may apply online by visiting http://www.redcross.org/volunteer or by contacting chapter Executive Terry Burkhart at 859-253-1331 or terry.burkhart@redcross.org.

The Lighthouse Homeless Shelter, at 117 South Pine Street in Pineville, is open seven days a week. For more information, call 606-337-9736.

Lighthouse Lifeline of Bell County non-residential support groups are held at the Lighthouse Mission Center, 3609 Hwy. 119 in Pineville. For more information, contact Sharon Teaney at 606-269-2187 or Ules Baker at 606-670-1949. Men’s and women’s support groups meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, and at 1 p.m. on Thursdays. Youth support groups (ages 10-18) meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Lighthouse Ray of Hope Children’s Advocacy Center, 3619 Hwy. 119 in Pineville, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. For information, call 606-337-9955.

The “Something Different” Narcotics Anonymous group meets at 7 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays at the First Christian Church of Middlesboro, at 2130 Cumberland Avenue. Meetings are open.

Lighthouse Mission Center, 3609 Hwy. 119 in Pineville, will have food giveaways at 11:30 a.m. on the third and fourth Tuesday of each month. Emergency food boxes are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information, call 606-337-1834.

A military support group for all active, separated or any former military men or women meets at 6:30 p.m. each first and third Monday of the month at the Middlesboro National Guard Armory, located on 30th Street. If you face financial, relationship, criminal, adjustment, substance abuse or other problems, this is for you.

GED classes will be held on Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lighthouse Career Training Center, at 980 Old Bell High Road off of U.S. 119 in Pineville. For more information, call 606-337-9955.

Benchmark Family Services, serving Bell, Harlan, Clay, Knox, Laurel and Whitley counties, invites you to become a foster parent. Free orientation classes are held from 5 to 6 p.m. on any Tuesday. For more information, call 606-526-6992 or toll free at 866-526-6992.

Applications are available for the Lighthouse Medical Clinic, 3619 Hwy. 119 in Pineville, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Visits are by appointment only. For more information, call 606-337-9955.

Narcotics Anonymous will meet at the Living Clean Group Wallsend Community Room in Pineville. Meetings begin at 6 p.m. on Mondays; at noon on Wednesdays, closed for addicts only; and at 3 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, call 606-499-0238 or 606-302-6972.

Narconon is reminding families that the use of addicting drugs is on the rise. Take steps to protect your family from drug use. If you know anyone who is struggling, get them the help they need. For a free brochure on the signs of addiction for all drugs, call 800-431-1754 or visit DrugAbuseSolution.com. Narconon also offers free screenings and referrals.