The Italian Catholic Federation (I.C.F.) at St. Patrick’s Church in Arroyo Grande will host five Fish Fries during Lent. Mark your calendar and join us for a delicious fish and chips and coleslaw dinner. Fish fries will be held on the following Fridays: February 20, February 27, March 6, March 20 and March 27 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in St. Patrick’s Church Hall, 501 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande. Prices range from $6 for a 1-piece fish dinner up to $12 for a 4-piece fish dinner. Take-outs will be available. Beer, wine, soda and bottled water will be available for purchase and desserts will be available for a donation. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call (805) 489-2680.
Don’t miss the Wine Country Runs Half Marathon Run/Walk, a fundraiser for local non-profits on Sunday, March15, at River Oaks Hot Springs, 800 Clubhouse Drive, Paso Robles. Winery neighbors help cheer you on and provide their own style of aid station. Walk start time is 7:15 a.m. and run start time is 8 a.m. Cost is $75 through Feb. 28 and $85 March 1 through race day. There is a 5K – Individual with a start time of 8:15 a.m. with a cost of $40 through Feb. 28 and $45 March1 through race day. A Kids Wine Stomp starts at 9:15 a.m. There is a ½-mile fun run just for kids at a cost of $20. For more information, visit https://www.winecountryruns.com.
Volumes of Pleasure Bookshop in Los Osos is hosting its 12th Annual Chinese New Year Celebration at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. The Cal Poly Lion Dance Team will again perform a ceremonial dance with drum and cymbals and a blessing ritual dating back centuries. Free. We are ending the year of the horse in the Chinese Zodiac and entering the year of the sheep or ram. Traditionally, the year of the sheep is highly creative and people may express their artistic natures and find greater pleasure in simply following their heart’s desires, while allowing others the freedom to do the same. It can be a year when world conflicts and upheavals are less likely, or let’s at least hope so. Volumes of Pleasure is located at 1015 Los Osos Valley Rd., corner of 10th Street in the Vons Shopping Center.
Author, D. Williams, will sign his new book, “There Are Times
When… A new day a new adventure, live it!” from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 at Coalesce Bookstore, 845 Main St., Morro Bay. The book is a collection of incidents, choices and non-choices that are routinely a part of people’s lives. Williams has spent most of his life in schools, teaching and attending mainly in California. Born and raised in Arkansas working the fields; school and all work thereafter seemed incredibly easy. He attended Pepperdine, Sonoma state and UC Merced, earning a Bachelor’s, master’s and PhD (respectively) plus a law degree from New College of California School of Law. His first book, “The Killing of Mr. Floyd & Other Stories,” touches on many aspects of that former Arkansas life.
The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden has several special events coming up in March. The Garden is located in El Chorro Regional Park, across Hwy 1 form Cuesta College.
• Edible and Medicinal Plants of SLO County Lecture, 6-7:30 p.m. Friday, March 6. Discover the historic and modern uses of some of the many useful plants of SLO County. Cost is $5 for garden members and $10 non-members. No reservations required. More info at: slobg.org/useful-plants.
• Herbal Workshop I — SLO County Bioregional Field Exploration 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 7. Spend the day hiking through a number of different plant habitats, identifying and discussing many of the useful plants with herbalist, Tellur Fenner. Limited space available. Cost is $45 garden members and $55 public. See: slobg.org/useful-plants.
• Herbal Workshop II: Wildcrafting and Plant Preparation Methods 10-4 Sunday, March 8. Spend a day learning the principles of plant harvesting, processing, and botanical pharmacy work. Limited space available. Cost is $45 garden members and $55 public. See: slobg.org/useful-plants.
• Container Garden Workshop 1-3 p.m. Saturday, March 14. Create your own nature haven with a container garden. Landscaper, Pat Thomas, teaches about containers for ornamental plants and vegetables. After a demonstration, plant your own containers to bring home. Participants should bring a planting container approximately 18” diameter by 18” deep or larger to the program. Some plants will be provided and others will be for sale, or bring your own. Soil, trowels and gloves are provided. Followed at 3PM by a free docent led tour of the Garden. Limited space available. Cost is $10 garden members and $15 public. For information and supplies list, see: slobg.org/container.
• Spring Plant Sale fundraiser 10-1 Saturday, March 28. Garden volunteers have worked all year cultivating beautiful Mediterranean-climate plants for your garden that will also save money on water bills. Proceeds benefit the Garden’s mission to honor and preserve our connection with nature. See: slobg.org/sale.
• Earth oven workshop series. Saturdays-Sundays, March 7- 8, 14-15, and 21-22. Learn how to make an earthen oven and earth-bag structures for an outdoor kitchen. Earth oven masters from N’credible Edibles will lead the process of designing, building, and cooking in an outdoor kitchen. Cost is $30 a day or sign-up early for a discount. More info and registration at: slobg.org/earthoven.
Anti-abortion activists will be holding a “40 Days for Life” prayer vigil campaign from Feb. 18-March 29 at 743 Pismo St., SLO. See: httpss://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/san-luis-obispo for more information.
The Lightshare Center in Santa Margarita is holding a grand opening and fundraiser at its new location, 22701 El Camino Real, at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. There’ll be an array of artisan offerings, healing services gift cards, a metaphysical book sale and free refreshments by Vert Foods. An evening concert of sacred songs and guided meditation with soprano, Marissa Bloom, starts at 6 p.m. Concert admission is $20 at the door. Proceeds will help Lightshare finish construction on the new center.
Also, Lightshare is hosting free energy balancing sessions on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sierra Vista Hospital, 1010 Murray St., in SLO. Sessions are 25 minutes, appropriate for all ages and no appointment necessary. All are welcome. See: www.lightshare.us for more information about their services.
Artist, Barbara Rosenthal of Los Osos is showing her work through May 1 at Deanna Richards’ Edward Jones Office, 1236 Los Osos Valley Rd., Ste. J. An artist reception is set for 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. On sale will be Rosenthal’s mixed art works, paintings and etchings. Also for sale will be T-shirts and mugs of the Elfin Forest mural, benefiting SWAP.
The Eco Rotary Club of Morro Bay is bringing in Kyle Wiens, founder of iFixit, for its next monthly meeting, set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26 at the Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way. Free, and guests are welcome. Wiens will discuss his goals to reduce electronic waste by teaching people to repair their own gear and offering tools, parts, and a forum to discuss repairs.
Morro Bay residents interested in taking part in the 12th Annual Citywide Yard Sale in April and sponsored by Morro Bay Beautiful, should see the MBB website at: morrobaybeautiful.org, download an application, fill it out and send it in. The event is set for Friday-Sunday, April 10-12, with Friday the 10th a “preview day” and a chance to get an early look at the offerings. The deadline to sign up and get your address on the official yard sale map, printed in the Bay News, is the end of March. Brenda Sue’s Consignment on Morro Bay Blvd., at Morro Ave., will be the event headquarters. Event posters were slated to go up all over town this week.
The Central Coast Watercolor Society will host a free program by teacher, painter, and printmaker, Tricia Reichert set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the Methodist Church, 1515 Fredericks St., in SLO. Reichert will demonstrate mixed media with watercolor. For more information see: www.ccwsart.com.
Work on the remodeling the Morro Bay Library is now completed and the library is moving back in from its temporary home a block away. And March 1, people will have a chance to tour the building at an open house, set for 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 1. Guy Budd and Inga Swearingen will perform. Friends of the Library will have refreshments and they’ll give away commemorative bookmarks. The library will open for good Tuesday, March 3 (they’ll still be closed Mondays) at 9 a.m. They are changing their hours too, staying open until 6 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays open from 10-5 Thursdays-Saturdays.
The Gallery at the Network in SLO will present “Hands on Wood,” showcasing the woodworking of Jim Amberg, Roger Combs, Barry Lundgren, Ernest Miller, Pete Skarda and Dave Vradenberg March 1-31. On display will be cutting boards, sushi trays, fine furniture, turned bowls, vases and lidded jars. There’s a free artists’ reception set for 6-9 p.m. Friday, March 6, during the monthly Art After Dark. Live music with Terry Sanville and refreshments will be served. The Gallery is located at 778 Higuera St., Ste. B. See: www.thegalleryatthenetwork.com.
The non-profit, Lifelong Learners of the Central Coast is offering five new classes in March for its members. They include: “Edwin Gardner Lewis and Atascadero” on March 3; “Understanding Memory Loss” on March 11; “A Day with Bernstein, Copeland and Saint-Saens” on March 14; “Medicare: How is it Really Funded” on March 17; and an “Escorted, Wild, Walk-Around Tour of the Atascadero Zoo” on March 25. Courses are open to the general public and cost very little. For more information see: www.lifelearnerscc.org and register for classes or become a member. Membership is $25 a year.
Central Coast Youth Football & Cheer League opens registration soon, with practices beginning in late July for the season next August. Registration is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 14, and attending elementary or middle school. Local chapters will be offering registration dates in March. For additional information see: www.eteamz.com/CCYFLSLO or call our PR director Pam Peca, at (805) 434-8918.
The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County is hosting a public forum on “special districts” in SLO County, set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 11 at Union Bank, 995 Higuera St., SLO. Free. What is a “Special District?” How many do we have in our county? What do they do? How are they funded? These questions and more will be answered by a panel with Neil Havlik, president of the board of the Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District; Dave Church, executive officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission or LAFCo.; and Michael LeBrun, GM of the Nipomo Community Services District. Space is limited and reservations are required. RSVP to Ann Havlik at (805) 781-9624 or email: mailto:.
Pickleball players will have a new place to play when the Los Osos Community Center opens a court on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, starting Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 4-6 p.m. No equipment necessary, wear comfortable athletic shoes. No fees either. For information call Stanley Stern at 528-6557 or email to: .
