Service honored

The Western Pocono Women's Club honored 16 club members for their years of service to the club with recognition pins at its October meeting. Pat Mackes, Dottie Sawyer, Pat Krome, Donna Coleman, Kay Faust, Brenda Dorshimer and Linda Bryfogle were presented 40-year service pins.Margaret Kluk and Arlene Wimperis were awarded 20-year service pins. Judy Smith and Bonnie Peters received 15-year service pins.Sherry Getz, Isabel Pietri, Elilda Gares, Roberta Fisher and Beth Larson were awarded 5-year service pins.The ladies were given their service pins by Diane Lake, Northeastern District Director of the GFWC Pennsylvania Women's Clubs.The Western Pocono Women's Club will hold its next regular club meeting at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Effort United Methodist Church. The theme will be Celebrating Everyone's Birthday, and they also will be busy planning the club Christmas party.Blood drive todayCornerstone Community Church on Polk Township Road, Kresgeville, is hosting an American Red Cross blood drive until 6 p.m. today.The Western Pocono Community Library is the site for a Miller-Keystone blood drive from noon to 6 p.m. every Wednesday. To make an appointment call 800-223-6667.On Thursday Effort UMC will host an American Red Cross blood drive from 1 to 6 p.m.To make an appointment with the American Red Cross call 800-733-2767.Chorus concertThe Pleasant Valley High School chorus concert will be presented at 7 p.m. today.Pantry openingA new food pantry is coming to the West End. It will be in operation at the Eldred Township Community Center in Kunkletown on the first and third Saturdays of each month. Operation hours will be 9 a.m. to noon.Karena Thek is the program director. She is working in concert with local food bank PVEN, which has been in the West End since the 1980'.The Eldred food pantry anticipates providing food to 60 to 80 families each day it is open. The public can help in several ways, including: cash donations; clean, unripped plastic grocery bags for re-use; nonperishable food items; office supplies; volunteers; volunteer shirts; white folding tables; as well as coffee and snacks for the volunteers.Contributions are tax deductible as the pantry is a 501(c)(3) entity.The first day of distribution is set to be Nov. 21.For more information, contact Thek at

karenathek@mac.com, Jen at

pven@ptd.net or call the PVEN at 570-992-3136.International meetingFour youth from Zion Lutheran Church in Brodheadsville traveled to The Lutheran Center in Allentown to meet their young counterparts from Saxony, Germany in a program called Wingin' it with the Germans.Aneesa McLean, Skylar Columb, Emily Gethen and Mollie Unger were accompanied by Fran Ferrari on the trek.The three-hour meeting with a large group of Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod senior high youth and 10 from Germany from a companion synod included games, both indoors and out; getting-acquainted activities; sharing similarities and differences in learning foreign languages, food preferences, holiday practices; and eating supper together after offering the Lord's Prayer in English and in German.PVSD meetingsPleasant Valley Intermediate School's PAC/PTO meeting will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at PVI; the Pleasant Valley School District Board of Education at 8 p.m. at the Administrative Building.Historical societyChestnuthill Township Historical Society's will meet at 7 p.m. today at the park building on Route 715.On Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the group will have a table at Western Pocono Community Library History Expo 2015.Last open auditionThursday, beginning at 6:30 p.m., Storybook Theatre, Western Pocono Community Library's Teen Drama Club, will be holding open auditions for the upcoming play "Beauty and the Beast." This club is open to all teens ages 13 to 18 who are interested in acting, singing, dancing, stage crew, sound, etc.Audition packets will be available at the library. For more information or to reserve a time slot for auditions contact Patti at 570-992-7934 or email at

WPCL6@ptd.netSenior lunchesThe Chestnuthill group of the Monroe Seniors will have shredded pork sandwich on Friday and chicken with broccoli and peppers next Wednesday.Doors open at 9 a.m.Lunch reservations must be made by 11 a.m. the day before by calling site manager Dolores Casalaspro at 570-242-6770 or 570-420-3735PVMS danceThe seventh- and eighth-grade dance is slated for the Pleasant Valley Middle School Friday, beginning at 7 p.m.History Expo 2015On Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Heritage Center of the Western Pocono Community Library will present History Expo 2015 held on William Penn Day. The expo will take place at the Western Pocono Community Library on Pilgrim Way in Brodheadsville.There will be demonstrations by the Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, displays by local historical societies and organizations, lectures scheduled throughout the day, Pennsylvania 142nd Company G Civil War re-enactors, and an opportunity to meet William Penn and hear his story, along with many other organizations, demonstrations and displays.This is a free event open to the public. Refreshments will be available to purchase, and all proceeds benefit the Heritage Center of the Western Pocono Community Library. For more information please contact the Heritage Center at 570-402-1906 or the library at 570-992-7934.Jar sales beginThe Western Pocono Lioness Club is holding a Mix-in-a-Jar sale, which includes homestyle chicken soup, M&M oatmeal bar, and M&M cookie mix-in-a-jar.They will be available: Friday, First Northern Bank, Gilbert, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, First Northern Bank, Gilbert, from 9 a.m. to noon.Next week: Oct. 30, Country Junction, Interchange Road, Lehighton, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Oct. 31, First Northern Bank, Gilbert, 9 a.m. to noon.Bear WalkThe PTO Bear Walk, scheduled for Oct. 9, was postponed due to the weather. It will be held at Pleasant Valley High School from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday.Contact Adele Argot at 717-933-4028 or

arargot3@verizon.net. Contact the Times News at 800-443-0377 or

tneditor@tnonline.com.