Services tonight

• Effort UMC will hold its Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.A Lenten study will precede it at 5:30 p.m. For more information, call the church at 570-629-1890.• Our Lady Queen of Peace Church will have Mass and Distribution of Ashes at 12:10; an Ash Wednesday Prayer Service and Distribution of Ashes at 4 p.m.; and Mass and Distribution of Ashes at 7 p.m.• Saint Matthew's UCC, Kunkletown, will hold a 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday service.• Salem-St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Kresgeville will hold services on Ash Wednesday at noon and 7 p.m., with the Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion.• Salem UCC, Gilbert, will hold an Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.• Zion Lutheran Church, Brodheadsville, will again offer its 8 a.m. Ashes to Go and also at 3:30 p.m.The church will also hold a regular Ash Wednesday service at 7:30 p.m.• The five-church Monroe/Carbon cooperative Lenten worship service will again be followed, with the schedule: March 8, St. Matthew's UCC, Kunkletown; March 15, Jerusalem UCC, Trachsville; March 22, Salem-St. Paul Lutheran, Kresgeville; March 29, Salem UCC, Gilbert; April 5, Jerusalem Lutheran, Trachsville; All services include: 6 to 6:45 p.m., simple soup dinner; 6:30 p.m., choir rehearsal; 7 p.m., worship service. In case of inclement weather, check Channel 13, WSBG or WVPO for service cancellation information.Financial workshopsNEPA Community Federal Credit Union will be on hand at the Western Pocono Community Library to present free education workshops to the public beginning this Wednesday. The workshops will run for eight consecutive weeks. All workshops begin promptly at 11 a.m.Each week is on a different topic.Registration is recommended due to limited space, but walk-ins are welcome. Call the library at 570-992-7934.Eldred SupervisorsThe Eldred Township board of supervisors will meet at 7:30 p.m. today at the Municipal Building in Kunkletown.Celebrating Dr. SeussWestern Pocono Community Library will celebrate Dr. Seuss with a Read Across America event on Thursday. Library staff members will be reading stories from 9:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. There will also be a few visits from some of the regular therapy dogs.Read Across America is an event that is celebrated across the country to honor Dr. Seuss' birthday. For more information, or for the schedule of therapy dog visits contact the library at 570-992-7934.Band parentsThe Pleasant Valley Band Parents organization will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the high school band room.OES meetsThe Monroe Chapter No. 99 Order of the Easten Star will have a meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Rimrock Masonic Center.Members are reminded to come for a light soup supper at 6:30 p.m. given by the Conductress and Associate Conductress.The group is collecting brand-new stuffed animals to give to children who are going through tough times.The stuffed animals will be received at the Thursdaymeeting.Fish dinnersOur Lady Queen of Peace Church, Gilbert, will have fish dinners from 5 to 7 p.m. March 3, March 17, March 24 hosted by the Knights of Columbus. There is a cost.Man Up breakfastPleasant Valley Assembly of God Church in Brodheadsville will have a Man Up Breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.Stop the BleedA free training program, titled Stop the Bleed, is open to anyone who is interested in discovering what to do in the case of a disaster and/or emergency situation. The training will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Effort UMC.Stephen Hall, EMT and emergency response trainer, will be conducting the training.Register on the sign-up sheet located on the welcome center in the church or call the church for more information at 570-629-1890.Play performanceWestern Pocono Community Library's Storybook Theater group will perform its adaptation of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" on Saturday and Sunday at noon.Storybook Theater is a drama club for anyone in grades 7 through 12. The play will take place on the lower level of the library. This production is free and open to the public but donations are always welcome. For more information contact the library at 570-992-7934.No matineeDue to the Storybook Theater performance on Saturday, there will be no Saturday matinee this week at the Western Pocono Community Library. Matinees will resume the following week.Candle fundraiserThe REACH Mission Group from Effort UMC is running a Yankee candle fundraising sale from March 1 to April 1. Anyone interested in ordering Yankee candles in support of this fundraiser is asked to contact Lindsey Edwards at 570-350-2251.This year the group will be going to Crossville, Tennessee, leaving onJuly 8 and returning onJuly 16. A reminder to those participating, REACH registration paperwork is due no later than Tuesday along with the required trip deposit. There will be no exceptions or late registrations taken.Seniors menuStuffed shells is the lunch on Friday at the Chestnut Hill Seniors meeting held at Zion Lutheran Church in Brodheadsville. Call the site manager by 11 a.m. the day before at 570-242-6770 or 570-420-3735.Next week Wednesday the menu item is an open-faced hot turkey sandwich.It is the second Wednesday of the month that free blood pressure readings are taken at the Chestnuthill Center from 11 a.m. to noon.Doors at the center open at 9 a.m. and close at 2 p.m.Ross supervisorsThe Ross Township board of supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the Ross Township Municipal Building on Anchorage Road in Saylorsburg.Chestnuthill supervisorsThe Chestnuthill Township board of supervisors is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the township municipal building on Route 715 in Brodheadsville.High school conferencesParent-teacher conferences are being held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Pleasant Valley Senior High Tuesday.Walking the trackThe Western Pocono Community Library has an indoor walking track that is particularly useful during the cold weather. Track hours are 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Friday; and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.Garden Club meetsThe Monroe County Garden Club will meet 11:30

a.m.March 8, at the Monroe County Conservation District, 8050 Running Valley Road, Stroudsburg.The program will be Monroe County Environmental Center's Summer Conservation Camp and importance of the MCGC's support. The speaker is Roger Spotts, Environmental Education Coordinator, MCCD.The Design Entry is My Fair Lady, a nosegay for the pretty lady. Accessories, underlay and staging are permitted. Fresh materials only.Horticulture entry: evergreen, one branch from an evergreen tree.The meeting will begin at 11:30, followed by lunch, followed by the program.Everyone interested in gardening is welcome to attend. There is a small fee for nonmembers, applied to membership. Luncheon included.For more information, call president Carol Akam at 570-897-6433 or

carolakam27@gmail.scom or visit the group's website,

http://www.monroecountygardenclub.com/ and join on Facebook.

www.Facebook.com/MonroeCountyGardenClub.WEPOSC meetsThe West End Park & Open Space Commission is slated to meet at 6:30

p.m.March 8, at the Chestnuthill Township Park Building.Blood drive setThe Eldred Township Community Center in Kunkletown will be the site of an American Red Cross blood drive from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30

p.m.March 11. Both blood and Power Red donations will be accepted.Scout breakfastOnMarch 12, Boy Scouts will be having a pancake and sausage breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. at Salem United Church of Christ in Gilbert by suggested donation, with children under 3 free.Everyone attending breakfast is welcome to stay for the 10 a.m. worship service.For more information, call the church at 610-681-4733.Writing contestPBS KIDS is having a writers contest. All kids, kindergarten through third grade, are eligible. Winners will have their story published online at wvia.org/education. The deadline for entries is March 31.Entry forms are available at Western Pocono Community Library. For more information, visit

www.wvia.org/education.Contact Adele Argot at 717-933-4028 or

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

tneditor@tnonline.com.