Meeting tonight

The Polk Township Planning Commission is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. today.

Benefit dinner

Effort UMC’s Wesley Hall, Effort, is holding a spaghetti dinner in support of Austin’s Blue Line set for 5-7 p.m. Saturday.

Choose dine in or takeout; the benefit will help support offered scholarships and suicide prevention.

Homemade baked goods and/or dessert are to be available.

Parks & rec

Polk Township Parks & Recreation is slated to meet at 6 p.m. May 22.

Flea market

St. Peter’s UMC’s spring flea market will be held on Saturday, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The rain date is May 24, with the same hours.

The parking lot is highly visible on Route 115 in Saylorsburg.

Call 570-992-7311 and leave a message for call-back information. Rent for a space and a table are nominally priced.

Flower hunt

Monroe County Conservation District’s Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center has announced an April Showers to May Flowers program for 10 a.m. Saturday.

Weather permitting, participants will spend time hunting for flowers on Kettle Creek trails. There is a cost.

Participants must preregister by calling 570-629-3061.

The center is located at 8050 Running Valley Road, Stroudsburg.

Saturday tea

Pleasant Valley Assembly of God Church, Route 115, Brodheadsville, is hosting its Sisterhood High Tea at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Dressing in vintage-inspired attire is optional but encouraged.

For more information, call the church at 570-992-6799.

Birthday bash

St. Matthew’s, Kunkletown, is holding its collective church family birthday bash in the social hall at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The event includes a buffet dinner and entertainment. It is open to everyone; however RSVPs are requested.

Folks are asked to tell what month they were born in and they will be asked to sit with their month’s fellow celebrants.

For more information, call the church office at 610-381-2442 or L. Koehler at 610-681-4617. People can also text 570-236-7536 or email linhar@ptd.net

Animal Frolic

Quiet Valley is hosting a Farm Animal Frolic from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and again on May 24.

It is a time “to meet and greet” the farm’s spring babies.

In addition, there will be special demonstrations, traditional sheep shearing, spring starter plants and a Civil War encampment.

There is a charge, but children under 3 are admitted for free.

Let’s Preserve

If you garden, or buy fruits and vegetables in bulk, you might consider requesting copies of “Let’s Preserve,” a Penn State Extension newsletter.

Contact the Monroe County Extension office at 570-421-6430 for more details. The office is located at 724 Phillips St., Suite 201, Stroudsburg, and open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Bike blessing

The West End Memorial American Legion, Post 927, 646 Fairgrounds Road, Gilbert, will hold a Blessing of the Bikes at noon on Sunday. Chaplain Herline Raphael will officiate. Light refreshments will follow the event.

Polk meeting

Polk Township Board of Supervisors will hold a general meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Chestnuthill Twp.

The Chestnuthill Township Board of Supervisors meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the municipal building on Route 715.

Pickup supper

Zion Lutheran, Brodheadsville, offers a free drive-thru pickup supper from 5-6 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month, May 21. All are welcome.

Honoring graduates

The youth group at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Brodheadsville, will celebrate its high school seniors with a barbecue at the church pavilion from 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 21. Participants are asked to bring a side dish to share.

Remembrance event

American Legion Honor Guard from Post 927 will be special guests at the Memorial Day flag retirement ceremony and remembrance event at 10 a.m. May 22 at the main entrance of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono by the flagpole at 206 E. Brown St.

Anyone with questions can call Beth Taylor at 570-476-3443.

Memorial event

On Sunday, May 25, Polk Township will hold its memorial event at the Polk Veterans’ Memorial and Adam’s Faith Garden on Trach Road in Kresgeville.

It celebrates the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the U.S. Army, after the 1775 Second Continental Congress.

It is also the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Marine Corps, both founded in Philadelphia. Both launched their fight for American Independence from the Delaware River.

A Branch of Service Roll Call will be done during the event. Veterans and active military are asked to wear their uniform or other insignia representing their branch of service.

Attendees are asked to participate in Operation Paperback, an organization that sends books to veterans and active military personnel, by bringing books — no romance novels — or monetary donations to the event. The cost to ship 20 books is $7.

Parking is available at Salem-St. Paul Church.

Attendees are asked to bring a lawn chair as seating is not provided. In the event of rain, the event will be held in the church. This is a solemn event that will start promptly at 2 p.m.

For more information, call 570-216-2301 or visit polktwpmemorial@gmail.com.

OTOH meeting

The next Operation: Touch of Home meeting will be held on June 10. The May 13 meeting had been canceled.

Trexler bus trip

A family-friendly day trip to the Trexler Nature Preserve in Schnecksville on June 11 is being offered by Monroe County Conservation District.

The Kettle Creek bus will depart at 9 a.m. and return at 3 p.m.

Trexler, a 1,495-acre natural preserve, is the largest park in Lehigh County and a diverse natural gem with over 18 miles of trails. Participants will ride through the game preserve to view herds of bison and spend time snorkeling in the Jordan Creek.

Registration is required and limited. For cost and to register, call 570-629-3061.

Senior nutrition

The 2025 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which is being administered by Monroe County Area Agency on Aging, begins June 3. The $25 vouchers will not be mailed as in other years but must be picked up at several facilities, including:

• Chestnuthill Senior Center at Zion Lutheran Church, Brodheadsville: 9 a.m.-noon June 12.

• Hamilton Manor: 1:30-3:30 p.m. June 18.

• Eldred Township Community Center, Kunkletown: 9 a.m.-noon June 26.

Anyone needing more information can contact the Area Agency on Aging at 570-420-3735.

Strawberry fest

St. Matthew’s ECC Church, Kunkletown, will host its annual Strawberry Fest on June 15.

Vendors sought

The American Legion Auxiliary is seeking vendors for its June 21 summer flea market and craft fair being held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Legion Post Home at 646 Fairgrounds Road, Gilbert.

Setup is at 8 a.m. in the post parking lot.

Lunch will be available for purchase.

Reservations and prepayments are required by June 16.

For space reservations and information, call Eileen McGuire at 908-220-4756.

Conservation camp

The Monroe County Conservation Camp, sponsored by Monroe County Conservation District and Monroe County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, is open to all teens, ages 14 through this year’s high school graduate.

It is held at East Stroudsburg University’s Stony Acres, a 119-acre wildlife sanctuary/recreational facility, from July 19-26. At the camp, attendees will work with experts to learn about natural resources and their management.

A highlight is a two-day overnight canoe trip on the Delaware River. Professionals from the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Tobyhanna Conservation Association, Blue Ridge/Cherry Valley Rod and Gun Club, National Park Service, Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, and Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center enhance the program.

For an application, costs, directions and other information, call the conservation district at 570-629-3061, visit www.mcconservation.org or email dlederer@monroecountypa.gov.