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.

The 21st annual Commonwealth Cleanup Week will be held March 25-30 in Bell County. All civic, religious and other nonprofit organizations are invited to participate — you could win up to $100 by helping clean up the environment. Organize a cleanup in your community and get registered for a random drawing for one of six cash prizes. For more information, contact Bell County Solid Waste, Scotty Phipps at 606-337-7035. The Transfer Station will be open regular hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.; clean up week only March 30, 80 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. For details visit, www.waste.ky.gov.

MARCH 28

The Middlesboro Board of Education will have a special board meeting at noon on March 28 at the Middlesboro Board of Education, 220 North 20th Street.

The Bell County Cooperative Extension Service will host the monthly Homemaker Leader Lesson at 1 p.m. on March 28 in the Extension Office. The lesson is “Eating Healthy for Less.” To register, contact the Extension Office at 606-337-2376.

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 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.

MARCH 29

A community Acapella Gospel Sing will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on March 29 at Binghamton Baptist Church in the choir room (enter at the back of the church). Guest singers are Voices of Praise. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call 606-248-3001.

St. Julian Catholic Church, located at 118 East Chester Avenue in Middlesboro, will have a Lenten Fish Fry from 4 to 7 p.m. on March 29. Tickets are $7 — dine in or carry out. For more information, call the church office at 606-248-1010.

MARCH 31

Indian Creek Baptist Church will host a fifth Sunday singing at 10:30 a.m. ton March 31 featuring The Shepherd’s Way gospel group, of Oneida, Tennessee and others. Lunch will be served following the service. Everyone is welcome.

WEDNESDAYS

The Bell County Cooperative Extension Service will host Weigh 2 Go Wednesdays every Wednesday through April 24. Meet at 10 a.m. in the Extension Office. This is an eight-week program that will include nutrition information, recipes, weekly weigh-ins and exercise. To register, contact the Extension Office at 606-337-2376.

APRIL 1

Opioid Epidemic Education Symposium will be held on April 1 at the LMU Hamilton Math and Science Building, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway in Harrogate. Local law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, elected officials and community members are invited to attend this symposium structured to increase recognition of the devastating effects of the opioid abuse epidemic focusing on education. Participant registration and meet and greet is from11:30 a.m. to noon, symposium is from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Jeremy Buchanan at jeremy.buchanan@LMUnet.edu.

APRIL 2

Pineville Chapter No. 89 Order of the Eastern Star will meet at 7 p.m. on April 2 at the Masonic Building in Pineville. The meeting will be preceded with a meal at 6 p.m.

APRIL 9

The Middlesboro Independent Schools Local Planning Committee will conduct a meeting at 6 p.m. on April 9 at Middlesboro Middle School, 4400 West Cumberland Avenue. The Middlesboro Independent School Local Planning Committee will conduct a public forum at 5;30 p.m. on April 9 at the Middlesboro Middle School. This meeting is an informal gathering to encourage local participation through community suggestions relative to future utilization of existing school facilities and construction of new school facilities. These community suggestions or recommendations will be closely monitored by the Local Planning Committee.

APRIL 11

Traditional Beekeeping will be hosted by Pine Mountain Settlement School from 5 to 6 p.m. on April 11. Local beekeeper and traditional skills expert Gary Branson will demonstrate how to build and use hollow-log style beehives. You will also learn what you need to know about selling honey and other honey-based, value-added products to the public as well. For more information, call 606-558-3571 or email office@pinemountainsettlementschool.com.

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.

Scrabble for Literacy 2019 will be held on April 13 at Southeast CTC, room 106 in the Educational Alliance Building. Registration begins at 5 p.m., and the tournament at 6 p.m. Come play on a team of three — $200 per team. You may sign up for a sponsored team at no cost. For more information, contact the Bell County Council on Literacy, Inc. at 606-248-2014.

Benefit auction, sponsored by Krater Town Auction, 229 North 19th Street in Middlesboro, will be held at 7 p.m. on April 4 to support FLIPIT Gymnastics for cheer accessories, equipment. Lots of donations including furniture, toys, old records, games, movies, box lots, etc. (Auctioneer LN#3985).

APRIL 14

Indian Creek Baptist Church’s second Sunday singing will begin at 6 p.m. on April 14 featuring the Blairs Creek Youth Choir.

APRIL 15

Bell County Democrats will meet at 6 p.m. on April 15 at the Bell County Public Library, located at 214 South Walnut Street in Pineville. For more information, email bellcountykydemocrats@gmail.com, call Sarah Johnson, chair, at 859-625-2245, or Bishop Johnson, co-chair, at 606-337-6500.

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.

APRIL 19

Applications are now available at the Bell County Cooperative Extension Office, online at http://bell.ca.uky.edu/ and in all local high schools for the Bell County Toledo Alexander Moss 4-H Scholarship. A $500 scholarship will be awarded to a deserving student in Bell County who will be a full-time University of Kentucky student in fall 2019. Applications must be returned by April 19 to the Bell County Extension Service, 101 Courthouse Square, Pineville, KY 40977. If you would like an application, call 606-337-2376.

APRIL 19-21

Pine Mountain Settlement School will host Wildflower Weekend April 19-21. Pine Mountain has more than 100 species of wildflowers viewable through guided walks. PMSS does all the planning and provides lodging and meals. For more information, call 606-558-3571 or email office@pinemountainsettlementschool.com.

MAY 4

Pine Mountain Settlement School will host Draft Animals 101 from noon to 3 p.m. on May 4. Join as participants learn the old-time methods and skills necessary for plowing, log skidding and sled pulling with draft animals. For more information, call 606-558-3571 or email office@pinemountainsettlementschool.com.

MAY 10-12

Pine Mountain Settlement School will host Black Mountain Wildflower Weekend May 10-12. Celebrate the unique and important ecosystem the highest point in Kentucky, home to many rare species of wildflowers, rare birds, mammals and insects. For more information, call 606-558-3571 or email office@pinemountainsettlementschool.com.

MAY 12

Pine Mountain Settlement School will host a Mother’s Day Dinner from 6 to 7 p.m. on May 12 in Laurel House. A farm-fresh supper is free for moms; the cost for everyone else is $10 per person.

JUNE 7-8

Bell County’s first Laurel Music Festival will take place June 7 and 8 at the Laurel Cove Amphitheater, organized through a partnership with Main Street Pineville, Pine Mountain State Resort Park and Bell County Tourism. Lineup and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

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New Beginning Christian Academy (NBCA), located at 2305 Hwy. 63 in Cumberland Gap, is currently accepting applications for K3- through eighth-grade for the 2019-2020 school year. The A Beka curriculum is offered with a small Christian learning environment, less distractions and more emphasis on your child. To schedule an appointment or request an application, call 423-869-7378.

Appalachian Promise of Claiborne (APCC), a 501(C)3 faith-based organization, provides free IOP classes for those battling addiction with drug testing every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon at N. 1718 Broad Street in Tazewell. All services are free to the Tri-State area and assistance with rehab placement is also available. Parenting and anger management classes along with job placement is provided as well. Families can learn about treatment and other programs offered in family support groups available on Thursdays at 2 p.m. For more information, call 423-259-8189.

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.

The Harrogate Book Station, located at 310 Bristol Road, is having an ongoing book sale. The selection includes hardcover, $1; large paperback, 50 cents; and paperback, 25 cents. For more information, call 423-869-9777.

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 Bell, Harlan, Knox and Whitley 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.