FYI 4-16-23

Chicken dumpling dinner planned

Trinity Lutheran Church at Egypt Mills will have a chicken and dumpling drive-thru dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 16. The menu includes chicken and dumplings, corn, green beans, slaw, bread and dessert. There will be a country store with items for purchase as you drive through.

Writers Guild to meet

Heartland Writers Guild will meet from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson. A presentation titled "A path to publication" will be given by Greg Stout, recipient of the 2022 Shamus Award for "Best First Private Eye Novel". Anyone interested in writing and getting published is invited to attend.

Civil War Roundtable to meet

The Cape Girardeau Civil War Roundtable will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at Hanover Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. Member Scott House will present a program on the infamous Battle of Cape Girardeau. Members will learn how Confederate John Marmaduke's raid (Texas invade Missouri) into Missouri on April 26, 1863, degenerated into an ineffectual assault on the most heavily fortified city of Southern Missouri.

Riverside Regional Library events

• Book group will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 17, at the Oran, Missouri branch. Join in the lively discussion of "Whisper Network" by Chandler Baker.
• Riverside Book Club will meet from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Monday, April 17, at the Oran branch and from 7 to 8 p.m., Monday, April 17, at the Jackson branch. Join in a lively discussion of "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt.
• A bulb and plant swap will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 21, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at the Scott City branch. Get ready to get out of the garden by bringing in bulbs and plants and swapping or pick up some.,
• Family fun night will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 21, at the Jackson branch. Join in for all kinds of good fun crafts, games, activate and more.

Healthy cooking class planned

Healthy Cooking Class: Don't Forget to eat your greens will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, April 17, at HealthPoint Fitness in Cape Girardeau. Learn more about greens. They are plentiful, fiber-filled and delicious. There are great ways to prepare the "other" green vegetables. Healthy cooking classes are taught by Laura Vollink, HealthPoint Nutritional Services coordinator.

Novelist to give a reading

Buki Papillon, Maya Angelou award winning novelist, will give a reading at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 17, at the University Center at Southeast Missouri State University. Papillon was born in Nigeria and, after studying law at Hull University in the U.K., she completed an MFA in creative writing at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her debut, "An Ordinary Wonder", has received rave reviews and mentions in The New York Times, Ms. Magazine, Essence and Cosmopolitan and is a Massachusetts Book Awards fiction honors recipient and a Ferro-Grumley Literary Award finalist. The event is open to the public.

Tobacco cessation program to be held

A tobacco cessation program will be held at 9 a.m., Tuesday, April 18, at HealthPoint Fitness in Cape Girardeau. Creating a quit-tobacco plan may improve your chances of stopping for good. Having a plan helps prepare you for coping with the physical and emotional issues that often happen when you stop using tobacco, such as nicotine withdrawal and strong urges. To reserve a seat, call (800) 800-5123.

Conservation Nature Center events

• Spring wildflowers of Southeast Missouri will be held virtually from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 18. Learn the basics of wildflower identification in Missouri's southeast region. Many of the plants featured here are found statewide, but the swamps and bottomlands of the Bootheel offer a variety found nowhere else in the state. This program will feature several recommended hikes to take what you learn virtually and stroll through the spring forest to find these flowers on your own.
• Fantastic frogs will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 19. How well do you know your toads and frogs of Missouri? Learn how to identify some of the frogs and toads that live in Southeast Missouri as we play frog call bingo and take a trip down to the pond. Please wear boots and clothes that can get muddy.
• Be your own bike mechanic will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 21. Get your bike ready for spring weather. This program will teach you new skills and help you save money by teaching you the essentials of bike maintenance and repair. You will learn how to fix a flat, adjust brakes and get you shifting more smoothly. Please wear clothing you don't mind getting dirty.
• Bashin' Trash will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 22, at Cape LaCroix Trail. The nature center is partnering with the Cape Girardeau Parks & Recreation Department to clean up Cape LaCroix Creek during its annual Friends of the Park Day. Gather your friends, family or organization to help bring the beauty back to the creek between Walden Park and Shawnee Sports complex. Meet at the 4-H shelter at Arena Park. Please wear clothes and shoes you can get muddy. Youth and adult groups are welcome.
• Geocaching 101 will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22. Did you know there are treasure hiding all around you? Geocaching is a fun pastime in which you follow GPS coordinates to a specific location or box filled with trinkets. In this program, we will learn about the different types of caches, safety and GPS use. Then you'll hit the trails to find some "treasure."

For more information on Conservation Center events, go to mdc.mo.gov/southeastevents.

Gardening seminar series to be held

A spring gardening seminar series hosted by the Cape Girardeau County Master Gardeners will be held in April and May at the University of Missouri Extension Office in Jackson. Soil building and bed preparation will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18. Pruning trees and shrubs will be held Tuesday, April 25. Lawn care basics will be held Tuesday, May 2. Everyone loves herbs will be held Tuesday, May 16. To register, call (573) 243-3581.

Jazz concert planned

The Southeast Jazz Lab and Studio Ensembles will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus. It focuses on one of the most central elements of jazz tradition, the Blues.

Grief support group to meet

A grief support group, Timetables of grief will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at HealthPoint Fitness in Cape Girardeau. The topic will be "Who am I now? Redefining identity". For more information, please call Southeast Hospice at (573) 335-6208.

SEMO Bible Fellowship to meet

SEMO Bible Science Fellowship will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, April 20, at Cape Girardeau Public Library. Many believe that genetics has proven that humans and chimps share a common ancestor disproving Adam and Eve being real people specially created by God. On this DVD, Dr. Georgia Purdom looks at two central evidences that are commonly used to support shared ancestry, and shows that human and chimp DNA sequences are in fact quite different.

Golf tourney for Scouts to be held

The Greater St. Louis Area Council of Boy Scouts of America will hold a golf tournament at 11 a.m., Friday, April 21, at Cape Girardeau Country Club. This four-person scramble is built for fun and all funds raised will support scouting programs in Southeast Missouri. For more information and to sign up, go to forethescouts.givesmart.com/

Sheriff's office golf tournament planned

The Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Office will hold a golf tournament at 11 a.m., Friday, April 21, at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson. Funds raised will go to help cover the purchase cost of a K-9 officer, K-9 cage for inside the vehicle, retrofitting the squad car to adapt to the K-9, the cost of a kennel, certification training, K-9 cool-down system, leash, leads and miscellaneous, K-9 handler training and more. There will be prizes for longest drive and longest putt. A hole-in-one is worth $10,000 and trophies will be given to the winners of each flight. Check in will be at 11 a.m. with shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. Mulligans may be purchased and there will be a 50/50 raffle. Lunch will be served at 11 a.m. and there will be drinks on the course. For more information or to register, go to capecountysheriff.org/ cgso-golf-tournbament-1.

Mobile food pantry to be held

A mobile food pantry for residents of Cape Girardeau County will be held at 4 p.m., Friday, April 21, at Fruitland Community Church through a partnership between the church and Southeast Missouri Food Bank. Please bring a photo ID or piece of mail to show proof of residence.

Dance program planned

"Moving Perspectives" will be held at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22, at Rust Flexible Theatre at the River Campus. The program will feature original contemporary dance works and physical theatre pieces created and performed by Southeast Missouri State University students.

5K dash to be held

The Jackson School District Milk Mustache 5K & 1 mile fun run will be held at 8 a.m., Saturday, April 22, at Orchard Elementary School. All proceeds will benefit the Power Pack Program which provides weekend meals to Jackson School District students and families in need. To register, go to raceentry.com/races/milk-mustache-dash-5k/2023/register

Reptile show planned

The Show Me Reptile Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday, April 22, at the Osage Centre. Experience, learn and maybe even bring home a new family member.

Day in the park planned

The Green Bear Project educators welcome you and your family to A day in the park with Green Bear from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Cape Girardeau County Park North. There will be crafts and experiences for the whole family from area organizations. The Green Bear Project brings awareness and educates the community about the prevention of child abuse. For more information, go to greenbearmo.org.