Community briefs 11/14/05

Notre Dame high school holds open house

Notre Dame Regional High School is holding an open house for grade school and junior high students at 6:30 p.m. today with a welcoming assembly. Those interested in making Notre Dame their high school for the 2006-2007 school year should come by for a tour.

Steve Williams to speak on affordable housing

The League of Women Voters will explore decent, affordable housing Tuesday at its 7 p.m. meeting at the Cape Girardeau Public Library. The guest speaker is Steve Williams, housing assistance coordinator in the planning services division of the city of Cape Girardeau. He will focus on several housing projects managed by the city. The league's general monthly meetings are always open to the public.

Group will hear program on Commerce church

BENTON, Mo. -- The Scott County Historical and Genealogy Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Riverside Regional Library in Benton. Michael Painton, a historic preservation student at Southeast Missouri State University, will offer a presentation on St. Paul United Methodist Church's 180-year history. Entrance is at the south door. The public is invited. For more information, contact Carolyn Frey at (573) 262-2415, Lois Spalding at (573) 545-3326 or Caryl Hairston at (573) 471-7381.

Scott County Health Dept. sets flu shot dates

Flu shots for Scott County residents will be available from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Scott County Nutrition Center; Thursday at Morley Baptist Church; and Nov. 21 at Heritage House in Sikeston, Mo. Shots are $15. Medicare or Medicaid will be accepted. For more information, call (573) 471-4044.

Holiday Extravaganza benefits service projects

Applications for booth and demonstration spaces are now being accepted for the Holiday Extravaganza Weekend set for Friday through Sunday at The Bavarian Halle at Interstate 55, exit 105, in the Jackson-Cape Girardeau area. Hours for the crafts, gifts and collectibles show will be 5 to 9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Proceeds will be used for the local Toy Box campaign, Christmas for the Elderly and Toys for Tots. Christmas packages will also be sent to members of the military serving overseas. Call Dixie J. Burnett at (573) 266-3688 for more information. For a registration form, send a large, self-addressed stamped envelope to Craft and Gift Show, 2938 State Highway E, Oak Ridge, Mo. 63769.

Mobile pet adoption to be held at Petco Saturday

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri will hold a pet adoption from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Petco in Cape Girardeau.

Stories, recipes and poetry sought by Nov. 18

The Southeast Missourian is looking for inspirational stories or poetry for the Christmas edition of In the Spirit and holiday recipes to include in a special publication, Old Fashioned Christmas that will feature Christmas articles, carols and favorite holiday recipes. Items can be a first-person account of an inspirational nature or something in any other form that tells a story of faith or inspiration. Send your articles of 750 to 1,000 words to Linda Redeffer, special sections editor, Southeast Missourian, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701, or e-mail lredeffer@semissourian.com

Fund-raiser to send care packages to troops in Iraq

The VFW Kelso Township Memorial Junior Girls unit 6407 in Scott City will hold a fund-raiser from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Scott City Town Plaza. The group will be celebrating its 70th anniversary and will raise money for care packages to soldiers in Iraq, cancer research and recruitment of new members.

Humane Society plans pet photo opportunity

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri and Sunny Hill Pet Center will hold "Holiday Pet Pictures" from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Sunny Hill Pet Center, 335 S. Christine St. Appointments must be scheduled by calling 334-5837. All pets are welcome and must be on a leash or in a carrier.

Host families needed for exchange students

International exchange students from 15 to 18 years old who will arrive in January need host families in the Cape Girardeau area. Students from Italy, Brazil, France, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea will attend your local high school for the semester, bring their own spending money and have insurance. Host families are responsible for room and board and making the student feel part of an American family. Call (800) 522-4678 or visit www. stsfoundation.org.

Basketball contest set at Jackson High School

Free registration for the "Basketball Points for Pizzas" hotshot contest begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Jackson's junior high school multipurpose building. Contest begins at 10 a.m. Age divisions are 9 to 11, 12 to 14 and 15 to 17. Awards include Domino's pizzas for first-, second- and third-place winners. There will be a half-court shootoff. Prizes will be furnished by Main Street Lanes. Call the Jackson Parks and Recreation Department for more information at 204-8848.

COMMrades featuring beauty pageant at SEMO

COMMrades, a student organization at Southeast Missouri State University, is holding the first annual River City Pageant Sunday at the University Center Ballroom. Categories for boys are from birth to 5 years old and for girls from birth to as long as they retain the title of miss. Entry forms may be downloaded at scottcountymo. com or by calling Megan at (573) 380-9391. Prizes will be awarded to winners and the remaining proceeds will benefit local contestants qualified to compete in the Miss Missouri USA and Miss Missouri Teen USA pageants in December at the Kansas City Music Hall.

Family Resource Center seeks computer tutors

The Cape Area Family Resource Center seeks individuals interested in tutoring senior adults and parents from the south Cape Girardeau neighborhood in basic computer skills during weekday, daytime hours. The center is equipped with an eight-unit computer lab. Volunteers should contact manager Denise Lincoln at 335-8170.

Seeking married women to compete as Mrs. Missouri

The Mrs. Missouri United States Pagaeant is open to any woman married at least six months, age 21 or over and currently living with her husband. The Mrs. Missouri U.S. pageant will be held in conjunction with the Mrs. Kansas, Mrs. Arkansas and Mrs. Oklahoma U.S. pageants held at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Joplin April 29. The pageant is an official preliminary to the Mrs. United States Pageant held in Las Vegas, Nev. For more information, call Sharon at (405) 292-1776, e-mail stagepro@flash.net or visit www.mokaproductions.com

Central High School class of 1943 holds reunion

The Central High School Class of 1943 recently held their reunion at Marge Thompson's Longview home. The class visited Riverfront Park for a viewing of the Mississippi Tales murals and the Red House Interpretive Center. The formal dinner was at Drury Lodge. The reunion committee was comprised of Ginny Jones, Alice Lewis, Martha Lou McGinty and Thompson. Charles McKee is asked to call 334-3802 with a mailing address.

Annual Chaffee Christmas parade to be held Dec. 3

The annual Chaffee Christmas parade will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 3 in conjunction with the city's centennial celebration. Themed "100 Years of Christmas," there will be cash prizes for the top three floats, with the first-place float retaining possession of the traveling trophy for a year. The parade route starts at the Head Start parking lot on North Main Street and ends in the Country CBers parking lot on Highway 77. Refreshments provided for participants. Call H.B. Rice with questions at 887-3555.

United Way announces $4 million in grants

The United Way of America announced that more than $4 million in grants from the Hurricane Response and Recovery Fund has been awarded to 29 United Way chapters in the Gulf Coast region for services to those affected by the hurricanes. Communities in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas have been selected to receive initial grants. To date, more than $24 million has been contributed to the United Way to support hurricane recovery efforts, including approximately $8 million to the Hurricane Response and Recovery Fund and $16 million contributed directly to local United Way chapters. More grants are expected to be announced at the end of this month. For more information, visit www.unitedway.org or call (800) 272-4630.

Toyota Solara raffle will benefit Humane Society

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, with help from the Coad Family Toyota dealership, will raffle a silver 2006 Toyota Solara convertible at its annual dinner/auction set for April 25. The car is on display at the mall and tickets may be purchased at these Cape Girardeau locations: The Humane Society, 2536 Boutin; Rogers Jewelers at Westfield West Park mall; Century 21 Ashland Realty, 2441 Myra Drive; Coad Toyota, 357 Siemers Drive; and C.P. McGinty, 117 Main St.

-- From staff reports