Kingsmen Chess Club: Meets Sundays, noon to 4 p.m., Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main St. For more information, call John Dould at 978-249-5905 or email aelb@trysb.net or aelb@hotmail.com.
Smoking Cessation: Led by Tim Sweeney, tobacco treatment specialist. Meets Mondays, 6 to 7 p.m. Athol Hospital’s cafeteria.
Dick’s Angels Relay For Life team will be cooking at the Bernardston Vets Club on Friday. The special will be a roast pork dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable and a roll. Hamburgers, hot dogs, truck burgers, french fries and grilled cheese will also be available. Serving from 5 to 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
Kyle Artus of Bernardston graduated from Lasell College in December. Artus earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.
Greenfield SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council): Are you the parent or guardian of a child with an IEP or Section 504? The SEPAC is a volunteer organization of parents or guardians of children with special needs, both in-district students and private/out-of-district placements. It meets the second Thursday of each month at the Greenfield YMCA’s social room from 6:15- to 7:45 p.m. The next meeting will be tonight. Free childcare. RSVP to jfalk@mtholyoke.edu or mjmphtraver@crocker.com.
Community Meal: Stone Soup Cafe takes place Saturdays at noon at All Souls Church, 399 Main St. (Hope Street entrance). Local food served. Pay-what-you-can. All welcome.
Mexican Night at Millers Falls Rod and Gun Club, 210-R Turners Falls Road, will be Saturday at 6:30 p.m. $10. Pick two: one burrito; two tacos; one quesadilla, beef or chicken, and includes side of rice, chips and salsa. For tickets, call 863-3748.
A Community Dance will be Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Shelburne-Buckland Community Center, Main and Church Streets. Celebrate Valentines Day with friends and neighbors and by enjoying live music from the 40s, 50s 60s 70s and 80s by the band Sidetracked. Good dancing music. Tickets are $12.50, which includes snacks. Soft drinks sold separately. For more information, call Kevin Hollister at 625-6355.
Free Community Meal: Offered every Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Church, Severance Street.
Chili Cook-Off: Shutesbury Community Church will sponsor the First Maybe Annual Shutesbury Chili Cook-Off Friday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. at Shutesbury Athletic Club, 282 Wendell Road. It will be followed by a concert at 8 by Shutesbury’s own country music star Caylin Lee. Diners will vote for the best chili in the house and the winner will receive a $50 gift certificate, donated by Chili’s Grill and Bar, 426 Russell St., Hadley. All are invited to enter. No entry fee. Sign up at Shutesbury Athletic Club or email Pastor Mark Ellis at shutesburychurch@gmail.com. All who attend the cook-off will be invited to sample and judge the chili. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, which includes the concert. Besides chili, dinner will feature pulled chicken, salad, breads and desserts. All proceeds will go to the church’s accessibility fund to help pay for a wheelchair lift to the second-floor sanctuary. Donations may also be sent to Shutesbury Community Church, 6 Town Common Road, Shutesbury MA 01072. Please designate that your gift is for the accessibility fund.
Frontier Regional CFCE Free Drop-In Playgroup for Children 0-5 and their caregivers. Mondays and Fridays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunderland Elementary School, Swampfield Drive. Playgroup follows school calendar, and there will be no playgroup on school holidays, breaks or snow days. For questions contact Karen Green at karen.green@frsu38.org or 413-665-1151.
Preschool story time: Fridays, 11 a.m. in the Children’s Room of the Sunderland Public Library. These story/craft times are for children ages 3 to 5 and their families/caregivers. Each story time is about 45 minutes and includes theme-related stories, songs, finger plays and crafts.
Serendipity Shop: Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Congregational Church basement. Men’s women, children’s clothing, shoes and sneakers. Most items $1. Men’s suits and all coats, $3. Women’s suits, $2. Donations accepted. Proceeds to benefit the church. 665-2890.
Cocoa with Chief Chris! All are welcome to come and chat with Chief Chris Williams of the Montague Police Department Saturday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Greenfield Savings Bank, 282 Avenue A in the community room. This is a family friendly event so please bring any youngsters to meet and greet the chief. Hot cocoa and coffee and light munchies served. No reservations necessary.
Franklin Area Survival Center: The Food Pantry & Thrift Store hosted by staff and volunteers is at 96 Fourth St., 863-9549. The Thrift Store is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Food Pantry is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The center is closed Federal holidays. The Thrift Shop is open to the general public and helps finance its Food Pantry. In an emergency, such as a fire or flood, the center will supply needed clothing and linens, free, and additional food to help the victims of a disaster.
Turkey dinner: The Winchester Woman’s Club will sponsor its annual turkey dinner Sunday, serving from noon to 1:30 p.m. at The United Church of Winchester at Main and Parker Streets. The dinner benefits the Winchester Community Creche. A donation of $10 for adults, and $4 for children 3 to 10. Children 2 and under are free. Tickets are available at the door or in advance by contacting any Woman’s Club member.
Moonlight hike: The Friends of Pisgah have planned a moonlight hike Saturday staring at the Kilburn trailhead parking lot, just off NH Route 63 at 6:30 p.m. Hikers will trek out the Davis Hill Trail to Davis Hill’s summit viewpoint to the east, toward Mt. Monadnock where the near-full moon will make its appearance if the sky is clear and the moon cooperates. Bring a light or headlamp, boots with a pair of micro-spikes or crampons or snowshoes if there is plenty of new snow. Bring some fluids and a snack, if you like. Dress warmlyFree. All a welcome. The trek out to the summit usually takes about 35 to 40 minutes, longer if conditions on the ground are iffy. We will return the way we came back to the parking lot. There is a viewpoint to the west a little farther along the trail, too, if folks wish to see a bit more of our beautiful northern New England world.
The following area residents have been named to the fall Dean’s List at the University of Maine, Orono: Elizabeth Herzig of Colrain; Elizabeth LaValley and Chloe Lunt of Greenfield, and Birgit Kuhlka of Northfield.
Helpful Programs at LifePath. Any plan of care starts with your needs. LifePath services provide assistance with light homemaking, home-delivered meals, personal care, and adaptive equipment. Caregivers can take a break to de-stress with LifePath’s respite services. In addition, the Consumer Directed Care Program at LifePath allows elders in need to select their own care giver — perhaps a friend, neighbor or even a family member — who can be paid through this program (excludes spouses). For more information, visit: info@lifepathma.org or call 773-5555 or 978-544-2259. Read more at lifepathma.org.