Special Events
- Hawbridge School open house – on February 9 from 2-4 p.m. Inviting all prospective students and families to attend. The school emphasizes environmental sciences and the arts. The open house will include a meeting with current teachers and students and a glimpse at student artwork. More information at www.hawbridge school.org or 336-376-1122
- Focus the Nation: Climate Change Awareness Day will be hosted by UNC in the Great Hall of the Frank Porter Graham Student Union. Activities will include a carnival with environmental speakers, info booths and entertainment on Thu, Jan 31, 8am-5pm. Call 252-916-2794 or visit focusthenation.org for more info.
- Cooking with Love – a hands-on cooking class with the chef from Pittsboro’s co-op grocery Chatham Marketplace. Thu, Feb 7, 7:30-9pm. Cost is $45 and includes dinner, wine, dessert & notes. Call 542-2643 to reserve space or visit www.chathammarketplace.coop for more info.
- “A Chocolate Affaire†2008, a live auction benefiting Cornucopia House Cancer Support Center, will be held Sun, Feb 10 from 2-5pm. Tickets are $40 and include wine, coffee, cheeses, fruit and chocolate desserts. The Carolina Club, George Watts Hill Alumni Center, UNC Campus. Call 401-9333 for tickets.
- First Annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball to Benefit Chatham and New Orleans, complete with Big Easy-style fun. Guests are invited to collaborate and participate in an auction for a group service trip to New Orleans to benefit the Musicians’ Village, sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. Sat, Feb 2, 7pm. Chatham Mills, 280 Hillsboro St, Pittsboro. $25 in advance, $30 at the door; $2 discount for ChathamArts members. Proceeds go to the Abundance Foundation, ChathamArts and Katrina relief efforts. Call 542-0394 or visit www.chathamarts.org for more info.
- Facing Controversy: Struggling with Capital Punishment in North Carolina – a panel discussion of current and historical perspectives. Tue, Feb 5, reception at 5pm, program at 5:45pm. Pleasants Family Assembly Room, Wilson Library, UNC Campus. Free and open to the public. Call 962-4207 for more info. www.lib.unc.edu/spotlight/2008/deathpenalty.html
- Ethical Sex, a presentation led by Kate Lovelady, leader of the Ethical Society of St. Louis will be hosted by the North Carolina Society for Ethical Culture on Sun, Feb 3 at 11am. The discussion will cover who should have sex, when, how, with whom and under what circumstances. The ArtsCenter. 300 E Main St. Free & open to the public.
- Fieldwork on Mexican Migration in Tijuana and North Carolina, a presentation by UNC post-doctoral scholar Sergio Chavez, will be given Sun, Feb 10 at 5pm. The presentation will include photographs and findings from Chavez’s research in Mexico and North Carolina and an overview of day laborers in North Carolina. Chapel Hill Institute for Cultural and Language Education. 101 E Weaver St, 3rd Floor. Visit www.chi-cle.com for more info.
- Celebration of Earth and Sky, with keynote speaker Aaron Nelson. Sun, Feb 10, 2-6pm. Sponsored by Chapel Hill High School S.U.R.G.E. and The Foundation for a Sustainable Community. $2 donation. Century Center, 100 N Greensboro St.
- The Vagina Monologues, presented by V-Day Chapel Hill/Carrboro 2008. Fri, Feb 8, 8pm. The ArtsCenter, 300-G E Main St. $12 general public, $10 ArtsCenter friends, $7 students. Call 929-2787 or visit www.artscenterlive.org for tickets. Proceeds benefit the Orange County Rape Crisis Center and the Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County.
Kids
- Toddler Time – At the Carrboro Branch Library. Every Thursday at 4pm. For more info, call 969-3006.
- Preschool Story Time – At the Carrboro Branch Library. Every Saturday at 10:30am. All preschoolers are invited to this free program. For more info, call 969-3006.
- ComedySportz 4 Kidz – Games & improv for the 12 & under crowd. Saturdays, 5pm. $10, students $8, kids under 5 $5. DSI Comedy Theater, 200 N Greensboro St, Ste B-11, Carr Mill Mall, Carrboro, 338-8150, www.dsicomedytheater.com.
- Express Yourself! – Art program for ages 3-8 & their caregivers. Weekly art projects for children & adults to explore their own creative paths; registration requested. Saturdays, 10:45-11:15 & 11:30am-noon. $2. Kidzu Children’s Museum, 105 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill. 933-1455, www.kidzuchildrensmuseum.org.
Volunteers
- Meals on Wheels – Seeks volunteers to deliver meals and/or bake simple desserts for recipients in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. For more info, call 942-2948.
- Goathouse Cat Refuge – Seeks volunteers to help with rescued cats & kittens. For more info, call Bonny at 545-2825 or email her at brooze@embarqmail.com.
- English as a Second Language Conversation Club seeks volunteers to talk with groups of international students on Fridays from 11:30am to 1:30pm. University Methodist Church on Franklin Street. Call 967-1448 or email harwellja@bellsouth.net.
Health & Wellness
- Community Grief Support Group, offered by UNC Hospitals’ Bereavement Support Services. Group will focus on sharing and moving toward healing in a safe, supportive setting. Mondays through Mar 10, 6:30-8pm. United Church of Chapel Hill, 1321 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Free and open to anyone, regardless of faith background. To enroll, contact Heidi Gessner at 966-0716 or hgessner@unch.unc.edu.
- Living with Advanced/Metastatic Cancer – A bi-weekly support group. Meets 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month, 3:30-5pm. Drop-in, no charge. Cornucopia House Cancer Support Center, Chapel Hill. 401-9333, www.cornucopiahouse.org.
- NAMI Family-To-Family Education Program will host a series of 12 weekly classes for people who have family members with a serious mental illness. Classes offered in Chapel Hill & Hillsborough. In Chapel Hill, contact Gove Elder, 967-5403. Classes begin Mar 4. In Hillsborough, contact Bill or Sandy Moyer, 382-7408. Classes begin Feb 2. Registration required. Email confidential inquiries to gbelder@bellsouth.net.
- The Compassionate Friends: Self-help support after the death of a child. Free and open to all. Third Mondays, 7-8:30pm. Evergreen United Methodist Church. 11098 Highway 15-501.
- Feelings: What’s Appropriate and When to Say It, hosted by Charlie Bernacchio, professor of counseling and psychology. Thu, Jan 31, 5:30-7pm. Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W Main St. Call 942-5602 or email peerconnections@yahoo.com. This meeting is part of the Peer Connections Be Well! Be Fit! program.
Museums
- Planetarium & Digital Theater Shows – Science LIVE Demos. Ongoing. Morehead Planetarium, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill. Info hotline 549-6863, office 962-1236, tickets 843-7997. Thu-Sat 10am-5pm, 6:30-9:15pm. Tickets $5.25; $4.25 seniors, students & children. For more info, visit www.moreheadplanetarium.org.
- A Nursery of Patriotism: The University at War, 1861-1945. Exhibit on war’s historic impact on UNC-Chapel Hill. In the Manuscripts Dept (4th floor), Wilson Library, UNC Campus, through Feb. www.lib.unc.edu/spotlight/universityatwar.html.
Dance
- Edsel 500 Swing Dance – Feb 9, lesson at 7:30pm, dance at 8pm. With music by Rockabilly. Visit www.TriangleSwingDance.org for more info.
- Havana Nights – Cuban Salsa. 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 10pm. Mansion 462, 462 W Franklin St, Chapel Hill, 967-7913, www.mansion462.net.
- Salsa/Mambo – 3rd Saturdays, lesson 8pm, dance 8:30-11pm. $7, 358-4201, salsa_4u2@yahoo.com. Fred Astaire Dance Studio, 4702 Garrett Rd, Durham (Hillsborough).
- Ballroom – Dancing. 4th & 5th Thursdays, 7-9:30pm, $2. 933-8982. Seymour Senior Center, 2551 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill, 968-2070.
Literary Discussion/Open Mic
- Open Mic – For poetry, music & short fiction. Tuesdays at 7pm, Market Street Books & Maps, Southern Village, 610 Market St, Chapel Hill. 933-5111, www.marketstreetbooks.com.
- Warren Rochelle will read from his novel Harvest of Changelings. Thu, Feb 7, 3:30pm. Donovan Lounge, Greenlaw Hall, UNC Campus.
Films
- El Cimarrón, from Puerto Rican director Ivan Ortiz, will be shown as part of the Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film. Tue, Feb 5, 7pm. Free at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History. UNC Campus. Call 962-9001 for more info.
Other
- VITA, a free tax assistance program for low- to middle-income clients, begins Feb 1. For enrollement requirements and more info visit www.co.orange.nc.us/aging/VITA.asp.
- Introduction to Buddhism. Wednesdays, Feb 6-Mar 5, 7:30-9pm. Piedmont KTC Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center. 35 Perkins Dr, Chapel Hill. Call 933-2138 or visit www.piedmontktc.org for more info.