Lake City Community Planner for Oct. 28

Track-or-Treat

Lake City Elementary School will sponsor its annual Track-or-Treat event from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the track between Lake City Elementary and Lake City High schools.

Track-or-Treat is an event where parents can bring their children to trick-or-treat instead of going door-to-door through neighborhoods.

Children from all over Florence School District 3 are invited to this event.

The school is asking for donations of candy and other items to be given to the children as they circle the track. Anyone interested in setting up a station should call Patrick Pinckney at Lake City Elementary at (843) 374-2353.

Fall festival picnic

The Pee Dee Community Action Agency Daycare Homes will sponsor its annual Family Fall Festival picnic from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Lynches River County Park, at 1110 Ben Gause Road in Coward. For information, call Jeanette Cooper at (843) 413-0726, ext. 104.

‘South Pacific’ auditions

Lake City Community Theatre will hold auditions for South Pacific at 7 p.m. Sunday and Monday at the Blanding Street Auditorium in Lake City. There is a part for a boy from 6 to 8 years old and a girl from 9 to 11 years old as well as parts for teenagers and adults.

South Pacific is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Tales of the South Pacific,” by James A. Michener. The music is by Richard Rodgers, lyrics are by Oscar Hammerstein II, and book is by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan.

Cades-Hebron event

The faculty, staff and students of Cades-Hebron Elementary School will celebrate the Second Annual Oratorical Contest and Poetry Tea With School at 9 a.m. Nov. 6.  The public is invited to attend.

Johnsonville Christmas pageant

The Miss and Master Merry Christmas Pageant, sponsored by The Johnsonville Christmas Parade Committee, will be held Nov. 7 at Johnsonville Middle School.

Categories are Beauty, Christmas Wear, Photogenic and Portfolio. The contest is for girls from birth to 24 years old and boys from birth to 6 years old.

All Beauty Winners will be asked to ride on a float in the Johnsonville Christmas Parade on Dec. 13. For an application, call Camelia Stevens or Abby Graham at (843) 386-2611 or e-mail .

Community Breakfast

The Care and Concern Organization Soup Kitchen will hold its annual Community Breakfast at 9 a.m. Nov. 7.

Lake City Mayor Lovith Anderson Jr. and other city officials will assist in preparing and serving food during the event, at 800 E. Main St. in Lake City.

The soup kitchen is asking for monetary donations; checks should be made payable to Care and Concern Organization Soup Kitchen.

The breakfast has been held for five years, and the kitchen prepares 900 to 1,100 meals a month, Pastor Samuel Burgess said.

For more information, call (843) 558-3267 or e-mail .

Olanta Christmas Parade

The Town of Olanta Beautification Committee will hold a Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting ceremony on Dec. 19. The parade begins at 3:30 p.m. with the tree lighting to follow. Floats will be available for rent from Kirby Float Company. For more information or an application for the parade, call Debbie Floyd at (843) 396-9282.

Fiction, poetry festival

Four nationally known and best-selling authors and poets will visit Francis Marion University for the Pee Dee Fiction and Poetry Festival from Nov. 5 to 7. The three-day event is free and open to the public. The event will celebrate and promote literature and reading with renowned authors Dorothy Allison, Joseph Millar, Jayne Anne Phillips and Natasha Trethewey. There will be readings, lectures and panel discussions with programs for mature audiences as well as opportunities for book signings. In addition, attendees can see screenings of films “Bastard out of Carolina” and “Cavedweller,” based on novels by Allison.

FMU Observatory

Francis Marion University’s Observatory will hold a public viewing session from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20. The session requires clear skies; call (843) 661-1355 to check on weather conditions. Admission is free. For information, call (843) 661-1441.

FMU Thanksgiving break

Francis Marion University is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 26 and 27.  Classes resume Nov. 30. For information, call (843) 661-1220.

FMU open house

Francis Marion University on Nov. 21 will hold an open house for prospective students and their families. For registration and information, call (843) 661-1231.

‘The Christmas Star’

Francis Marion University’s Dooley Planetarium will present “The Christmas Star” at 3 p.m. Nov. 22 and Dec. 13 and 20 on the second floor of the Cauthen Educational Media Center. Admission is free. For information, call (843) 661-1441.

Doll EXPO

The Southeastern Doll EXPO 2009 will take place Friday through Sunday at the Embassy Suites, 200 Stoneridge Drive at Greystone Boulevard and Interstate 126 in Columbia. Exhibitors and collectors from all across the country are expected to attend. All events require registration in advance. You may pay at the door on Saturday and Sunday for the Sales Room. More details can be found on the Web by visiting http://www.knightshows.com and clicking on the “Doll EXPO” navigation bar at the top of the page. You may also call Howard Knight at (803) 783-8049. 

Miniature art competition

The Florence Museum of Art, Science and History invites artists to submit work for the 21st Annual Miniature Art Competition, presented by The Friends of the Florence Museum.

Each work cannot exceed four inches by five inches, and artists are allowed to submit two works for a single $15 registration fee. The first-place award will be $300, with the other awards given on a descending scale to four honorable mentions at $65 each. One artist will receive the Ann Finch Award, given specifically to a work done in watercolor.

Also this year, concurrent with the exhibit, the Friends will be hosting the second annual Holiday Art House. This event will be a temporary retail space in the museum where regional artists and authors will have items for sale for Christmas. All items will be priced at $50 and under. A prospectus for interested artists is available for download at http://www.florencemusuem.org.

For information, call (843) 662-3351.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each Tuesday through Saturday and 2 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Narconon

No matter where you are or what day it is, if your loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol, get them into an effective substance abuse treatment program as soon as possible. For information on the drug and alcohol rehabilitation program at Narconon Arrowhead, call (800) 468-6933 or visit http://www.stopaddiction.com. Narconon offers free counseling, assessments and referrals to more than 11,000 centers nationwide.

Farmers market

The Lake City Farmers Market will hold the following scheduled activities:

• First Saturday of every month — yard sales
• Second and fourth Saturdays of every month — bake sales
• Third Saturday of every month — barter days

If you are a nonprofit organization or group and need to do a fundraiser, please contact the National Bean Market Museum office to participate in any of the above activities. If you participate in the yard sales for profit, a $5 fee is required for joining the yard sale group.

On barter days, there is no charge for the public to bring items to the market to trade with others who participate (the farmers market is not included in barter days).

For more information, call Sherri Moore at (843) 374-1500.