COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Holiday Open House



   Saturday, Dec. 11 — Members of the Bordentown Historical Society will hold the annual Holiday Open House from 5 to 9 p.m.
   Fifteen of Bordentown City’s most impressive homes and sites will be featured on this evening stroll about town, including the gate house of the Joseph Bonaparte Estate.
   Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at either App’s Hardware (298-0100) or U&I Gifts/By the Book Shop (298-3334), both located on Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown. Or call Suzanne Wheelock at 298-3481 or Patti DeSantis at 298-9181 to buy tickets.
Christmas Spectacular



   Starting Saturday, Dec. 11 — Fountain of Life Center, 2035 Columbus Road, Florence Township, will present the annual Christmas production, "A Christmas Spectacular," at 1 and 7 p.m.
   It will also be held Friday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 18 at 1 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m.
   An evening with dancing toys, marching toy soldiers, the nativity story, music and drama will be featured. Call 386-2093 for details or visit www.flcnj.org.
Christmas House Tour



   Sunday, Dec. 12 — The Roebling Historical Society’s Historic Village of Roebling Christmas House Tour is slated from 3 to 7 p.m. Homes built by John A. Roebling’s Sons Co. will be featured.
   Tickets are $12 ($10 in advance). A limited number of guided tour tickets are available for $20 ($18 in advance). Buy tickets on the day of the tour at the Roebling Volunteer Fire Co. No. 3, 7th Avenue and Main Street, Roebling. Advance tickets are available at Donna’s Deli, 45 Main St. Call 499-7632 or 499-3316 for details or to reserve tickets.
Holiday carriage rides



   Sunday, Dec. 12 — Bordentown City Gardens is offering tickets for a carriage ride through the city. Rides are $12 and will leave from the Friends’ Meeting House on Farnsworth Avenue.
   Call 291-8077 or 298-9181 for information and reservations. Rain date is Dec. 13. Children 3 and younger may attend free if they sit on lap.


Casino trip



   Sunday, Dec. 12 — The Knights of Columbus No. 570 is sponsoring a bus trip to the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City. Bus will leave St. Mary’s parking lot at 4:30 p.m. for a four-hour stay at the casino. Cost is $17 per person and $17 back from the casino. Call Bob at 298-5530 for reservations.
Covered-dish dinner



   Sunday, Dec. 12 — Rose of Sharon Lutheran Church at 42 Chesterfield-Jacobstown Road, Jacobstown, will hold a covered-dish dinner at 5 p.m. open to all residents of Jacobstown and the surrounding area.
   Following dinner, the children will present a short Christmas program followed by caroling. Those attending should bring a covered dish. Drinks, salads and desserts will be provided. Call 259-6654 or 758-3680 for details.
Bordentown City Cats



   Tuesday, Dec. 14 — A meeting is slated at 7 p.m. at the Carslake Community Center, 209 Crosswicks St., Bordentown City. Call 324-3896 for more details.
Trash or treasure



   Friday, Dec. 17 and Saturday, Dec. 18 — The Trinity United Methodist Church, 339 Farnsworth Ave., Bordentown, will hold the monthly sale on the second floor of the Education Building from 9 a.m. to noon. Christmas decorations will be featured.
"Scrooge" ballet



   Saturday, Dec. 18 — The Bordentown Ballet Theatre, a non-profit organization, will present "Scrooge," a ballet for children, featuring children from the local area.
   Performances will be held at Burlington Township Performing Arts Center, corner of Jacksonville Road and Fountain Avenue, at 2 and 4 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, half-price for seniors, kids under 12 and groups of 10 or more. Call 298-7476 for tickets.


Candlelight service



   Sunday, Dec. 19 — Crosswicks Friends Meeting will hold its annual candlelight service at 7 p.m. at the Crosswicks Meeting House on the village square, Front and Church streets, Crosswicks.
   All are welcome. Planned with families in mind, the service consists of readings from the Bible, a children’s pageant depicting the Christmas story, group singing of familiar hymns, and lighting of candles. Following the service, there will be refreshments and fellowship. Bring a flashlight. Wrapped gifts for needy children and contributions are welcome.


Choir concert



   Sunday, Dec. 19 — The combined choirs of Hedding and Wesley United Methodist churches will perform a community Christmas cantata "Emmanuel, Heaven’s Child" at 2 p.m. at 24573 E. Main St., Columbus.
   Refreshments will be served. Call 298-2893 for details.
Coat drive



   Through Monday, Dec. 20 — The National Honor Society of Florence High School is sponsoring a coat drive through Dec. 20.
   Any new or gently used coats or winter outerwear are accepted. All donations will be distributed to those in need in the community. Donations may be dropped off at Florence High School, 500 E. Front St., Florence.
   Contact Fran Simek at 499-4620 or at [email protected] for details.
Food and toy drive



   Through Monday, Dec. 20 — The annual Holiday Food and Toy Drive sponsored by the Student Council of Florence High School is taking place.
   The Student Council is collecting non-perishable food items, clothing (new and slightly used) and toys. Monetary donations to purchase gift certificates for the families are also welcome.
   Items can be dropped off or mailed to: Florence High School, 500 E. Front St., Florence, NJ 08518. Contact Georgie Rodan at (856) 764-8062 or [email protected] for details.
Blood drive



   Wednesday, Dec. 29 — Temple B’nai Abraham and Sarah Seidel Sisterhood will sponsor an American Red Cross blood drive at the Carslake Community Center, senior services room, 213 Crosswicks St., Bordentown, from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. Call 298-6485 for an appointment.
Audition notice



   Saturday, Jan. 8 and Sunday, Jan. 9 — Auditions for "Cabaret" by John Kander and Fred Ebb will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at The Academy Theatre, 146 Route 130 in Bordentown. All parts are open except the role of Sally Bowles.
   Those interested should be prepared to sing 16 bars, dance audition and read from the script (accompanist provided). Reservations are recommended. Call 291-9000 or go to www.theacademytheatre.com for details.
Scholarships



   The Springfield Township School and Community Education Foundation Inc. is offering $500 scholarships to a graduating high school student who presently or formerly resides in the community and attended the Springfield Township School District.
   The goal of the scholarship is to support youth in the post secondary educational endeavors. Applications are available from the main office of the Springfield Township School or your high school’s guidance office. Call 723-2479, ext. 811 for more details. All applications are due Feb. 1, 2005.
Crossing guard jobs



   The Bordentown City Police Department is accepting applications for the position of crossing guard. Part-time and full-time positions are available.
   Anyone interested in working while the kids are in school, having off when they have off from school and making a few bucks is welcome to come to police headquarters, 324 Farnsworth Ave., for an application.
WIC program



   The Burlington County Women Infants and Children (WIC) program has a clinic site at the Shiloh Baptist Church, Bordentown. If you are pregnant, have an infant or preschool child and are having trouble making ends meet you may be eligible for the program.
   WIC is a federally funded supplemental nutrition program for pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and kids younger than 5. Eligibility is based on income and nutritional and/or medical risk. WIC can provide infants with iron-fortified formula, cereal and juice. Women and children receive milk, cheese, eggs, cereal, juice, peanut butter or beans. Women who breastfeed and do not use infant formula may receive carrots and tuna. Call 267-4304 for details.


Lions Club



   The Bordentown Township Lions Club needs help helping others. Improve vision for the future by providing eye exams and glasses for needy people, protect pets with the free vaccination programs, and participate in community activities such as Bordentown’s annual street fair.
   Meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of each month at the Town and Country Diner, Route 130, Bordentown at 6:30 p.m., and the public is invited to join.


Kitten adoption



   Be a part of the solution and adopt a Bordentown City kitten today. Healthy and adorable kittens are ready for adoption. Kittens of all kinds are waiting for loving homes. Call 324-3896 to apply.
Open mic



   Kat’s Meow is back in a new venue! Poetry/open mic night will be held every Tuesday night. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. at Geneva’s Soul Food Restaurant, 350 High St., Burlington, and admission is free.
What’s going on …



   Community events, meeting notices, public announcements and other items of local interest appear regularly in this column at no charge. The Register-News encourages readers and community leaders to submit short, typed announcements for this space. Mail the announcement at least two to three weeks in advance.
   Although every effort is made to publish all items, submission of an item does not guarantee publication. Send correspondence to Community Calendar, c/o The Register-News, P.O. Box 1449, Hightstown, NJ 08520. Fax: 448-8044. E-mail notices to [email protected].