LAWRENCE: Community calendar from the Feb. 26 edition

Thursday, Feb. 26
    Free help on income tax: Free one-on-one counseling to help individuals prepare basic tax forms, including the 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ and other standard schedules, from trained volunteers from AARP and VITA are available at the Lawrence Library every Thursday through April 9. Hour-long appointments are available at noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Bring 2007 completed tax forms and the 2008 tax booklet and appropriate forms. Appointments are necessary, 609-882-9246 or 609-989-6920.
Friday, Feb. 27
    Challenging kids: NAMI-Mercer Basics presents a free class for parents or primary caregivers of children or adolescents (ages 2-18) with challenging behaviors, including mental health issues, ADHD, Autism, Tourette’s, etc. “Come learn about helping your child, coping, working with schools and health providers, and more. Classes are taught by trained volunteer parents who’ve been there and would like to share their knowledge and support other families.” 7 to 9 p.m. Repeated every Friday through March 20. NAMI-Mercer, 3371 Brunswick Pike, Suite 124, Lawrence, next to the Mercer Mall). To register or for more information, call 609-799-8994.
    ‘The Pillowman’: The School of Fine and Performing Arts at Rider University stages Martin McDonagh’s black comedy “The Pillowman” at the Yvonne Theater, located inside the Fine Arts Building on Rider’s Lawrenceville campus, 2083 Lawrenceville Road. Katurian, a writer of short stories, lives in an unnamed totalitarian state. He is arrested and brought in for interrogation because his dark, child-murder stories seem to be coming true. The production, directed by Miriam Mills, runs Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, $5 for students, faculty and staff. For more information, please call 609-896-5303. This production is for mature audiences.
    Wine & Cheese: Cherry Grove Farm presents a free wine-and-cheese tasting with live music at 3200 Lawrenceville Road from 7 to 9 p.m. For more info, call 609-219-0053.
    Gala Art Auction for SONJ: Mercer County Special Olympics holds a Gala Art Auction at 7 p.m. at Special Olympics New Jersey Sports Complex, 3 Princess Road. Refreshments and door prizes. Fine arts to include Wooster-Scott, Fazzino, Rockwell and Tarkey. Sports memorabilia, seascapes, Judaica, African-American, Contemporary and Impressionism. The event is coordinated by Marlin Fine Auctions and Creative Events of New York. Tickets are $12 at the door.
Monday, March 2
    Meeting of the Friends of the Lawrence Library. 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 3
    Online Safety Presentation: Rider University will host an online safety issues presentation at 7 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Center Theater. David Szuchman, director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, Office of the Attorney General, will address topics such as social networking sites and cyber-harassment. Mr. Szuchman will be joined by Laurie Goodman, chief investigator for Internet Safety at the Division of Consumer Affairs, and Lt. Keith Halton, assistant bureau chief of the New Jersey State Police Computer Crimes and High Tech Surveillance Bureau. Free. Open to the public.
Wednesday, March 4
    ‘Know Your Medications’: Lawrence Township Health Department presents Mary Barna, Pharm.D., R.Ph., Capital Health Systems, at 11 a.m. at the Lawrence Senior Center, 30 Darrah Lane East.
Friday, March 6
    Piano Teachers Forum: “Improvisation: A Tool for Players and Teachers” presented by Jane Buttars of Princeton, graduate drector and faculty member of Music for People. 9:30 a.m. (coffee 9 a.m.) at Jacobs Music on Route 1. Guests are welcome for a $10 fee at the door. For more information, call Jean Parsons at 609-921-1510.
Saturday, March 7
    Boomers & Seniors Wii Bowling League at the Lawrence Library. The Wii interactive video game is a fun and easy way to get some light exercise and socialize with friends. 10 a.m. to noon. Free.
Sunday, March 8
    Adath Israel celebrates Purim: Special festival events, including a “shpiel” on March 8, a dinner, costume parade, reading and klezmer concert on March 9, and a Purim Festival on March 10. For more information, call the Adath Israel office at 609-468-5175 or visit www.adathisraelnj.org. The congregation is located at 1958 Lawrence Road.
    Classic Movies at the Lawrence Library. Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” (1955) with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. 2 p.m. Free.
    Jazz piano: Keyboardist, composer, arranger, conductor, and educator Philip Orr celebrates “The First Century of Jazz at the Piano” at 3 p.m. in the Recital Hall of Jacobs Music, 2540 Brunswick Pike. Admission is $18. Limited seating. Box office opens at Jacobs Music at 2:30 p.m. Presented by the Steinway Society. Proceeds benefit music scholarships. On the Web: www.princetonol.com/groups/steinway.
Wednesday, March 11
    Glucose and Blood Pressure Screenings by Joan Mitchell, R.N., RWJ Hamilton Community Health, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the Lawrence Senior Center, 30 Darrah Lane East. Free. Appointment necessary: 609-844-7093.
    Lawrence Library Poetry Circle. Featured poet: Philip Larkin, English poet, novelist and critic. Pick up a packet of his selected poems from the Lawrence Reference Desk. 7 p.m. Free.