Community Caring Council meets at church

A Community Caring Council meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. May 21 at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.

Benefit barbecue, barn dance to be held

Featuring the reunion of the Santa Cruz Band and a live auction with Joe Don Randol, a barbecue and barn dance will be held from 5 to 11 p.m. May 1 at the home of Dr. Michael Jessup to benefit Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship. For more information, call Linda Farrow at 334-6639, Amy Jacquin at 243-1408, Mary Freeman at 243-7477 or Leah Shrum at 243-7540.

High school art show being held in Sikeston

The Sikeston Depot will present nearly 200 works of art by students from six area high schools during April. Sponsored by the Bootheel Regional Art Guild, the event features student artwork from Dexter, Kelly, Kennett, Notre Dame, New Madrid and Sikeston high schools. For more information, call (573) 481-9967.

Book lecture scheduled at Sikeston Depot

The Sikeston Depot will feature a book lecture on "The Enemy Among Us: POWs in Missouri During World War II" by David Fiedler at 7 p.m. today. For more information, call (573) 481-9967.

Bollinger Mill gathering public input Saturday

To ensure public input on services provided in state parks and historic sites, an open house and informational meeting at Bollinger Mill will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday; the meeting begins at 2 p.m. Staff will answer questions and discuss recently completed and future projects at the facility. Visitors are invited to share comments on the site. The historic site is one of the stops along the Mississippi River Scenic Drive, taking place the same weekend. For more information, visit www.mostateparks.com or call 243-4591.

Optimists holding poster contest

Optimists International has declared May 3 to 7 as Respect for Law Week. The Jackson Noon Optimists are sponsoring a poster contest with the theme "Imagine Life Without the Jackson Police," open to third-graders of Orchard, North and South elementary; Millersville, Gordonville, Immaculate Conception and St. Paul Lutheran Schools. One first-place winner from each class will receive a special award and have lunch with a police officer at their school. One grand prize winner will receive a $50 savings bond. The deadline for posters is Sunday.

Tuesday ceremony to honor crime victims

A flower ceremony in honor and remembrance of all victims of crime in Cape Girardeau County will take place from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cape Girardeau County Park North at the weeping willow tree dedicated last year. For more information, call 204-2315.

Contra dance to be held at Episcopal church

A contra dance will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau. The dance, sponsored by the Cape Friends of Traditional Music and Dance, features a guest caller from Wisconsin. No partner, costume or experience necessary. For more information, call Judy Hubbard at 334-5289 or John Boyd at 335-7315. There will be no community dance in May.

Kindergarten screenings set for next week

Cape Girardeau kindergarten screenings for the 2004-2005 school year will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 26 and 28 and from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 27 and 29 at the Central Junior High gym. Call 651-3703 to sign up.

Volunteers to clean up Jackson park Saturday

Jackson Park Day will start at 8 a.m. Saturday at shelter no. 1 in Jackson City Park. Volunteers will plant flowers and trees, pick up debris and enjoy lunch at 11 a.m. in addition to a free Park Day T-shirt. Jackson, a member of the Tree City USA program, will hold an Arbor Day observance on Park Day to promote tree beauty and awareness.

-- From staff reports