Find out all the events going on in your community, and plan your week's activities with The Times.

To get listed in the calendar, contact Valparaiso community coordinator Annette Arnold.

E-mail: aarnold@nwitimes.com.

Fax: (219) 465-7298.

Address: 1111 Glendale Blvd., Valparaiso IN 46383

Questions? Call (219) 548-4359.

LIONS CLUB | Valparaiso

The Valparaiso Lions Club will meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at Gelsosomos Pizzeria, 2605 LaPorte Ave. The speaker will be Kevine Breitzke from the Porter County Surveyor's Office.

FYI: Call (219) 462-6016.

FILL THE BASKETS | Valparaiso

The Culvers's of Valparaiso team is trying to help families who are less fortunate. Any customer who brings in an items to help the Culver's Team fill baskets for Spring Valley Shelter and Hilltop Village Pantry can purchase up to 5 single Butterburgers for $1 each. The items will be collected Jan. 28 through Feb. 3. All donations are welcome but paper goods, personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies are most needed. Culvers is located at 2101 LaPorte Ave.

FYI: Call (219) 531-9600.

FAMILY FUN FEST | Chesterton

St. Paul Lutheran Church, 106 E. County Road 1100 North, will have a Wonderful Winter Family Fun Fest from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 2. This year's theme is "County Fair." There will be kid games, contest and raffles and door prizes.

FYI: Call (219) 926-1556.

OPEN HOUSE | Valparaiso

Immanuel Lutheran School, 1700 Monticello Park Drive, will host a kindergarten open house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30. This is the night to meet the principal, teachers, see the classrooms and ask questions. early registration is suggested. Open enrollment will begin March 6 for grades 1 through 8.

FYI: Call (219) 462-8207, ext. 215.

CHEERLEADING CLINIC | Valparaiso

Horizon Gymnastics Center will host a cheer clinic for grades 1 through 8 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 27. Students will practice cheer jumps, cheer dances, tumbling skills and stunts. Girls should wear a T-shirt and shorts with socks and hair pulled away from face. Fee is $5. A free callout meeting for girls and a parent will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Feb. 3.

FYI: Call (219) 477-6542.

LOW VISION SUPPORT

Valparaiso Low Vision support group meets from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Feb. 12 at First United Methodist Church, 103 N. Franklin St.

FYI: Call (219) 465-1661.

BRANCH REOPENS | Porter

Hageman Library, Westchester Public Library's Porter branch, will re-open at 9 a.m. Jan. 28 at 100 Francis St. Porter. Hageman is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Further closings of other library buildings will be announced. The library regrets any inconvenience to its patrons.

FYI: Call (219) 926-7696.

PRESCHOOL PROGRAM | Valparaiso

Beginning on Feb. 1, the Valparaiso Family YMCA will be accepting registrations for preschool age children (3 years n 5 years of age) for the 2008/2009 calendar year. Children will enjoy a fun and enriching program that introduces developmentally appropriate experiences in a nurturing classroom setting. Preschool-age children will enjoy swimming, gym time, field trips, Spanish, singing, music and much more. Extended care is also available.

FYI: Call (219) 462-4185 ext. 238.

DUNELAND AGLOW | Chesterton

The next public meeting of the Duneland Aglow Lighthouse will meet from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 29 at Westchester Public Library Service Center, 100 W. Indiana Ave. Light refreshments are served at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free with an offering for expenses. The public is invited to attend with a special invitation to women and pastors. Aglow is an international Christian outreach organization with groups in 170 nations. Each month women from all denominations are invited to hear a guest speaker with the message that God's power and love is real for her today. Worship and personal prayer ministry are two essential part of each meeting. The speaker for this meeting is Rev. Mark Wachtstetter, founder of City of Refuge Children's Homes, a national networking of Christian homes that aids children who have suffered from abuse, neglect or abandonment. Wachtstetter has also started a project that has distributed over 200,000 Bibles to children in Russian orphanages.

FYI: Call (219) 926-1345.

MOMS CLUB | Valparaiso

MOMS Club of Valparaiso will meet at 10 a.m. Feb. 6 at the Trinity Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 201 Washington St.

FYI: Call (219) 956-3711.

POWERPOINT CLASSES | Westville

Purdue University North Central Office of Continuing Education will offer a three-day non-credit course "The Basics of Microsoft PowerPoint" that will teach students how to use PowerPoint to create presentations.

"The Basics of PowerPoint" will be offered at PNC - Porter County at 600 Vale Park Road from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 6 to 20. The registration fee is $79 and a book is available for $26.

Students will learn how to use templates to organize information, how to add pictures and movement to slides, as well as how to generate handouts for the audience to use as they follow along with a presentation. To register or to obtain Information about this or other courses available through the PNC Office of Continuing Education, contact PNC - Porter County at (219) 531-4200, or visit http://www.pnc.edu/ce. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact PNC - Porter County.

FYI: Call (219) 462-4197.

OPEN HOUSE | Ogden Dunes

The annual Open Your Hearts open house, sponsored by the Independent Cat Society, will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Ogden Dunes Fire Station on Hillcrest Drive. The annual event will offer cat toys, cozy mats and beds, cat-themed crafts and more. Cats and kittens will be at the event and applications for adoption will be taken during open house hours. There also will be a quilt raffle.

FYI: Call (219) 785-4936.

CHEERLEADING

Horizon Gymnastics Center offers Shining Stars, a class in cheerleading for girls ages 11-25 who have a developmental delay diagnosis. Girls will learn cheer jumps, simple tumbling, arm motions, and pom/dance routines. Shining Stars meets on Tuesdays from 6:15 to 7 p.m. This class is offered at the reduced fee of $35 per session. Come in for a free trial class.

To register stop in at Horizon Gymnastics Center, 1254 Horse Prairie Ave.

FYI: Call (219) 477-6542

Y-ME | Valparaiso

Y-me of Porter County will meet at 10 a.m. Feb. 2 at the Porter Education Building, 1401 Calumet Ave. Dr. John Feczko will speak on "The Pathologist's role in the diagnosis of breast cancer". The mission of Y-Me is that no one should face breast cancer alone. Every one is welcome and there is no fee to attend.

FYI: Call (219) 465-0566

MARDI GRAS PARTY | Hobart

The Home and School Association at St. Bridget School is hosting a Mardi Gras party from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Parish Center. Tickets are $10 in advance and will include a cajun smorgasboard and live

music. Tickets are $13 at the door. Half of the proceeds with benefit Ambre House, a new home for unwed pregnant young women, and the other half will benefit the Home and School Association.

FYI: Call Rose Hoffman at (219) 670-8159.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

The Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club will hold a pancake and sausage all-you-can-eat breakfast from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 8 at the Valparaiso High School cafeteria. Tickets are $5 in advance from any Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis Club member and preschoolers eat for free. All funds raised through this event are returned to charitable activities serving the children of the community.

FYI: Cal (219) 531-3170.

WALK WITH A RANGER | Porter

Join a ranger from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoons and discover the sometimes hidden beauty of the winter woods. During the hike, learn how plants and animals adapt to survive winter's cold and food shortage. Meet at the Calumet Dune Interpretive Center, located on Kemil Road between U.S. 20 and U.S. 12.

FYI: Call (219) 926-7561, ext. 225.

SNOWSHOE HIKE | Porter

Join a ranger from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoons and explore the winter woods on snowshoes. The fallen leaves provide an opportunity to see nests, cocoons, and signs of resident animals that were hidden until now. A dusting of fresh fallen snow also can provide the canvas for seeing the life and death struggles in the dunes. A limited number of snowshoes are available at no charge during the program. Meet at the Calumet Dune Interpretive Center, located on Kemil Road between U.S. 20 and U.S. 12. There is no hike offered on Feb. 2.

FYI: Call (219) 926-7561, ext. 225.

GROUNDHOG DAY | Porter

Join a ranger and a special guest for "A Groundhog Day Celebration" from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 2. A puppet show, interactive presentation, groundhog-related games, and activities will help dispel myths about groundhogs. Meet at the Calumet Dune Interpretive Center, located on Kemil Road between U.S. 20 and U.S. 12.

FYI: Call (219) 926-7561, ext. 225.

DON'T SWEAT | Valparaiso

"Don't Sweat the small stuff" is the theme of the Valparaiso Christian Women's Club meeting at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 7 at Old Town Banquet Center, 711 Calumet Ave. Kathy brown from curves is the special feature with Mandi Cornett as the inspirational speaker. Cost is $11.

FYI: Call (219) 464-7609 or 464-4169.

HOLIDAY FUN DAY | Chesterton

Lakeshore Gymnastics, 878 W. Indiana St. will hold a holiday fun day for ages 4 and 5 Feb. 7. Times are 8:30-11:30 a.m., 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. or 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call to reserve a half day session or a full day of activities. Activities will include gymnastics, class, art activities, story time, songs, group games, juice and snacks.

FYI: Call (219) 926-4274.

ELMO'S BIRTHDAY | Valparaiso

Elmo birthday celebration is at 10 a.m. Jan. 28 at Barnes & Noble, 150 Silhavy Road. This little listener storytime will be in celebration of this Sesame Street character's birthday.

FYI: Call (219) 531-6551.

AMERICAN GIRL CLUB | Valparaiso

American Girl Club will meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 30 at Barnes & Noble, 150 Silhavy Road. This month the girls will learn the secrets to grace and confidence from "A Smart Girl's Guide to Manners!"

FYI: Call (219) 531-6551.

Winter garage sale | Valparaiso

The Valparaiso Family YMCA will hold a garage sale from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 26 at 55 Chicago St. The proceeds of this sale will go towards the YMCA Child Care program. The Y is still accepting donations for the sale, for any gently used ; contact Diane Sonnenberg, Child Care Director.

FYI: Call (219) 462-4185, ext 238.

CHEFS' SHOWCASE | Hobart

Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana will host its annual Dine With The Chefs fundraising event from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 2 at Avalon Manor, 3550 E. U.S. 30. Following hors d'ouevres, top chefs from area restaurants and banquet facilities will prepare signature dishes for a gourmet meal. Proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels. Ticket information will be announced soon.

FYI: Call (219) 756-3663.