April

11     Friday

Car show - A car show, CVS Kruisers, will be held on Friday nights, from 4 to 8 p.m., beginning April 11, at the CVS store, 310 Main St., in Southington. Everyone is welcome. There will be 50/50 door prizes, trophies, oldies and country music and more. Sponsors are still needed. For more information, call Marie at (860) 426-1813.

12     Saturday

Chamber of Commerce annual dinner - The Southington Chamber of Commerce's 70th Annual Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 6 p.m., at the Aqua Turf Club. The event is open to the public and will feature dinner, open bar, dancing and a retro theme from the 50s-60s-70s. Awards will be presented to numerous local businesses for beautifying their properties and to seven residents who have served the community on town boards or commissions for a minimum of 25 years. They include Zaya Oshana, Robert Sherman, Walt Hushak, Victoria Triano, Len Marcheselle, Anthony Pizzitola and Philip Pomposi. Mike Baker will receive the Business Person of the Year award; Southington High School marching band for community service; Judy Limmer and Gerri Roper, as Employees of the Year. Marc Pelletier will be installed as the new chairman of the board. New directors include Barbara Roberts, Rachel Potter, Mike Killian, John Myers and Mark Sciota. Reservations can be made by calling the chamber at (860) 628-8036.

Peace Cafe - A coffee house will be held Saturday, April 12 at the First Congregational Church Peace Cafe, 37 Main St., featuring duo Susan Mazer and Megan Keith, with Dee & Chip opening. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, call the church at (860) 628-6958. For more information, call the church office at (860) 628-6958.

Playscape fundraiser - The South End Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization invites residents of greater Southington to its Project Playscape Kickoff Event - a lunch at Outback Steakhouse, 817 Queen St., Southington, on Saturday, April 12, at 11:30 a.m. Thanks to the generosity of Outback Steakhouse, 100 percent of the proceeds from this event will go directly to helping build a new playscape at the school. Tickets are $25 per person, and include a 6 oz. sirloin steak plus a 5 oz. chicken breast. The meal also includes garlic mashed potatoes, Caesar or ranch salad, honey wheat bread, and soft drinks, coffee or tea. Ticket sales are limited to 200 attendees. For tickets or more information, contact Doreen at (860) 919-7358.

Writer's Workshop - The Southington Arts Council will meet on Saturday, April 12 at 2 p.m. in ARTSPACE, located in the lower level of the Southington Historical Society, 239 Main St. The Writer's Workshop will follow at 3 p.m. and is open to all published, closet or would-be writers to share their work. For more information, call (860) 621-ARTS (2787)

Tag sale -St. Aloysius Church, 254 Burritt St., Plantsville, is having a tag sale Saturday, April 12. A 6-foot space is $25 and a 12-foot space is $45. Funds raised are dedicated to the Rev. John Blanchfield Scholarship Fund. To reserve a space or for more information, call Mike O'Neil at (860) 621-5461 or email neil.l@sbcglobal.net.

Vendor fair - The Southington Emblem Club 527, a community service organization, is having a vendor fair Saturday, April 12, from 1 to 5 p.m., at the Southington Elks Lodge, on Main Street, in Southington. It is open to the public and there will have raffles and refreshments. Vendors include Lia Sophia, Mary Kay, Tastefully Simple, Creative Memories, Pampered Chef, Stormy Mountain Candle, Pursanably Yours, Stampin Out and Tupperware. There is no charge to attend. The club raises funds to give back to the community in scholarships, literacy, drug awareness, social service, domestic abuse, veterans and military.

13     Sunday

Blessing of the Bikes - The Western Connecticut Harley Owners Group and the Red Knights Motorcycle Club, Connecticut Chapter 10, will hold a Blessing of Bikes at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 13, at Holy Trinity Church, 200 Summer St., Southington. Riders of all makes and models are welcome to participate in this tradition. There is no registration fee, but donations will be accepted for the Southington Relay for Life. For more information, call Slider at (860) 637-0975.

Bottle drive - There will be a bottle and can drive on Sunday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Veterans' Memorial Park, Woodruff Street, Southington. Proceeds will benefit Southington North Little League/Babe Ruth baseball.

Tax Day spring family breakfast - The American Legion Post 72 is holding its spring family breakfast Sunday, April 13, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., at the American Legion Hall in downtown Southington. Tickets are $6 at the door. Menu includes orange juice, coffee, tea, eggs cooked to order, bacon or sausage, home fries and toast, or omelet (cheese, ham, onion and pepper) or French toast.

Unico breakfast - The Unico Club of Southington will hold its Spring Big Breakfast Buffet to benefit Unico charities on Sunday, April 13, from 7:30 to11:30 a.m., at the Southington Calendar House on Pleasant Street. The buffet includes all you can eat eggs, pancakes, French toast, ham, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast, bagels, muffins, coffee, tea, milk and orange juice. The cost is $6 per adult, $4.50 for children under 12 and seniors, and children under age 3 will be free. Tickets are on sale at Fasulo & Albini, CPA's, the Calendar House, from Unico members, at the door, or call Dave Kanute at (860) 621-5494.

15     Tuesday

Italian tale - On Tuesday April 15, 10:30 a.m., the Southington Library will hold "Telling Passages," a family program, featuring "Sleeping Beauty," originally an Italian tale presented by the Children's Department of Southington Library, 255 Main St.. Registration is required. Call (860) 628-0947, ext. 3.

16     Wednesday

National Guard captain to speak on his tour of duty in Iraq - On April 16, from 12 to 1:30 p.m., Captain Jeff Ramia of the Connecticut National Guard will speak at the Southington Rotary Club's Lunch Meeting to be held at The Orchards of Southington on Hobart Street. Capt. Ramia will speak about his time in Iraq and about going to Afghanistan in the next two years.

Eat at Wendy's to fight cancer - From 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, Jean's Angels in Action Against Cancer, a Southington Relay for Life team, will help fight cancer by collecting patrons receipts. Wendy's will then donate a portion of each paper receipt the team is given to the American Cancer Society.

Meatloaf dinner - On Wednesday, April 16, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Holy Trinity Church, located at 200 Summer St. in Plantsville, will hold a meatloaf dinner with all the fixing. The cost is $8 per person. Call for Reservations at (860) 628-0736 - a limited number of tickets will be sold at the door.

Dinner with Tom Chute - On Wednesday, April 16, at 5 p.m., Mulberry Gardens of Southington will host "Dinner with Tom Chute," a presentation and complimentary dinner. Tom Chute, a regional singer and play director, has appeared in the Connecticut area on stage in numerous productions, including shows at Waterbury's Seven Angels Theatre and in numerous sold out Cabaret performances. A seasoned entertainer, Chute has hosted Greater Waterbury's top rated morning show for 21 years. Organizers said the Adult Day Center may provide care for loved ones if needed during presentation; please reserve a spot when you RSVP. To make reservations (required), call Marie Terzak at (860) 276-1020.

17     Thursday

Southington Woman's Club - The Southington Woman's Club will meet Thursday, April 17 at 11:30 a.m. at The Orchards of Southington, located on Hobart Street. Following lunch, the guest speaker will be GFWC CT Treasurer Charlotte Stopa, speaking on her memories of the past years of CSFWC, as well as some entertaining stories. For more information, call (860) 628-9080.

19        Saturday

Bus trip for Relay for Life - Plantsville Congregational Church is sponsoring a bus trip to New York City Saturday, April 19. The bus will leave the church parking lot on Church Street in Plantsville at 7 a.m. and will return from the city at 7:30 p.m. The cost of the trip is $40 per person. For reservations or information, call Lois at (860) 628-5764 or the church office at (860) 628-5594. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Relay for Life.

Quilting program - On Saturday, April 19, Annette Ornelas from Fayetteville, NC and Southwind Designs will present her Asian Lily Workshop to the Southington Apple Valley Quilters. Arnelas specializes in exciting curved patterns featuring her layered dimensional patchwork techniques with curved results. She'll show that piecing a curved quilt is as easy as sewing a straight line. For information on cost and location, contact Deb Doyon, co-president at (860) 793-9676.

Southington Arts and Crafts - The group will hold SACA Summit II, Saturday April 19, from noon to 2 p.m., at 200 N. Main St., Southington. People are welcome to come meet fellow artists and crafters, and offer new ideas. For more information or to RSVP, call Wanda Buda, at (860) 621-0526.

Texas Hold'em for Relay - A Texas Hold'em fundraiser will be held Saturday, April 19 to benefit Team Martin of Relay for Life. The event will be held at 92 Squires Drive in Southington. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. and the game starts at 7 p.m. This is limited to 60 people. Buy-in is $50 or $20 re-buy for the first hour. For more information, call Linda or Steve Tosta at (860) 479-9051.

20     Sunday

Pasta dinner fundraiser - On Sunday, April 20 from 12 to 4 p.m., a pasta dinner fundraiser for the Kolaczenko family, will be held in the cafeteria of DePaolo Middle School on Pleasant Street. Tickets are $20 per adult, $5 for those 12 and under, and free for those age four and under. Tickets may be purchased at the door. A disc jockey will be there for entertainment, a bake sale will be held, and at 3 p.m., many prizes will be raffled off. At the age of just 6, Tessa lost her father to pancreatic cancer. The last five years have been very difficult and a testament to their strength and will to go on without Tony. Now, Violet has been diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. If you cannot attend the dinner but would like to donate, make checks payable to: Tessa Kolaczenko, TD Banknorth, 921 Meriden-Waterbury Road, Plantsville, CT 06479. For more information, contact Angel Zakreta at (860) 637-7545.

21     Monday

Neighborhood meeting - State Sen. Sam Caligiuri is holding a series of neighborhood meetings. One will be held Monday, April 21 at Plantsville Elementary School, 70 Church St., Plantsville, 6:30 to 8 p.m., all-purpose room.

This was Your Life - The Tabernacle, a contemporary Christian Church, will host, "This Was Your Life," a four-day seminar by noted author and speaker Rick Howard. Howard's book, "This Was Your Life," brings meaning and purpose to the lives people live on a daily basis. This dynamic event is designed to give people not only hope for the future, but possibly change the course of their lives. The seminar will be held at The Tabernacle, 1445 West St., in Southington. The four-day seminar will be held Monday, April 21 through Thursday, April 24, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The $10 cost covers the seminar, notebook and refreshments. All are welcome. For more information, call (860) 276-0400 or visit www.tabernacleonline.com and click on "what's happenin'."

22     Tuesday

Garden club to meet - The Orchard Valley Garden Club of Southington will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22 at the Southington Public Library, 255 Main Street, lower level. This is a business meeting but it is also a good time for anyone interested in joining the club to attend. For more club information, call either Cathy Bouchard, president, (860) 621-5014 or Fred Nyren at (860) 628-6256.

Southington Genealogical Society - The Southington Genealogical Society will no longer be meeting in the Old Milldale Firehouse. Instead, meetings will be held in Room 69 of the Southington Police Department on Lazy Lane.

The next meeting will be held Tuesday, April 22 when Beth Bunko speaks about Mayflower descendants and the descendants of the founders of Hartford (re-scheduled from February, due to inclement weather).

Neighborhood meeting - State Sen. Sam Caligiuri is holding a series of neighborhood meetings. One will be held Tuesday, April 22 at Flanders Elementary School, 100 Victoria Drive, 6:30 to 8 p.m., cafeteria.

24     Thursday

Free showing of the movie Ratatouille - The Southington High School Student Council will be sponsoring the movie "Ratatouille" on Thursday, April 24 in the Southington High School Auditorium. Doors open at 6 p.m.; movie starts promptly at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be sold. Admission is free. Donations to the SHS Student Council will be gladly accepted.

Unique Boutique - The Southington Community Services Department will hold its first Unique Boutique fashion show Thursday, April 24, 6 p.m., at the Aqua Turf Club. Proceeds benefit Community Services Department. Kara Sunland of WFSB Channel 3 will be participating. The event features a collection of designer clothing and accessories, dinner, and live and silent auctions. Tickets are $30 per person. To make a donation of items or for more information, call the Community Services Department at (860) 276-6271.

25     Friday

SHS Marching Band auction - On Friday, April 25, the Southington High School Blue Knights Marching Band will host a dinner and auction at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville. Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase new uniforms for the award-winning marching band. The Marching Band competes in the United States Scholastic Band Association and is the reigning Class VI Connecticut and New England Champion. The evening will feature a dinner, cash bar, and silent and live auction. The silent auction will include gift certificates, baskets and donations from local establishments. The live auction will feature artwork, sports memorabilia, music memorabilia and more. Tickets for the event are $50 per person. Tickets must be purchased in advance by calling Susan Miller at (860) 628-6809 or Evelyn Semataska at (860) 621-5313. Tax deductible donations to the uniform drive may be made by contacting Alan Lachapelle at (860) 621-3610.

Montessori information night - Educators are pursuing opening a Montessori school in Meriden or Southington. An information night will be held Friday, April 25, 7 p.m., at the Southington Police Department located at 69 Lazy Lane. Parents with children ages 18 months and up are encouraged to attend. The event is free. For more information, contact (203)-235-4036 or e-mail montessorichildren@sbcglobal.net.

Quilters trip - On Friday, April 28, join the group for a road trip to Gone Quilting in Canton. They will go early for dinner, and then enjoy an evening of shopping at this great quilt shop. For information, contact Deb Doyon at (860) 793-9676.