Submissions to the community calendar need to be in writing and arrive or be brought into The Mount Airy News office before 5 p.m. at least five days before the event should appear in the newspaper. Be sure to include the full name and address of the event; the time, day and date of the event; and a contact phone number in case our staff has any questions. Information may be mailed to: The Mount Airy News, P.O. Box 808, Mount Airy, NC 27030; faxed to 789-2816; or emailed to aeldridge@mtairynews.com.

Ongoing

n Every Saturday night, Dobson Rescue Squad Inc. hosts bingo with cash prizes. The bingo is at the Dobson Rescue Squad at U.S. 601 and Rockford Road. Early birds start at 5 p.m. Regular pack begins at 7 p.m. The late bingo depends on the number of players. The regular pack is nine games for $20. The players game is $5. A child pack, for children 13 and under, is $5. Concessions are sold on site by Dobson Rescue. For more information, call 374-4100.

n Jamming in Jamsburg in Lambsburg, Va., is held every Friday from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Community Center. Bluegrass, old-time, gospel and other types of music will be playing. Situated at the foot of the Sugar Loaf Mountain and surrounded by the mountains makes a beautiful backdrop for the jam. There’s plenty of space indoors and outdoors. There are concessions with the clean entertainment for the whole family. All musicians and music lovers are invited to come play, dance or just listen and enjoy. Admission is free, and concessions are available.

n The Peoples Church Soup Kitchen is open every second Tuesday of the month from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Dine in and delivery is available for those who live within the immediate area. For delivery, call before 3 p.m. that day. Contact Gene Brinkley at 789-1555 or Debbie Wall at 755-6746 for more information.

n The Surry Arts Council presents free fiddle, guitar and banjo lessons downstairs at the Andy Griffith Playhouse every Thursday evening. Master musician Jim Vipperman teaches fiddle at 5:30 p.m., and guitar and banjo at 6:15 p.m. No sign-up required, instruments are available for use during the lessons. For more information, call 786-7998.

n A Jam Session will be held every Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m., free at the Andy Griffith Playhouse.

n A Jam Session will be held every Saturday from 9 to 11 am, free at the Downtown Cinema Theater.

n WPAQ 740 AM presents a live radio broadcast every Saturday from 11 am to 1:30 p.m. at the Downtown Cinema Theater.

n Every Thursday evening, the American Legion Post 123 hosts Bingo at the American Legion Hall at Veterans Park, 691 W. Lebanon St. in Mount Airy. Cash prizes total up to $2,400 being paid. Early Birds start at 6:30 p.m. and regular games start at 7 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Free coffee is offered and drinks and snacks are sold. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call 710-7322.

n The Foothills Blues Society has a Blues Jam every second and fourth Tuesday at B52’s, 972 U.S. 52 in Mount Airy, from 8 p.m. until. The society is seeking new members. Musicians and blues fans are welcome.

n If you or a family member is struggling with substance abuse, help is a phone call away. Twin City Area Narcotics Anonymous Helpline is available 24 hours a day at (800) 365-1035 or at www.teana.org. Call or visit the Web site for meeting schedules and additional information. This is a 12-step recovery program.

n Catch a tribute to “The King” on the second Saturday of each month at the Andy Griffith Playhouse. Professional tribute artist Jimmy W. Johnson brings a unique Elvis performance. Showtime is 3 p.m. Prices for the shows are as follows: first 10 rows are $25, last 10 rows are $20, balcony seats are $15. Contact the Surry Arts Council to reserve tickets at 786-7998.

n The Ararat Ruritan Club, Va., has dances every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is $5. Children under 12 are free. Performing are Cranford Creek Bluegrass, May 16; Charles Bowman and 2 Young 2 Old, May 23; Charles Bowman and Down Town Boys, May 30; Zephyr Lightning Bolt, June 6; and Jerry George and Snow Creek Olde Tyme Band, June 13. For more information, call (276) 251-5436.

n The Disabled American Veterans meets the fourth Thursday of each month at the National Guard Armory in Mount Airy at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to all members and their families.

n Join the Foothills Arts Council for The Artists Forum on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 5:30 p.m. This is an informal artists group for anyone interested in exploring their creative side. These discussions are presented free at the FAC building, 129 Church St., Elkin. For more information, call 835-2025.

n The Woman’s Club of Mount Airy meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. The club is seeking new members. The Woman’s Club of Mount Airy is a member of the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs of North Carolina. It is a service organization which gives back to the community in many ways including scholarships for local students and projects around Surry County. Anyone interested in attending a meeting should contact Wendy at 786-5747.

n Clayworks is having open studio for ceramics in Elkin on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon on Front Street. This is for adults who would like studio time to work on their own projects with or without instruction. The cost is $145 for 12 sessions. Start any date, work on the project of your choosing. To register, call the Yadkin Valley Craft Guild at 835-2717. For more information, visit www.yadkinvalleycraftguild.org.

n Every Thursday, the Mount Airy Public Library will have Game Night at 6 p.m. The library will have games like Scrabble, Boggle, Uno, Life, Sorry, Yahtzee, Trivial Pursuit and other games available to play.

n The Beulah Ruritan Club will have a dance every Friday from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Admission is $5. Children under the age of 12 are free. For more information, call 352-3383.

n The Foothills Arts Council announces the next session of After School Arts! This program for kids offers four different art classes, each meeting once a week for six weeks. Each class is $40 per six-week session. Need-based scholarships are available. This program is made possible by a grant from the Richard T. Chatham fund of the Winston-Salem Foundation. After School Arts! will be ongoing throughout the entire 2008-09 school year, with different art classes offered every six weeks. Call 835-2025 to sign up.

n The Picture Books book club at the Mount Airy Public Library will be showing “Jaws,” May 26. The viewings begin at 6 p.m. and are free. Popcorn will be provided by the library.

n The town of Historic Hillsville, Va., has announced the expanded summer concert and classic car cruise-in series. These events are all free of charge. Events will be from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Jailhouse Square. Music, food, beverages, children’s activities and dancing will all take place. Schedule is May 30, Showtime, Mark Roberts and Breeze; June 27, The Entertainers; July 18, Showtime, Jim Quick and Coastline; Aug. 29, Mixed Emotion and Craig Woolard Band; and Sept. 12, The Embers. For more information, call Larry South at (276) 728-2128, ext. 16, or email hillsville@embarqmail.com.

n The Mount Airy Public Library will be offering classes during the week of May 18-21 beginning at 6:30 p.m. each night for students and their parents who are planning for college. Classes include Scott Wilson from Surry Community College, May 18; Ray Arnder with the Mount Airy Police Department, May 19; Tim Marion with Andrew Jade Financial Services, May 20; and Carmen Long, family consumer science agent with the N.C. Cooperative Extension, May 21. These classes are free. For more information, call Angela Llewellyn at 789-5108.

n The Carroll County Academy of Virtual Learning with K-12 Online Schools will hold open enrollment for children interested in virtual learning. Parents of interested students may apply online for the 2009-2010 school year. Open enrollment will be from now until June 15. Applicants must apply online at www.k12.com. For more information, call the Carroll County School Board at (276) 728-3191.

n The Granite City monthly cruise-in will be held behind Quality Inn and Arby’s on U.S. 601 the fourth Saturday of each month, May 23, June 27, July 25, Aug. 22 and Sept. 26. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be sold by White Plains Ruritan Club. Drink proceeds will go to the Childrens Christmas Fund. Christmas in July will be held at the July 25 date and will include a special auction for Christmas gifts for children in need. A drop box for unwrapped toys for children in need will be available at all cruise-ins. Cruise-ins will be held from 5 p.m. until. Door prizes and a 50/50 drawing will take place at 8 p.m. New members are welcome. See a club member for more information.

Today

n The Pilot Mountain Civic Club will be having arts and crafts, food, kiddie rides and continuous entertainment downtown for Mayfest on Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Not pets will be allowed downtown per town ordinance.

May 11

n The Surry County Genealogical Association will meet at 7 p.m. at the Teaching Auditorium at Surry Community College. Gary Snow will be at the meeting to give a program on the Snow family. This meeting is free, and the public is invited. For more information, call 755-9462 or email epdj1@embarqmail.com.

May 11-15

n Storytelling will be done every afternoon at 3:30 p.m. for elementary students at the Mount Airy Public Library.

May 12

n The location for the regular Carroll County Public School Board meeting has been changed to the band room at Carroll County Intermediate School, 1036 N. Main St., Hillsville, Va. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m.

n The Sandy Level Community Watch will be having a meeting at the Franklin Ruritan Club at 7 p.m. The Surry County EMS is scheduled to provide some emergency training. This is a great opportunity to meet neighbors and obtain good information on the community watch. For more information, call Tom or Lynne at 789-7277.

May 12-21

n The Friends of the King Public Library will be having a Scholastic Book Fair. All purchases will help build the children’s collection. May 14 will be Book Fair Family Fun Night at the library from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Children can meet Clifford the Big Red Dog and enjoy storytime.

May 13

n Reeves Community Center and the Diabetes Education Program of Surry County Health and Nutrition Center present “May Be High or May Be Low-What Should I do?” from 11 a.m. to noon at Reeves Community Center. For information, call 401-8025.

May 14-16

n Surry Community College will be hosting a three-day taxidermy conference competition and trade show at various locations on the college’s campus. The event will offer 29 taxidermy seminars to choose from over the three-day period. Registration is $66 for the full conference. The Beautiful Wildlife Art in the competition area will be open to the public on the last day from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Engineering Technologies building, K building. Vendors will also be at the college during the conference. For more information, visit www.taxidermy.surry.edu or call 386-3398.

May 15

n The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will present the Annual Book and Author Dinner at Cross Creek Country Club. One speaker for the evening will be Jerry White, author of “I Will Not Be Broken” and co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace for his work toward banning the use of land mines. The other speaker will be Martin Clark, whose newest book is “The Legal Limit.” He is a native of Stuart, Va., and a judge in the court system there. For ticket information, call the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History at 786-4478.

n A Memorial Golf Tournament for David F. Cox Sr. will be held at Pilot Knob Park Country Club. The format is four-man Captain’s Choice. Lunch will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and tee-time is 1 p.m. The deadline for entries is April 30, and the cost is $60. Prizes will be awarded including door prizes. Proceeds go to benefit a scholarship fund. For more information, contact Keith Venable at 789-1000 or keithv@JSClark.com or Robin Cox at 526-7843 or robincox@pvh.com.

May 15 and 16

n The Brown Mountain Road/Westfield Community will be hosting a yard sale. Rain dates are May 22 and 23. For more information, call 351-3697.

May 16

n The sixth annual Strawberry Festival in Uptown Stuart, Va., will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free to all. Live bands along with numerous artists and craftsmen will be featured. Food will be available including hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, funnel cakes and fresh strawberries, strawberry short cake and chocolate-dipped jumbo strawberries. The festival will be held rain or shine. Also, there will be a Battle of the Protectors, Stuart vs. Mount Airy Police. They will have a tug of war, obstacle course, bench press, shoot off and arm curls.