Published: Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 / Updated: Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 01:32 PM

Bass fishing tourney will benefit Second Harvest

The Rusty White Charity Bass Fishing Challenge will be from safe light to 3 p.m. Dec. 5 at Ebenezer Park near Rock Hill. The entry fee is one nonperishable food item per team, which will be donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Prizes will be awarded to the top seven teams in the challenge. First place will receive $1,000. For more details and entry forms, visit www.fishingwithrusty.com.

These other fundraisers and benefits are planned:

The women of Beth Shiloh Presbyterian Church will host a bake sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 12 at the church, 1184 N. Shiloh Road, York. Pies, cookies, cakes, snacks, brownies, soups and more will be sold.

York County Libraries will be collecting Food for Fines from Saturday through Dec. 31. The charitable program will allow library users to pay off fines for overdue materials with the donation of nonperishable food and personal hygiene items. For each item donated, $1 will be credited to outstanding fines. The donations will not cover lost or damaged materials. All proceeds benefit local food banks. For details, visit www.yclibrary.org.

United Way will sponsor two events benefitting Toys for Happiness. Children are invited to eat cookies with Santa from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 5 and 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Episcopal Church of our Saviour in Rock Hill. A donation of $10 is requested and includes a photo with Santa. This is a ChristmasVille event. For details or to register, call 803-324-2735. Dolce Lusso will host a toy drive during an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 13 at 985 Market St., Fort Mill. Hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be available, and admission is one toy and one canned food item for the Fort Mill Care Center. For details, call 803-802-5877.

The Optimist Club of Rock Hill will sell Christmas trees starting Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and 12:30 to 8 p.m. Sundays from the First Citizens Bank parking lot at Herlong Avenue and Ebenezer Road in Rock Hill. All proceeds will benefit youth-related projects that the Optimist Club supports during the year. Volunteers who would like to help sell trees may call Jim Weaving at 803-366-3683.

Covenant Presbyterian Church will host a smoked turkey sale from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the church, 1830 Celanese Road, Rock Hill. Whole turkeys weighing 10 to 12 pounds will be sold for $25. All proceeds will benefit community needs and church grounds maintenance. For details, call 803-366-8223.

“Family Favorites,” a cookbook produced by employees of Family Trust Federal Credit Union, is available for $10 at any Family Trust branch. The 100-page book includes more than 200 recipes and tips. All proceeds will benefit area charities adopted by employees through their fundraising committee.

Thrift Store Ministries of York will have a buy one, get one free sale on all mens and women's pants. Women's knit shirts, pictures and picture frames will be on sale for half-price. The store is open Monday to Saturday but will be closed Thursday.

Local churches, groups

plan to feed the hungry

These Thankgiving meals are planned:

Sterling Lodge 344 will feed the hungry from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the lodge on Ogden Road in Rock Hill. People who did not receive a meal on Thursday are invited to attend. For details, call Jerry at 803-324-1502.

Boyd Hill Baptist Church in Rock Hill will host a free Thanksgiving meal from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday in the fellowship hall. For details, call 803-327-2422.

Classes to be offered

on food safety, grief

These classes and seminars are offered:

The Clemson Extension Service will host a food safety class from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Chester YMCA. The class will provide information and safety examples for participants who cook for fundraisers, church dinners, family reunions or other large group gatherings. Topics covered include purchasing food for groups, storage of food, proper thawing, holding and serving, sanitation and cleaning. The cost is $20. For details or to register, call Angela Forbes at 803-385-6181, or visit www.clemson.edu.

GriefShare will host a Surviving the Holidays seminar from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 3 at the First Baptist Church apex in Rock Hill. The two-hour seminar offers practical, actionable strategies for making it through the holiday season after the loss of a loved one. First Baptist will offer a DivorceCare Surviving the Holidays class from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 4 in the apex. For details or to register, call Charlie Lucas at 803-327-7181, or e-mail charliel@fbcrockhill.org.

India Hook United Methodist Church will host a holiday centerpiece design class at 10 a.m. Dec. 12 at the church. Barbara Carswell will teach the class. Basic materials will be provided, but participants should bring a container no more than eight inches in diameter. The cost is $20 per person. A nursery will be provided for children ages 6 and younger for $2 per child with advance reservations. Snacks will be provided, and each child will make a Christmas craft. For details or to RSVP, call Dottie Davis at 803-329-7757.

Local groups plan

meetings, holiday events

These groups have news of meeting and special events to share:

The York County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 15 and Rock Hill Police Pistol's Club will have their annual Christmas party at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Magnolia Room at Laurel Creek, 4017 Laurel Creek Drive, Rock Hill. Members may RSVP by calling John Aiton at 803-980-2109 by Friday.

The Newcomers Club of York County, a women's social and civic-minded organization, will host a holiday event at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 9 at the Rock Hill Country Club. Singers from Opera Carolina Chorus and Winthrop University will entertain. The cost is $16 and includes lunch and gratuity. For details or to RSVP, call Dianne at 803-325-4648 by noon Dec. 5.

The Rock Hill High School Class of 1965 will host a Thanksgiving drop-in from 7:30 p.m. to midnight Friday at the American Legion, 199 S. Cherry Road, Rock Hill. All Rock Hill and Winthrop Training School 1950 to 1970 graduates and guests are invited. The cost is $5 per person. Light snacks and a cash bar will be provided.

The Sylvia Circle Demons Gray-Y football team will host a banquet at 6 p.m. Saturday at Boyd Hill Baptist Church, 315 Glenn St., Rock Hill. All players must return their uniforms to Coach Perry Sutton before the banquet. For more details, call Pat Kennedy at 704-507-3419 or Alice Hardin-Hinton at 803-524-6618.

The Finley Road Falcons will have their banquet at 6 p.m. Friday at Sterling Lodge 344 in Rock Hill. For details, call Coach Seale at 803-324-1502.

Celebrate Recovery will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday at 434 Museum Road, Rock Hill. For details, call Donna at 803-627-0594 or Rob at 803-493-1231.

The Rock Hill branch of the NAACP will meet at 6 p.m. today at First Calvary Baptist Church, 228 Lucky Lane, Rock Hill. The executive meeting will be at 5 p.m. in the same location. For details, call Sandra Oborokumo at 803-366-2184.

The Rock Hill chapter of the National Federation of the Blind will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the American Red Cross building, 200 Piedmont Blvd., Rock Hill. Plans for the Christmas party will be finalized. Garnet McKeown of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism will be the guest speaker. The meal for this month will be potluck.

The South Central Neighborhood Association will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Liberty Community Baptist Church, 315 Little St., Rock Hill. For details, call 803-327-2312 or 803-327-6604.

The Rock Hill Elite Amateur Athletic Union boys' basketball team will hold a skills and drills workout session at 4 p.m. today at the Freedom Center in downtown Rock Hill. The session is for boys ages 9 to 11. For details, call 803-242-5682 or 803-372-7688.

The York High School Class of 1974 will have a reunion April 17, 2010. Invitations will be mailed. Graduates are asked to submit their names, addresses and phone numbers to Scott at 803-371-0569 or Terri at 803-820-0146, or e-mail tshaver3@earthlink.net or stfloyd@comporium.net.

The York County Democratic Party will meet at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at Firebonz All-American Barbecue and Grill, 2445 Cherry Road, Rock Hill. State Rep. John King will speak. For details, call the party at 803-327-4222.

Holiday events include

parades, tours, more

These local holiday events are planned:

The annual candlelight Christmas tour will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 6 at Historic Brattonsville on Brattonsville Road, McConnells. Participants will practice candle-dipping, and children will read from “A Christmas Story” and “The Night Before Christmas.” Hot dogs, baked goods and treats will be sold. The event is sponsored by Presbyterian Hospital. The cost is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $6 for children ages 4 to 17 and free for children younger than 3. Culture and Heritage Museum members will receive a $2 discount. For details, visit www.chmuseums.org.

The Lights on the Lake boat parade will start at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 on Lake Wylie. Boats involved in the parade should meet at 6 p.m. at the dock at T-Bones. Homeowners are encouraged to decorate their docks. Awards will be presented for first-, second- and third-place boats. Early registration is $20 or same-day registration is $25. For details or to register a boat, call the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce at 803-831-2827 or e-mail lakewyliechamber@yahoo.com.

Winthrop University will host its annual holiday pottery sale from noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 4 in Rutledge Building G-10 on campus. This is a ChristmasVille in Rock Hill event. Pieces included are those of Winthrop faculty and students including Jennifer Mecca, a resident of York. Proceeds from the sale will pay for visiting artists, tools and additional items needed in the pottery studio. For details, call 803-323-2323 or visit www.winthrop.edu.

The Woman's Club of Rock Hill will host Victorian Teas at 3 p.m. Dec. 3, 1 p.m. Dec. 4 and 5 p.m. Dec. 6 at the clubhouse, 607 Aiken Ave., Rock Hill. The cost is $20 per person and is part of ChristmasVille Rock Hill. The Sugar Plum Boutique will open one hour before each tea party. Advance reservations are required by Dec. 1. For details or to RSVP, call 803-328-8888.

The Rock Hill Christmas Parade will start at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at Oakland and Stewart Avenue and will end at the municipal parking lot between Elizabeth Lane and Saluda Street. Light up the Night is the theme of the parade, which will feature lighted floats and units. The parade is sponsored by Comporium and Piedmont Medical Center.

Children ages 3 to 12 are encouraged to shop with the elves from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 5 at Northside Recreation Center in Rock Hill. Gifts will cost between a quarter and $15. Adults must remain with their children at the center. For details, call 803-329-5633.

A Christmas craft show will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the McConnells Community Center, 189 Church St., McConnells. The show will feature quilts, rocking chairs, handbags, jewelry, leather belts, clocks and more.

Children are invited to meet Santa at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 5 at the Veterans Garden at Glencairn Garden for storytime. Santa will read “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” After the reading, children may sit on Santa's lap and parents may take pictures. Hot chocolate and cookies will be available. Children will receive candy canes and reindeer antlers, compliments of the Rock Hill Galleria. The event is free and part of ChristmasVille in Rock Hill. For details, visit www.rockhillrocks.com or call Merritt Croom at 803-329-5620.

Local county libraries

to close for Thanksgiving

York County libraries in Clover, Fort Mill and Lake Wylie will close at 6 p.m. Wednesday and remain closed through Thanksgiving. The York County Library in Rock Hill will be closed Wednesday to Friday for building repairs. Normal operating hours will resume on Saturday.

Local theater groups

gear up for shows

These local performances are planned:

The Rock Hill Community Theatre will present “The Christmas Bus” by Robert Inman at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 and 5 and 3 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Community Performance Center, 249 E. Main St., downtown Rock Hill. The play will be directed by Sheri Marvin. The play is based on a story about the director of an orphanage who wants to give her kids the best Christmas celebration, but is shunned by the board of trustees. With the help of an older orphan, Thomas, the children rent a bus and go on the road trip of a lifetime. Tickets are $12 adults, $10 students and seniors, with $2 off admission for the Sunday matinee showing. For details or to purchase tickets, call 803-324-2578 or visit www.rockhilltheatre.org.

The theater arts department of Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill will present “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie Dec. 3 to 6. The story, originally published as “Ten Little Indians,” involves an assortment of strangers summoned to an island off the English coast of Devon. One by one, they fall prey, and only the dead are above suspicion. The story is a murder mystery and is not suitable for young children. The first three shows begin at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee will start at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8 and are available at the door.

The Yorkville Players will present “Stuart Little” by E. B. White on Jan. 22, 23, 29 and 30 at the McCelvey Center, 212 E. Jefferson St., York. Friday showings are at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday showings are at 3 and 7:30 p.m. The play will be directed by Barbara Johnson. Tickets will be $8 at the door and group discounts are available. For details, call 803-372-2433 or visit www.yorkvilleplayers.com.

E-mail community news to communitynews@ heraldonline.com. Deadline for the Sunday column is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Deadline for the Thursday column is 5 p.m. Monday.