Tax help, more at OPL

Oneida Library

Monday, March 20, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tax Help for Seniors.

Monday, March 20 at 6 p.m., Friends of the Oneida Public Library meet in the OPL’s Meeting Room. New members are welcome.

Wednesday, March 22 at 6 p.m., the third session of Pushing the Limits with Professor Jen Herzog guides the discussion on Erik Larsen’s “Thunderstruck” and the human need to connect with the world. Registration required.

Saturday, March 25 at 11 a.m., historian and popular lecturer Tom Henry returns to the OPL for “The Road to the 19th Amendment Part 1.” He reveals the political saga leading up to the women’s suffrage amendment to the US Constitution in 1920 and its fateful consequences.

Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m. Tari Timmer concludes her crocheting class with a practical lesson in making a hot pad and a pillow casing.

Head Start session

CazCares and the Story Room -- a Cazenovia Public Library outpost operating out of CazCares -- will offer a Madison County Head Start information session on Tuesday, March 21. Joseph Healt, a family support specialist from Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, will be available from 9:30 a.m. to noon to provide general information and answer questions.

Head Start is a comprehensive child development program for children ages 3-5 and their families. The program provides a range of high quality individualized services in the areas of early learning, health and family well-being.

Hamilton Library

Tuesday, March 21 at 10:30 a.m. Story Time for babies, toddlers and their caregivers is held in the Children’s Story Room led by Early Childhood Educator Hilary Virgil. Story Time for preschoolers will be held in the Community Room and led by guest teacher Sharon Morley.

Everything from paintings and pen and ink drawings to mixed media sculpture, woodworking, photography and more are currently on display at the Hamilton Public Library. The Community Art Exhibit is on display in the gallery space at the library through March 25. We hope you’ll stop by to enjoy the creative talents of so many local artists.

Sherrill-Kenwood Free Library

Toddlers meet each Tuesday at 11 a.m. on March 21 and 28 for stories, music and crafts.

The Wednesday 1:30 p.m. movie on April 12 will be “Hidden Figures” and on April 26 at 1:30 p.m., “Lion.” Popcorn and drink provided.

The Ukrainian Egg Decoration Class will be held on Saturday, April 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The class will be taught by Linda Evans.

The cost is $25. You must register to attend the workshop. Call the library at (315) 363-5980.

The book club is currently reading “The Chaperone” by Laura Moriarty. The group will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5.

Come and get your copy of the book and then join the group on April 5 for a lively discussion.

A complete program is planned by the library for the annual April Spring Break beginning April 18 to be announced at the end of March.

Free movie

The Wednesday 1 p.m. movie matinee at Sullivan Free Library in Chittenango on March 22 will be “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman and John Hurt.

The 2016 movie is rated R and runs 99 minutes. It’s a portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the days after JFK’s assassination.

Christian Women’s brunch

The Oneida Canastota Christian Women’s Club will hold its March meeting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 23 at the Rusty Rail on Route 5 in Canastota. The theme will be “A Clean Sweep Brunch.”

Darlene Clark will be the guest speaker with her topic “Opportunity Knocks.” The feature for the brunch will be Katherine Morkel with Norwex Cleaning Products. Music for the event will be Dan Skinner on bagpipes.

Tickets are $14. For reservations please call Jackie Lottermoser, 315-363-1224. Men are always welcome to this event.

“Sing” to be shown

Cazenovia Public Library will present two free screenings of “Sing” (2016) on Friday, March 24 at 3:15 and 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room.

The animated musical comedy tells the story of a group of animals that enter a singing competition to help a dapper koala save his theater. The film features the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton and Toni Kelly.

“Sing” is rated PG and runs 108 minutes. Free popcorn is provided.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Ham dinner

A ham and scalloped potato dinner will be served on Saturday, March 25 at the Whitelaw Presbyterian Church, North Main Street, Canastota. Serving will be from 5-7:30 p.m.

The menu includes ham, scalloped potatoes, mixed vegetables, applesauce, roll/butter, beverage and dessert. Tickets are $9 with ages 5 and younger free.

Social dance

A social dance will be held on Saturday, March 25 at the Greater Oneida Kallet Civic Center, 159 Main St. Live music will be provided from 7-10:30 p.m.

Admission is $15 per person and the dance is open to the public. For information call the Kallet at 315-363-8525.

Pancake breakfast

The Madison United Methodist Church will hold a pancake breakfast on Saturday, March 25 from 7-10 a.m. at the church, Route 20, Madison.

The menu includes pancakes, sausage, home fries, scrambled eggs, orange juice and coffee. Tickets are $9 for adults and $4 for children 5-12.

Fish dinners

Holy Family Church will serve a haddock dinner each Friday through April 7 from 4-6:30 p.m. each week.

The dinner includes fish, potato, salad bar and beverage for $9. Take outs will be available for $8. Call 315-829-2820 after 3 p.m. to order.

The church is located at 4352 Peterboro St., Vernon.

Slate roofing workshop

Join at the Oneida Community Mansion House on Saturday, April 8 at 10:30 a.m. for a practical workshop on Slate and Slate Roofing with noted historic building preservation specialists Jeffrey Levine and Julie Palmer of Levine & Company, Ardmore, Pa.

This is an excellent professional development opportunity for those who maintain or buildings that employ slate roofing or slate interior materials.

Workshop tuition is $40; Oneida Community Mansion House members may register for $30. Advance registration is required. The workshop begins promptly at 10:30 a.m. and will conclude by 1 p.m.

Levin’s work has been honored with numerous awards, national and regional. He is the author of many publications about slate roofs and building conservation, including “Repair, Replacement, and Maintenance of Historic Slate Roofs,” published by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and “Slate Roofs: Design and Installation Manual,” published by the National Slate Association.

Palmer is a LEED accredited professional and vice president of the Delaware chapter of the Institute of Roofing, Waterproofing, & Building Envelope Professionals.

This event is supported in part by the John Ben Snow Foundation.

Income tax preparation

Free income tax preparation is available to Madison County residents who earned less than $54,000 in 2016.

Daytime, evening and weekend appointments are available through VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) at the Madison County Department of Social Services and other locations throughout Madison County. Residents who qualify for the program work with trained help to file their income taxes.

Participants must bring all of their tax documents and photo ID. A full list may be found at www.irs. gov/vita.

To make an appointment, call Community Action Partnership for Madison County at 315-6973358 ext. 117. Seniors ages 60 and older are eligible for free tax return preparation regardless of income by call Madison County Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program at 315-684-3001.

Mansion House events

On Saturday, April 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., join Oneida Community Mansion House for a nature photography and clean-up hike around Sunset Lake. Bring your camera and capture woodland plants and animals in photographs.

The best pictures will be exhibited to the world on our Facebook page and at our public Arbor Day event on April 29. Hike the pathway around Sunset Lake and pitch in to restore the lake edge and woodlands. Litter-picking tools will be provided.

On Saturday, April 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. join us for an Arbor Day festival. Join in a woodland scavenger hunt and learn to identify trees by their leaves. Build you own bird feeder (materials fee required). Learn about maple syrup production with the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School Future Farmers of America Chapter. Marvel as a professional arborist climbs trees and enjoy a visit from the Utica Zoomobile. Delicious food truck refreshments will be available for purchase. The first 100 attendees receive a pine seedling courtesy of Bartlett Tree Service.

The Oneida Community Mansion House was once home to the 19th century utopian Oneida Community (1848-1880) and includes more than 33 acres of woodland, lawns and gardens. OCMH preserves, collects and interprets the material culture, intangible heritage, historic architecture and landscape of the site.

The Mansion House is a National Historic Landmark and chartered by the NYS Department of Education.

They are open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. Guided tours are Wednesday through Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Mansion House is located at 170 Kenwood Ave., Oneida. For information call 315-363-0745 or visit www.oneidacommunity.org.

Scholarship available

Fred “Fritz” Scherz Jr., councilman on the Verona Town Board, will sponsor the 8th annual Fred Scherz Sr. Memorial Scholarship for Volunteer Community Service.

The $250 scholarship will be awarded to a Town of Verona student who is on track to graduate from high school (public or private) or home school by June 30, 2017. Additionally, the student must have lived in the Town of Verona since at least Dec. 1, 2016, and must be voluntarily engaged in community service or must have created a community project.

Scherz created the scholarship in 2010 in memory of his father, Fred Scherz Sr. Complete rules and application are available at www.fritzscherz. com. Deadline to apply is May 13.