Free weight/cardio class begins Jan. 6
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Hillsboro Recreation and Woods Wellness will be sponsoring a supervised come and go weight training/cardio class from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Wednesday starting Jan. 6.
Participants will be provided a workout to follow that includes weight training and cardiovascular training.
Men and women are invited to attend. There is no fee for the class. The classes will run five weeks with Anna Woods supervising and providing the workouts. Space is limited.
For more information, call Woods at 620-877-7503 or amwoods@woodswellness.com.
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Marion seniors will mark Elvis? birth
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Marion Senior Center will celebrate Elvis Presley?s birthday Jan. 8.
A light lunch will be available by donation at 6 p.m. Marc Baker from Wichita will perform Elvis music and moves.
Poodle skirts and saddle shoes will be worn by the Pinkettes, Marion Senior Center?s own groupies. Elvis music will be played all day.
For more information call Janet at 620-382-2942. The Marion Senior Center is located at 309 S. Third.
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Winter/spring Storytime to begin
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The winter/spring session of Storytime at the Hillsboro Public Library will begin Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 20-21.
Delora Kaufman, children?s librarian, said the 40-minute sessions of book reading, activities and crafts are available for 3-year-olds, as of Jan. 1, through kindergarteners.
The registration fee for the entire four-month session is $4 and signup is underway with two different times. Payment is due by the first session. Classes are offered at 10:20 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday or Thursday.
There is a limit of 12 children per class, Kaufman said.
For more information or to register, call 947-3827 or stop by the library, 120 E. Grand Ave.
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Assistance offered for LIEAP signup
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The Marion County Depart?ment on Aging (formerly Depart?ment for Elderly) is offering to assist individuals wanting to sign up for Low Income Energy Assistance Programs, Home?stead and food sales tax returns after Jan. 19.
Anyone who filled out a LIEAP application or Homestead and food sales tax return last year will receive one in the mail. Staff will be available by appointment to help individuals apply for the assistance or tax-refund programs.
Watch the Free Press for the dates when the staff will be coming to your community. You can contact the Marion County Department on Aging from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 620-382-3580.
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4-H youth invited to horse project
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Marion County 4-H Horse Project will have its next meeting at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12, at the Hillsboro city building.
Any 4-Her interested in coming is welcome. For more information, call Belinda Engler at 620-924-5254.
The group?s annual Christmas party was at Belinda Engler?s house, Dec. 18. Members participated in different games, which included wheelbarrow races, decorating some play horses and playing horse-related board and card games and blindfolded pole bending.
Families brought snacks, and participants had a good time.
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Spanish courses offered in February
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Marion County Cultural Arts & Learning Center will be offering Spanish courses in Burns and Marion next month.
The classes will begin Monday, Feb. 1, and end Thursday, Feb. 25. Classes will be offered in the morning or afternoon in both communities and evening classes are available in Burns.
Class time and location will be determined by the interest in each community. Each class will be one hour in length and will meet Monday through Thursday.
Cost of the course is $120 in Burns and $160 in Marion. The textbook, ?Dos Mundos,? will cost $10. The instructor is Nedy Grimwood, Burns, and the classes will be taught in her home.
The location for the classes in Marion is yet to be determined.
To enroll for the course, contact Nedy at 620-726-5691.
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Book discussion group set Jan. 15
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Hillsboro Public Library?s book discussion group will meet at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 15, at Brenda?s Bloomers, 111 W. Grand Ave.
The book read this month is ?First Dawn? by Judith Miller, a Kansas author. The discussion is one week later than originally planned for the discussion, a spokesperson said.
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Driver safety class has few more spots
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Plans for a driver safety class are being finalized for Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 25-26.
The class is open to all drivers regardless of age. Two sessions of four hours each must be completed to earn a certificate qualifying the driver for a discount on auto insurance premiums.
The safety class is being sponsored by the Hillsboro Senior Center and there is room for a few more participants.
For more information, call Jona Baltzer at 620-947-2446.
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Farmerettes plan to meet Friday
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The Farmerettes will meet at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, at the home of Elizabeth Unruh with Shirley Goering as guest speaker.
Roll call is: Something I Would Like to Accomplish.
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Commodities will arrive next week
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USDA commodities will be available at Marion County senior centers Thursday, Jan. 14.
Food items include pork in natural juice, peanut butter, corn flakes, vegetable mix, apricots, ultra high temperature 1 percent milk, instant non-fat dairy milk, Great Northern beans and dried cherries.
Each center will distribute commodities according to its schedule, said Gayla Ratzlaff, coordinator, Marion County Department on Aging.
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Refuge to kick off elk viewing season
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Maxwell Wildlife Refuge is planning a kick-off event for the elk viewing season with tours from 11 a.m. through 2 p.m. Jan. 9 and 16.
The tours will also include lunch of chili, sloppy joes and cobbler from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. by donation.
The refuge is six miles north of Canton, off the Santa Fe Trail Auto Route, U.S. Highway 56. The preserve is 2,800 acres of mixed grass prairie, home to 200 buffalo and 80 Rocky Mountain Elk.
For more information or to make a reservation, call 620-628-4455.
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New compost pile opens in Hillsboro
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The new compost pile, south of the Hillsboro City Shop on North Adams, is now open.
Items that may be dumped, according to city officials, include leaves, grass clippings, dead flowers, straw, dead corn stalks and other garden waste.
Officials are urging that no limbs or branches be dumped because they will not readily decompose.
However, limbs and branches may still be dumped at the burn site located north of Hillsboro.
A key will need to be checked out at the city office.
The existing site located on South Wilson was closed permanently Friday, Jan. 1.
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Free child screening planned for Jan. 12
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Marion County Early Inter?vention Services is offering a free screening for children birth through 5 years old Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the Hillsboro United Methodist Church, 905 E. D St.
Appointments will be available from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. At the screening, development will be checked in the areas of learning, motor, language and social. Vision and hearing will also be screened.
This process usually takes at least one hour for a child to complete. All children are welcome, but an appointment is necessary.
To make an appointment, call 1-877-878-4519, ext. 113, or 620-382-2858.
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FFA will collect live Christmas trees
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The Hillsboro High School FFA chapter will pick up live Christmas trees Saturday, Jan. 9.
The trees can be dropped off at the county fairgrounds; members also are offering curb-side pickup.
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Marion blood drive planned for Jan. 11
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An American Red Cross blood drive is planned for Marion from 2:25 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, in the St. Mark?s Activity Center at Holy Family Catholic Church, 415 N. Cedar.
The drive will be hosted by Pilsen Knights of Columbus Council 3423.
To make an appointment to donate call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
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Free H1N1 vaccine available Jan. 6
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The H1N1 vaccine will be available beginning Jan. 6 to anyone who has not received the vaccination.
The Marion County Health Department will have walk-in clinics from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
There is no charge for this service and no appointment is needed.