Get your act together with PTP

Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009

Port Tobacco Players will hold acting classes every Tuesday from Jan. 5 to Feb. 23 at the theater at 508 Charles St. in La Plata.

The classes are in the evenings from 7 to 9 p.m.

The classes are $150 for budding Brads and Angelinas who are not members of PTP and $125 for PTP members.

For more information, to sign up and reserve a spot in class, call 301-932-6819.

Stencil for charity

The Southern Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross is in need of volunteers who can stencil. The organization has a large cargo ship container at chapter headquarters in La Plata.

It is asking for someone to create a stencil so the Red Cross can paint its toll free number on the side.

Call Bob Gretton at 888-276-2767 or e-mail BobG@SOMDRedCross.org 

Adopt a cat

Looking for a pet to ring in the New Year?

It could as simple as donating a case of canned cat food to the Tri-County Animal Shelter. For 24 cans of food, adopt an adult feline for no cost. Adoption fees will be waived in exchange for food through Jan. 30.

Adult cats are 1 year and older and at the shelter, the cats see a veterinarian to receive a physical exam, rabies vaccine, get spayed or neutered, get their first distemper vaccine, get a microchip and are tested for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus before heading off to a new home.

Many of the cats at the shelter are victims of circumstance; through no fault of their own, their owners had to move, they were no longer allowed to have pets or simply could no longer afford to feed a pet.

To see cats up for adoption, go to www.charlescounty.org/es/animalcontrol or www.petfinder.com. The Tri-County Animal Shelter is located at 6707 Animal Shelter Road, Hughesville.

Adoptions are held noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

For more information, call 301 932-1713 or 800 903-1992.

Casting call

College of Southern Maryland will hold auditions for "Home on the Mornin' Train" at 7 p.m. on Jan. 19 in the fine arts center at 8730 Mitchell Road in La Plata.

The performances will run Feb. 18 through 21. The play highlights the similarities between the struggles of runaway teenage slaves and Jewish children seeking to escape Nazi Germany. The cast calls for one African-American male, four African-American females, two white females and six white males. For more information or to set up an audition call 301-934-7828, 240-725-5499, 443-550-6199, 301-870-2309, ext. 7828 or BxOffc@csmd.edu. www.csmd.edu/Finearts.

It's time to heal

Hospice of Charles County will start its next session of A Time to Heal, an adult support group for those 18 and older who have lost a loved one, on Jan. 11.

The group will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Monday through March 15.

Led by hospice's bereavement coordinator, Lucia Hartman, the group focuses on helping members better cope with the challenges of life after the death of a loved one.

Group participants will find a place to learn more about the grieving process while receiving support from others who have experienced similar losses. For more information about the support group or to register, call Hartman at 301-934-1268 or e-mail at lhartman@hospiceofcharlescounty.org.