Group for service providers to meet

ESCONDIDO -- Service providers are invited to attend a meeting of the North County Community Network from 8:30 to 10 a.m. July 31 at the Ray M. Dickinson Wellness Center, 425 N. Date St. Traci Chester will present a program about services provided by Interfaith Community Services.

The North County Community Network strives to establish an informal network to enhance and improve services in North County and to strengthen the synergies of the service providers. Meetings are held the last Monday of the month.

Information: Lupe Calzada at (760) 747-6282, Ext. 125, or lcalzada@ccssd.org.

Model A Ford Club to meet

SAN MARCOS -- The Palomar Model A Ford Club will meet Aug. 2 in the Palomar Estates East clubhouse, 650 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road. Members will drive their Model A's to the meeting for display.

Social time will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by the meeting at 7. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. All Model A owners and/or aficionados are welcome.

For information, e-mail Linda Thamer at thamer1@adelphia.net or call (760) 729-5449.

Experimental aircraft group to meet

CARLSBAD -- The Experimental Aircraft Association, North County Chapter 286, will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 3 in the AFR Hangar at McClellan-Palomar Airport, 2481 Palomar Airport Road.

Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Neil Levin, author of "An Angel Rode My Wing," will speak. Call Bill Irvin at (760) 438-7534.

Widows and Widowers Club plans events

The Widows and Widowers Club of North County will present the following events and activities in August:

• Buffet dinner and dancing, 5 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Oceanside Elks Lodge, 444 Country Club Lane. Dinner is ribs and includes coffee and dessert. Cost is $10. Call Joyce, (760) 433-6479.

• Summer picnic supper, 4 p.m. Aug. 13 at a member's home in Escondido. Cost is $6. Reservations and advance payment are required. Call Dee at (760) 599-5808.

• Buffet dinner and dancing to the music of Our Song, 5 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Escondido Country Club, 1800 Country Club Lane. Cost is $20 before Aug. 16; $22 after. Reservations and advance payment are required. Call Dee at (760) 599-5808.

• Champagne brunch, 12:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Lake San Marcos Country Club, 1750 San Pablo Drive. Order from the menu. Call Joyce at (760) 433-6479.

Other activities will include golf on Aug. 4. Call Betty at (858) 487-1834. For bunko, call Jeannie at (760) 603-9196; for bridge, call Nancy at (760) 738-1120.

Open houses planned for CSUSM programs

SAN MARCOS -- Cal State San Marcos Extended Studies will host on-campus information sessions/open houses for these fall programs. For information and reservations, call (760) 750-4020.

• Nurse Refresher Program open house, 9 to 11 a.m. Aug. 4, Room 104 of the Foundation Classroom Building.

• Meeting and Event Planning Program open house, 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 5, Room 106 of the Foundation Classroom Building.

• Biotech Boot Camp and Biotechnology Certificate Program open house, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9.

Ocean Wavers to host square dance

VISTA -- The Ocean Wavers Square Dance Club will hold its "Frosty Floats" dance Aug. 4 in the Azalea Room at the Gloria E. McClellan Senior Center, 1400 Vale Terrace Drive. Dennis Young will call and Judy Eades will cue. Prerounds begin at 7:30 p.m., followed by squares from 8 to 10:15. Call (760) 591-4263 or (760) 726-7059.

Pro bull riders show set for Aug. 5 and 6

DEL MAR -- The Professional Bull Riders are coming to the Del Mar Fairgrounds Arena for the Del Mar Invitational, an Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour event, Aug. 5 and. 6.

Gates will open at 7 p.m., with the show to begin at 8. Tickets cost $25 for reserved grandstand seats and $65 for VIP box seating. Tickets are available through the Del Mar Fairgrounds box office at (858) 792-4252 or through Ticketmaster at (619) 220-TIXS or http://www.ticketmaster.com.

In addition, a preshow barbecue will begin at 7 p.m. each night, with opportunities to meet the bull riders before the show. The Santa Maria-style barbecue will be provided by Hunter Steakhouse of Oceanside. Baby-back ribs or barbecued chicken dinners with ranch-style beans and red-skin potato salad will be available for $16. Tri-tip beef or chicken sandwiches, beans and potato salad can be purchased as a meal for $14 or a la carte.

For information on the Professional Bull Riders, go to http://www.pbrnow.com.

Book fair to benefit North County Health Services

OCEANSIDE -- Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 2615 Vista Way, will host a voucher book fair in support of North County Health Services' Reach Out and Read Program from noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 5. When customers present a voucher at the time of purchase, a percentage of the net sales will be donated to NCHS.

In addition, NCHS pediatricians and community volunteers will provide entertainment for children and adults during throughout the event.

NCHS pediatricians participate in the American Pediatric Association's Reach Out and Read program by "prescribing" books at well-child visits to encourage parents to read to their children and children to learn to enjoy reading. Also, NCHS volunteers often read age-appropriate books to children and their parents in pediatric waiting rooms.

To volunteer, call Community Development Coordinator Michelle Davis at (760) 736-8705.

Trigeminal Neuralgia Support Group to meet

SAN DIEGO -- The Trigeminal Neuralgia Association of San Diego County Support Group will meet from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 5 in the Coral Room at Thornton Hospital, 9300 Campus Point Drive. Psychologist Dr. Ann Damsbo will speak. Call Cherie Sato at (760) 729-8987.

Interstitial Cystitis Support Group to meet

SAN DIEGO -- The Interstitial Cystitis Support Group will meet from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Aug. 6 in the Coral Room at Thornton Hospital, 9300 Campus Point Drive. Call (858) 279-2178.

Networking women to gather

LAKE SAN MARCOS -- North County Women in Networking will hold its monthly buffet luncheon meeting from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Lake San Marcos Country Club, 1750 San Pablo Drive. Personal trainer Sandy Dean will speak on "Midlife Fitness for Women."

Cost is $16 for members; $18 for guests. Attendees are encouraged to donate items for a door-prize drawing. For information and reservations, call Beth at (760) 231-7419.

SMHS classes of 1962-1972 reunion set

NORTH COUNTY -- A reunion for San Marcos High School classes of 1962 through 1972 will be held Aug. 12 at the home of Bobby and Gloria (Perez) Gustine in Valley Center. Festivities will begin at 4 p.m. and will include a Hawaiian buffet, live music by The Orbitz and a video presentation.

Classmates also will gather at the Cruisin' Grand car show from 5 to 9 p.m. Aug. 11 in the parking lot at 154 W. Grand Ave., corner of Grand Avenue and Maple Street in Escondido. Attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs.

For information, e-mail Gail Jenkins Kirchmeier at sngworld@cox.net or call (760) 631-4788.

Entries sought for pet calendar contest

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA invites pet owners to enter its 2007 Calendar Contest.

Each month of the calendar will feature one of the top 13 photos selected, with all qualified entries included in the calendar's group photo collage. All entrants will receive a free calendar.

Entries must be in color, have a horizontal layout, be no larger than 4-by-6 inches and contain only animals. Polaroid, copyrighted/professional or computer-generated photographs will not be accepted. Do not stamp or write on the back of photos. Photos will not be returned.

Those submitting digital photos should set their cameras on its highest resolution setting. Well-focused, sharp images that are at least 200 dpi (dots per inch) in jpeg or tiff format will be accepted.

The $25 entry fee per photo will benefit the animals and community programs of the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA.

Entries must be postmarked by Aug. 16. For an entry form or information, call (619) 299-7012, Ext. 2276, or visit http://www.sdhumane.org. Winners will be notified by phone and mail. The 2007 calendars will be available in October.

CSUSM receives grant for Osher program

SAN MARCOS -- For the third consecutive year, the Office of Extended Studies at Cal State San Marcos has been awarded a $100,000 grant to fund a program for mature learners through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Now in its third year, the Institute is supported by the Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco and offers academic classes for adults ages 50 and older.

Students in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute enroll for a nominal membership fee and attend classes in Escondido at the Chamber of Commerce building and in Oceanside at Mission San Luis Rey once each week for two-and-a-half hours, either in the morning or afternoon.

The Institute's fall term is scheduled from Sept. 11 through Oct. 13 in Escondido and from Oct. 16 through Nov. 17 in Oceanside. Participants may enroll anytime online, by phone or by mail.

For information, call (760) 750-8712 or visit http://www.csusm-es.org/OLLI .

Host a high school exchange student

The Foundation for Intercultural Travel, a State Department designated exchange visitor program, is matching international students ages 15 to 18 with host families in the community. Students arrive about one week before local schools start, and bring their own spending money and medical insurance. Host families agree to include their student as a family member. All students speak English and will arrive from Germany, Brazil, Denmark, Spain and other countries. For information, call Maryann at (877) 439-7862.

Weeklong volunteer blitz planned

SAN DIEGO -- Join Volunteer San Diego and thousands of fellow volunteers in a weeklong service blitz called Hands On San Diego from Sept. 16 through 24.

Over the course of the week, volunteers will complete hundreds of service projects for a diverse group of nonprofit organizations and the many county residents they serve. Projects include helping children to read, painting murals, cleaning beaches, delivering meals to seniors, renovating buildings, food drives and more.

For information, visit http://www.volunteersandiego.org, e-mail hosd@volunteersandiego.org or call (858) 636-4130.

Coastal Cleanup Day set for Sept. 16

The 22nd annual California Coastal Cleanup Day will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 16 at 50 sites throughout the county. The cleanups are organized by I Love a Clean San Diego and San Diego Coastkeeper. To become a site captain or sponsor, e-mail Sarah Leone at volunteers@ilacsd.org. For details about the cleanup, visit http://www.cleanupday.org.

Polish American group to meet in September

ESCONDIDO -- The Polish American Social Club of North County meets the third Saturday of the month (except July and August) at the American Legion Hall, 230 Park Ave. The group will meet Sept. 16, as well as host a Harvest Ball on Oct. 21. For information, call Marion at (760) 741-2605 or Richard at (760) 746-5730.

MADD Strides for Change walk set

DEL MAR -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving San Diego County will hold its annual Strides for Change 5K noncompetative walk at 8:40 a.m. Sept. 30 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

In addition to the walk, the event will include a Health and Safety Fair, Kids' Zone, a MADD Dog Diner to entertain four-legged family members, music and entertainment and a Tribute area where victims of drunken driving crashes and their families will be honored.

Individuals, groups and corporate teams are invited to participate. There is no entry fee for the pledge-based walk; however, participants are given a goal of raising $100 each and forming teams of 10 or more.

For information or to register, visit http://www.stridesforchange.org.

Volunteer child advocates sought

SAN DIEGO -- Voices for Children is seeking volunteers to serve as court-appointed special advocates for abused and neglected children in San Diego County. Volunteers lend support to the children, research a case, interview parties involved and make recommendations to the court. Men and bilingual individuals especially are needed. The next information sessions are scheduled for Aug. 8 and Sept. 29. Information: (858) 569-2019 or http://www.voices4children.com.