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Friday, Dec. 5

FESTIVE FUN NIGHT with games, door prizes, refreshments, 7:30 p.m. at the Church of St. Giles, 35 Kecala Rd. Adults $10, children $3. Call 416-751-5213 or 416-284-8171 for tickets. Visit www.sgiles.ca for directions.

MOVIE NIGHT AT West Hill United Church, 7 to 9 p.m., features a free screening of For the Bible Tells Me So. Discussion and refreshments will follow. Church is at 62 Orchard Park Dr. at Kingston Road, east of Morningside. Call 416 282-8566.

SIXTH TORONTO SCOUT Group Community Euchre at Variety Village, 3701 Danforth Ave., 7:15 p.m. Admission is $6. Also Dec. 12.

Saturday, Dec. 6

SCARBOROUGH CHORAL SOCIETY presents Sounds of Christmas 2008 for two shows today at 3 and 8 p.m. and tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. Guest performance: CharActors Theatre Troupe. Director: Judy Scott-Jacobs. Accompanist: Claire Bresee. Tickets: adults $25, seniors $22 and $18. Markham Theatre, Hwy. 7 and Warden Ave. Call the box office at 416-293-3981.

CHURCH OF ST. BEDE presents a Christmas Cantata - Hope Has Hands - with traditional Christmas music sung by a 20-voice choir and a special interlude with the Sunday school children, 7 p.m. at 79 Westbourne Ave., three blocks south of St. Clair Avenue, two blocks west of Pharmacy Road.

SCARBOROUGH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA presents its December Delights concert, with guest conductor Sabatino Vacca, Toronto Choral Society, conductor Geoff Butler; Sinead Sugrue, soprano; Michael Toby, tenor; 8 p.m. at Birchmount Park C.I. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $10 for youth. Call the box office at 416-429-0007. Visit www.spo.ca.

WEST HILL-HIGHLAND Creek Lions Club's annual craft and gift sale at Heron Park Community Centre, 292 Manse Rd., off Lawrence Ave., east of Morningside Avenue, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 416-282-7202 or visit www.lionsclub.ca.

CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR of five homes decorated for the holidays, noon to 4 p.m. Refreshments served at St. Dunstan's church, 56 Lawson Rd., during the tour. Craft table. Tickets: $15, reservations preferred. Call 416-283-1844.

GRANNIES PANTRY and Skills Training Centre holds a Christmas bazaar at 825 Middlefield Rd., Unit 10, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be homemade pies, cakes, cookies, fudge and chocolate (including sugar free treats), lots of unique stocking stuffers, a giant yard sale, fair trade coffee and tea from the Global South, raffle table and more. Admission is an item for the food bank.

POINSETTIA BAZAAR at Clairlea Park Presbyterian Church, 3236 St. Clair Ave. E., east of Pharmacy), 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Luncheon, bake table, Christmas gifts, jewelry, candies, jams, tombola, silent auction and more.

CHRISTMAS MARKETPLACE AND nearly new shop at St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church, 3817 Lawrence Ave. E., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

SHANDONG ASSOCIATION of Ontario's annual Christmas party, 6 to 10 p.m. at the Taiwan Cultural Centre, 888 Progress Ave. Tickets are $10 and include hot catering of Chinese food with turkey for dinner, as well as a variety of performances with singing and dancing, and lucky draws. For tickets, call Susan Kuk at 416-754-0736 or Mrs. Chang at 416-293-7197.

CEDARBRAE COMMUNITY CHURCH presents Glory to the King of Glory, a Christmas musical, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 2085 Ellesmere Rd., at Markham Road. Call 416-438-4991.

HIGHLAND CREEK LIBRARY presents Bruce the Christmas Moose, a puppet show for all ages, 2 to 3 p.m. at 3550 Ellesmere Rd., between Meadowvale Road and Military Trail.

Sunday, Dec. 7

NORTHDALE CONCERT BAND, with music director Stephen Chenette, presents a matinee concert, featuring Gifford Toole, piano soloist, at Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Dr., at Brimley and Ellesmere roads, at 2 p.m. Bring the entire family. Free admission. Call 416-486-3011.

CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE at Scarborough Historical Museum, 1007 Brimley Rd., just north of Lawrence Avenue in Thomson Memorial Park, noon to 4 p.m. Visit another era, tour the festively decorated McCowan Log House (1830) and Cornell House (1900) and enjoy the aroma of traditional hearth baking. Pay-what-you-wish. Call 416-338-8807.

CHILDREN'S VICTORIAN BAKING workshop for ages eight to 12 at Scarborough Historical Museum, 1007 Brimley Rd., north of Lawrence Avenue in Thomson Memorial Park. 1 to 3:30 p.m. Kids will bake sweets using traditional methods, and take home a recipe booklet and the treats they make. Cost: $27 per child (includes tax). Registration is required by calling 416-338-4FUN.

PRECIOUS GEMS PROJECT and Cedar Ridge Creative Centre host a silent art auction fundraiser at Cedar Ridge, 225 Confederation Dr. (two streets south of Lawrence Avenue, off of Scarborough Golf Club Road), from 1 to 4 p.m. On auction will be paintings, photography, fibre art, pottery, sculpture and a selection of handmade fine art and craft items priced from $20 and up. Enjoy storytelling and festive treats. Admission and parking are free. All proceeds from sales will be donated to the Precious Gems Project, which has sent over 50 children from the Kingston-Galloway and Orton Park neighbourhood to fine art camp at Cedar Ridge since 2005. Call 416-396-4026. E-mail preciousgemsproject@hotmail.com.

SCARBOROUGH CHORAL SOCIETY presents Sounds of Christmas 2008 at 2:30 p.m. Guest performance: CharActors Theatre Troupe. Director: Judy Scott-Jacobs. Accompanist: Claire Bresee. Tickets: adults $25, seniors $22 and $18. Markham Theatre, Hwy. 7 and Warden Ave. Call the box office at 416-293-3981.

Tuesday, Dec. 9

CAROLING UNDER THE Stars, come one come all and enjoy Christmas caroling with Moira Nelson and the Victorian Quartet, 7 p.m. at Livingston Lodge, 65 Livingston Rd. Call 416-264-4348.

Wednesday, Dec. 10

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Write-For-Rights letter-writing campaign at Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church, 140 Guildwood Parkway. People are invited to drop in and write a letter protesting human rights violations around the world. Supplies provided. Call the church at 416-261-4037.

THE KNOX NEARLY New Shop, open Wednesdays only, holds a pre-Christmas sale, 1 to 3 p.m., featuring gently used clothing for the entire family, at Knox Christian Center, 2569 Midland Ave. Parking is in the back. Call 416-293-4424.

FREE INTERPRETATION TRAINING geared to volunteers or caregivers of aging relatives with fluency in English and a second language: learn the techniques and skills to interpret effectively, with speaker Felipe Villegas, training co-ordinator, Multi-lingual Community Interpreter Services, at St. Paul's Community Services for Seniors, Bridlewood Centre, 3020 Bridletowne Circle, near Warden and Finch avenues, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To register, call 416-490-2954.

NEIGHBOURHOOD TEA HOUSE health talk on the relationship between oral and general health conducted by dentist Dr. Daphne Kwan. Everyone is welcome to this free event at the Chinese Christian Mission (CCM) Centre, Unit 100, Agincourt Mall, 3850 Sheppard Ave. E., 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Call 416-291-3202.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMUNITY ALLIANCE CHURCH is accepting unwrapped toys for children (newborn to 16, boys and girls) to distribute at its Christmas lunch on Dec. 20, for clients of the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank. Unused, unwrapped toys can be dropped off to 1 McCowan Rd., at Kingston Road, Tuesday through Saturday. Please use the church doors. For details, call Pastor Rhonda Maccarone at 416-282-9786.

WINTER INDOOR CRICKET coaching camp: coaching, batting, bowling, fielding, games for those aged 5 to 19. Cost is $10 per session. Runs Sundays, noon to 2 p.m. until April at 237 Finchdene Square, Finch Avenue and Markham Road. To register, e-mail nscc@nscricket.net or call Musa Patel at 647-289-9130.

JAFFRAY ALLANCE CHURCH, 9950 Sheppard Ave. E., offers free remedial tutoring lessons for all school subjects for those in grades 1 through 12. Also free music lessons. Classes run on the first and third Sunday of every month from 1 to 2:15 p.m. To sign up, visit www.tjcac.org/english/community or call 416-282-2063.

CRAFT MARKET OF the World vendor tables are available for Sunday, Dec. 14 at Variety Village, 3701 Danforth Ave., east of Birchmount Collegiate. Party starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. If you would like to rent a table for $40, call 416-699-7167 with your contact information and credit card number. Proceeds from the table rentals go to Variety - The Children's Charity.

FREE EXERCISE CLASSES for women, 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Thursday at Warden Woods Community Centre, 74 Firvalley Ct., near Warden and St. Clair avenues. Call 416-694-1138, ext. 160 or 124.

Volunteers

HELP FIGHT HUNGER: Volunteer at Second Harvest's Turkey Drive on Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14; more than 200 volunteers are needed to help ensure that people in our city who can't afford a turkey dinner over the holidays will have one. The goal is to collect 5,000 turkeys at various Loblaws locations. Shift times vary. Those interested can contact Jennifer Mackiddie, volunteer program co-ordinator, at jenniferm@secondharvest.ca or 416-408-2594. Visit www.secondharvest.ca.

MISSION OF SUCCESS Learning Centre seeks student tutors to provide remedial tutoring services free of charge to students. The primary users would be low-income families who cannot afford to pay for private tutors for the children. Subjects taught: math, science, English and French. Classes are held after regular school hours at William G. Davis Junior Public School, 128 East Ave., Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. Call 416-282-1749 or visit www.geocities.com/success_learning.

WARDEN WOODS COMMUNITY Centre seeks volunteers in its kitchen and for it Meals on Wheels program. Call 416-694-1138, ext. 153.

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS who own hearing aids, ages 65 to 85, are needed for a study to assess programs for adults who have hearing loss. Call The Canadian Hearing Society at 416-928-2546.

TUCK SHOP VOLUNTEERS needed for Leisureworld Scarborough, 130 Midland Ave. Great opportunity for retirees and for students to gain required volunteer hours and develop retail, time and job management skills. Call 416-264-2301, ext. 209.

Ongoing

FREE ENGLISH CLASSES for permanent residents, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily at Aldebrain LINC Centre, 2155 Lawrence Ave. E. at Birchmount Road. Childcare and transportation assistance available. Call 416-750-2070.

ARISING WOMEN'S PLACE and the Trillium Foundation offer a weekly exercise program of yoga and belly-dancing for women and young girls, The East Scarborough Storefront, 4040 Lawrence Ave. E., Fridays 1 to 3 p.m. Call 416-281-6662 to register or visit www.arisingwomenplace.org.

SWING DANCE LESSONS, Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., $35 for five lessons, first lesson free. Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 614, 100 Salome Dr. Call 416-447-9774.

STRENGTH TO WALK In Freedom Together, SWIFT, is a free self-help group for those with marital problems, anxiety, phobias, panic attacks and anger management. The group meets Monday evenings at Kennedy Nursing Lodge, 1400 Kennedy Rd., 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Open to all age groups and walks of life. Call 905-707-5691.

MOM AND BABY program, YWCA Family Support Centre, 3090 Kingston Rd., for moms with babies 0 to 12 months old. Sing songs, play games, make and take home toys, discuss how babies grow and learn, and share information with other moms. To register, call 416-266-1232, ext. 22.

FREE PARENTING PROGRAMS, YWCA Family Support Centre, 3090 Kingston Road. Learn about parenting styles, child development, practical discipline, communication strategies, ways to build your child's self-esteem and much more. To register, call 416-266-1232.

AL-ANON HOSTS daily and nightly support meetings for relatives and friends of alcoholics. Call 416-410-3809 for meeting location closest to your community.

MOMS AND TOTS early years programs, twice a week, St. Joseph's Church, 200 Morrish Rd., for infants to five years of age. Call Barbara at 416-283-4116.

PERINATAL BEREAVEMENT SERVICES Ontario hosts a support group the first and third Thursday of the month in the Port Union and Lawrence Ave. E. area. Call 905-472-1807 to register.

CLUB SOLO SINGLES and Couples Dance Saturday nights, Cedar Brook Community Centre, 91 East Park Blvd., 7.30 p.m. to midnight. All welcome, refreshments served, dress code in effect. Cost $10. Call 416-447-1537.

SCARBOROUGH INVESTMENT CLUB meets the third Tuesday of every month to learn, discuss and invest in the stock market, $25 per month, YMCA, 230 Town Centre Ct., 6:30 p.m. Call 416-759-1219.

DRUG PROBLEM? Narcotics Anonymous can help. Call 416-236-8956 or visit www.torontona.org.

SENIOR EUCHRE, 55 plus, Thursdays, 12:30 to 3:15 p.m., Birkdale Community Centre, 1299 Ellesmere Rd. Call 416-396-4069.

THE ROTARY CLUB of Scarborough meets Tuesdays at The Scarboro Golf Club, 321 Scarborough Golf Club Rd., 12:30 p.m. for lunch, fellowship and speakers. Contact Michael Cooksey at 416-266-3287 or visit www.rotary.org.

YOUTH AND FAMILY counselling program, Malvern Family Resource Centre. Call 416-284-4654, ext. 28.

FREE LEGAL CLINIC, Malvern Family Resource Centre, 1321 Neilson Rd. Every second Tuesday. Appointments are private and confidential. Call 416-281-1376.

GOLDEN YEARS GROUP for visually impaired or blind, first Wednesday of the month, 1 to 3 p.m., Birkdale Community Centre, 1299 Ellesmere Rd. Call Ellen at 416-438-2403.

It's Happening runs Wednesdays in The Scarborough Mirror and covers Thursday until the following Wednesday. Items from local, non-profit organizations should be submitted two weeks prior to the event. Please include all necessary information, including the exact address, street name and number and nearest intersection. Submissions cannot be taken over the phone, but can be e-mailed to sccalendar@insidetoronto.com or fax to 416-493-6190.