Celebrate America's 233rd birthday

In the Spotlight Fourth of July Celebration, Saturday, July 4, gates open at 5 p.m., fireworks at dark, Chesterfield County Fairgrounds, 10300 Courthouse Road. The event includes an activity area for children and special entertainment. Free. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. Parking is limited; roads leading to fairgrounds will be closed at 9 p.m. or when parking lots are full. Meghan Coates, 796-7045.

Thursday, July 2

The Play's the Thing: Words, Words, Words, noon-1:30 p.m., Ettrick-Matoaca Library, 4501 River Road. In this workshop, students will read selected scenes and investigate clues in the text. Part of the Teen Summer Reading program for middleand high-school students. Free. Registration required. 717-6381.

Blood drive, 4:30-7:30 p.m., LaPrade Library, 9000 Hull Street Road. Give blood and save a life. Virginia Blood Services will conduct this blood drive. Enter to win a $200 gift card with each donation this summer. Registration required. www.vadonor.com.

Bon Air-Manchester-Midlothian Lions Club meeting, 6 p.m. social, 6:30 p.m. dinner meeting, Holiday Inn Select, 1021 Koger Center Blvd. The Lions Club supports sight, hearing and other local charitable causes. Prospective new members are welcome to attend. Bill Daniels, 272-7673, www.bammva.lionwap.org.

Jim Gilliam Plays Jazz and More, 6:30-8:30 p.m., LaPrade Library, 9000 Hull Street Road. Jim Gilliam will sing and play blues, jazz and roots music. Part of the Adult Summer Reading program. Free. Registration required. 717-6381.

Friday, July 3

Chesterfield County offices will be closed for Independence Day.

Bon Air Rotary weekly meeting, 7:30- 8:30 a.m., Joe's Inn at Bon Air, 6212 Buford Road. Cora Huitt, 339-3826.

Saturday, July 4

Treasure Hunt, 2-3 p.m., Pocahontas State Park Nature Center, 10301 State Park Road. Pick up a map and list of clues to find treasures of the forest on a marked trail. $2/ person, $6/family. 796-4255.

Monday, July 6

Alcoholics Anonymous daily meeting, 7:30 a.m., Monday through Saturday, Tomahawk Baptist Church, 12920 Hull Street Road. 355-1212.

Games, Cards and Coffee, 10 a.m-1 p.m., Huguenot Road Baptist Church, 10525 W. Hundred Road. Play tabletop and card games such as pinochle, canasta, bridge and dominoes. Free. For adults ages 50 and older. Sponsored by Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation. 339-2877.

Computer Assistance for Job Seekers, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Chester Library, 11800 Centre St. Library staff will be available to guide job seekers through online job applications, resumes and searching job sites. 748-6314, www.library.chesterfield.gov.

ADHD/ADD group sessions, 1-1:45 p.m., rising second- and third-graders; 2-2:45 p.m., rising fourth- and fifth-graders; 3-3:45 p.m., rising sixth- through eighth-graders, weekly through July 27, LaPrade Library, 9000 Hull Street Road. These sessions for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder will help them to better understand ADHD/ADD and develop skills for success. $20. Sponsored by Chesterfield County Prevention Services. Melissa Ackley, 706-2010.

Read 2 Rover, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Bon Air Library, 9103 Rattlesnake Road. Children are invited to read to a certified therapy dog in this program designed to help them become better readers. 320-2461, www.library.chesterfield.gov.

Chesterfield Toastmasters meeting, 6:30- 8 p.m., LaPrade Library, 9000 Hull Street Road. Toastmasters International teaches public speaking and leadership skills. Janet Fox, 519-1008, www.district66.org.

Book discussion group, 7-8 p.m., Meadowdale Library, 4301 Meadowdale Blvd. "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan will be discussed. 318-8778.

Reverse mortgage session, 7-8 p.m., Bensley Community Building, 2900 Drewry's Bluff Road. This question-and-answer session will explain reverse mortgages for interested homeowners ages 62 and older. Free. David Potter, 275-5321.

Tuesday, July 7

Rotary Club of Midlothian weekly meeting, 7:30 a.m., Holiday Inn Select, 1021 Koger Center Blvd. Jeff Martin, 869-3435.

Discover Chesterfield - A Walking Club, 9 a.m., Huguenot Park, 10901 Robious Road. This program is designed to introduce older adults to county parks, open spaces and greenways while meeting new walking partners. Led by Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation staff. Free. Judy Jones, 751-4135.

Club Mom, 9-11 a.m., Chesterfield Towne Center, Huguenot Road and Midlothian Turnpike. Club Mom is an event designed for parents and young children. Magician Jonathan Austin will be featured. Free. 794-4660.

Kreative Kids, 10-11 a.m., weekly through August 25, Bensley Community Building, 2900 Drewry's Bluff Road. Parents will participate with children ages 2-6 in various arts and crafts projects. $12.50. 275-5321.

Dreamtime: Tales from Down Under, 10:30-11:30 a.m. or 7-8 p.m., Bon Air Library, 9103 Rattlesnake Road. Barefoot Puppet Theatre brings to life three folktales from the Aborigines of Australia using rod, hand and mask puppets. Part of the Children's Summer Reading program. Free. Registration required. 717-6381, www.library.chesterfield.gov.

Storytelling Boot Camp, 1-4 p.m., Midlothian Library, 521 Coalfield Road. Slash Coleman leads this storytelling boot camp, an exploration into the realm of self-expression. Part of the Teen Summer Reading program. Free. Registration required. 717-6381.

Historic Eppington tours, 2-3 p.m., Eppington Plantation, 14201 Epps Falls Road. Visit the tobacco plantation that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson's brother-in-law, Francis Eppes VI. $5. 748-1624.

Computer Assistance for Job Seekers, 2-3:30 p.m., Meadowdale Library, 4301 Meadowdale Blvd. See listing under July 6. 318-8778, www.library.chesterfield.gov.

Read 2 Rover, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Central Library, 9501 Lori Road. See listing under July 6. 748-1603.

Open house, 6-7:30 p.m. John Tyler Community College, Midlothian campus, 800 Charter Colony Parkway, Academic Building, Room A113-A115. Take a tour of the college, meet faculty and staff, and find out about all the college has to offer. 594-1558.

Lost and Last: Fiddle Odes and Family Dance Tunes of the Southern Highlands, 7-8 p.m., LaPrade Library, 9000 Hull Street Road. Old-time musician Mark Campbell will perform traditional Appalachian music and demonstrate the depth and power of mountain culture. Part of the Adult Summer Reading program. Free. Registration required. 717- 6381.

Family Advocacy Creating Education and Service (FACES) support group meeting, 7-8:30 p.m., Family Advocacy Center, 11601 Lucks Lane. This group supports families with a loved one living with mental illness. John Ficklin, 378-0035.

Traditional Hispanic Dancing, 7:30-9 p.m., weekly through August 18, Community Building, 2900 Drewry's Bluff Road. This beginner course is a fun way to exercise and learn Latin moves. $25. 275-5321.

Wednesday, July 8

National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, Midlothian chapter 2265 monthly meeting, 9:30 a.m., Brandermill Woods Retirement Community Meeting Room, 14311 Brandermill Woods Trail. The speakers will be Frank and Gail Gilmore, docents at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Joyce Burton, 743-2584.

Computer Assistance for Job Seekers, 10-11:30 a.m., LaPrade Library, 9000 Hull Street Road. See listing under July 6. 276- 7755, www.library.chesterfield.gov.

Dreamtime: Tales from Down Under, 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., Clover Hill Library, 6701 Deer Run Drive. See listing under July 7.

Bottoms Up Divers Scuba Diving Club monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., Extra Billy's Restaurant, 1110 Alverser Drive, Midlothian. The club offers experiences in all phases of sport diving, including photography, spear fishing, wreck diving, nature study and artifact hunting and provides its membership with safe, organized diving activities. 226-3201.  www.angelfire.com/va/bottomsupdivers.com.

Thursday, July 9

Elf Trail, 9 a.m., Henricus Visitor Center, Shopper 251 Henricus Park Road. Create and guide others on a miniature nature trail. Part of the Dawn Discoveries series for children ages 5-12. $8/child. 318-8735.

Have a special event coming up? Please e-mail your calendar items to calendar@chesterfieldobserver.com, mail them to P.O. Box 1616, Midlothian VA 23113, or fax them to 744-3269. Please include a contact name and number with your announcements.