The Northampton Area Food Bank will hold a Vera Bradley bingo Sunday, Feb. 3, in the gym of Good Shepherd Catholic School, 1300 Newport Ave.

Doors open at noon. The games begin at 2 p.m.

A Chinese auction and a 50/50 cash drawing will also be held. Refreshments will be available.

Contact Barbara Budnik at 610-262-6156 for tickets or information.

The snow date is Feb. 10.

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Queenship of Mary Church will hold its annual Sweetheart Breakfast and MSC Sisters bake sale on Sunday, Feb. 10, 8-11:30 a.m., in the parish hall.

The menu includes eggs, ham, kielbasa, bacon, potatoes, fruit, toast, coffee and juice.

Tickets will be available at the door.

The breakfast is sponsored by Our Lady's Women's Guild and the Holy Name Society.

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St. John's Friendly Fifties will meet on Monday, Feb. 11, 1 p.m., in the church's social hall, 1343 Newport Ave.

Singers John and Kit Cotton will entertain.

If Northampton schools are closed due to inclement weather, the meeting will be rescheduled for Feb. 18.

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Looking for something fun to do on these cold winter nights? The Quota Club of Northampton is holding its annual oldies dance on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Northampton Memorial Community Center, 16th Street and Laubach Avenue.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and a dinner buffet will begin at 6:30 p.m. Beverages are included in the price. Deejay Jimmy K will play oldies from 7 till 11 p.m.

Proceeds of this event will go to help a local family with a child fighting cancer.

For tickets, call Nikol at 610-440-2171 or see Dale at Miller Supply Ace Hardware.

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A book talk and signing by Bud Cole, author of "The Mystery of Little Bear," will be held on Monday, Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m., at the Northampton Area Public Library, 1615 Laubach Ave. The program is recommended for children 8 years old through adult.

Cole writes the Bud's View column for The Press weekly newspapers. He is also a Northern Valley Gazette columnist, freelance outdoor/travel writer/photographer and former Northampton Area School District elementary teacher. This is his first children's book.

The finished manuscript went on the back burner when his dog, Bear, was diagnosed with cancer eight years ago. Cole had visions of doing book promotions and signings with his canine pal at his side but lost interest in publishing the manuscript as Bear began suffering and had to be euthanized. But now the part-fiction, part-nonfiction book is ready.

Registration for the program is under way at the library.

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The Simcoe Gallery and "of the earth" are joining forces to kick-start the initiative for sustainable communities in the Borough of Northampton by making available professionals in their respective expertise to speak and teach. So far, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Buy Fresh Buy Local, Penn State Master Gardeners, Swarthmore College, Longwood Gardens and Weston Price Foundation have been enlisted to help.

A mascot has been created for the initiative: The K-Kid, a topiary frame of a kid (goat). The frames and sustainable growing mediums will be available for purchase, and the Simcoe Gallery will award prizes in various categories, to be judged by the Penn State Gardeners.

Watch this column for additional details.

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The Friends of the Northampton Area Public Library will be sponsoring a chartered bus trip to the 2013 Philadelphia Flower Show on Friday, March 8.

The bus will depart at 8 a.m. from the Northampton Recreation Center, 1 Lerchenmiller Drive, and will arrive back at approximately 6 p.m.

The cost of a ticket includes transportation and admission to the flower show.

For the price and to purchase tickets, stop by the library, 1615 Laubach Ave., or call 610-262-7537. Deadline for tickets is Feb. 21.

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The Northampton Memorial Community Center, 16th Street and Laubach Avenue, hosts bingo every Monday night. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the games begin at 7 p.m.

The kitchen is open.

Proceeds benefit the Northampton Recreation Center.

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Send in your news! Does your church, Scout troop or civic organization have an event coming up? Email the information to tklutter@ptd.net, and I'll include it in an upcoming column.