Here are a few items of interest coming soon that you may want to attend.

The Candidates Night is being held Tuesday at the Niagara Falls High School Performing Arts Center on Porter Road beginning at 6:30 p.m. The general election is Nov. 6th and we should be interested in our leaders of tomorrow. Niagara County Family Court Judicial candidates and Niagara Falls City Court Judicial candidates will be featured at 6:30 p.m. followed by the candidates for City Council and, after a short break, the candidates for mayor will be featured. This promises to be an interesting evening.

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Are you a computer expert, a beginner or somewhere in the middle? Our good friend Joe McCoy is offering free computer training at the John Duke Senior Center, 1201 Hyde Park Boulevard. There will be four sessions beginning Nov. 8th which is also the registration date. The classes will be held 10:30 a.m. to noon, Nov. 8, 13, 15 and 20. Nels Frank and Joe (he’s the real McCoy by the way) will provide individual instruction based on what you want to use your computer for and where you are in the learning process. Joe says if you keep your brain active it will keep you out of the doctor’s office. Remember this is free help for those of us who want to utilize our computers for more than e-mail or simple things and it is open to people of all ages. Stop in on Nov. 8th to sign up or find out more details.

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Charles Walker tells me that Nov. 14 is World Diabetes Day. The Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and the American Diabetes Association, with the help of the New York State Parks Commission, has planned a “Niagara Falls in Blue - Marching Toward a Healthier You” event. This is being organized as a huge media event as the United Nations has called on states and other organizations to observe World Diabetes Day in a appropriate manner in order to raise public awareness of diabetes and related complications as well as on its prevention and care. The local event will begin at 3 p.m. at the hospital with a few speakers and refreshments followed by the Niagara Falls High School Marching Band leading the citizens to the American Falls where the lights will be blue to bring awareness. Canadians will be marching also and will meet at the Falls at 5 p.m. We are asking our block club members to participate wearing their shirts or other identifying logos and banners. Get your organization involved also and let’s show the world we care.

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Speaking about the NFMMC, I stand corrected. A few weeks ago I told you that Betty Rivers received the Tops Good Neighbor Award on the Iney Wallens Show. Well, this award has not been sponsored by Tops for several years. It is sponsored by the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. I should know better as I regularly attend her show. Boy, was I dating myself. My apologies to all at the Center and the Iney show.

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I recently joined the Friends of the Local History Department of the Niagara Falls Public Library. It seems I can never be satisfied just to be a member and attend meetings so when President Pete Ames asked me to be membership chairman I accepted the challenge. There are presently 97 members, half of whom are active, attend meetings and/or volunteer in the library gift shop which is operated by this organization. Proceeds from the shop help fund some of the organization’s projects.

The goals are, “to help obtain materials pertaining to the history of the Niagara Region; to assist in the maintenance, preservation and conservation of the collection; to promote and encourage the use of the materials and to serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Trustees of the Niagara Falls Public Library.”

We plan on hosting an open house sometime in early April to acquaint anyone interested in Niagara Falls and its history with the work of the group and to show off the Local History Department on the 3rd Floor of the Earl Brydges Public Library. I visited this area recently and was very impressed. It is a warm, welcoming room with so much to look at that it makes you want to be a part of it. If you want to be a part of it, you can, by joining the Friends of the Local History Department. Pick up an application at the library front desk or call 286-4883 (gift shop) and leave your information and one will be mailed to you. You will read more about the open house in a future column. For a sneak preview, join us at our first meeting next year at 7 p.m. on Jan. 9 on the second floor of the library.

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Hal Faba and Elaine Meranto tell me that on Dec. 2, following the Annual Meeting of the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (NACC) at 1 p.m., they will kick off an exhibit – A Festival of Lights consisting of a memory showcase of the 20 years of the festival. In order to do this, they need to find anyone willing to donate or lend items they have available. They have a few items but need many more to make this a full memory display. Please call Elaine Meranto before Thanksgiving at the NACC (282-7530), leave your name and number and she will get back to you. We hope you are excited about this and will participate.

That’s all for now folks!

Norma Higgs serves with the Niagara Beautification Commission and the Niagara Falls Block Club Council. Her columns appear Mondays in the Gazette.