ANOKA

The Lyric Arts Theater will donate a portion of its ticket sales from the upcoming run of "Oliver!" to Feed My Starving Children, a local nonprofit that packages and delivers food to children in need. Each ticket sold will purchase a meal for a child affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Throughout the run of "Oliver!" Lyric Arts also will be collecting donations for the ACBC Food Shelf. Audience members can bring canned goods and condiments to benefit a local nonprofit. ACBC Food Shelf provides emergency food and clothing to persons in need in the area of Anoka, Andover, Coon Rapids, Nowthen, Oak Grove, Ramsey and a portion of Champlin.

"Oliver!" begins Friday, Feb. 19 and runs through Sunday, March 21. Tickets are $18, $16 for seniors and students, and $20 for box seats. They are available at www.lyricarts.org, or by calling 763-422-1838. The theater is at 420 E. Main St., Anoka.

BLAINE

Two local authors will speak this month as part of the Anoka County Library's annual winter reading program for adults.

The Saturday events will be held at 2 p.m. at the Northtown Library, 711 County Road J NE., Blaine. Julie Kramer will speak on Feb. 20, and MaryJanice Davidson, Feb 27.

The free events are co-sponsored by Metropolitan Library Service Association. For more information call 763-717-3267 or visit the library website at www.anoka.lib.mn.us.

COON RAPIDS

Tim Patrick and his band will sing American standards at 7 p.m. Thursday as part of the Coon Rapids 2010 Dessert and Coffee Concert Series.

The event at the Coon Rapids Civic Center, 11155 Robinson Drive, is sponsored by the Coon Rapids Arts Commission. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens older than 65 and children 12 and under. For more information, call 763-767-6493.

Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids will hold a Women's Heart Health event on Feb. 27 to help participants learn about cardiovascular disease and ways to keep a heart healthy.

Among the offerings is a cardiovascular screening. Participants will receive a fasting full-lipid profile and blood sugar, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and ankle brachial index (ABI). They'll be able to review their results immediately with a health care professional. In addition, they will receive a personalized health improvement plan and educational materials.

The event will run from 7-11 a.m. that Saturday at the Mercy Heart & Vascular Center in the lower-level conference room. Cost is $30 and participation is by appointment only. Appointments last about 30 minutes.

For more information, call 763-236-8041. To register, call 1-866-904-9962 or register online at www.allina.com .

CRYSTAL

An informational workshop on homeowner rights in mortgage foreclosure will be offered Tuesday at the Rockford Road Library in Crystal.

Foreclosure counselors will offer confidential advice at the free event, sponsored by the Minnesota Home Ownership Center and Hennepin County's library system and Taxpayer Services. The ownership center is a counseling agency that provides foreclosure-prevention education and pre-purchase information for homeowners.

The workshop, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is for homeowners worried about making upcoming mortgage payments, who are already behind on payments, or who just want to learn more about foreclosure. It's also for renters whose landlords may be facing foreclosure.

The library is located at 6401 42nd Av. N., near Crystal City Hall. Call 952-847-5875 for more information.

HENNEPIN COUNTY

Hennepin County libraries are planning business and career workshops throughout February. Here's a sampling:

• Test Drive Your Business Idea. 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Brooklyn Center. One-on-one counseling to help develop sales and other financial projections. In collaboration with the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers.

• Job Search Assistance, 1-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Feb. 24, Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. One-on-one help looking for a job, filling out applications and writing résumés with a job search representative.

• Small Business Start-up Guidelines. 10:30 a.m.-noon Saturday at Central Library. What should be considered before starting a small business and what resources are available. Presented in partnership with SCORE.

Similar programs are underway at other libraries in the county system. For more information, go to www.hclib.org.

NEW BRIGHTON

New Brighton Parks and Recreation is offering another session of Kids Night Out-Parents Night Off on Saturday, the night before Valentine's Day. The event is for ages 3 to 8 (children must be toilet-trained) and will run from 6-9:30 p.m. at the Eagles Nest Indoor Playground, located at the Family Service Center, 400 10th St. NW., New Brighton.

Activities include crafts, games, snacks, Eagles Nest playing time and a child-appropriate movie. Children should bring a pillow and blanket for the movie. Cost is $20 per child, $55 for a family of three siblings or more. Call 651-638-2130 to register.

Coinciding with the Winter Olympics in Canada, the Eagles Nest Indoor Playground will hold its own winter games on Monday.

Eagles Nest admission of $5 will include access to these games, a coloring contest, inflatable jumpers and unlimited play in the playground. For an additional $1, you can make an Olympic craft.

The playground is located at the New Brighton Family Service Center, 400 10th St. NW., New Brighton.

RAMSEY

Anoka County Meals on Wheels' benefit wine tasting Friday will feature a selection of locally available wines, hors d'oevres and chocolates.

All proceeds from ticket sales and a silent auction go to support AC Meals on Wheels, which since 1973 has offered five hot noon meals and a visit to those in need, five days a week.

The program now serves more than 380 square miles in northern Anoka County as well as the city of Champlin.

The event is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at the Wells Event Center, 6139 Hwy. 10 NW., Ramsey. Tickets are $25 and must be ordered in advance by calling 763-236-8718 or at www.anokachamplinmow.org.

RAMSEY COUNTY

Friends of the Parks and Trails suggests saying Happy Valentine's Day with a tree.

For $75, the organization will see that a tree is planted in a park of your preference in Ramsey County or in a number of cities, including but not limited to Arden Hills, Blaine, Brooklyn Park, St. Paul, Shoreview and Vadnais Heights.

Park staff members will plant the tree, a Valentine will be sent to the recipient, and next spring that person will get a map showing the tree's location.

Checks may be sent to the Friends of the Parks and Trails, 1621 Beechwood Av., St. Paul, MN, 55116. Include the name and address of the person you wish to receive the card, which park area you'd like to get the tree, and how you'd like the card to be signed.

For more information, go to www.friendsoftheparks.org or call 651-698-4543.

JIM ADAMS, MARIA ELENA BACA, NORMAN DRAPER, PAUL LEVY

HAM LAKE

The Fourth Annual Ham Lake Snowbowl is set for Saturday on Ham Lake and at Ham Lake City Park, half a mile west of Hwy. 65 on 153rd Avenue.

Snowbowl will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and feature a variety of events, including dog sled rides, a snow golf tournament, a fishing contest, a vintage snowmobile expo, children's games and more.

Many of the events are free. A $5 button is needed for the snowmobile expo and a medallion hunt, which began Monday; they can be bought at Holtz Landscape, Mickman Brothers, Majestic Oaks, the city of Ham Lake or Village Bank.

Preregistration for the fishing contest, which will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., is being accepted at Quad Central in Ham Lake. For details on the contest, call 763-434-1200.

For more information about Snowbowl, visit www.hamlakecc.org or call 763-434-3011. Snowbowl is presented by the Ham Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, the city of Ham Lake, U-Pull R-Parts and many other local businesses.