Registration is open for winter classes sponsored by the South Laurel Recreation Council for children, teens and adults.
Classes, which are held at Montpelier, James Harrison and Oaklands elementary schools and Montpelier Carriage House, begin Jan. 16 and thereafter.
Yoga, tai chi and Pilates are offered, as are ballroom dance, salsa, Latin dance, Latin line dance and country line dance classes. Also offered are scrapbooking, self-defense, stamping, tea basics, chess, exploring cryptograms and codes, knitting and floral design.
Information or registration: 301-776-2805.
Around Town
Help at center -- Representatives of the Department of Social Services will be available from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays at the Multiservice Center in North Laurel to help residents in need apply for food stamps, cash assistance and medical assistance. The department joins the Community Action Council, Domestic Violence Center, Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland, FIRN, Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center and the Legal Aid Bureau in offering services at the center in the Whiskey Bottom Shopping Center, 9105 All Saints Road.
Family and Children's Services offers counseling, employee assistance, in-home services for elderly and disabled people, and a Healthy Families program for first-time parents. Third-party insurance is accepted; uninsured clients pay on a sliding scale.
The Community Action Council, available from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, offers help with food, eviction prevention, energy assistance and crisis intervention. 301-498-7509 or 410-313-6440.
Kristin Lilly, FIRN's information and referral counselor, will be in North Laurel from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays. Lilly is fluent in Spanish and can assist with many needs, including medical bills, applying for a tax identification number, legal referrals, birth certificates, housing and passports. Walk-ins are welcome. 301-498-7509, Ext. 228, or 410- 992-1923, Ext. 12.
The Domestic Violence Center is available to help people in immediate crisis from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursdays. Walk-ins are welcome. 301-498-7509 or 410-997-2272 (a 24-hour hot line).
Counselor Dianne DeSantis of Grassroots is available from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays to help with crisis resolution. 301-498-7509, Ext. 302, or the 24-hour hot line, 410-531-6677.
Barbara Coleman of the Legal Aid Bureau will be available from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursdays. 301-498-7509.
The office is open from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays, and 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays. 301-498-7509.
History of Savage -- The Savage Historical Society's 2007 calendar, "Sketches of the Savage I Remember," which features the art of Laurence H. Whitehead Sr., can be ordered. 301-725-1241.
Writer's Circle -- The Savage branch library, 9525 Durness Lane, will hold a meeting of its Writer's Circle at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The group offers aspiring authors an opportunity for mutual support and feedback on their original writing. Registration is not required. 410-880-5980.
College information -- The Laurel College Center, a partnership between Howard Community College and Prince George's Community College, will hold an information session for prospective students from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the center, 312 Marshall Ave., Laurel. Participants will have a chance to tour the center, talk with academic and financial aid advisers and learn how to apply and register for credit and noncredit courses. The Laurel College Center offers associate's degrees in business administration, general studies, criminal justice, nursing, applied information technology and other fields. Faculty members and representatives from the offices of admissions and records, financial aid, career and job service will be available to answer questions. Prospective students are welcome to attend any time during the event. 866-228-6110.or www.laurelcollegecenter.org.
Mystery books -- The Mystery Book Club is to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Savage branch library, 9525 Durness Lane. The group, which meets the second Wednesday of each month, will discuss A Season for the Dead by David Hewson. The library's Nonfiction Book Club, which meets the third Wednesday of each month, will discuss The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion, at 7 p.m. Jan. 17. 410-880-5980.