Immigration talk to be held tomorrow

A dinner and panel discussion on immigration will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. tomorrow at Ellicott City Senior Center, 9401 Frederick Road, Ellicott City.

Sponsors are Amnesty International Chapter 228, Howard County Friends of Latin America, the Howard County Human Rights Commission and Witness for Peace Mid-Atlantic.

Speakers, who will focus on the historical, political and economic causes for Latin American Immigration to the United States, include Miguel Angel Vazquez de la Rosa, the Rev. Philip Wheaton, Ricardo Juarez Nava and Hector Pop Chun.

Dinner will be served from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Professional translation (English/Spanish) will be provided.

Admission is $10; children to age 12 eat for free. Reservations are requested.

Information: Jose Luis Gutierrez, 301-330-1231 or Leslie Salgado, 410-381-4899.

Veterans Day lunch planned Sunday

Staff Sgt. Karl G. Taylor Sr. Marine Corps League Detachment 1084 will celebrate Veterans Day by inviting veterans to lunch.

The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Ellicott Mills Brewing Company in Historic Ellicott City. Veterans from all branches of service are welcome, and guests from Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed and other hospitals serving veterans will be invited.

Spouses and children are also invited. The cost for lunch is $10; the restaurant will donate a portion of the proceeds to the league. The Marine Corps League will pay for guests from Walter Reed, Bethesda Naval and other hospitals.

Everyone is invited. It is not necessary to be a veteran to attend.

Information: MCL1084 @hotmail.com.

Transportation group to meet Tuesday

The Transportation Advocates will meet from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia.

Paul J. Wiedefeld, administrator of the Maryland Transit Authority, will discuss the agency's immediate and long-term goals.

Tree-planting event slated tomorrow

Friends of the Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway will hold its annual tree-planting event from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow, rain or shine, at Patapsco Valley State Park, in Relay.

About 60 trees about 5- to 6-feet tall, among them, pin oaks, red maples, river birches and tulip poplars, will be planted along the Grist Mill Trail near the Orange Grove section of the park.

Holes are to be dug for the trees today.

Volunteers are asked to take work gloves and, if possible, a shovel, sledge hammer or wheelbarrow. Equipment should be marked with the name of the owner. Volunteers are also asked to take a plastic milk carton or soda bottle full of tap water to water the trees.

Volunteers do not have to pay to enter the park.

Information: 410-480-0824.

Free basketball clinic tomorrow

The Howard County Youth Program (HCYP) is holding a free basketball clinic from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow at Mount Hebron High School. Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten, formerly of DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, will run the clinic along with his son, Joe Wootten, coach at Bishop O'Connell High in Virginia.

The clinic is open to all age groups and will include hands-on drills and fundamentals.

Basket bingo set in Catonsville

Mothers Against Drunk Driving will hold a Basket Bingo, with filled Longaberger baskets as prizes, tomorrow at the Lodge, 2832 Nine Mile Circle, Catonsville.

Doors open at 6 p.m.; games begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $15 in advance; $18 at the door. Twenty games are included. Refreshments will be available.

Information or reservations: 410-465-5757.

Benjamin Banneker fete is tomorrow

The Friends of Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum and the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks will hold the Benjamin Banneker 276th Birthday Celebration from noon to 3 p.m. tomorrow at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum, 300 Oella Ave., Catonsville.

Banneker was born Nov. 9, 1731.

A living-history program with actors, "It's All About Ben," and performances by the Powhattan Boys Choir and Ellington-Adderly Youth Jazz Ensemble are planned. Tours of the museum and walking paths, and arts-and-crafts activities for children will be available.

Admission is free.

Information: 410-887-1081 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. today or tomorrow.

'Crafty Extravaganza' scheduled for Nov. 17

The Columbia chapter of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women will sponsor its "Crafty Extravaganza" from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia.

Artisans and small-business owners are invited to participate. The bazaar is open to the public.

Information: 410-381-1342.

Master Gardener training offered

New and experienced gardeners are invited to register for the Master Gardener training program offered by the Maryland Cooperative Extension, Howard County office.

The training will cover topics related to sustainable gardening and the environmental impact of gardening practices.

Training is to be held from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays, Jan. 28 to March 31, at the Maryland Cooperative Extension office in Ellicott City. The cost is $160.

Those who participate are expected to volunteer time to educate consumers. Anyone with a keen interest in gardening is welcome; those with skills or interests such as writing, graphs and computers are needed. The registration deadline is Nov. 30.

Information or to receive a registration packet: 410-313- 2707.

Residents in need to be discussed

The Association of Community Services will sponsor "Surviv- ing/Thriving in Howard County" -- a discussion of the status of county residents in need and community attitudes about self-sufficiency -- from noon to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Meeting House, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia.

Those who attend can take a lunch or order a box lunch today at www.acshoco.org. The cost for a box lunch is $7, payable at the door. Forms to order a lunch, available online, should be faxed to 410-715- 9546 or e-mailed to info@acs hoco. org.

Information: 410-715-9545, or www.acshoco.org.

Thanksgiving fete set for Wednesday

The Howard County Office on Aging and County Executive Ken Ulman are inviting residents to celebrate the season at the county's Thanksgiving Celebration at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville.

Doors open at 10:30 a.m.; lunch is to be served at noon. Tickets are $9.50 and include entertainment.

Information: 410-313-1417.

Candidates sought for scholarship

The Columbia Association is seeking candidates for its annual Spirit of Columbia Scholarship Award, given each year to high school seniors who have shown extraordinary dedication to community service.

As many as six $2,500 scholarships will be awarded this year to graduating high school seniors who live on Columbia Association-assessed property or have a parent who works full time on assessed property. Applications are available at local high schools, Columbia community centers and Columbia Association headquarters (10221 Wincopin Circle). They can also be downloaded from www. columbiaassociation.org.

Applications must be submitted by March 1.

Information: 410-715-3175.