Akron residents who meet eligibility guidelines can apply to have the outside of their homes painted for free under the Greater Westside Council of Block Clubs’ Senior Home Improvement 2014 exterior paint program.
To qualify, a homeowner must be disabled or be 60 and older and meet federal poverty guidelines.
People needing assistance should attend a meeting of the council. It meets at 10 a.m. on the fourth Saturday of each month at the Ed Davis Community Center, 730 Perkins Park Drive.
The next meeting is June 28.
Contests
A couple of contests to note:
• One do-it-yourselfer will win $5,000 toward a home improvement project in the ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape Contest. To enter, contestants submit photos of projects created for less than $100 using ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape. Details are at www.scotchblue.com/home contest. Deadline is July 15.
• Great American Country network is awarding $5,000 plus merchandise worth $250 to one winner each week in June in its Get Junky With It sweepstakes. To participate, watch Junk Gypsies at 8 p.m. Thursdays on GAC to get a code word, which you must enter within 24 hours at www.GACTV.com/junk. Details are on the website.
Events, programs
• Seville Yard Sale, concludes today. Sales throughout the village. https://sites.google.com/site/2014sevilleyardsale.
• Guided Bird Walk, 9 a.m. today, starting at Secrest Arboretum’s Seaman Orientation Plaza, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster Township. All skill levels welcome. Free. http://secrest.osu.edu.
• Community Sidewalk Sale, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, downtown Hartville. Yard sale items, crafts, antiques, food, music. www. discoverhartville.com/second saturday.
• Historic Home and Garden Tour and plant swap, today, Richfield Fellowship Hall, 3903 Broadview Road. Tour of four historical properties, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., $12. Plant swap starts at 11 a.m. Bring perennials or houseplants in waterproof containers. All plants must be identified and labeled. Plants also available for purchase by those with nothing to swap. 330-659-4750.
• Open Garden Days, 5 to 9 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Freedom Gardens, 6193 Vair Road, Freedom Township, Portage County (near Ravenna). See more than 1,200 types of winter-hardy roses grown by rose collectors Susan and Peter Schneider. Limited number of potted roses for sale. Free admission. 330-296-2618.
• Walk Among the Butterflies, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Donzell’s Flower & Garden Center, 937 E. Waterloo Road, Akron. Free interactive display with live butterflies and chrysalides. 330-724-0505.
• Gracious Gardens Weekend, today and Sunday, Shaker Historical Society & Museum, 16740 South Park Blvd., Shaker Heights. Free garden fair, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Gracious Gardens Tour, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Tour tickets $20 in advance at www.shakerhistorical society.org or $25 on tour day.
• Knitting and Crocheting Circle meetings, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and next Saturday, Highland Library, 4160 Ridge Road, Granger Township, Medina County (330-278-4271 or 330-239-2674), and 6 p.m. Thursday, Seville Library, 45 N. Center St. (330-769-2852).
• Gardeners of Greater Akron meeting, 5:30 p.m. Monday, Coventry Oaks Pavilion, 40 Axline Ave., Coventry Township. Annual strawberry festival and covered dish picnic. Bring table service, meat to grill and a well-filled casserole or salad to share. 330-673-3553 or www.ohiogardeners.org.
• Cardmaking, 6 p.m. Monday, Medina County District Library, Brunswick branch, 3649 Center Road. Create 10 cards. Bring adhesive. $10. Register at the library or www.mcdl.info.
• Composting, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Akron Summit County District Libary, Green branch, 4046 Massillon Road. Program by Vince Matlock, Summit County master gardener. Free. 330-896-9074.
• The Junk Garden, 1 p.m. Tuesday, Portage County Gardeners’ Center, 5154 S. Prospect St. (state Route 44), Rootstown Township. Presentation by Noelle Clark Akin of Petitti Garden Centers. Free. 330-923-0570.
• Peninsula Art Academy classes, 1600 W. Mill St. Learn to Sew, 6-9 p.m. Wednesday. Bring a sewing machine. $45. Quilting and Foundation Piecing, 2-4 p.m. Friday, Learn the quilt-making technique popularly known as paper piecing. Members $90, others $115. Bring a sewing machine, scissors, pencil, seam ripper and pins. Registration for either program: 330-657-2248 or http://peninsulaartacademy.com.
• Ask a Master Gardener, 3-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Twinsburg Farmers Market, 2695 Creekside Commons Drive. Summit County master gardener volunteers will be available answer questions.
• Tour of Gardens, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday, Summit County. Self-directed tour of seven gardens plus a secret garden open only to patron ticket holders. Sponsored by the Summit County Master Gardeners. General admission, $20; tickets available while they last at http://summitmastergardeners.org or at Dayton Nurseries, 3459 Cleveland-Massillon Road, Norton; Donzell’s Flower and Garden Center, 937 E. Waterloo Road, Akron; Graf Growers Garden Center, 1015 White Pond Drive, Copley Township; and Suncrest Gardens, 5157 Akron-Cleveland Road, Boston Township. Patron tickets, $60, $80 or $100, available online only. No tickets sold on tour day. www. summitmastergardeners.org.
• Beyond the Fences of Zoar, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. next Saturday, Historic Zoar Village. Tour of private and public gardens, gardening programs, sale of garden accessories. Optional lunch in the historical schoolhouse. Tour and lunch, $32; reservations required at 330-874-2646. Tour only, $15; tickets available on tour day at the booths near Zoar Church at Fifth and Main streets and near the Zoar Store at Second and Main streets. http://historiczoarvillage.com.
• Garden Chat, 10 a.m. next Saturday, Medina County District Library, Brunswick branch, 3649 Center Road. Medina County master gardeners will discuss staking, trellising and training plants. Free. www.mcdl.info or 330-273-4150.
• Convergent Quilting, 10 a.m. to noon next Saturday, Quirk Cultural Center, 1201 Grant Ave., Cuyahoga Falls. Learn how to make and assemble a quilting design with batik material. Residents $10, others $12. Registration: 330-971-8425 or 330-971-8225.
• All-Aboard Garden Railroad Workshop & Lunch, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or noon to 2 p.m. next Saturday. Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Blvd. Story, craft, creation of a container garden with a few railroad accessories, picnic lunch. Member adult and child, $45; nonmember adult and child, $60. Registration: 216-721-1600, ext. 100, or www.cbgarden.org.
• Home & Garden Tour, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. next Saturday and June 22, Hale Farm & Village, 2686 Oak Hill Road, Bath. Explore and learn about the historical homes and gardens on the grounds of the living history museum. Special presentations on topics including beekeeping, composting and fiber arts. $10; children 3 to 12, $5; younger children and Western Reserve Historical Society members, free. www.wrhs.org or 330-666-3711.
• Honey Bee Health Management Workshop, June 30 and July 1, Fisher Auditorium, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster Township. Intensive focus on the diagnosis and biology of major health issues facing honeybees. Workshop intended for bee inspectors, extension personnel and experienced beekeepers. $125. Information and registration: http://u.osu.edu/beelab/bee-health-management-workshop. Registration deadline is June 23.
• Nature Connects, through Aug. 24, Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Blvd. Family-oriented event includes 14 giant Lego sculptures and nature-related activities. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. $11; children 3 to 12, $6; members and younger children, free. www.cbgarden.org or call 216-721-1600, ext. 100.
Submit notices of classes, programs and events to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com or Home and Garden News, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Please include name and phone number. All events must be open to the public. Deadline for submissions is noon Monday.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/mbbreck, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckABJ and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.