Check here for Community announcements and reminders, city & county news clips, events to go to and ways to give back to our county community and spread ripples of kindness.

March is Patriotic Movie Matinees Month at the Blackfoot Movie Mill. Each week there will be a different movie and matinee times. All movies will be the standard Movie Mill ticket of $5. And the movies are…. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — Mar. 6-12, Midway — Mar. 13-19, Apollo 13 — Mar. 20-26 and The Patriot — Mar. 27-Apr. 2. Tickets are available at royaltheaters.com now. The Movie Mill is at 369 W. Bridge.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/REMINDERSThe AARP is helping with income taxes every Tuesday and Thursday night from 5-8 p.m. at the Bingham County Senior Center at 20 East Pacific Street. This service is free and open to anyone.

The Bingham County Historical Museum is temporarily closed while they are doing renovations. They will have a grand reopening in the Spring — whenever that is this year.

CITY/COUNTY NEWS CLIPSWednesday mornings at 7 a.m. is a rare chance to get a weekly update of what is happening at the capitol in Boise. This free legislative meeting update is at Dawn Enterprises at 280 Cedar St. in Blackfoot. At least it will be if people show up. Don’t pass up the chance to learn from and express your concerns with our elected representatives.

The North Bingham County District Library is looking for custodial cleaning services. They are Requesting Proposals (RFP) to find the best service to keep the library clean and fresh. All details are on their website https://www.facebook.com/NBCDL/. They will hold a walk-through on Thursday, Mar. 5 at 10 a.m. or by appointment for those interested. Proposals are due by 6 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 20.

Bingham County is raising fees, like most everyone else. As a government entity they need to first hear from the public. Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 8:30 a.m. they held a public hearing concerning Sheriff feed. On Monday, Mar. 2 at 10:30 a.m. they will have a public hearing concerning Planning and Development fee increases. The hearings are in the County Commissioner room in the Courthouse at 501 N. Maple St.

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGSThursday:

Collet’s Pub in Firth is holding a dinner and show event from 6-8 p.m. On stage will be Kelsie Fielding. They are located at 132 Main Street. Hmm, their special this week is Philly Cheese Steak!

Friday:

BINGO! At the Bingham County Senior Center located at 20 E. Pacific in Blackfoot. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. $10 gets you food and 1 bingo card. Come early to get settled in with your eats and card(s). Prizes and lots of fun. For 18+.

St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Blackfoot will have their Stations of the Cross mass today. The English mass will be at 5 p.m. at 584 W. Sexton St.

Saturday:

Community Blessing Day is here! Come one, come all and see what blessings you can find for free. From 7 a.m. — 1 p.m. at the Moreland Building at 175 N. 740 W. there will be all the gathered donated items that have been waiting for new homes. No need to donate — this is not a swap event. All are welcome.

The Jason Lee Memorial United Methodist Church is hosting a Men’s Breakfast Time today from 9-10 am. At 168 S. University Ave. in Blackfoot. There will be a “hearty” breakfast, hot coffee and conversation. A time to relax after a long week? Come see.

BINGO and lunch will be today at the Shelley Senior Community Center from noon to 3 p.m. They are located at 193 W. Pine St. This fundraiser costs $15 for 3 cards and has a 60% prize payout.

Ever hear of Holotropic Breathwork? Me neither, but maybe today is the day. MyrLynn Anderson at One Beat Wellness Studio, located at 30 W. Bridge St. in Blackfoot will facilitate the experience. She calls it “a journey of expansion and inner transformation.” Sign up and learn more details at onebeatwellness.com/events.

Pizza & Politics at 6:30 p.m. 187 N. Ash in Blackfoot. The evening is hosted by David Cannon who is running to be re-elected in the State Legislative District 30 — that includes Bingham and Butte Counties. All are welcome.

Monday

Collet’s Pub is hosting their Monday night free BINGO night, starting at 7 p.m. at 132 S. Main St. in Firth. Lots of fun and prizes.

Tuesday

Ever wonder about Cardio Kickboxing? Comes see at 6 p.m. at 75 N. Broadway.

Classes are also on Thursdays at 7 p.m. This high-energy, get fit while having fun opportunity costs $50 per month — but the first class is free. Call/text to reserve your spot 541-805-0456. Suitable for ages 12+.

Wednesday, March 4

The Kiwanis Club is having an open house at 5:30 p.m. at 270 Cedar St. (Dawn Enterprises) in Blackfoot. Come and see what they are all about! All are welcome.

Looking ahead — The Elks are having a paint night at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 5 — which you need to RSVP in advance. Costs $30 by cash or Venmo. Call or text Melissa at 208-970-5066.

RIPPLESWays to serve the people around you, trusting that positive ripples of good will spread out and encourage others to do likewise. Or as President Ronald Reagan said, “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

February is the Loneliness Awareness Month. What about when we, ourselves, are feeling like it is a no-good, terrible, horrible excuse for a day? I have a few thoughts from my relatively looong time living. Perhaps it will encourage others, as well as remind myself.

I’ve learned that those dark days when all is going wrong and the day goes on forever, it is worth it to make it through. So far, without fail, after one of “those” days, the next day seems to sparkle extra and good things tend to happen. More than once I’ve been glad I reached the sunshine at the end of that dark night; it was not something to miss.

There is a BTS song that talks about how everything resets when the hour and minute hands align at 0:00 — Zero O’Clock. Life won’t magically be rosy and perfect, but it can be better after it resets.

And then there is Kintsugi. In Japan they have made an art out of fixing broken pottery. The American way is to hide the break and hope it won’t be noticed. Or, throw it out. Instead, the Japanese use a gold, silver or platinum lacquer to fix the broken pieces and make a new beautiful dish. Perhaps, sometimes, if we feel like we have broken into pieces, we can find new beauty in the broken glass. There may be scars, but that is part of our journey and why not celebrate our growth with lines of gold?

Until next week….

If you have events or announcements to be included — contact me at jannmmneish@gmail.com. Press deadline for the Bingham News Chronicle is Monday.