01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 23, 2004

CALENDAR

BOOK GROUP: The June meeting of the Thursday Book Group will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, in the lounge of the Congregational Christian Church, 1411 County St. The discussion book is The Number One Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith. For more information, call the church office at (508) 672-6623.

STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: The Somerset Baptist Church, 363 High St., Somerset Village will hold its annual Strawberry Festival at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The event will feature chicken salad on a bed of lettuce, green beans, potato chips, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Tickets are $7.50 for adults, $4 for children and $7 for two children.

For tickets, call Bel Somers at (508) 674-9419 or Dee Nascimento at (508) 676-3975.

COMMUNITY NOTES

ROAD RACE: The 12th annual Christopher Baldwin Scholarship Road Race/Walk will be held, rain or shine, Saturday, July 24. The seven-mile race will begin at 8 a.m. and the three-mile race/walk will begin at 9 a.m. from Somerset High School, 625 County St.

Application fees are $12 before Saturday, July 24, and $15 on race day.

For more information, call (508) 324-3146 or (508) 324-3148.

POWWOW: The Dighton Intertribal Indian Council will hold a Native American Powwow, Honor Our Elders, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, July 10 and 11, at the North Elementary School, Whetstone Hill Road, off Route 138. The grand entry will be at 1 p.m.

The event will feature Native American drumming, singing, dancing and flute playing, crafts and storytelling.

LOBSTER ROLL LUNCHEON: There will be a lobster roll take-out luncheon Friday, July 16, at the Somerset Baptist Church, 363 High St. The cost is $8. Free delivery will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for 12 or more orders. Individual orders may also be picked up during that time at the church.

To place an order, call (508) 669-9927, (508) 674-9419 or (508) 678-3630 between 1 and 4 p.m. up to July 9.

READING PROGRAM: The Somerset Public Library, 1464 County St., will begin registration for its summer reading program on Monday, June 21. The program, open to children ages 1 to 16, will run from June 28 to Aug. 6.

The library will also offer the following events to complement its summer reading: a drop-in craft project for children to do on their own will take place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Mondays; a family story time will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays; a story hour for children ages 3 to 5 will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays and special programs will be offered at 1 p.m. Thursdays.

Crafts and stories each week will offer children different worlds to explore including outer space, the ocean, dinosaurs, enchanted, Alaskan and the world of color.

The library will make a link to a paper train for each book a child reads.RECREATION DEPARTMENT: The Somerset Recreation Department has planned many programs and events during the summer months.

The nine-week All Day Summer Program begins Monday, June 28, offering sports, games, arts and crafts, videos and field trip activities. The program is open to Somerset residents entering grades one to six. The program is held at Somerset Middle School and runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fee is $15 for a day or $65 for a week; early drop-offs and late pickups will be available for an additional fee.

The Recreation Department will offer gymnastics, tennis and cheerleading programs to students in kindergarten through grade eight. The five-week gymnastics program will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, beginning June 28 at the North Elementary School. There will be two sessions to choose from -- 9 to 10:15 a.m. or 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. The fee for the program is $35.

The five-week cheerleading program will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time and location as gymnastics. The fee is $30.

The six-week tennis program will begin Monday, June 28, and will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, at the Somerset High School tennis courts. There will be three sessions for the program to choose from -- 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. or 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The fee is $45.

The Somerset Recreation Department will also offer several week-long clinics throughout the summer. Each participant receives a Somerset Recreation Department T-shirt.

The softball program, open to residents ages 6 to 14, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon, June 28 to July 2, at the Ashton Field Softball Complex. The cost is $35.

The baseball program, open to residents ages 6 to 14, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon, July 19 to 23, at the South Little League Complex. The cost is $60.

The basketball program, open to residents ages 5 to 15, will be held from 8:30 a.m to noon, July 12 to 16, at the Somerset High School gymnasium. The cost is $50.

The field hockey program, open to residents entering grades six to nine, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, July 19 to 23, for beginners and from July 26 to 30, for experienced players, at the Somerset Middle School. The cost is $60.

A football clinic will be held Aug. 16 to 20, for students in grades six through eight, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Somerset High School. The cost is $60.

A four-week children's Sport Chambara Self Defense course will be open to children ages 6 to 13 and run Mondays, July 12 to Aug. 2, at the Montella Academy of Self-Defense. The cost is $40. The combative sport of Chambara is derived from anicient Japanese sword fighting. With advances in sword making technology, the sword is now easy to practice and control without pain or injury. The program helps youth burn off extra energy and teaches honor, respect and good sportsmanship.

BASKETBALL LEAGUE: The Somerset Recreation Department will hold its seven-week Sunday Night Recreational Outdoor Basketball League from 5 to 9 p.m. beginning Sunday, July 11. On that date, an open evaluation to determine teams will be held at the Pottersville School basketball courts. The fee is $45 for one child and $40 for each additional family member.

Registration for the program is in the Recreation Department office at Town Hall, 140 Wood St. For more information, call (508) 646-2808.

RIVER RUN: The Somerset Recreation Department will hold its annual July 4 five-mile River Run Road Race at 9 a.m. beginning at Somerset High School, Luther Avenue entrance.

Participants can begin checking in at 8 a.m. The registration fee for all applications received before June 18 is $10 and $12 after that date. All participants will receive a July 4 River Run T-Shirt.

For an application, call the recreation office at (508) 646-2808.

AUTISM SUPPORT: The Somerset-Swansea Autism Information Group meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at the Church of Our Saviour, 2112 County St. The group is open to adult family and friends of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. For information, call Jen Mullen at (508) 674-5446.

LA LECHE LEAGUE: The La Leche League of Somerset/Bristol County meets the second Monday of each month. The topic of the next meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, July 12, at the Somerset Public Library, 1464 County St. will be Using Information for Avoiding Difficulties

For more information, call Sharon at (508) 674-3156.

PEOPLE

SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS: Alyssa Abdallah, a graduate of Somerset High School who will attend Framingham State College, and Samantha Shaker, also a graduate of Somerset High Shcool who will ateend Suffolk University, both received scholarships from the Lebanon American Society of Fall River.

SENIOR CITIZENS

The weekly exercise class of low-impact aerobics, sponsored by the YMCA, is offered at 9:15 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The cost is $1.50 per class. The exercise class will suspend for the summer on Thursday, June 24, and will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

The town nurse's office, in the Council on Aging Senior Center building, is open from 9 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday. The phone number is (508) 646-2807.

Podiatry clinics are offered the first and fourth Wednesdays of each month with Dr. Alan Lechan. To schedule an appointment, call the council.

Bingo is played at 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. Cold drinks are served in the summer.

Craft classes are held at 10 a.m. on Mondays.

Blood pressure screenings are offered between 9 and noon each weekday at the town nurse's office in the senior center.

Photo identification cards are available between 10 and 11 a.m. Tuesdays.Seniors should bring proof of age and residency. If that day is inconvenient, seniors should call Michelle at the council to set up a more convenient time.

A Horizon Casino Cruise trip will be held Thursday, Aug. 26. The $40 includes a full buffet, transportation, gambling and entertainment.

A $10 deposit is required for all trips.

Signups for day trips are from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.

A medical closet with equipment to loan is in the town nurse's office. For more information, call the town nurse weekday mornings.

A Coney Island hot dog luncheon will be held Thursday, July 1, at the senior center. Tickets are now on sale.

The senior center will be closed Monday, July 5, in observance of the Independence Day.