This month billions of people around the globe celebrate Lunar New Year. February 10th begins the Year of the Wood Dragon. While commonly referred to as Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year is celebrated among several East and Southeast Asian cultures. Each culture celebrates differently with various traditions mainly focusing on reunion and prosperity. Unlike the Gregorian calendar's New Year celebration which is held on a single day, Lunar New Year spans multiple days, beginning on the second new moon after the winter solstice and concluding with the Lantern Festival on the following full moon. Each day of the celebration holds special significance that varies based on traditions and region.

Black History Month Celebration:
Free Staged Reading of Miss Lydia C. Taylor: Cowtown Chef

 

Saturday, February 10, 4pm
Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Avenue
RSVP appreciated at sue2157@gmail.com

Written by playwright and Hyde Parker Osa Buchner, Miss Lydia C. Taylor: Cowtown Chef is a fictionalized comedy/drama about a determined African American woman in the 1880s. She ventures West with dreams of becoming an elegant chef in a gritty cattle town. This play is a tribute to African Americans who, after Emancipation, left the South for new opportunities in the Western states. Many African American women made the journey alone. Although seldom shown in older Western movies and TV shows, Black cowboys were common in the West, with many enjoying freedom and success out on the trail.

Wallace Goode of the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce is the emcee and there will be a special appearance by Murdock of the Broken Arrow Horseback Riding Club. The reading will be accompanied by music. Participating in the staged reading are Hamidah Ihsan Ahmad, Beth Johnson, John LeMay, Rev. Charles Straight, and Barry Weitz.

Medical Aid in Dying: Autonomy at the End of Life

 

Thursday, February 15, 7—8:15pm Central
Online via Zoom; Registration Required
Provided by Compassion & Choices Action Network and National Council of Jewish Women Chicago North Shore

This program will explore the full range of care options for people with terminal illnesses with a focus on medical aid in dying (MAID). We will hear from a panel of experts about what medical aid in dying is and is not, as well as the latest on the Illinois advocacy campaign.

Colors & Connection: Valentine's Day Edition

Wednesday, February 14, 3–4pm Central

Presented by Project UnLonely & The Foundation for Art & Healing
Join this free and fun meet-up to color together and connect!