MADERA COUNTY – This week the Madera County Sheriff’s Office will hold an introductory meeting for citizens interested in joining the nationally recognized Citizens On Patrol volunteer organization. The event is Wednesday Oct. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Sheriff’s Annex, 28281 Avenue 14 in Madera, and anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to attend.

COARSEGOLD – Coarsegold is prepping for its 15th annual Coarsegold Tarantula Festival on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Festival goes from 10:30 a.m. until the last “racing” tarantula hits the finish-line sometime after 5 p.m. In what serves as a prime example of a unique, small-town event, the annual festival celebrates the tarantulas that come out of their burrows each fall ...

OAKHURST – Autumn is taking hold in the foothills, and we’re all ready for some serious sensory satisfaction. Luckily, it’s time for the annual Oakhurst Fall Festival (formerly known as Oakhurst Chocolate & Wine Festival), taking place this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12 – 13, in the Oakhurst Community Park. The action goes from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. both ...

MARIPOSA – The Mariposa Symphony Orchestra will open its 12th Season on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., in the Fiester Auditorium of Mariposa County High School with a special world premiere event. Founding Music Director and Conductor Les Marsden has composed a 20-minute symphonic poem titled Wilderness – Our Necessary Refuge as part of Mariposa County’s participation in four ...

OAKHURST — The Eastern Madera County SPCA invites four-legged doggy friends accompanied by their humans of all ages to attend the 15th annual Animal Faire on Sunday, Oct. 6 from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. The tail-wagging event is happening at the Oakhurst Community Park.

AHWAHNEE – The next in the series of concerts at the Coolwater Ranch will be Oct. 26 at 7 p.m., featuring Tim and Myles Thompson, guitarists extraordinaire. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, this father-son act features Fingerstyle Guitar Champion Tim Thompson and composer-instrumentalist/singer Myles Thompson.

MARIPOSA – In observance of Fire Prevention Week Oct. 6 – 12, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit (MMU) is joining forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to remind local residents to ‘Prevent Kitchen Fires.’ During this year’s fire safety campaign, CAL FIRE is helping to spread the word about the ...

MADERA & MARIPOSA COUNTIES – Madera County Sheriff John Anderson and Mariposa County Sheriff Doug Binnewies are both offering the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs in a safe manner. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Submitted by the artist Michael J. CostaSierra Art Trails 2013 Catalog # 40 Fro-Zen was a series of images I began to create as a final project for a course entitled “Concept and Design” at the Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. My vision for these images was to freeze things from nature, then photograph the object through its ...

The Yosemite Area Audubon Society (YAAS) is pleased and honored to announce that Michael Sutton, the National Audubon Society’s Vice President, Pacific Flyway, will open its 2013-2014 program season Thursday, Oct. 10, with a slide presentation, “The Pacific Flyway: Superhighway in the Sky.” The Pacific Flyway is an aerial superhighway stretching nearly 10,000 miles from Alaska to Patagonia. It encompasses ...