Zonta of Cheyenne encourages artists of all ages and all medium to submit entries for its sixth human trafficking awareness art contest. The theme of the contest is Human Trafficking is 20/20. Submissions must be dropped off at FlyDragon Art Studio at 600 West 17th Street no later than 6:00pm on Saturday, December 28. Entries must include the artist’s name, age, phone number and email address. There is no entry fee. The art will be displayed at the FlyDragon Art Studio for several weeks in January with a public reception to be held from 4:30pm-6:30pm on Wednesday, January 8. Zonta is also sponsoring a follow-up event wherein 25 participants will be able to create a guided painting at FlyDragon Art Studio on the evening of Thursday, January 16. Questions about the art contest, reception, or sponsored guided painting should be directed to Kristie at (307)214-4376 or visit flydragondesign.com.

The VFW 1881 is having a Craft Show/Flea Market, Saturday, December 14, from 9:00am-3:00pm. It will be at 2816 East 7th Street, downstairs. There will be jewelry, metal, painted items, crocheting, plus much more. Come and support the Veterans. Tables are still available. Any questions, please call Suzie (307)632-4053.

Downtown Sip and Shop will happen on Thursday, December 12. Sip and Shop is an after-hours event, 5:00pm-8:00pm, and will coincide with the December Art Walk. Downtown businesses will be offering in-store specials and light refreshments. This is a great way to finish up shopping in a relaxed atmosphere. At least 16 downtown businesses will participate. For more information, go to Downtown Cheyenne’s Facebook page or by contacting the DDA office at (307)433-9730 or at dda-admin@downtowncheyenne.com.

Join the 2019 Laramie County Toys For Tots campaign and help Stuff a Truck with new, unwrapped toys Friday and Saturday, December 6-7, from 9:00am-6:00pm, in the Number One Properties parking lot near Target, 1660 Dell Range Boulevard. Help bring Christmas joy to many children in the area. New, unwrapped toys can also be dropped off at collection sites around Cheyenne now through December 13. Go to www.toysfortots.org for local collection site locations.

The Laramie County Senior Services, 2101 Thomes Avenue, will be having an “Adopt A Senior Challenge” for the holidays. Applications will be accepted through Monday, December 16, for Christmas. This would entail inviting them over for the holidays, also picking them up if needed, and returning them home. Some of our seniors have no family and are very much alone for the holidays. Please open up your heart for our seniors. They are all family to someone. Seniors are often forgotten, so this is a way to say they are not forgotten! For more information, please call (307)635-2435 and ask for Lyndia or Michele.

Does your not-for-profit club or organization have an event coming up that you would like publicized? Submit a paragraph with who, what, when, where and contact information and we’ll put it in Trader’s “Our Community” section at no charge on a space available basis. The deadline is Tuesday at noon. For more information, call (307)634-8895.

Experience a Christmas celebration in a small town setting, Saturday, December 21. Come and watch the parade of lights, horses, wagons, old cars, and enjoy the chili feed and a visit from Santa. Parade starts at 5:00pm at the Hillsdale Volunteer Fire Department. The chili feed is held immediately following at the United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall at 4325 Hills Street in Hillsdale. All donations go toward helping neighbors in need and scholarships for local high schools students. For general inquiries or if interested in participating in the parade, please call Delene Gillespie at (307)421-5574.

Downtown Cheyenne merchants are not to be deterred by bad weather when it comes to Shop Small Saturday! They will be doing a Shop Small Take2 with a ‘do-over’ on Saturday, December 7. The forecast for Saturday looks great and small business owners are hoping families will come downtown to shop, dine, explore, visit with Santa and enjoy an evening of holiday cheer with the rescheduled Christmas parade and tree lighting. Ten participating restaurants will be offering Small Plate Specials in addition to over twenty retailers running instore Shop Small specials. In addition to Shop Small Take2, residents can visit the downtown Chari-Trees display at the Plains Hotel. Each tree is decorated by a local nonprofit, and trees can be bid on or donations dropped off. The trees are on display until December 14. Saturday, December 7, also marks the beginning of ‘pop-up’ Santa in downtown businesses. On Saturday, December 7, from 10:00am-noon, Santa will be in the Plains Hotel lobby with caroling and hot chocolate. From 1:00pm-3:00pm, he will be at Just Dandy, 212 West 17th Street. On Sunday, December 8, the Jolly Old Elf will be at Mary’s Mountain Cookies, 315 West Lincolnway, from 1:00pm-3:00pm. Details on these, and other special holiday events can be found on Downtown Cheyenne’s Facebook page or by contacting the DDA office at (307)433-9730 or at dda-admin@downtowncheyenne.com.

Cheyenne Field Archers will hold their Annual Access Yes Shoot at the CFA Range, 7415 Archies Road, Tuesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 12, registration from 6:30pm-7:00pm. The cost is $5 each night. There will be door prizes, games, and raffles. Open to the public, bring a friend. All funds go to Access Yes Program, Wyoming Game and Fish. For more information, call Neal Perkins, (307)286-3456 or Jim Mallon, (307)630-4083.

Help bring the magic and joy of the season to many children in Laramie County. Toys For Tots will again collect new, unwrapped toys at the 2019 Cheyenne Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 7, at 5:30pm, in downtown Cheyenne. New toys can also be dropped off at collection sites around Cheyenne now through December 13. Go to www.toysfortots.org for collection site locations.

The Southside Slugger’s Boxing Club is holding a USA Boxing Sanctioned Event at the Beast, 2900 Sunflower Drive. The Wyoming State Silver Gloves will be held Saturday, December 7, doors open at 2:00pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for youth. For more information, contact southsidesluggers307@gmail.com.

Eagles Auxiliary #128 members meet at the Eagles Lodge, 1600 Thomes Avenue, 2nd and 4th Mondays, officers at 6:00pm, regular meeting 7:00pm.

Frontier Post is a non-drinking, non-smoking Veterans organization that meets the 2nd Tuesday each month, 7:00pm, at the Orchard Valley Recreation Building, 2111 South 1st Avenue. Frontier Post invites eligible veterans to apply for membership. (307)509-0839, vfw11453.org.

Come, see and be a part of the Marine Corps League on the 2nd Thursday of every month, at the American Legion Post 6, 2001 East Lincolnway, at 6:30pm.

Scrappy Crafters will meet Saturday, December 14, from noon-4:00pm, in Grace Hall at 2950 Spruce Drive. Everyone is welcome. Bring whatever you are working on, be it scrapbooking, paper crafting, knitting, coloring or whatever you wish. Lunch will be served at 1:00pm. If you would like to bring chocolate or a friend, please do. To RSVP or for information, call Pam, (307)637-5193.

The All City Children’s Chorus will be presenting its December concert, A Cold Winter’s Night, on Saturday, December 7, at South High School, 1213 West Allison Road, 4:00pm. The cost is $10. Tickets are available from ACCC Singers, at www.brownpapertickets.com, or by calling the ACCC answering machine at (307)771-2275. ACCC Alumni will be invited to the stage to perform the final selection, Night of Silence, with the choirs. For more information, call Mary Fritz, (307)638-1435.

The Cheyenne’s Christmas Angels is a nonprofit group that gives Christmas gifts to senior citizens, disabled adults, veterans, caregivers, and the homeless in Cheyenne. The group needs your help! They need a donation of $2,500 to fund gifts for 2019. This amount would purchase 450 sets of gloves, hats, and scarfs, 200 fleece throw blankets, and 60 $10 Walmart gift cards to be handed out to our neighbors who are so often forgotten at Christmas time. There is $0 overhead cost. The program is in its 16th year in Cheyenne and needs to raise $2,500 or collect the quantity of items listed above. If you are interested in helping, please email helpsavechristmascheyenne@gmail.com or call/text the volunteer coordinator at (307)757-6885. Check the group out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CheyenneChristmasAngels/. Their deadline is Saturday, December 14.

St. Mary’s Cathedral Guild Christmas, Jewelry and Bake Sale will be held December 7-8, Saturday, noon-8:00pm and Sunday, 8:00am-2:00pm, at Hartmann Hall, St. Mary’s Cathedral, 2107 Capitol Avenue. Free admission. The sale includes unique raffle items; price of raffle tickets: $1 each or $5 for six. Proceeds will be used for scholarships to St. Mary’s School and funeral ministries. Proceeds from the Bake Sale will assist the Missionaries of the Poor/Nazareth Home and to aid in the rehabilitation for children in rural India. This is a statewide WCCW Mary’s Fund project. For more information, please call (307)637-5914.

Wyoming Independent Living will hold their First Annual Holiday Open House on Wednesday, December 11, 11:00am-2:00pm, 1609 East 19th Street. There will be lots of food, fun, games, and prizes. Please come see what Wyoming Independent Living is all about.

The Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Hospice and the CRMC Foundation are hosting the 24th Annual Tree of Remembrance lighting ceremony inside the Frontier Mall, 1400 Dell Range Boulevard, near Dillard’s West, on Saturday, December 7, at 1:30pm. The ceremony will include the tree lighting, a song from Stratton, a short message and a live bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace. Participants will then be invited to place doves on the tree in remembrance or honor of family members and friends. Several hundred doves will be available during the lighting ceremony. Hospice volunteers will also be handing out doves at a table near the tree through December 24. There is no cost to place a dove on the tree, although a donation can be made to the CRMC Foundation, with all proceeds to be donated to CRMC Hospice. For more information about the tree or to request a dove, contact the CRMC Foundation at (307)633-7667 or stop by the tree between 11:00am and 8:00pm or during Frontier Mall hours from December 7-24.

Cheyenne Field Archers, 7415 Archies Road, will hold their annual traditional shoot on Saturday, December 7, registration 9:00am, shoot at 10:00am. Enjoy free chili after the shoot, then swap meet. No cost, free tables. Buy, sell or trade anything outdoors related. Bring a friend, spend the day. For information call Neal Perkins, (307)286-3456 or Jim Mallon, (307)630-4083.

The Cross T Cowboy Ministries is up and running at 9141 Yellowstone Road and Pastor Dustin and his wife, Amy, welcome you! Every Sunday coffee is served at 10:00am with service beginning at 10:30am. For questions, call Pastor Dustin at (307)287-7843 or find them on Facebook at CrossTCowboyMinistries or online at CrossTCowboy.com.

On Tuesday, December 10, WyomingPBS will host a free public screening of The State of Equality, a documentary focusing on historic women’s suffrage act, at Cheyenne Civic Center, 510 West 20th Street, beginning at 7:00pm. The screening event will open with the University of Wyoming Bel Canto Women’s Choir singing the program theme song “Circle of Light.” While the event is free, tickets can be reserved in advance by going to CheyenneEvents.org or by calling the Cheyenne Civic Center ticket office at (307)637-6363.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace gives beds to kids in need. Donations are needed of twin-fitted sheets, blankets, standard pillows, and pillowcases for boys and girls. Consider sponsoring a build day for the community to get together and volunteer to build beds. Without build days, there are no beds to deliver. They deliver more than beds, they deliver hope, and a child can know that there is a whole community who cares for them and they know they are loved. For more information, go to www.shpbeds.org/chapter/wy-cheyenne, Facebook @SHPCheyenne or contact Matthew D. Smith, matthew.smith@shpbeds.org, (307)222-9027 or Brandee Dahill, brandee.dahill@shpbeds.org, (307)640-2665. No kid sleeps on the floor in our town!

Looking for vendors for the VFW 1881 craft/flea market. The sale is being held at the VFW 1881, 2816 East 7th Street, Saturday, December 14, 9:00am-3:00pm. All are welcome to come and support our local veterans. To reserve a table or ask questions, please call Suzie, (307)632-4053 or Cheryl, (307)630-2657. They are doing a carry in as well if you would like to participate.

The Cheyenne area Scouts will be conducting their annual food collection to help stock the pantry of Needs Inc. The food collection will be Saturday, December 7, from 9:00am-4:00pm, at Albertson’s, 5800 Yellowstone Road; Albertson’s, 3355 East Pershing Boulevard, Walmart, 580 Livingston Avenue, Safeway, 700 South Greeley Highway, and Natural Grocer’s, 5116 North Frontier Mall Drive #400.

The Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority (DDA), in partnership with Thrivent Financial and the Plains Hotel, is announcing this year’s free Chari-Tree event in downtown. This is the second year for this special holiday event focused on a wide variety of Cheyenne non-profits. Each participating organization will decorate a special tree that may be auctioned off through a silent auction format or can be used for awareness-building and/or donations. This year’s two-week Chari-Tree event will be held in the event hallway of the Plains Hotel that fronts on Lincolnway. The event will be open to the public on Shop Small Take2 Saturday, December 7 and will run through Saturday, December 14. Winners of trees through the silent auction will be able to pick up their trees or have them delivered the following week, in plenty of time for Christmas. More information on the Chari-Trees event can be found on Downtown Cheyenne’s Facebook page or by contacting the DDA office at (307)433-9730 or at dda-admin@downtowncheyenne.com.

The Wyoming Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association is pleased to announce an additional support group for caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The Caregiver Support Group will meet on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, at 1:00pm, at Pointe Frontier Senior Living, 1406 Prairie Avenue. All those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia are invited to participate. For more information please call (307)421-6227.

The Christmas Cantata “Invitation to a Miracle” will be presented by the First United Methodist Church Orchestra and Chancel Choir on Sunday, December 15, at 8:30am and 10:00am, at 108 East 18th Street. Come and experience a beautiful retelling of the Christmas Story through music and word! For more information, call (307)632-1410.

The Plains Hotel will be abuzz this Saturday with community caroling, hot chocolate and cookies, Santa, and the holiday Chari-Trees on display! Activities begin at 10:00am with Santa and caroling. The Chari-Trees, trees decorated by local nonprofit organizations, are available for viewing and bidding during regular lobby hours. In addition, the Plains will be hosting a Small Plate Special this Saturday, December 7, for the Shop Small Take2. It includes a croissant chicken salad sandwich with a cup of soup for $9.99. This special is available from 11:00am-2:00pm. Special holiday room rates are also in place, starting at $69 and includes breakfast. For more information, please contact the Plains Hotel at (307)638-3311.