M etro December 7. 2005 www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity 'h( O t ÎcCciA Entertainment (guidé see pages B2 and B3 ^Jortlanù ffibseruer SECTION B o m m u n ity C a le n d a r Winter Solstice Blood Drive The 3rd annual W inter Solstice Blood D rive at the A m erican R ed C ro s s on N o rth Vancouver, Dec. 19-23, features free gift-w rapping for partici pants. To make a blood dona tion call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. Work For Change Community Advocates invites those interested in protecting children from abuse to become an event volunteer, event out reach, technology expert, graphic artists or office support team member. For more information, call 503-280-1388. Red Cross Teaches Safety The Am erican Red Cross offers a range o f safety classes for crisis situations, from learning how to baby sit to perform ing CPR. The courses are intended for children aged 8 through adult. For more information visit w w w .redcross-pdx.org. Women in Community Service V olunteer mentors are being sought by Women in Commu nity Service to work with incar cerated women at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. Men tors provide support and encour agement for women transitioning from prison back into the commu nity. Volunteers must be females, age 24 and up. For more informa tion, call 503-570-6614. African Drumming, Dance The North Star Ballroom, 635 N. Killingsworth Ct„ hosts begin ning drumming and Ghanaian rhythm classes on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. On Wednesdays, intermedi ate drumming is offered in addi tion to an African aerobics and dance. Chata Addy teaches all classes. For more information call 503-632-0411. Life sized hippos are part o f the one million lights that sparkle during the Oregon ZooLights festival. Oregon Zoo ALMS WITH LIGHTS Magic of illumination delight kids, adults The Oregon Zoo has come alive with lights cel ebrating its 18th annual Zoo Lights festival this holiday season. Nearly one million lights illuminate life-sized animal silhouettes, trees, buildings, walkways and the zoo train. “Every year, the zoo presents a stunning display of light and color,” said Tony Vecchio, zoo direc tor. “ I know many people in ourcom m unity eagerly anticipate ZooLights and look forward to seeing the many new touches that we add each year. It is so gratifying to know that the Oregon Zoo has become an important holiday tradition to so many fam ilies.” As visitors approach the zoo entrance, they will be greeted by a statue similar to the one in Bremen, Germany depicting the four farm animals in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, "The Musicians of Bremen Town.” Other new displays include an army of 25 six- foot-long leaf-cutting ants m arching along the zoo railroad tracks and birds such as pelican, puffin, roadrunner and a Steller jay. The deeper one ventures into the zoo, an array o f more excitem ent awaits. Even, an African fish eagle swoops down and scoops up a fish from a river. The zo o 's popular costum ed characters and elves will be on hand to greet zoo visitors and pose for pictures. And as usual, visitors can also see some of the zoo's resident anim als. All this excite ment will be highlighted by anim ated music. Also, more than 100 schools, churches and professional groups will perform holiday musical selections. ZooLights will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. until Dec. 31, closing for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Admis sion is $9.50 per adult and $6.50 for children and' includes a train ride. The zoo is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. For more inform ation, call 503-226-1561 or visit www.oregonzoo.org. Al-Anon Meetings Al-Anon meetings are held Mon- dayeveningsffom7:15to8:30p.m. at Miracles Club on the comer of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and. Mason Street. Al- Anon is for friends and loved ones of alcoholics and addicts. Benson Student Crowned Earns Miss Oregon Teen USA title Get Fit, Stay Healthy! Sankofaa Health Institute offers a free diabetes support group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Thursday at Alberta Simmons Plaza, 6707 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. For more informa tion, call 503-285-2484. Bradley-Angle House The Bradley-Angle House needs volunteers to help its outreach a g a in st d o m e stic v io le n c e . Women of color and bilingual women are encouraged to call. For more information, call 503- 282-9940. Creative Space For Dance Aurora Dance Studio, 5433 N.E. 30th, offers an array of classes for children, teens and adults at all levelsof ability. Call 503-249-0201 or v isit o n lin e at www.hevanet.com/auroradance for additional information. Birth Ready W hether you need childbirth preparation classes, or just a re fresher, Providence Health Sys tems has a workshop for you. Prepare for pain, take a weekend seminar or prepare big sistersand brothers-to-be throughout the su m m e r by v isitin g www.providence.org/classes or call 503-574-6595. years« •Tcommunity service Benson High School student Kelci Rae Alberti-Flowers is crowned new Miss Oregon Teen USA. K elci Rae A lb e rti-F lo w e rs o f P o rtla n d has been cro w n e d the new M iss O regon Teen USA, the first A frican-A m erican to hold the title. A lberti-Flow ers com peted Nov. 25-27 in Redmond at the Eagle Crest Resort with 45 other beautiful and brilliant young women. She was well received by the audience, unanim ously chosen by the ju d g es and te a r fully grateful for her co ro n atio n , a title that includes a college scholarship and other prizes. A lberti-Flowers is the daughter o f Dr. Billy Rae Flowers. She is a student at Benson High School. She plays basketball, runs track, models for a local agency, sings and writes song lyrics. “ A w onderful o p p o rtu n ity has com e my w ay,” she said. “ I am very ex cited about the opportunity to represent O reogn as our teen a m b a ssa d o r.” The national Miss Teen USA pageant will be held in August and televised on NBC. A second pageant during the event saw Sharitha M cKenzie o f M edford crow ned Miss Oregon USA. She is the first wom an of A m eri can-Indian heritage to win the title, officials said. Allison M achado, another A frican-A m erican contestant, was named Miss O regon USA First Runner Up. Theater Group Showcases Local Kids Special stage performance Friday Higher Stages, a program of Tears of Joy Theatre presents a showcase of student talent on Friday. Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at W inningstad Theater at the Portland C enter for the Perform ing arts, 11 I S.W. Broadway. The perform ances by Beach, King and Vernon Elementary School stu dents as well as Ockley Green and Tubman Middle School students is the culm ination of fall after-school arts classes. The dram a will be accom panied by drum m ing, dance on stage and visual arts in the theater lobby. Tickets are $3 each and can be picked up and paid for at the door or ordered in advance i by calling 503-248-0557. H igher S tages, a program o f T ears o f Joy T h e a tre , is an a rts -b a s e d program w ith a m ission to ad d ress the social, em otional and educational developm ent o f stu d en ts. T he s tu dents are involved in c h a llen g in g ex p erien ces w ith p ro fe ssio n a l a rt ists in the crafting and p erfo rm an ce o f art. The intention is to prom ote high self-esteem and academ ic success through the developm ent o f both craft and life skills. Beach Elementary students in north Portland stand up to Baba Yaga, the grand old woman of Russian folklore.