"Santa's Closet," a Christmas flea market, is scheduled from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at St. Ann's Catholic Church on U.S. 70 Business between Smithfield and Clayton. The market will offer crafts, household items and baked goods. The Knights of Columbus will cook breakfast and lunch. The market is a project of the St. Ann's Ladies Guild. For more information, call Ann Grossman at 919-359-0905 or Vicky Varner at 919-934-5291.

Blood drive

A blood drive is scheduled from 9 a.m. till 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Hephzibah Baptist Church, 4633 U.S. 70, Princeton.

Cleanup in Benson

The Town of Benson will hold a cleanup day on Saturday, Oct. 17. Volunteers should meet in the Singing Grove on Main Street at 8 a.m. The town will provide bags, pickup sticks and gloves. For more information, call Braston Newton at 919-894-7404.

Lunch in Four Oaks

"Young at Heart," a lunch for seniors, will be held at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 20 at First Baptist Church, 403 N. Main St., Four Oaks. Bring a covered dish and enjoy music by Eugene Taylor, who will perform Christian music and oldies.

Show seeks vendors

The Literary Guild at Johnston Community College is seeking vendors for its holiday arts and crafts show. The guild invites crafters, artists, potters, sculptors, quilters and other hobbyists to sell their wares. The cost to rent space is $40. The show is scheduled from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, in the lobby of the Paul A. Johnston Auditorium on JCC's Smithfield campus. For more information, contact Natalie Hobbs by nataliehobbs09@aim.com or at 919-333-9685.

Library loans

Starting Oct. 15, the Cleveland Library will offer interlibrary loans. The library is a 5533 N.C. 42 West, near Interstate 40, in the Cleveland community. It's open from 6 till 9 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays and from 9 a.m. till 6 p.m. Saturdays.

Home seminar

A free seminar on home ownership is scheduled from 7 till 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at Brighter Hope Christian Fellowship, 108 Professional Court in the Cleveland community. Topics include homebuying, refinancing and foreclosure. The following will speak: Miranda Harrison of National City Mortgage, Jermaine Callum of Capital Bank and Madelene Stevens of Habitat for Humanity of Johnston County. The seminar is a project of the Johnston County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. For more information, call Sharon Braswell at 919-612-5965 or Pandora Pearson at 919-741-0410.

Trip to Mexico

Johnston Community College is planning a seven-day trip to the Yucatan of Mexico. The trip, scheduled for May 19-25, 2010, is open to students, employees and the community. The trip has been packaged through Casterbridge Tours and includes stops in Merida, Uxmal, Kabah, Chichen-Itza, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and guided tours of Mayan ruins and museums.

A nonrefundable deposit of $500 is due by Oct. 21. The remaining balance, due in January 2010, will be based on the number of participants.

For more information, visit casterbridgetours.com/groups/johnstoncommcoll.htm or call Heather Murphy at 919-209-2239 or Jessica Rieger at 919-209-2149.

Halloween in Clayton

A Halloween "Fun Ride" is scheduled from 5 till 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, in Clayton Community Park on Amelia Church Road. The cost is $3 per child; parents ride free. The event includes Halloween characters, games and prizes. For more details, call 553-1555. Clayton will hold its Halloween parade at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. The parade route begins at the large parking lot on Main Street and ends at 4 p.m. at the Town Square located at Main, Fayetteville, Second and O'Neal streets. For more details, call 553-1555.

Financial seminar

A seminar titled "Money Strategies for All Times" is scheduled from 2 till 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at Mount Zion United Methodist Church, 15772 N.C. 50 in the Cleveland community. Personal-finance author Matt Bell will conduct the seminar, which is $20 for singles and $30 for couples. The cost includes a 100-page workbook. For more information, contact Rex Spivey at 919-779-4209 or at MtZion-Workshop@nc.rr.com.

Community meeting

The Yes We Can Johnston County Coalition will hold its second community meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at The Clayton Center, 111 E. 2nd St., Clayton. Topics include the H1N1 flu, new high school attendance boundaries and needed services for the poor and jobless. For more information, call 919-550-0614 or send an e-mail to information@yeswecanjccoalition.com.