The last First Families for Fridays performance of the season will be this evening at The Commons in downtown Columbus.

The Columbus Area Arts Council is presenting Mario the Maker Magician this evening. Organizers say it is a fast-paced and interactive show. Mario performs magic, uses handmade robots and the show features hilarious slapstick.

He has appeared on Sesame Street, NBC’s Universal Kids, and toured with magician David Blaine.

First Fridays for Families is meant to introduce young audiences to the performing arts in a fun, informal setting. It is free to attend, thanks to the sponsorship of the Nugent Foundation and the Custer Foundation, with additional support from the City of Columbus.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the performance starts at 6 p.m. tonight at The Commons.

For more about this or any other arts council events you can go to artsincolumbus.org

Photo courtesy of mariothemagician.com/epk

Columbus City Utilities will begin its annual summer sewer allowance program after your June meter reading.

The city adjusts the sewer bills, as a way to offset outdoor watering that does not actually make its way into the sewer system. Once your water meter has been read in June, your July bill will begin reflecting the allowance discount on your sewer charges. The Summer Sewer Allowance runs from June to September.

You can also purchase an irrigation meter through the Columbus City Utilities office, which will let you sprinkle your lawn, water flowers, and use water for other outdoor activities without paying the sewer charges on your water consumption.

For more information you can go to columbusutilities.org or call 812-372-8861.

Centra Credit Union and Centra Foundation are announcing the local winners of the annual Loretta M. Burd scholarships.

The credit union normally awards one high school scholarship for each branch, plus adult and internal scholarships. This year, an additional six scholarships are being raised in recognition of Burd’s retirement from the credit union’s board of directors.

Burd began working at Centra in July 1965, rising to become president and CEO in 1987. She retired in 2012, but continued to serve on the board of directors until March of this year.

This year’s local scholarships are recipients are

Columbus North

• Annabel Freeman
• Morgan Allen
• Alyssa Green

Columbus East

• Alyssa Murray
• Mallory Rupp
• Olivia Shoaf
• Lauren Ulrich

Brown County’s Annika Evenson

Homeschooled students:

• Clare Gatewood
• Michelle Moore
• Josiah Linnemann

Among the winners of the Loretta M. Burd Adult Scholarship is Christina Shaw of Columbus.

You can get more information at centra.org.

A new workshop aimed at job market skills for recent high school graduates will be starting later this month.

Bartholomew County Works is launching the program for soon-to-be high school graduates interested in immediately entering the workforce. Topics of the weeklong workshop will include applications, resumes, interviews, professionalism, attitude and more.

The Job Readiness Training Workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the week of May 23, in the Sarla Kalsi Conference Room, at YES Cinema.

The deadline to apply for the High School Graduate workshop is 4 p.m. in the afternoon on May 19th. Class size is limited.

For more information, call Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at 812-379-1630.

INDOT says that State Road 258 in Jackson County will be closing Monday while a culvert is replaced.

The road will be closed from 8 to 5 between County Road 190W and 300W, east of Freetown. Local residents will still have access during the closure. The work is expected to be completed Monday.

INDOT reminds you to slow down, to drive without distractions, and to be alert to worker safety when traveling through active construction zones.

INDOT will be hosting a public information next week in Greensburg to discuss a roadway reconstruction project on State Road 46.

The session will be Tuesday at Greensburg City Hall. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation at 6 p.m.

The proposed nearly $13 million project includes pavement replacement and asphalt resurfacing along two sections of State Road 46; between the east junction of State Road 3 and the west junction of U.S. 421, and the east junction of U.S. 421 and Base Road. It will include sidewalk replacement, ADA curb ramp upgrades, construction of a multi-use path, drainage work and additional lighting.

Project information will also be posted on the INDOT Seymour District webpage.

The Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge will be reopening its visitors center for the first public event in more than two years.

Organizers say that there will be “Welcome to the Wild” event held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate the reopening.

Activities will include a bird walk, a tree walk and a cake walk, a hawk and eagle program and an owl program both with live birds, plus children’s activities and a silent auction.

Visitors will be allowed into areas of the refuge that have been closed.

For more information, you can call 812-522-4352, or visit www.muscatatuck.org

Photo courtesy of Jennings County Parks.

The Columbus Downtown Merchant’s Association will be celebrating the first Thursday of each month through the summer, with activities downtown tonight until 8 p.m..

Stores will be open late for shopping with most open until 7 and some open until 8 tonight. Minash Boutique will be hosting a mom’s night out from 4 to 7 with treats, drinks, discounts and giveaways. Other stores will be offering unique Mother’s Day gifts include Boutique Elise, Viewpoint Books, Cummins Power Store, Bakers Fine Arts and Dell Brothers

Restaurants will also be open for a variety of dining opportunities.

Special events are planned all summer downtown on the first Thursday of the month, according to organizers.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Area Visitors Center.

IUPUC staff have donated thousands of pencils to Bartholomew Consolidated Schools in a program called the “Staying Sharp Pencil Campaign.”

The IUPUC Staff Council donated 256 boxes of pre-sharpened pencils to BCSC elementary schools to help teachers who are running low on supplies. That is more than 3,000 pencils going to classrooms. The council also donated a box of 500 pencils to each school library.

Organizers say that they came up with the idea after hearing that teachers are scrambling to find basic supplies now. And the effort is meant to help teachers who are paying out of their own pockets for school supplies.

Columbus police are urging you to lock up your firearms. That’s after three recent reports of guns stolen from unlocked vehicles.

Police say that stolen guns are often used in other crimes.

According to FBI statistics, more than $2.4 million worth of firearms were stolen in Indiana in 2020, the most recent year statistics are available. Only about $310,000 worth of firearms were recovered in the state.

Experts suggest that you document the serial numbers on your firearms in case they are ever stolen.

Columbus police ask that you help keep the community safe and to make sure you keep your guns secure, whether in your vehicles or in your home.