BUNCO MADNESS The Moonlight Angels Auxiliary will host an evening of bunco games at 5 p.m. Feb. 26, Gloria McClellan Senior Center, 1400 Vale Terrace, Vista. Prizes will be given to winners as well as to the biggest loser. Call Therese Holladay at (760) 414-1403 or Carol Jungerheld at (760) 725-7251 to learn more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIFE at MiraCosta College will meet at 1 p.m. Feb. 26, MiraCosta College, Room 1068, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside. David Lewis, a MCC faculty member, will discuss the 200th anniversary of Frederic Chopin’s birth with a program on his short, interesting life and treasured music. Call (760) 721-8124 for more details.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER Buena Vista Audubon leader Tom Troy will help birders identify birds by sight and sound with instruction on the use of binoculars and spotting scopes at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 27. Meet at the Buena Vista Lagoon Landing in Carlsbad. Call Tom Troy at (760) 967-6915 to learn more.

FUN RUN St. Francis Catholic School will host a community 3-mile race and 1-mile fun run at 8 a.m. Feb. 27, Buena Vista Park, 1749 Shadowridge Drive, Vista. Individuals, families, and groups are encouraged to participate. An entry form is available at www.sfs-vista. org/FunRun.htm, or call the school office at (760) 630-7960 to learn more.

GO LEFT The Democratic Club of Carlsbad-Oceanside will meet from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 27, Carlsbad Woman’s Club, 3320 Monroe St., Carlsbad. The group will discuss whether or not California is ready for a new constitution. Call Robin at (760) 804-2754 or e-mail rfriedheim @roadrunner.com.

NICE BASKET Adult Education will hold an ornate pine needle basketry workshop from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. Feb. 27, 800 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas. Students can learn how to weave a basket using pine needles and a unique stone for a center. Pre-registration is required by calling (760) 753-7073 or by visiting www.sdadulted.com.

READ LOCAL Carlsbad City Library will host the second annual Local Authors’ Festival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 27, Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium, Carlsbad City Library, 1775 Dove Lane. The event will feature authors from Carlsbad and North County who will participate in a panel discussion, and sign books for sale. Visit www.carlsbadlibrary.org or call (760) 602-2026 for more details.

OCEAN CURE A fundraising event benefiting Ocean Cure will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Feb. 27, Soul of Yoga, 681 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 305, Encinitas. Ocean Cure is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing charity surf camps for medically fragile and at-risk youth. Call Dale Carter at (760) 809-2930 or visit www.oceancureinc.org for more details.

STAY CONNECTED Publishers and Writers of San Diego will meet from 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 27, Encinitas County Library, 540 Cornish Drive. The topic of the meeting will be “Deciphering Social Media: What You Need to Know to Market Your Book and Yourself.” RSVP at www.PublishersWriters.org.

PLAY A TUNE The Encinitas School of Music will present its annual piano recital from 2 to 3 p.m. Feb. 28, Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad. This event is free and the public is invited. For details, call ESoM at (760) 943-9480.

POETRY SLAM Full Moon Poets will present the La Paloma Winter Poetry Slam at 6 p.m. Feb. 28, La Paloma Theatre, 471 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. A poets call will be from 5:15 to 5:30 p.m. at the front door of the theatre. Visit www.fullmoonpoets.org to learn more.

PURIM TIME! Temple Solel of Encinitas will host its annual Purim Carnival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 28, 3575 Manchester Ave., Cardiff-by-the-Sea. The carnival will raise funds for students on financial assistance, and will showcase inflatables, a 9-hole mini golf course, and more. E-mail Tarra Schulman at yotarra@hotmail.com to learn more.

OLD, BUT NEW Cartoonist Greg Evans will hold auditions for his musical “Wrinkles: The New Old Musical!” from 7 to 10 p.m. on March 1, Broadway Theater, 340 E. Broadway, Vista. Call (760) 728-1002 or visit www.broadwayvista.com for details.

OPEN AUDITIONS Carlsbad Playreaders will host open auditions from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 1, Carlsbad City Library, Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium, 1775 Dove Lane. The open auditions are being held for the spring and summer 2010 season. Visit www.carlsbadplayreaders.org or call (760) 602-2012 to learn more.

GIFTING SEMINAR The Oceanside Public Library Foundation will host a free charitable gifting seminar at 2 p.m. March 2, Oceanside Civic Center Library Community Rooms, 330 N. Coast Highway 101. The featured speaker will be attorney J. Wiley Jones, who specializes in trusts and estate planning. For reservations, call (760) 435-5560.

GIVE BLOOD MiraCosta College Health Services will host a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 2, San Elijo Campus, main parking lot, 3333 Manchester Ave., Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Appointments to donate blood may be made online at www.sandiegobloodbank.org or call (760) 795-6675 for more details.

STEM CELL 101 Dr. Larry Goldstein will discuss and sign his book “Stem Cells for Dummies” at 7 p.m. March 2, The Book Works, 2670 Via de la Valle, Suite A230, Del Mar. Goldstein will discuss his practical, plain-English guide to this politically charged topic. Call (858) 755-3735 to learn more.

FRESH START Carlsbad Newcomers and Friends will meet at 10 a.m. March 3, Heritage Hall, Magee Park, 2650 Garfield St., Carlsbad. Nancy Kelly of Fresh Start Surgical Gifts will discuss how reconstructive surgery is transforming the lives of disadvantaged children with physical deformities caused by birth defects, accidents, abuse or disease. For details, call (760) 845-6339 or visit www.carlsbadnewcomers.org.

GET ACQUAINTED The Leucadia 101 Main Street Association annual membership meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. March 4, Encinitas Civic Center, Poinsettia Room, 505 S. Vulcan Ave. The purpose of the meeting is to recap Leucadia 101’s achievements for 2009 and present future goals. Visit www.leucadia101.com to learn more.

GEM FAIRE The 21st Annual Gem Faire will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Feb. 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 6, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 7, Del Mar Fairgrounds/Exhibit Hall. General admission is $5, and is valid for the entire weekend. Nearly 100 dealers from all over the world will be offering the largest selection of fine jewelry, gems, beads, crystals, minerals, findings and much more. Visit www.gemfaire.com or call (760) 390-3599 to learn more.

AFRICAN DANCE MiraCosta College Community Services will offer West African dance classes from 7 to 8:15 p.m. on Wednesdays, San Elijo Campus, 3333 Manchester Avenue, Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Master dancer Ayo Sharpe-Mouzon will teach African dance movements, in which participants move at their own pace and get a workout. Visit www.miracosta.edu/community or call (760) 795-6820 to learn more.

BACK TO NORMAL Recovering Couples Anonymous will meet at 7 p.m. every Monday, New Hope Community Church, 165 Eucalyptus Ave., Vista. RCA is a fellowship of recovering couples who are committed to restoring healthy communication and caring to their relationships, and is based on the 12 Steps of AA. For details, visit www.recovering-couples.org.