Bucks County News in Brief

Culinary event to benefit community service group

The green carpet will be rolled out next Sunday for the first CB Cares Celebrity Chef and Waiter Gala at the Bucks County Golf Club in Jamison.

Attendees at the eco-friendly event will be served by a crew of celebrity waiters, community leaders and elected officials, including Richard Reif, president and chief executive officer of Doylestown Hospital, and N. Robert Laws, superintendent of the Central Bucks School District.

In the kitchen will be chefs including Walter Staib, owner of the City Tavern and star of the TV show

World Cuisine of the Black Forest

; Lilly Salvatore of Lilly's on the Canal in Lambertville and Lilly's Gourmet in Doylestown; and Max Hansen of Max Hansen Caterer in Doylestown.

The evening also will include a silent auction of food-related items and a raffle for a 2008 Porsche Boxster. Proceeds will benefit CB Cares, a Central Bucks community service organization.

The event will be at 6 p.m. Tickets are $100; $1,000 for a table of 10. For tickets and more information, call 215-489-9120 or visit cb-cares.org.

Second Cyclefest benefits Children's Health Center

The St. Mary Cyclefest, the second annual motorcycle ride to benefit the Children's Health Center in Bensalem, will start at 9 a.m. next Sunday from Brian's Harley-Davidson in Middletown.

The scenic 77-mile ride will have a rolling start between 9 and 11 a.m., and will traverse the county. It ends at Core Creek Park (Pavilion 11) in Middletown.

The event will include a barbecue lunch, live music by Bear's Choice, a bike show, a trophy awarded to the club with the most participants, as well as vendors and prizes. A Harley-Davidson Dyna Glide motorcycle will be raffled off during the afternoon.

The event is sponsored by St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown and Brian's Harley-Davidson. The rain date is June 22.

Tickets are $25 to participate in the ride, which includes lunch, a T-shirt, a personal photo and a Cyclefest pin. Tickets for the second rider in a party are $15.

Tickets are available at Brian's Harley-Davidson, 600 S. Flowers Mill Rd., and at the hospital, 1201 Langhorne-Newtown Rd. For tickets and more details, call 215-710-2644.

Wrightstown nursery to have

festival that revels in spring

Hortulus Farm Nursery & Gardens will celebrate the season with a spring festival Saturday in Wrightstown.

The afternoon will include lectures, demonstrations, self-guided garden tours and refreshments. The festival will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; tours are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Admission is free; garden tours cost $3. For more information, call 215-598-0550 or visit

» READ MORE: www.hortulusfarm.com

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Auction raised $27,000

for victim assistance

The Network of Victim Assistance raised $27,000 during its "Lights, Camera, Auction!" event May 1, and the money will help support children's programming and services at the organization.

The sold-out event at the Warrington Country Club included a buffet dinner and the auction of artwork, jewelry, vacations, and unusual items such as a complete holiday gift-wrapping service and a bagpiper for parties.

Langhorne CPA given award by professional institute

Steven M. Packer, of Langhorne, has been honored by the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Packer, a CPA, was given the organization's Champion Award for his leadership, participation and commitment to the institute, to his profession and to the community.

He is a former president of the chapter, and serves as head of its Member Services Committee. He is a manager in the tax accounting group of Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia.

Retirement community

gives itself a hand for unity

Nearly 1,200 residents and staff of Ann's Choice in Warminster held hands to form a human chain around the retirement community May 15 for a celebration of unity.

"Hands Across Ann's Choice" was organized by the Unity in Community committee of the residence, and was designed to promote a sense of fellowship among Ann's Choice residents, neighbors and staff.

Family festival in Doylestown inspired by Mary Poppins

Tabor Days, a Mary Poppins-theme family festival, will offer kite flying, tea parties, games and crafts Saturday and next Sunday in Doylestown.

The event also will feature a chalk-drawing contest, a stiltwalker, a high-wheel bicyclist, antique cars and live entertainment. Proceeds will benefit Tabor Children's Services, a private, nonprofit social service agency for children.

Admission is $5 per person and $20 for families. The festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. next Sunday at Tabor Children's Services, Main Street and New Britain Road.

To learn more, call 215-348-3890 or visit

» READ MORE: www.tabor.org

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Kids can show cooking skills

at Oxford Valley Mall event

The 2008 Kidgits Super Duper Mini Chefs event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Oxford Valley Mall in Middletown.

The event celebrates children and their love of food, and is part of the mall's Kidgits children's activity club. Young chefs will have the chance to make ice cream, participate in pasta crafts, and decorate crispy rice treats with chocolate.

Admission is free with a $5 annual membership to the Kidgits club. Youngsters are encouraged to bring food items to help support the Family Service Association of Bucks County food pantry. The mall is at 2300 E. Lincoln Hwy. To learn more, call 215-752-0845.

County YWCA service offers free professional attire

The YWCA of Bucks County has opened a YWCA Professional Clothes Closet to help underserved communities dress for success.

The new program at the YWCA Creekside Family Center in Bensalem provides free professional attire for residents and community members seeking the right look for a job interview or special occasion.

Suits, jackets, dresses, tops, skirts and shoes for women and men are available. The YWCA also is seeking donations of dry-cleaned professional clothing items for the closet.

For a clothing appointment, call 215-245-0454, Ext. 11. To donate, call 215-639-9550. The Family Center is at 2500 Knights Rd., Apt. 161-01.

Three nonprofits win

community outreach awards

Three Bucks County nonprofit organizations have won 2008 Community Partners Outreach Awards, an honor presented annually by the First National Bank & Trust of Newtown.

The winners were A Woman's Place, a domestic-violence agency in Doylestown; Child, Home & Community, a Doylestown parenting organization; and the Upper Makefield Conservancy, a preservation group.

The $500 awards were presented May 12 as part of the bank's Community Banking Month program.

- Kristin E. Holmes