The Waldorf Elks Lodge is planning fall events.

The “Not So Spooky” children’s Halloween party will be noon to 2 p.m. Oct. 13. There will be a magic show, hayrides, face painting, pumpkin decorating, crafts and lunch. The party is free for children; adults will pay $2. Call 301-645-2421.

The lodge also is planning a double-elimination cornhole tournament Oct. 27. Registration will begin at noon, and the bags will fly at 1 p.m. Entrance fee is $40 per team. There will be cash prizes. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. Call Rodney Young at 301-848-4475 for information about the tournament.

The lodge is at 2210 Old Washington Road in Waldorf.

Benefit 5K run set

Join the inaugural 5K run/walk sponsored by Charles County Recreation and Partnerships for a Healthier Charles County’s chronic disease prevention team Oct. 20 at La Plata High School at 6035 Radio Station Road at 8 a.m.

Registration will begin at 7 a.m.

The 5K will start and finish in the school parking lot next to the football field. Participants will enjoy scenic trails around Tilghman Lake and Laurel Springs before returning to the school via Radio Station Road.

Registration is $25 until Oct. 8 for adults 18 and older. Registration will be $30 after Oct. 8. For those younger than 18, and each additional family member, registration will be $10.

Call 301-934-9305 or 301-870-3388, ext. 5152 or register at www.CharlesCountyParks.com.

Sheriff’s office is on a roll

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office and Waldorf Skating Center are teaming up to offer free skate nights for county elementary and middle school students.

Sessions start at 6 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. The first 225 students with their school ID cards will be admitted. Private school students may attend and should follow the schedule determined by their age group.

The schedule is as follows:

Oct. 15 All Charles County elementary schools.

Oct. 18 Benjamin Stoddert, John Hanson, Milton M. Somers and Piccowaxen middle schools.

Nov. 5 Mattawoman, Matthew Henson, General Smallwood and Theodore Davis middle schools.

Other than police officers and skating staff, no adults are allowed on the rink. Skate rental is free, but there will be a cost for refreshments.

The Waldorf Skating Center is at 3410 Leonardtown Road in Waldorf, behind Pizza Hut, across from Post Office Road.

Parents are not required to stay, but if they choose to leave, they must return promptly at 8:30 p.m. to pick up their children.

Call 301-932-3080.

Literacy council to hold volunteer tutor workshop

The Charles County Literacy Council will host its next volunteer tutor training workshop from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 23, 24 and 25 at the Lifelong Learning Center at 3155 John Hanson Drive in Waldorf.

There is a $30 registration fee to cover costs associated with the workshop. Tutor notebooks, resources and light dinner fare will be provided.

Once trained, volunteer tutors will be matched one-on-one with adults who need help improving their reading, math and English speaking skills.

To register, go to the events page at www.charlescountyliteracy.org, email charlescountyliteracy@comcast.net or call 301-934-6488.

SMYO seeks donations for festival

Southern Maryland Youth Organization will hold its first Fall Festival fundraiser Oct. 27.

The festival will include games, hayrides, face painting and special guests. There also will be a movie night and two haunted houses. The festival will be held from 3 to 6 p.m., and the movie and haunted houses will begin at 6:30 p.m.

The group is looking for volunteers and has a wish list of items it would like to have donated including dark tarps, gourds, pumpkins, hay or straw bales, empty two-liter bottles, all colors of paint, plywood, Wiffle balls, popcorn kernels and oil, beanbags, framing boards, rope and string, nails and screws, and old costumes or scary Halloween items for the haunted house.

Email smyofuntimes@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Shanese Hirmas at Commissioner’s Gallery

The Charles County Arts Alliance presents local artist Shanese Hirmas in an exhibit through Nov. 16 at the Commissioner’s Gallery in the Charles County government building at 200 Baltimore St. in La Plata. Hirmas’ influences include her great-grandmother, who was a self-taught artist. Hirmas has been creating art through different mediums — oil, pastels, water colors, charcoal, acrylic, ceramics and photography — since she was just a girl. She recently was awarded two first-place prizes for her acrylic paintings, one of which also won best of show in the Charles County Fair. Go to www.charlescountyarts.org.

‘The Color Purple’ at Tantallon Community Players

The Fort Washington theater troupe Tantallon Players will present “The Color Purple” at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 14 at the Harmony Hall Regional Center at 10701 Livingston Road in Fort Washington.

The play takes place in rural Georgia from 1909 to 1949, focusing on the character of Celie and her struggles with abuse since childhood by the men in her life. Her will and courageous spirit triumphs with the love of her husband’s mistress, Shug, and her lifelong bond with her sister, Nettie. Go to www.tantallonstage.com

Celebrate Charles at fall festival

The Celebrate Charles: FallFest will take place from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at Regency Furniture Stadium at 11765 St. Linus Drive in Waldorf.

The marketplace will feature some of Southern Maryland’s most talented artists, authors, crafters, jewelers and farmers.

G-Rod Jerk Ribs & BBQ, Apple Spice Junction and the Regency Furniture Stadium concession stands will have food available for purchase.

Live music will be provided by Three Sixty, The Justin Crenshaw Band and John Luskey.

Children can keep busy at the Trick-or-Treat Trail and the Family Fun Zone. Family Fun Zone wristbands will be available for $5 each and allow all-you-can-play access to the inflatables, rides, PNC Kid’s Zone and face painting.

A themed fireworks display will start at 6:30 p.m.

The event is rain or shine.

Vendor spaces are still available. Register online at www.charlescountymd.gov.

Contact Rachel Reynolds at 301-645-0601 or ReynoldsR@CharlesCounty.org.

Search begins for top youth volunteers

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program has begun its search for Maryland’s top youth volunteers.

Students in grades 5 through 12 are invited to apply for awards if they have made meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service within the past 12 months.

Volunteers can apply online at www.spirit.prudential.com or at www.nassp.org/spirit.

Maryland’s top youth volunteers of 2012 were Saanya Ali, 16, of Potomac and Loranika Sharma, 12, of Waldorf.

Deadline is Nov. 6. Copies of the application form can be requested by calling 877-525-8491.

Go to www.news.prudential.com.

Cause Theatre presents ‘It’s Not You, It’s Me’

The College of Southern Maryland’s Theatre Company presents the Cause Theatre production of “It’s Not You, It’s Me” at 8 p.m. Oct. 18 and 20 at the La Plata campus at 8730 Mitchell Road.

Whether your boyfriend is a Canadian secret agent or monk in training, or your girlfriend is a psychic or a pathological liar, one thing is for sure: they are about to dump you. Exploring the painful art of breaking up through comedic, awkwardly realistic characters, this series of funny scenes is sure to make you feel relieved not to be on the receiving end of those five fatal relationship words. Tickets are $5. Email bxoffc@csmd.edu or go to www.csmd.edu/Arts.

Smoking cessation class to be offered

The next free Quit Smoking Class offered at the Charles County Department of Health will start in January.

Preclass consultations are required to register. Call Mary Beth Klick at 301-609-6932 for class information.

Ready to rock ... fish?

The Monster Rockfish Tournament will take place the last weekend of October. Anglers have the option to fish either Friday or Saturday, Oct. 26 or 27. Sunday will be a makeup day.

Tournament contestants must fish by boat and can weigh in at any of the six weigh stations beside the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Four of the six weigh stations are in Southern Maryland at Point Lookout Marina, Calvert Marina, Breezy Point Marina and Rod ‘N’ Reel Marina. The other two locations are Bay Bridge Marina and Slaughter Creek.

To register, log on to www.MonsterRockfishTournament.com.