Almanac

Vaccines available include first, second and booster doses of Moderna; first and second doses of 5-11 Pfizer; and first, second and booster doses of 12+ Pfizer, those 18 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

To make an appointment call 928-910-4009, option 1.

Community Breakfast

Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church, 507 W. Wade Lane, is again offering a community breakfast at 9 a.m., Friday, Feb. 11. The breakfast includes biscuits and gravy, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee and orange juice. A freewill offering is welcome.

P.E.O. meeting

Chapter DF of P.E.O. meets at 9:20 a.m., Friday, Feb. 11 via Zoom. Visiting P.E.O.s are welcome. Please call Bette at 602-625-1696 for more details.

Discount food program

Market On the Move, a discount food program, is from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 12 at the Sawmill Crossing parking lot.

With Market On the Move, a $15 cash donation entitles participants to receive up to 60 pounds of produce and/or groceries. Please bring a container to carry items home.

Selections vary from month to month. All varieties are while supplies last and are available on a first come, first served basis.

Market On the Move is from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., the second Saturday of the month through May, at Sawmill Crossing.

Free tax preparation

The Payson AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program provides free federal and state tax preparation and e-filing now through Wednesday, April 6 by appointment only. The appointment line is 928-487-1174, just leave a message.

Forms that must be filled out before the appointment can be picked up at the Payson Elks Lodge, 1206 N. Beeline Highway, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Masks are required. All ages are welcome. You do not need to be a member of AARP.

Democrats open headquarters

Gila Democrats host a grand opening for the public of the group’s headquarters from noon to 3 p.m., Monday, Feb. 14 at 110 E. Bonita St.

The event program includes music by Bach-N-All and light refreshments from noon to 1 p.m.; speakers from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.; a ribbon cutting ceremony with Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce and cake at 2 p.m.; and at 2:30 p.m., a Zoom presentation of a donation to International Rescue Committee in Phoenix to benefit displaced Afghan families.

Speakers scheduled to take part at 1 p.m. are Aaron Lieberman, candidate for governor; Adrian Fortes, candidate for secretary of state; Ashley Brennan, project manager, 15/30 Project; Diane McQueen, Stop Dark Money; plus others.

COVID-19 testing

Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 8 Gila County Health and Emergency Management will be offering COVID-19 testing in Payson. Testing will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the county testing office at 600 N. Beeline Highway. Testing is by appointment only. Please call 928- 200-7668 to schedule an appointment.

Senior Singles with Spirit

The Senior Singles with Spirit group is composed of men and women who are young in spirit and have an enthusiasm for life. The group meets at 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday at Tiny’s Family Restaurant, 600 E. Highway 260. For more information, call Linda at 602-499-3351.

Tea Party host candidates

The Payson Tea Party meets from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 15 at Ponderosa Bible Church, 1800 N. Beeline Highway. The evening’s speakers are Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson, both candidates for Arizona Corporation Commission. Both candidates are running Clean Elections and hope to collect signatures and $5 donations to qualify for the ballot.

Libertarian Party

The Gila County Libertarian Party meets at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 16 at Tiny’s Restaurant, 600 E. Highway 260, in the north corner of the bar area. Come and meet our new chairperson, Cathy Ullery of Pine.

If you can’t make it to the meeting, you can participate via Zoom. Please check our website on Wednesday for the Zoom meeting connection details. Please visit http://gilaazlp.org or call 928-468-3576.

Breast Cancer support

The Breast Cancer Support Group meets at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17 at the Payson Senior Center, 514 W. Main St. Heather Green is the guest speaker this month.

She will tell how and why she got into “mammo” and her training. She will also explain the benefits of having a 3-D mammogram here and how it will affect the women in the community.

For more information call Ilona at 928-472-3331.

Free COVID-19 test kits

A limited number of COVID-19 tests are available for free at area libraries thanks to a cooperative effort between the Gila County Library District and Gila County Health and Emergency Services.

The BinaxNOW kits, each containing two tests, are only for those with symptoms and are available for curbside pickup only, not in the library.

Call once you have parked and staff will bring you a kit, you will also be asked to provide information to four questions, no personal identifying information will be asked.

The test is an antigen test that only detects an active infection through nasal swabs; results are provided in 15 minutes.

Find video instructions at https://www.google.com/search?q=binaxnow+instructions+video.

The Payson Public Library is located at 328 N. McLane Road, the phone number is 928-474-9260. The Pine library is at 6124 Randall Place, 928-476-3678.