The SkillsUSA Southern Regional Competition will be held this Saturday at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center in Leonardtown. The competition will begin at 9 a.m. with the award assembly beginning at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of Leonardtown High School. Students placing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each event will move on to the state competition in March.

The competition covers knowledge and skills in a variety of areas including firefighting, nurse assisting, criminal justice, cabinetmaking, sheet metal, automotive technology, advertising design, and computer –aided drafting and is open to the public.

For information contact Bonnie Skinner at 301-475-0242 or by email at bjskinner@smcps.org.

Small Business roundtable

The St. Mary’s County Department of Economic and Community Development will host it third Small Business Roundtable meeting Monday beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Lenny’s Restaurant in California. The meeting’s agenda will focus on developing a Buy Local, Buy St. Mary’s County Business campaign. There is no charge for the event.

The focus of these roundtables is small business issues of all types. They offer an opportunity to meet and hear from others, share experiences and talk small business. Locally owned and⁄or locally managed independent small businesses are encouraged to attend.

For additional information contact Hans Welch, Manager, Business Development DECD at 301-475-4200, ext. 1407 or by e-mail at hans.welch@stmarysmd.com.

Friday Night Lecture Series returns

The College of Southern Maryland’s Friday Night Lecture Series kicks off tomorrow with and encore of Dr. Bradley Gottfried’s ‘‘Civil War Comes to St. Mary’s County” detailing events in St. Mary’s County during the civil war. The lecture will be held at the Leonardtown campus at 7 p.m.

Tobacco Barn Summit

The public is invited to attend an afternoon presentation and discussion at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14 about the past, present and future of the many tobacco barns in Southern Maryland at the Calvert Library in Prince Frederick. There will be presentations on the history of the barns and on the efforts that have been made to save and restore the barns. For more information, visit the library’s Web site at www.calvert.lib.md.us.

Membership drive

The Patuxent Aeromodelers Aero modeling club will hold a membership drive meeting tonight from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. The event will include a raffle of a ready-to-fly Cessna 310 twin scale model and use of a Radio Control Simulator.

For more information contact Kevin Teig at kevteig@gmail.com or Archie Stafford at astafford@swtexas.net.

Open Mic

Calvert Library will host a Heart and Spleen themed Open Mic at the Prince Frederick branch on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. Comedy, improve, rap, poetry, dance, music of all kinds, flash fiction and more will be featured. To sign up for a ten-minute music slot or five-minute ‘‘other” slot call Robyn Truslow at 301-855-1862 or 410-535-0291.

King’s Academy open house

The King’s Christian Academy in Callaway will host an open house for prospective students and families Feb. 9, 4-6 p.m., in order to tour the facility and meet with faculty and students. King’s Academy offers pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, before and after school care, bus transportation and homeschool partnerships. Subsequent open houses are scheduled for March 9 and May 11, both 4-6 p.m.

First Friday in Leonardtown

First Friday in Leonardtown will be held tomorrow as shops, galleries, and restaurants celebrate a special Valentine edition with a ‘‘Valentines Get-Away Weekend” give-away in Town Square at 7:30 p.m. Pick up a raffle ticket at any of the participating First Friday businesses from now until Feb. 5. To see a complete listing of participating businesses, visit www.leonardtownfirstfridays.com.

Hospice Healing Groups

Calvert Hospice is offering ‘‘Healing After a Loved One’s Suicide,” an eight-session group starting tonight and lasting until March 25. All sessions are 6-7:30 p.m. at the Calvert Hospice office, 238 Merrimac Court in Prince Frederick. ‘‘Time to Heal — Grief Support for Loss of a Child” will start Feb. 9 and continue Tuesday evenings, 6-7:30 p.m. through March 30 at Trinity Methodist Church in Prince Frederick. Registration is required. Call 410-535-0892 to register or for more information on either program.

Flu vaccines

Flu vaccines for the H1N1 flu and seasonal flu are available upon appointment at the St. Mary’s County Health Department in Leonardtown from 8 a.m-5 p.m. Monday thru Friday by calling 301-475-4316. the H1N1 vaccines are free for all and the seasonal flu vaccine is free for school-aged children and $20 for all others. Both vaccines will be administered for those aged six months and older. Children under 10 who have only received one does of H1N1 flu vaccine are encouraged to receive a second dose as a booster.