News About Town: If you see Duke Energy contractors are scooting around town working on light fixtures, they’re replacing bulbs and doing general upkeep. Lights needing maintenance have a yellow ribbon tied on them, denoting the need for service.

As approved by Town Council last year, this year Duke Energy will be replacing 171 light fixtures and upgrading those fixtures to LED.

News Around Town: The Guild of Charlotte Artists’ Winter Art Show is up at McDowell Arts Center (123 E. McDowell St.) now through the end of January. The Guild is an organization of artists of all mediums that meets monthly for demonstrations and lectures. This exhibit is their Member’s Choice show, meaning members have voted for the best-in-show works to receive cash prizes. To see the display and find out the winners, visit McDowell Arts Center Monday through Friday from 1 to 8 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday from 1 to 6 pm.

One Good Thing: (Courtesy of Debbie LeBlanc Foster) TreesCharlotte Is Coming to Matthews! The Town of Matthews and the Appearance and Tree Advisory Committee for the town is thrilled to announce that we are partnering with TreesCharlotte to bring the first tree store to Matthews!

This event will take place on Saturday, February 1st at Matthews United Methodist Church in the back parking lot, located at 801 S Trade St, from 9 AM until the trees are all given out, or until 11 AM. Residents of Matthews are eligible for up to two FREE trees, with a valid driver’s license or something with your name and Matthews address on it, such as a utility bill. Each tree comes with its own bag of mulch, and a short class is required on proper planting and tree care. These trees are 6-10’ tall, and we will have helpers to load them in your car. Although the trees are free, there is a suggested donation of $20 so that TreesCharlotte can continue to host these events.

You may sign up in advance here https://treescharlotte.org/event/matthews-treestore/ , but trees will be given out at the event on a first-come, first-serve basis. Pre-registration will open on January 10th and close on January 28th. There will be a large assortment of trees, but we won’t have a list until the morning of the event.

Free is good and free trees are better, so please support this event!