News About Town: Free Shred Day is coming up this Saturday, April 24 from 9 am to noon in the back parking lot of First Baptist Church, 185 South Trade St. The Town of Matthews and Record Storage Systems are hosting this FREE document shredding event with COVID safety in mind. Place bags/bank boxes (limit 4) of papers in the trunk of your car then head on over to the Baptist Church. Remain in your vehicle while shredding staff unloads your documents and you can be on your way while your papers are shredded under HIPAA-compliant security measures. Only paper (paperclips and staples are ok) is allowed. A Certificate of Destruction will be provided to you.

News Around Town: In honor of Earth Day, your local tree-hugging Habitat and Wildlife Keepers* want you to open your arms even wider and give the Earth a big hug! You, too, can “Hug the Earth” by going to HAWKncwf.org and printing an activity form to complete. On Saturday, April 24, stop by the HAWK table at Squirrel Lake Park, 1631 Pleasant Plains Rd, between 11 am and 1 pm for a prize!
*We <3 tree-huggers, BTW.

One Good Thing: SHOUT! Charlotte is an obviously Charlotte-centric event, but that doesn’t mean Matthews creatives can’t benefit. Festival planners have an open call for singers, dancers, musicians, visual artists, chefs, and more to round out the SHOUT! 2021 experience. View the full information packet and application process here. Have questions? The organizers are hosting info sessions according to area of focus:

• Music: Thursday, April 22, 10 – 11 am 

• Food and Ideas: Thursday, April 29, 10 – 11 am

• Art: Thursday, May 6, 6 - 7 pm

• Music: Thursday, May 13, 11 am – 12 pm