News About Town: Hungry to know all there is to know about local government? Try Matthews 101. This 6-week covers all the ins and outs of local government including police, fire, public works and finance. The program starts on Thursday, September 16 at 6:30pm and is held each Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The application deadline has passed, but word around town is that there are still a few spots open so give it a go.

News Around Town: The Matthews UMC Parking Lot Concert Series starts again September 18. Kind of like a faith-based Food Truck Friday except on Saturday, the event takes place in the large parking lot at the church, 801 S Trade St. Enjoy the fresh (soon-to-be-fall) air while enjoying community, fellowship, and entertainment. Food trucks start serving at 5 and the music begins at 6pm. On September 18 the MUMC Praise Team will share family-friendly music in the Large Parking lot. Bring your own chairs and money for the Food Trucks: A Worthy Dog, Hungry Howie’s & I Scream 4 Ice Cream. More details here.

One Fun Thing: If you’ve ever dreamt of becoming the next Bill Watterson, there’s a class for that. Character Design for Entertainment with local illustrator Matthew Knapik is a six-week course at the Community Center that covers the basics of drawing a rich character ready for storytelling. Developed for children ages 7 to 12, Matthew will teach a variety of drawing styles like Disney and manga. If six weeks is too much of a gamble, give it a trial run for free on Saturday, September 11 or invest in the single-day crash course on October 16 for $50 (residents).