A bluegrass and barbecue fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics will be held Saturday, Aug. 14, at the Fair Barn in Pinehurst.

Seating will begin at 5:30 p.m., and food, catered by Smithfield Barbecue will be served from 6 to 8 p.m.

There will be music by Jeff Medlin, Jerry Garner, Teddy White and Lois Beasley — the Blue Grass Tradition, along with door prizes and a 50/50 drawing.

Advance tickets can be bought at the Pinehurst Police Department for $20, or for $25 at the door.

Second Saturday

The House in the Horseshoe will host a program on “Vanished Wildlife” Saturday, Aug. 14, as part of the 2nd Saturday series taking place at state historic sites. Emma Skurnick, a wildlife painter from Bynum, will be present.

The site is located at 288 Alston House Road, north of Carthage.

Call (919) 947-2051 for additional information or visit the website http://ncdcr.gov/2ndsaturdays.asp

Park Stories

Take a journey from the highest mountain east of the Black Hills in South Dakota to the highest sand dune on the East Coast, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, with a discussion on the amazing diversity, natural heritage and history that is protected and preserved in our state park system.

The preserve is located at 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines.

For additional information, call (910) 692-2167.

Missions Speaker

Chris Allen, founder of “Winning Youth for Christ Ministries,” will speak at 10:50 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, at Middle Cross Baptist Church.

Allen is the author of a new book, “Now That I Am Found,” due out this winter. After years of alcohol, drug abuse, divorce, bankruptcy, homelessness and even prison, Allen says that God miraculously changed his life. After graduating from Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in 2008, he enrolled in Southeastern Seminary, in Wake Forest.

Allen currently serves on the North American Mission Board and has worked with the Be-Do-Tell Team, where he has shared his testimony with more than 25,000 teenagers.

The church is located at 440 Lucas Road, West End.

‘Picnic in Provence’

An “Indoor Picnic in Provence,” sponsored by the Women of Weymouth, will be held Friday, Aug. 13, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Elliott’s will cater the event, and an auction of wine baskets is included in the summer fundraiser.

For information, call (910) 692-6261.

‘Potters for Peace’

Seagrove Potters for Peace, “Turning Stoneware into Schools,” will hold a fundraiser Saturday, Aug. 14.

Twenty-three Seagrove area potteries, a jeweler and a soap-maker will sell specially signed artworks as a fundraiser for American Greg Mortenson, author of “Three Cups of Tea” and “Stones into Schools,” which chronicle his efforts to combat terrorism by educating impoverished and illiterate children in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

For a list of participating potters, visit www.seagrovepottersforpeace.com.