Westside Briefs:
‘Christmas Child’ deadline approaching

       Calvary Worship Center, 505 Castle Road, will be the Westside drop-off point this year for the international Operation Christmas Child shoebox-gift project.
       According to local spokesperson Melissa Klute, last year, the city sent a total of 27,522 boxes filled with “school supplies, toys, hygiene items and notes of encouragement for needy kids” outside the United States, and the goal this year is 30,000.
       The gifts are mostly earmarked for Mexico and Haiti, Klute said.
       The National Collection Week is Nov. 14-21.
       Operation Christmas Child has hand-delivered 86 million gifts to kids worldwide since 1993, Klute said.
       People can pack their own shoeboxes or donate online. For local information, call Calvary at 632-3311. The Operation Christmas Child website is samaritanspurse.org/occ.
      
       Simpich: 'Puppet Maker'
       The Simpich Showcase Theatre will present its original play, “The Puppet Maker: A Story of Christmas,” Nov. 16-Dec. 30.
       In a live presentation using nearly 20 hand-caved marionettes, puppeteer/ actor/writer David Simpich will portray a village woodcarver on Christmas Eve preparing a marionette Nativity scene for a local Christmas music festival.
       For specific performance dates, times and prices, call 465-2492 or go to simpich.com.
      
       21st, Spruce getting work
       Traffic on three well-traveled Westside Streets could be slowed by “major digout work” that is scheduled this week in conjunction with asphalt repair projects by the Colorado Springs Street Division.
       According to a Street Division press release, two of the streets are at one intersection: 21st and Colorado. The other busy street is Spruce Street, with the work at Platte Avenue.

Westside Pioneer/press releases