An adult anger management class titled "What's Good About Anger" will meet Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Room 301, City Hall, Feb. 6 through March 26. Cost is $35 per person and includes book and notebook.

"What's Good About Anger" will benefit all adults (age 18 or older) who would like to better manage their anger. Those ordered by the court in Haverhill to attend anger management classes may receive a signed certificate after successful completion of the course.

Participants will learn about triggers for anger; how to rate your anger and evaluate your progress; when anger is good; defusing anger by managing stress; how changing your thinking can help control anger; anger and assertiveness; managing conflict; turning anger into forgiveness; Biblical examples of anger; and the role faith plays in anger management.

Instructor is the Rev. Philip Meher, senior pastor of Haverhill Alliance Church. Meher is certified by the What's Good About Anger Institute for Anger Management.

This class is limited to the first 25 students. Please call the Haverhill Alliance Church office at 978-374-0646 to reserve a seat.

Ruth's House seeks volunteers

If you have some free time, a pickup truck, van or SUV, Ruth's House in Haverhill could use your help. Please call Ida at Ruth's House at 978- 521-5575.

Ruth's House, a nonprofit, nondenominational thrift store, is also accepting donations of pots, pans, dishes, bedding and towels. Items can be dropped off Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Ruth's House is closed on Sunday and Monday. Ruth's House is at 26-30 Lafayette Square.

Pre-Super Bowl piano recital

The Essex Chamber Music Players present recording artist David Pihl in a pre-Super Bowl piano recital, Feb. 3 at 2:30 p.m. in the Technology Center of Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill. The program features works of Robert Schumann, Frederic Chopin and William Thomas McKinley. This recital is a fundraiser for ECMP concerts.

Pihl has performed in concerts and festivals in Germany, the Czech Republic, and at numerous colleges in the United States. Along with Michael Finegold, Pihl is a founding member of the Essex Chamber Music Players of Massachusetts. NECC's Technology Center is handicap-accessible. General admission is $10 and $5 for students. Free for NECC students with a college ID.

Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at www.mvarts.info. For additional information, call 978-556-3413 or ECMP314@comcast.net. Visit online at www.essexchambermusicplayers.org.

Valentine's Day Dance

The First Church of Christ in Bradford will hold a Valentine's Day dance, Feb. 16.

This event will be open to the public. No charge for admission. The dance will feature music by a DJ, food, giveaways and other family-oriented activities. For additional information, call 978-374-1114.

Knitting and crocheting classes move

Plum Island Knitters is now holding weekly classes at All Saints Church in Haverhill.

The class is limited to eight students and meets Wednesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is $65 for a four-week session or $180 for a 12-week session. Students are welcome to drop in for a single class for $15. All levels from beginner to expert in knitting and crochet are welcome to participate. Registration is required.

Plum Island Knitters supports the Katydid Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps adults with autism and operates a home in Haverhill.

For additional information, or to register, call 978-255-1130 or e-mail PIKnitters@comcast.net. Visit online at www.PIKnitters.com.

COA annual grant increased

State Rep. Brian Dempsey announced that the Haverhill Council on Aging will be awarded a $61,731 Formula Grant from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. The money is counted on each year by the COA and pays for its principal clerk, two activities coordinators as well as taxi vouchers. Vincent Ouellette, human services director for the city, said he counts on this money to help with his operating budget and that this year's grant amount is about $1,900 higher than last year's grant.

"Keeping this funding in place is very important to us," Ouellette said.

Formula grants are calculated using a municipality's population age 60 or older (from the 2000 census) times $6.50 per elder. The Fiscal Year '08 budget included an additional $335,000, which will provide all COA programs with a funding increase of 3.2 percent over last fiscal year.

Downtown businesses receive loans

State Rep. Brian Dempsey announced that two Haverhill businesses have received small-business loans through the Massachusetts Business Development Corporation's Capital Access Program (MassCAP). The Angel Care Occupational Therapy Center, 70 Merrimack St., received a $25,000 loan, and Terrazano Inc., which operates Haverhill Beef, 117 Merrimack St., received a $14,000 loan. Both loans were made by Pentucket Bank.

The MassCAP program is designed to help small businesses with less than $5 million in revenue obtain loans from participating banks. Loans guaranteed through this program may be used to start or expand businesses, or to provide permanent working capital to ensure continued profitable operations. Typical uses are equipment purchases, start-up costs and real estate acquisitions.

"Having a strong commercial presence in the downtown area is absolutely critical for Haverhill's continued development," Dempsey said.

Easter services in City Hall

Calvary Baptist Church in Haverhill will hold an Easter worship service March 12 at 11:30 a.m. in the City Hall auditorium. All are welcome.

YMCA summer camp registration

Registration for summer camp programs offered by the YMCA of the North Shore begins Friday.

Campers enjoy a broad range of age-appropriate programs, events and activities, from swimming to arts and crafts to sports. The YMCA operates more than 75 unique camps throughout the North Shore, including sports-specific camps like basketball, soccer and football, where children learn the fundamentals of the game and good sportsmanship. Also available are competitive swim and synchronized swim clinics, art camps and gymnastics and cheerleading camps.

In addition to specialty camps, each of the six local YMCAs offers traditional camp experiences in unique venues, like the Haverhill YMCA's Camp Tricklin' Falls, located on the banks of the Powwow River in Kingston, N.H. Several improvements were made this past fall, including the addition of a new 55-foot-tall climbing wall. The amphitheatre and the waterfront area were also renovated.

Camps run in one- or two-week session formats, and many give participants a choice of days to attend.

For more information on the YMCA of the North Shore summer camps, visit online at www.northshoreymca.org. You can sign up for camp in person at any of the local YMCAs: Marblehead/Swampscott, Salem, Greater Beverly, Ipswich, Cape Ann or Haverhill. For more information, call the Haverhill YMCA at 978-374-0506.