A community forum will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, May 16, at Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, across from Dr. King School on Martin Luther King East. The topic will be I-81 & the South Side: Options & Impacts. Architect Robert Haley will give a presentation on the section of current I-81 between the interchange with I-481 and the elevated viaduct to be torn down and replaced with some alternative. The Department of Transportation in its Final Scoping Report proposed an exit and entrance to the highway at Martin Luther King East. This proposal and other possible designs for traffic flow will be outlined by Haley May 16. A panel of responders has been invited to offer comments on Haley's talk as well as to give their perceptions of the impacts these approaches will have on the South Side neighborhood. The public is encouraged to come and to weigh in during a question and answer period. The Moving People Transportation Coalition is offering this event as part of a series to better inform the community about I-81 redevelopment activities. Moving People is represented on and provides feedback to the official Department of Transportation Stakeholders Work Group advising the DOT I-81 project team.

The Cuse Cares Barbecues are hosted by a number of local anti-gang initiatives, including Save our Youth, SNUG and the Trauma Response Team. The barbecues are scheduled every other Friday at selected neighborhood locations.

Upcoming locations include:

5 p.m. Friday, May 20, at Rich Street and Bellevue Avenue
5 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Libba Cotton Grove, located at South State Street near Martin Luther King East
5 p.m. Friday, June 24, at Wilson Park, 1117 S. McBride and Taylor streets

A health fair will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 21, at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 241 W. Lafayette Ave., on the South Side. It's an African-American congregation led by the Rev. Ashanti Dickerson. There will be free health screenings, free food, bounce house, etc.

Celebrate Urban Birds at Southside Academy from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 21. Speakers from Gifford Zoo and Montezuma Audubon Center will teach about urban wildlife. Attendees can also build a birdhouse and learn how to observe city birds to help the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. For information, call the school at 476-3019 or email Anton Ninno at 44.aninno@nhaschools.com.

The Rotary Community Chat will host The Rev. Johanna Marcure at 6 p.m. May 23 at the Grace Episcopal Church, 819 Madison St. Marcure works as the rector of Grace Episcopal Church and with The Grace Project, an emerging grassroots ministry working to bring about transformation in the lives of impoverished, at-risk youth one life at a time. To RSVP, contact the City Rotary Club by the preceding Friday at RotaryCommunityChats@gmail.com or call (315) 468-1025.

Summer Kick-Off Meeting of Coffee & Conversation will be held from 10 a.m.t o noon at Southside Interfaith CDC, 500 W. Newell St. All residents are invited to join the group for its monthly community get together. Southside Interfaith CDC is an informal forum where people from neighborhoods all over our city and surrounding areas come together to discuss issues of interest. Information about special speakers and/or programs will be sent prior to each meeting, and senior citizens are special guests. Southside Interfaith CDC brings the hot coffee and guests bring the hot topics. To learn more, contact Audrey Haskell at 478-4337.

Cooking Up Literacy event will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 27. Youth can learn about nutrition and find something new to enjoy at home. Space is limited; to sign up call the library at 435-3395.

The planning workshops organized by Tomorrow's Neighborhoods Today will analyze the conditions of the neighborhood, identify neighborhood assets and challenges and then provide goals and recommendations — followed by an action plan. These workshops are designed to bring together members of the community to assess physical, economic, social and perceptual conditions, and to create a shared vision for the entire South Side. Three workshops are planned. Each workshop serves a different purpose: Workshop 1 — May 31: What is “working” and what is “not working” on the South Side; Workshop 2 — June 27: Goals and objectives for the South Side’s future, and Workshop 3 — July 25: How to achieve the desired future for the South Side. Each workshop runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the South Side Innovation Center, 2610 S. Salina St.

The Cuse Cares Barbecues are hosted by a number of local anti-gang initiatives, including Save our Youth, SNUG and the Trauma Response Team. The barbecues are scheduled every other Friday at selected neighborhood locations.

Upcoming locations include:

5 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Libba Cotten Grove, located at South State Street near Martin Luther King East
5 p.m. Friday, June 24, at Wilson Park, 1117 S. McBride and Taylor streets

Southwest Showcase Sundays “Sire’s Sunday” will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, June 19, at Spirit of Jubilee Park, 100 Block of South Ave. Fun for the whole family with live bands and children's activities like bounce houses, face painting and free hot dogs and beverages for children accompanied by an adult. Sponsored by CNY Arts, Jubilee Homes and Joined Artists, Musicians and Singers, Inc. and NAACP/ACTSO. Free to attend.