Looking ahead

Oyster roast to aid Pet Helpers

An all-you-can-eat oyster roast to benefit Pet Helpers is set for 6-9 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Charleston Crab House, 145 Wappoo Creek Drive, James Island.

For $20, you can help yourself to all the oysters you want and have a chance to walk away with a door prize. All funds raised will go to Pet Helpers. There also will be a silent auction and 50/50 raffle.

Call 795-1110 or visit www.thecharlestoncrabhouse.com or www.pethelpers.org.

See Lowcountry like the tourists

James Island County Park, the Folly Beach Fishing Pier and numerous James Island and Folly Beach restaurants are participants in the 2009 version of Be a Tourist in Your Own Town.

Sponsored by the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, S.C. Federal Credit Union and WCBD Channel 2 News, the program offers locals deeply discounted passes to 37 attractions and 24 restaurants for the month of January. Only residents of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties are eligible to use the passes.

Passbooks cost $20 for individuals and $50 for a family of four and give locals the chance to experience much of what draws visitors from across the country and around the world to the Lowcountry, including its historic sites, gardens, plantations and museums. To order, call 853-8000, visit any official Charleston area visitor center or see http://beatourist.net.

James Island library programs

A Children's Martin Luther King Trivia Contest for grades K-5 is among programs planned this month at the James Island Branch Library, 1248 Camp Road.

The contest, to be held Jan. 2-17, will test how much children know about King. A daily trivia question will be found at the front desk. Those who correctly answer the question of the day could receive a prize.

Also on tap is Teen Movie Night: "Iron Man" (grades six-12) at 6 p.m. Jan. 30. Rated PG-13, the movie runs 125 minutes.

Call the James Island branch at 795-6679.

At the library's West Ashley branch on Windermere Boulevard, January events include:

--Anime-Magna Art Contest (ages 12 -19), Jan. 1-31. Stretching the Imagination: Beyond What Most American Teens Know. Anime-Magna art projects begun during the month can be submitted in February. The contest runs Feb. 1-28. Prizes include a one-year subscription to an anime-magna magazine. Winners are announced March 16.

--Knit and Stitch (adults/young adults, all skill levels), 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 5, 12 and 26. Learn more about knitting or share your knowledge. Bring knitting supplies and knit with friends.

--After-School "Craftivity": Ojo de Dios (all ages) 3-4 p.m. Jan. 13. Traditional Hispanic yarn craft.

--Not Fiction Book Discussion, 11 a.m. Jan. 22. "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer.

Call the West Ashley branch at 766-6635.

Free meditation demonstration

A free demonstration of ThetaHealing, a meditation process, is set for noon Jan. 3 at Earth Fare in the South Windermere Shopping Center.