The Waco-McLennan County Libraries will offer these free story times this week:

* “Fire Safety: What to Do” at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the East Waco Library, 901 Elm St.

* “Ships Ahoy! Discovering Columbus” at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the R.B. Hoover Library, 1428 Wooded Acres Drive.

* “Fire Safety: What to Do” at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Central Library, 1717 Austin Ave. at 10:30 a.m.

* “Ships Ahoy! Discovering Columbus” at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the South Waco Library, 2737 S. 18th St.

Child day care groups are welcome to attend.

For more information, call 750-5942.

Garden supply sale

Keep Waco Beautiful is selling a variety of bagged gardening and yard organics, including compost, cedar mulch, humus, topsoil and potting soil.

Cost is $2.50 for 40-pound bags of each product, excluding mulch, which costs $3.50 for 2 cubic yards.

All orders must be received and paid for by Oct. 5.

To order by credit card, call KWB at 750-5728. Checks or credit card information can be mailed with an order form (printable at www.keep wacobeautiful.com) to P.O. Box 1493, Waco 76703.

All prepaid products will be available for pickup from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9 and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 10 at 501 Schroeder Drive.

Food donations needed

Caritas of Waco, 300 S. 15th St., is seeking donations of plastic shopping bags and food to help replenish supplies, including “dry mix” food items such as pastas, whipped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, beans, rice, cereals, sugar and other boxed foods.

Also needed are baby food; canned meats; peanut butter; “pull top” foods, such as canned soup or meat; microwaveable meals; and “glass jar” foods, such as jellies and sauces.

Financial donations also are needed.

To make a food or monetary donation, call 753-4593, or drop by the Caritas office.

Railroad trip

The Railroad and Heritage Museum in Temple is sponsoring an Amtrak trip from Taylor to Temple on Oct. 24.

Participants will depart from the museum at 9 a.m. by bus and will travel to Taylor to board Amtrak’s Texas Eagle passenger train.

Cost is $35. Reservation deadline is 4 p.m. Oct. 6.

To register or get more information, call (254) 298-5172 or (254) 298-5165 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Basketball registration

The Waco Parks and Recreation Department will conduct registration through Oct. 23 for its Men’s Open and Men’s Church Basketball Leagues.

The leagues are open to men ages 18 and older. Cost is $40 per person. Teams can register at the Parks and Recreation Athletic Office, 201 W. Waco Drive.

For more information, call 750-8092.

Submit items for Briefly in printed or typewritten form to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302; or e-mail to goingson@wacotrib.com at least one week before an event. Notices cannot be accepted by phone. Because of high volume, some items might be omitted.