A performance by the Happy Hips Children's Belly Dance Ensemble will headline the annual Oriental rug sale at One World Market next week.

The ensemble of girls aged six to 12 years old will offer an interactive show, greeting people as they come into the store, teaching some dance moves, doing some improvisational dancing and, if a critical mass gathers, doing a choreographed piece.

"These are very creative girls," said Terri Allred, 42, founder of the group, who has taught Oriental dance in Chapel Hill for the past three years.

"This is different from Western dance," she said, "because all shapes and sizes are glorified. This dance has made a huge difference in the lives of the girls. They are taught how to harness their own energy, and for those who are not in shape Oriental dance offers endurance building."

The ensemble performance is on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the courtyard outside the store at 811 Ninth St.

The sale of hand-made rugs from Pakistan begins on Wednesday and continues through Sunday, Aug. 24. The store will have extended hours for the sale: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. These rugs -- provided through the rug program at 10,000 Villages, a fair-trade retailer that imports from around the world -- are made by adults who work on looms in their homes.

"These are heirloom-quality pieces of art," said Laura Wendell, manager at One World Market. "And the artisans who create them have already been paid 62 percent of the retail value of the rugs."

Among this year's offerings will be a selection of rugs made using natural dyes, a vanishing art form in Oriental rug making, Wendell said.

One World Market usually sells between 15 and 20 rugs each year, and the prices are competitive with commercially produced rugs. Most are made from wool but some from cotton and a few from silk.

Happy Hips, whose performances have delighted audiences at such venues as the Chapel Hill Christmas parade, the annual Hog Day in Hillsborough, and Exploris in Raleigh, includes any girls who are studying belly dance and who are interested in performing with the troupe.

Allred recently moved to Minnesota. Her twin sister, Lisa Draper, is the new director of Happy Hips.

Contact Draper at lisaallreddraper@yahoo.com.

Book series focuses on Jewish identity

Durham County Public Library will host a book discussion series titled "Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature Identity and Imagination" each month from August through January 2009.

This national scholar-led program, being presented in Durham for the first time, will be held at the Southwest Branch, 3605 Shannon Road, and at the main library, 300 N. Roxboro Road. It is free and open to the public.

Participants will read and discuss five books: "Tevye the Dairyman," the book that inspired "Fiddler on the Roof" by Sholem Aleichem; "Bread Givers" by Anzia Yezierska; "O My America!" by Johanna Kaplan; "American Pastoral" by Philip Roth; and "Bee Season" by Myla Goldberg.

The books have been selected on the theme "A Mind of Her Own: Fathers and Daughters in a Changing World."

Introduction to the series is on Sunday at the Southwest Branch, with the first discussion set for a week later, Aug. 24. Upcoming discussions are on Sept. 28, Oct. 26, Nov. 30 and Jan. 4. All discussions are on Sundays from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The first three sessions are being held at the Southwest Branch and the last three at the main library in downtown.

Dr. Sally Ann Drucker, a professor in the English Department of Nassau Community College and coordinator of the Jewish Studies Project, will host the program. Drucker lives part time in Durham and has led this program in other communities.

Habitat, TROSA partner up to house families

Durham Habitat broke ground on its first duplex home last week. Located in Southwest Central Durham at 709 and 711 Carroll St., this will be the first of two multi-family homes planned for the area.

This home is built in partnership with Efrem and Verona Whitehurst and Cynthia Hawkins. The Whitehursts and Hawkins are graduates of Durham's TROSA program -- Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abuse. TROSA's mission is to assist in changing lives and increasing law-abiding behavior by providing a self-supporting, two-year residential self-help community.

Six TROSA graduates are Habitat homeowners or previously have been approved for homeownership.

The sponsor for the home is Habitat's Board of Directors. The board raised the $50,000 sponsorship amount after a challenge from board member Jim Garman, chairman of resource development.

The duplex will be constructed with help from volunteers from the Southwest Central Durham Quality of Life Project, which promotes the idea that the entire community shares responsibility for improving the quality of life for everyone.

Meeting celebrates new YO: Durham class

After a summer break, Durham Congregations in Action will hold a 6 p.m. dinner meeting on Tuesday at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 403 E. Main St.

On the meeting agenda is the recognition of 24 students, the second class in the "YO: Durham" program, who have just completed the Summer Career Academy. YO: Durham (Year of Opportunity) is a yearlong program that begins with a summer academy and continues during the school year with internships and one-on-one mentoring.

A sampling of students will talk about how the summer academy has helped them refine their career goals, said Susan Blackmon, program director.

YO: Durham is an initiative of Durham Congregations in Action, an interfaith and interracial organization of 58 congregations in the city.

Help Rescue Mission fill school kids' bookbags

The Durham Rescue Mission will host one of its largest community events on Tuesday when needy children in the city will receive backpacks stuffed with school supplies.

"This event continues to be more successful each year," said mission co-founder and executive director Ernie Mills. "Our goal is to provide children with the tools they need to get excited about going back to school."

GlaxoSmithKline, Verizon Wireless and Kroger are corporate sponsors for this event.

Last year, 3,200 people participated and a total of 2,500 backpacks were distributed. Because of the economic downturn and the rising cost of food, the mission is expecting a significant increase in attendance this year.