We know how great Kriss Soterion-Blevens is, and soon the rest of the world may know too. Details are still unclear, but The Scene has learned that a top reality television production company has approached the Kriss Cosmetics owner and makeup artist to the stars about creating a documentary series on her work and life. Anyone who knows Soterion-Blevens understands that she is all about positive thinking, peace, kindness, and celebrating inner and outer beauty — not something we usually witness on reality TV. But, if anyone can bring drama-free entertainment, she can.

New Memorial Day

Honoring the men and women who have lost their lives fighting for our country should be enough of a reason to attend the city's Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 28. But if past attendance is an indication, it seems people in Manchester will need a little more motivation to entice them downtown.

We think Becky Vinson has the answer. She is the relatively new director of advancement at the Manchester Community Health Center. When she was tasked by Mayor Ted Gatsas and members of her nonprofit's board to get the word out about the medical services MCHC provides to people who are underinsured and uninsured, she knew she had to make a splash, literally.

After a full day of fun and entertainment at Arms Park, the first-ever Manchester Community Family Memorial Day Event will conclude with about 3,000 yellow rubber duckies being dumped from the Bridge Street Bridge into the Merrimack River by the mayor and other VIPs. More about that later.

We enjoyed learning about this new event almost as much as we enjoyed learning about Vinson's impressive career. The retired U.S. Navy commander told The Scene she was once the commanding officer of the Navy and Marine Corps Training Center in Alameda, Calif.,and chief of staff to the Readiness Commander in San Francisco. She was also the first female officer to have a child and remain on active duty in the Navy.

“And now I am the first woman to champion a duck race at the Manchester Community Health Center!” she said.

She used her knowledge of government bureaucracy to arrange for a Black Hawk helicopter to land at Arms Park at 9:30 a.m. that Monday. Event attendees will be able to check it out, inside and out, all day until it lifts off at 4:30 p.m. The rest of the day is filled with a 60-vendor craft show, stage entertainment by the National Guard Band, Mama Kicks, and others, food vendors and much more.

Did we mention admission is free? There will even be free city bus transportation from Arms Park up to Elm Street for the 2 p.m. parade and 3 p.m. wreath-laying ceremony. The Manchester Transit Authority is just one city organization Vinson has collaborated with to pull off this tremendous undertaking. Among them are Special Olympics, which taught her how to run a duck race (and let her borrow its ducks) and the NH AMC Paddle Club for volunteering to corral the ducks.

The festivities conclude with the 5 p.m. duck race. Ducks can be “adopted” for $5, and the first three ducks to cross the finish line near the DEKA building will win their owners some money ($500 for first place, $100 for second place and $50 for third place). Proceeds from the race go to Manchester Community Health Center's charity account. Ducks can be “adopted” at the event or ahead of time by contacting Vinson at 935-5229 or rvinson@mchc-nh.org.

Community Day

The West Manchester Library has been closed on Saturdays for the last year, but our friend Sarah Basbas, the library manager on the West Side, has good news. On Saturday, May 19, the library will be open for a special day of great activities from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Community Day @ the West Manchester Library will feature a Book and Bake Sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For just $5 you can take home all the books, DVDs and CDs you can fit in a grocery bag. (We're hoping to find a rare gem to sell on eBay for a million bucks.) We would, of course, give the money back to the library so they could be open on all Saturdays. The kids will enjoy the Granite State Clowns from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a Bike Clinic from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The West Manchester Library is at 76 Main St. For more information call Basbas at 624-6560.

Helping with hair cuts

If you're planning to have your hair cut soon, we hope you'll wait until next Monday, May 21. Manchester School of Technology cosmetology teacher Mollie Chase has rounded up nearly 20 former students, who are now licensed hair stylists, for an MST Reunion Cut-A-Thon. These stylists will be churning out fresh and fabulous new do's in the MST Salon & Spa at only $10 a pop from 3 to 8 p.m.

It's all to help raise $4,000 the cosmetology program needs to send four current students to the Skills USA National Competition in Kansas City next month. Students who competed in a similar competition in March won three gold medals for extemporaneous speech, esthetics team and customer service.

We were surprised to learn the public can experience the students' award-winning customer service first-hand every Thursday when the MST Salon & Spa is open to the public during school hours and after school until 6 p.m. The students do manicures, pedicures, facials, haircuts, foils and color, all at ridiculously inexpensive rates. Chase said the students work for free to get real-world experience and the revenues go back in to purchasing supplies.

Manchester School of Technology is at 530 South Porter St.

NH365.ORG event of the week

You've seen the signs all over town. Now it's time to sign up for New Horizons' annual Walk Against Hunger, kicking off Sunday at 11 a.m. at Veterans Park. If you've never participated in a charity walk before, why not give it a try this weekend? In exchange for raising a little money for the New Horizons shelter, soup kitchen and food pantry, you'll get some great exercise and fresh air on a four-mile walk through downtown Manchester. Not to mention the camaraderie of fellow walkers all pushing toward the same goal. These walks really are a good time, with food and entertainment to enjoy after a job well-done. Visit www.nh365.org to learn more.

If you have an interesting item for Scene in Manchester, email it to scene@unionleader.com.