March 24
Citizens Police Alumni Meeting
JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association will meet at 5:45 p.m. at the Jacksonville Police Department, 1400 Marshall Road. For more information, contact Eleanor Loyd at (501) 412-4115 or mselliel@centurytel.net.
Tea Party Meeting
SEARCY — The Independent Tea Party of White County will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the International House of Pancakes in Searcy. For more information on this public meeting or the organization, call (501) 278-9413 or email teaparty@itpwca.org.
March 25
Audubon Society Meeting
CLINTON — The Little Red River Audubon Society will meet Tuesday at the Western Sizzlin’ in Clinton. There will be a Dutch-treat dinner at 5 p.m., followed by the program at 6. Jim Solomon, a local resident and forest entomologist, will present a program on insect defoliators for broad-leaf trees. Door prizes will be awarded after the meeting. The public is invited to attend. For more information, email lrras2011@gmail.com.
March 25-29
Spring Break at Davidsonville
POCAHONTAS — Davidsonville Historic State Park will offer spring-break activities Tuesday through Saturday, including guided hikes and tours, history and nature programs, and a Dutch-oven demonstration. All programs are free. The park also offers self-guided tours of the old town site, fishing in Trapper Lake, paddle boating, canoe and kayak rentals, camping, use of picnic tables and grills, and access to the Black River. For more information, call (870) 892-4708.
Spring Break at Powhatan
POWHATAN — Powhatan Historic State Park will offer events Tuesday through Saturday during spring break. Activities will begin at at 2 p.m. Tuesday with a look at outhouses and the history of plumbing. At 2 p.m. Wednesday, park officials will talk about ballroom dancing and etiquette. Thursday through Saturday, programs will include history detectives, the transportation system of the Black River and a mock trial in which George Kell is accused of dynamiting fish. All programs are at 2 p.m. For more information, call (870) 878-6764 or email powhatan@arkansas.com.
March 26
Retired Teachers Meeting
NEWPORT — The Jackson County Retired Teachers will meet at 1 p.m. at the Newport Business and Resource Center. Lloyd Black, an Arkansas Teacher Retirement System trustee, will present the program, which will include information on what is happening at the state level. All retired school personnel are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.
March 27
KIDS Public Meeting
NEWARK — Keep Independence County Dry and Safe will hold a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Cedar Ridge Elementary School. For more information on the meeting or the KIDS organization, visit www.keepindependencedrysafe.com.
Republican Meeting
SEARCY — The White County Republican Committee will meet at 7 p.m. in the Wilbur Mills Court Building, 301 W. Arch St. in Searcy. Guest speakers will be 2nd Congressional District candidate Col. Conray Reynolds and District 45 state representative candidate Kyle Reeves. Other candidates will also attend. For more information, call Joel Pritchett at (501) 827-0777 or email whitecogop@hotmail.com.
March 28
Fashion Gala
FAIRFIELD BAY — The 21st annual Fashion Gala, presented by the Xi Gamma Kappa chapter, will be held at 1 p.m. at St. Francis Parish Hall on Woodlawn Drive. Prizes will be on display, and raffle tickets will be available for purchase at the show. The style show will feature models wearing spring and summer fashions offered by various area businesses. Pat Cash will be the narrator. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased from any chapter member or by calling Judy at (501) 884-3018 or Lea at (501) 884-6288.
Chamber Trap Tournament
BATESVILLE — The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and Centennial Bank will host the third annual Chamber Trap Tournament from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Independence County Shooting Sports Complex. Registration will begin at 9 a.m., and the first pull will be at 10 a.m. Each team will consist of five shooters shooting 25 targets in each round. Prizes will be awarded to winning teams in all flights. Amateur shooters are encouraged to participate. Practice will be held the day before the tournament. Sponsorship opportunities are available, and corporate teams are encouraged to participate. Raffle tickets for a 100-square shotgun raffle are for sale at the chamber office for $10 each. Teams can be registered on the chamber website, www.mybatesville.org.
Canning/Food Preservation Seminar
MAMMOTH SPRING — Ozarka College will partner with the Fulton County Cooperative Extension Service to offer a free Canning/Food Preservation seminar at noon on the Mammoth Spring campus. The seminar will be presented by MaLinda Coffman, registered dietitian. Topics will include pressure-cooker testing, benefits of home-food preservation, food safety, water-bath canning, pressure cooking, freezing, dehydrating and county extension service resources. Seating is limited. For reservations, call James Spurlock, director of the Ozarka College-Mammoth Spring campus, at (870) 625-0411.
March 28 and 29
Anglers Expo
HEBER SPRINGS — The Rotary Club of Cleburne County will host the annual Anglers Expo Friday and Saturday at the Heber Springs Community Center. The expo will feature a variety of vendors, special events and displays on fishing, hunting, camping and general outdoor activities. Featured guests will be The Swamp People from the History Chanel. For more information, contact Rotarian Dara Samuel at (501) 362-8402 or dara.anglersexpo@gmail.com, or visit www.AnglersExpo.com.
Ongoing
See How They Run
SEARCY — Center on the Square will present See How They Run, a classic English farce, written by Philip King and directed by Ann Nieto. There will be a dessert theater performance Thursday, with dessert at 6:30 and curtain at 7. Dinner theater productions will be Friday and Saturday, and again April 4-5, with dinner at 6:30 and curtain at 7. A matinee performance will be April 6, with lunch at 12:30 p.m. and curtain at 1:30. Tickets for dessert theater are $18; dinner theater,$29 for adults and $24 for seniors/students; and matinee theater (with lunch), $27 for adults and $21 for seniors/students. For more information or tickets, call (501) 368-0111 or visit centeronthesquare.org.
Second Time Around Bookstore
SEARCY — The Literacy Council of White County operates the Second Time Around Bookstore at 109 E. Center in downtown Searcy. Proceeds from the sale of donated books support the mission of helping adults in the community improve their literacy and English-language skills. The store and literacy office are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. For more information, call (501) 278-5500.
Education Center Relocation, Classes
MOUNTAIN HOME — Ozarka College in Mountain View has announced that the Baxter County Adult Education Center has moved to 1106 Arkansas 62 E., Suites 1 and 3, in Mountain Home. Free GED classes are held at the center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 3-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The center also offers GED classes at Norfork High School from 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at Cotter High School from 6-9 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays. Instruction is available in math, writing skills and reading comprehension, as well as refresher skills to prepare students for employment, the military or college enrollment. An instructor is available for one-on-one assistance. For more information, call (870) 425-7974 or (870) 368-2051.
Cabot Community Coalition Assistance
CABOT — The Cabot Community Coalition, a group of organizations in the Cabot area that provide assistance to those in need, meets at noon the second Thursday of each month at the Diner Restaurant on South Second Street in Cabot. The coalition recently added the Cabot Resource Center, which is open from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1-4 p.m. Mondays at 15361 Arkansas 5; and from 9-11 a.m. Thursdays at 114 N. First St. The center offers assistance with applying for programs such as ARKids and SNAP, training to live on a budget and connecting with sources that can provide financial, nutritional, medical or other assistance. For more information, call (501) 529-0604 or email CommunityCare@ChristUMC-Cabot.com.
Pothole Hotline
SEARCY — The city of Searcy has created a pothole hotline because of the major damage to city streets caused by this winter’s severe-weather conditions. The hotline, however, is only for reporting potholes within the city limits of Searcy. For more information or to reach the hotline, call (501) 268-2483.
NCA District Fair Entry Deadline
MELBOURNE — Online entries from youth exhibitors in the seven-county North Central Arkansas District Fair area for the Spring Junior Livestock Show are being accepted through March 31. The show will be held April 17 and 18 at the fairgrounds in Melbourne. Junior exhibitors from Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Sharp, Stone and Van Buren counties are eligible to enter beef cattle, goats and horses in the spring show. The tabloid, with a schedule and a complete list of classes, is available on the district fair website, www.ncadistrictfair.org. Exhibitors must enter online and pay entry fees by March 31. There is a link to online entries on the fair website. Entry fees can be mailed to NCA District Fair, P.O. Box 92, Sturkie, AR 72578.
Celtic Poetry Contest
BATESVILLE — The third annual free Celtic Poetry Contest sponsored by the Arkansas Scottish Festival is accepting entries through March 31. Entries may be any style and length. Poems must have a Celtic theme or be in traditional Celtic form. Entries will be judged by two-time contest winner Kenton Adler. The winning poem will be read by the author, if possible, at the Celtic Concert on April 11 during the Scottish Festival. Cash prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. The first-place prize is $100. To submit poems, email entries to james.bell@lyon.edu and include “Poetry Entry” in the subject line.
TEAS V Test Dates
NEWPORT — Arkansas State University-Newport will administer the TEAS V (Test for Essential Academic Skills) on the following dates: April 4 and 18; and May 2, 16 and 30. The tests are limited to 22 examinees per session and will begin at 9 a.m. each testing day at the Academic Support Center in the library at ASUN. The testing fee is $40 and must be paid in advance at the ASUN Business Office. For more information or to preregister, contact Christy Mann at (870) 512-7867 or christy_ mann@asun.edu. The test must be taken before registering in ASUN’s Surgical Technology or Practical Nursing programs.
Upcoming
Banquet and Silent Auction
CABOT — The Open Arms Shelter’s second annual Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Banquet and Silent Auction will be held April 3 in the Cabot Junior High North cafeteria. The silent auction will be from 6-7:30 p.m., with dinner served at 6:30. Vicky Williams, the mother of former Razorback and professional football player D.J. Williams, will be the keynote speaker. Singer and songwriter Sondra Burnett will be the master of ceremonies. Tickets are $25 for individuals, $200 for table sponsors and $500 for dinner sponsors. For more information or sponsorship opportunities, call (501) 676-6166 or email rhondahouse73@gmail.com.
Gem and Mineral Club Meeting
CHEROKEE VILLAGE — The Spring River Gem and Mineral Club will meet at 10 a.m. April 3 at the Omaha Center. The program will be Rockhounding in Canada, presented by Ed Hakesley of Mountain Home. He will discuss the rock collecting he did in Eastern Canada: Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The uniqueness of this area is that around Hudson Bay is some of the oldest rock on the surface of the Earth, yet in other areas, the rock is the youngest on the surface of the Earth because of glacier modifications. For more information, call club president Don Sabie at (870) 257-2970.
Spring Symposium
BATESVILLE — The Ozark Woodland Association will present a spring symposium and dinner for members and anyone interested in forestry on April 3 in Independence Hall at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville. Sessions will include, at 1 p.m., a demonstration by Larry Morrison on using the Forest Stand Thinning Simulator; 2 p.m., a demonstration on using the computer to find aerial photos; 3 p.m., an introduction to climate change and its effects on forest management; and 4 p.m., silviculture in forestry. A dinner of Van Jackson’s barbecue ribs will be served at 6 p.m., followed by a business meeting at 7 and a program on present economics in forestry at 7:15. For more information, call Larry Morris at (870) 613-2229.
Financial Aid Workshops
BEEBE — Arkansas State University-Beebe will hold workshops to provide students with assistance in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is required for students to receive the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, with June 1 being the priority deadline for the 2014-2015 FAFSA. Workshops will be held April 3 and 7 at ASU-Searcy, April 3 at ASU-Heber Springs, April 17 at ASU-Beebe and April 24 at ASU-Little Rock Air Force Base. Applicants or parents of dependent students must bring the student’s Social Security number, a copy of their tax return and W-2 forms for 2013 and a FAFSA personal identification number if one has been issued. For more information, call the ASU-Beebe Financial Aid Office at (501) 882-8845, or visit www.asub.edu.
Stride to Prevent Suicide
SEARCY — The Dr. Robert E. Elliott Foundation will hold the 2014 Stride to Prevent Suicide at 8 a.m. April 5 in Spring Park in Searcy. The event will include a 5K, a 1-Mile Fun Run, children’s activities, music and a Memorial Butterfly Release Ceremony in honor of those lost to suicide. For more information, call (501) 278-4357 or visit www.elliottfoundation.com.
Vietnam War Anniversary Events
JACKSONVILLE — The 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War will be commemorated April 5 at the Jacksonville Museum of Military History with a parade, an Honor and Remembrance Ceremony and dinner on the grounds. The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at no charge and will include an 8- by 12-foot vinyl map for veterans and Gold Star Families to sign; Vietnam exhibits, displays and movies; live music from the REAL Girls; and a dog-tag exhibit. The Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day Parade will be from 2-3 p.m. The Honor and Remembrance Ceremony will be from 3-4 p.m. with a POW/MIA Table Ceremony performed by the Little Rock Air Force Base Honor Guard. Dinner will be served from 4-6 p.m. for $10 each at the door. RSVP by Friday. Dinner sponsors are available for Vietnam veterans. For more information, call the museum at (501) 241-1943 or visit www.jaxmilmuseum.org.
Chili Supper and Dessert Auction
EL PASO — The El Paso 4-H Club will have its annual chili supper and dessert auction from 6-8 p.m. April 5 in the El Paso Community Center. Chili will be served by club members. There is no charge, but donations will be accepted at the door. The chili supper will be followed by a dessert auction with pies, cakes and cookies offered to the highest bidders. Proceeds from the event will benefit 4-H club projects and the rehabilitation of the El Paso Bank Building, which is being renovated by the community to serve as a library. Contributions may be made to the El Paso Parks and Playground Association. For more information, call (501) 766-9832) or (501) 796-2298.
Communitywide Yard Sale
MELBOURNE — The city of Melbourne will hold its annual Spring Communitywide Yard Sale from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 5, rain or shine. A list of sales will be available for pickup April 3 and 4 at the Melbourne City Hall. To be added to the list, call City Hall by 2 p.m. April 2. Sale tables may also be set up in Charles C. Miller Park. For more information, call City Hall at (870) 368-4215.
Session for Musicians
BATESVILLE — Accordion, button box, banjo, autoharp, guitar, keyboard, violin and harmonica players of all experience levels are invited to come listen or play at 7 p.m. April 7 in the Community Room of First Community Bank. For more information, call Ed Casper at (870) 307-0258.
Retired Teachers Meeting
HEBER SPRINGS — The Cleburne County Retired Teachers Association will meet at noon April 8 at the Rustic Inn in Heber Springs. The guest speaker will be Donna Morey, the new director of the Arkansas Retired Teachers Association. All retired school personnel are invited to attend. For more information, call Lavern Penn at (501) 206-0357.
Heroes for Health
CABOT — The Cabot Lions Club Heroes for Health will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 11 at the Cabot High School Track, 401 N. Lincoln. The event will feature a Hero Dash and a 1K walk/run obstacle course for ages 4-12. Late registration and packet pickup will be from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and on-field sport demonstrations and interactions for kids will be from 5:30-6:15 p.m. Registration is $10 per child, which includes T-shirts and medals. Sponsors are needed — for $25, a business’s name will be printed on race T-shirts. Register by April 1 to receive a medal and T-shirt. Racers are asked to dress in their favorite superhero costumes and bring a towel and a change of clothes. Proceeds will benefit Rice Depot’s Food for Kids Program and the Cabot Lions Club. For more information, contact Shelia De Armond at (501) 985-4039 or sdearmond@fabandt.com.
Relay for Life
NEWPORT — The Jackson County Relay for Life will be held from 6 p.m. April 11 to 6 a.m. April 12 at the Village Mall Parking lot in Newport. The relay includes Newport, Tuckerman, Swifton, Grubbs, Amagon and surrounding areas. The theme is “Disney: Once Upon a Dream, Once Upon a Cure.” The message of the event is that no one fights cancer alone. At 6 p.m., Jackson County cancer survivors will gather on the track for the Official Survivor Lap. A luminaria ceremony, with luminarias lining the track, will be held to remember those lost to cancer and to honor people still battling the disease. For more information, call (870) 495-3235 or (870) 217-7440.
Museum Dedication
CALICO ROCK — The Calico Rock Museum Foundation will hold the official dedication of the Calico Rock Museum and Visitor Center on April 12. The events will include the dedication of the main facility at 11 a.m. in the museum’s main gallery, the dedication of the Gwen Murphy Art Gallery at 11:30 a.m., a reception at noon in the art gallery and the dedication of the R.C. Matthews Library at 12:30 p.m. All of the events will be held indoors and are open to the public.
Awards Banquet
WARD — The Ward Chamber of Commerce invites all to their annual Awards Banquet on April 18 at Grace Community Church, 3o Second St. in downtown Ward. A social hour will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and program at 7. Ken Madden, the owner of Cruise Planners in Searcy and Cabot, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $25 per person or $175 per table of eight. For more information, call Sharon Roberts at (501) 743-4395 or Charlie Gastineau at (501) 413-9341, or visit www.wardchamber.com.
Spring Daylily Sale
SEARCY — The White County Daylily Society will hold a spring daylily sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 19 in the parking lot of Simmons First Bank on South Main Street. A good selection of lilies in a variety of colors will be available. All plants will be $4 for a double division. For more information, call Colleen Massengale, society president, at (501) 268-3711.
Farmers’ Market Opening
CABOT — The Cabot Farmers’ Market will open for the season at 8 a.m. May 3 at its new location, 1122 Second St., which is Re:New Community Church’s parking lot. The market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday through Oct. 4. Anyone who wants to participate may contact the market at (501) 920-2122 or cabotbeautiful@yahoo.com.
To submit an item for the Calendar of Events, mail information to Calendar of Events, Three Rivers Edition, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR, 72203; send faxes to (501) 378-3500; or email trnews@arkansasonline.com. Deadlines for calendar-item submissions are noon Friday for Thursday editions and noon Tuesday for Sunday editions.