RIVER VALLEY and OZARK AREA — Read below to find out what's going on in the RIver Valley and Ozark area.

SUNDAY

Murder Mystery

MORRILTON — The Mardi Gras season will be celebrated at 2 p.m. at the Conway County Library, 101 W. Church St. in Morrilton, with a specially themed murder-mystery event for adults. There will be Mardi Gras games and trivia, as well as New Orleans-style snacks. The event is free, but registration is required.

Bridal Show

CONWAY — The Conway Bridal Show will be from 1-5 p.m. at the Conway Expo Center and Fairgrounds, 2505 E. Oak St. There will be more than 65 vendors. A fashion show, featuring bridal gowns and attire for the wedding party, will be at 4 p.m. Brides may sign up for a grand-prize giveaway. Tickets are $5 at the door. For more information, call Sheila Harrod, advertising manager of The River Valley and Ozark Edition, at (501) 590-4075.

MONDAY

Audubon Meeting

MORRILTON — The Audubon River Valley Chapter will meet at 7 p.m. in Koontz Room 203 in the Business and Technology Center at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. The BTC is next door to the University Center, the campus’s main building. As any food items catered to this building must be furnished by UACCM, there will be no refreshments for the meeting. The guest speaker for the evening will be Dan Scheiman, director of bird conservation for Audubon Arkansas. He will present “Important Bird Area Monitoring.” Scheiman will give the group information on adopting an IBA, getting bird counts for specific areas and looking for species of concern.

TUESDAY

Artists in Residence

CONWAY — Film critic Gerald Peary and film producer Amy Geller will be artists in residence at the University of Central Arkansas for a screening of their documentary film For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism at 7:30 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall. The screening is free and open to the public. Peary wrote and directed the film; his wife, Geller, produced it. It follows the history of American film criticism. For the Love of Movies offers viewers an inside glimpse at the life of a film critic, as well as commentaries from popular film reviewers such as Roger Ebert and A.O. Scott. For more information about the residency, contact Brown at (501) 450-3162 or gbrown@uca.edu.

WEDNESDAY

Ladies Lunch

CONWAY — A Ladies’ Lunch Break will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Second Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. A meal, including dessert and a drink, is served for $5. Nursery care is available. Call (501) 327-6565 for more information.

Lunch and Learn

MORRILTON — The Conway County Library, 101 W. Church St. in Morrilton, will have a special Lunch and Learn program on self-defense at noon. Officer Bryan Risner with the Morrilton Police Department will share tips on basic self-defense moves and weapons. Risner is a certified law-enforcement instructor, law-enforcement firearms instructor and defensive-tactics instructor. He has trained in numerous martial-arts programs and systems for more than 20 years and has trained civilians and law-enforcement officers in defense tactics, self-dense and home defense. Risner will give a hands-on instruction on distraction techniques, break-aways, blocks and punches. The Lunch and Learn program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and refreshments will be provided by members of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs’ Pathfinders Club.

THURSDAY

Talent Show

CONWAY — The Hendrix College Choir will present a talent show at 7:30 p.m. in the Worsham Performance Hall of the Student Life and Technology Center. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call Nancy Fleming, director of the choir and professor of music, at (501) 450-1248. The show will consist of a variety of genres, including folk, pop, jazz, classical and songs from film and Broadway. The choir will be accompanied on piano by Ansley Fleming.

SATURDAY

Percussion Festival

CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas Percussion Studio will host the UCA Percussion Festival at the Snow Fine Arts Recital Hall. Events ranging from clinics to distinguished performances will be held all day. Events are free and open to the public. The festival will feature guest artist and virtuoso percussionist Payton MacDonald, as well as a lineup of UCA percussion alumni. The festival will feature alumni Justin Alexander, Jason Edwards, Ben Finley, Josh Knight, Benjamin Martin, Neal Moss, Ricky Morrow, Kevin Pierce and Erick Saoud. It will also include performances by several high school percussion bands from across the state. For more information, contact Tyson at (501) 450-5263 or blake@blaketyson.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 7

Wind Ensemble Concert

CONWAY — The Hendrix College Wind Ensemble will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. in Staples Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 450-1422. The theme for the concert is “Something New, Old, Borrowed and Blue.” The Hendrix College Wind Ensemble is conducted by Karen Fannin, assistant professor of music.

To submit an item for the Calendar of Events, mail information to Calendar of Events, River Valley & Ozark Edition, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR, 72203; fax to (501) 378-3500; or e-mail to czilk@arkansasonline.com.