THREE RIVERS AREA — Read below to find out what's going on in the Three Rivers area.
TODAY
Republican Meeting
SEARCY — The White County Republican Committee will meet at 7 p.m. at the Wilbur Mills Court Building, 301 W. Arch. On the agenda will be planning for April’s Lincoln-Reagan Round-Up dinner fundraiser. All are invited. For more information, call Joel Pritchett at (501) 388-5864.
Chamber Banquet
CALICO ROCK — The annual Calico Rock/Pineville Chamber of Commerce Banquet will be held at 6 p.m. at Brookfalls Restaurant in Calico Rock. While the banquet is a Chamber-sponsored event, anyone is welcome to purchase a ticket to attend. Tickets are $25. For more information, call the Chamber office at (870) 297–4129 or visit www.calicorock.us.
Ribbon Cutting
CHARLOTTE — There will be a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. at John 3:16 Ministries to celebrate the opening of a new playground and park. The park has an indoor playground; areas for basketball, sand volleyball and horseshoes; a walking track; an outside playground; two gazebos; two pavilions; and an amphitheater. John 3:16 Ministries is a “spiritual boot camp” for men with drug and alcohol addictions. John 3:16 Ministries is at 75 Holmes Road, Charlotte, AR 72522. For more information, call Adam Farley at (870) 612-7407 or visit www.john316ministry.com.
SATURDAY
Animal Adoption
CABOT — The Cabot Animal Shelter will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for its monthly adoption event. The shelter is at 2951 S. First St. For more information, call (501) 843-2021. All adoptable pets can be seen at www.cabotar.gov.
Shelter Benefit
WALNUT RIDGE — There will be a benefit dinner for the Children’s Shelter, featuring white beans, brown beans, cornbread, fried potatoes, baked ham, homemade desserts, tea, coffee and water. The Murphy Bluegrass Boys will provide music. Dinner will be from 5-6:30 p.m., with music from 6:30-8:30. The event will be at the Mission Activities Center behind First Baptist Church at the corner of Southwest Second and West Pine streets in Walnut Ridge. Tickets are $10 per adult and $5 per child 10 and younger. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling (870) 886-5191 or Judy Turnbull at (870) 886-6796.
MONDAY
Police Alumni Meeting
JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association will meet at 5:45 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 2413 Northeastern Ave. All graduates of the Citizens Police Academy are invited. For more information, call Eleanor Loyd at (501) 412-4115 or e-mail her at mselliel@centurytel.net.
Town Hall Meeting
SEARCY — Searcy Mayor David Morris announced the first in a series of town hall meetings. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the First Assembly of God Fellowship Hall at the intersection of Benton Street and Cloverdale Avenue. These meetings are not limited to individuals living in particular parts of the city, but to all the residents of Searcy. For more information, call Morris at the Searcy City Hall at (501) 268-2483 or e-mail dmorris@cityofsearcy.org.
THURSDAY
Karaoke for a Cure
SEARCY — The Crain Media Group presents 2011 Karaoke for a Cure. The tournament will begin at 6 p.m. at the Underground Coffeehouse in Searcy and will continue every Tuesday night for eight weeks with the finale on Tuesday, May 17. The entry fee is $10, and the winner will receive a $500 cash prize and the opportunity to perform at the 2011 White County Relay for Life. For those wanting to sing only for fun and not compete, the cost is $5. The winner will be determined by audience votes at the finale. All proceeds will go to the White County Relay for Life, supporting the American Cancer Society. For more information, contact Grant Carey at (501) 279-8960 or grantcarey@crainmedia.com.
Blood Drive
NEWPORT — Arkansas State University-Newport will host a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Merchants and Planters Insurance and Investments Room at the Student/Community Center. All blood types are needed, but the negative types are very much in demand, especially O negative and B negative. Blood type O is the universal donor and can be given to anyone. Donors must be in good health, be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and have not donated blood in 56 days. To determine eligibility to donate blood, go to www.givelife.org and click on Being a Donor.
UPCOMING
GPS Workshop
NEWPORT — Jacksonport State Park will conduct a GPS workshop in relation to the sport of geocaching from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Saturday, April 9. The workshop will cover the basics of using a GPS unit, locating hidden caches and creating caches. There will be contests on locating caches in the park, and prizes will be awarded. Participants in the workshop will receive a gift item to take home. The workshop will meet at the Jacksonport Courthouse. The workshop costs $20 per person and is for ages 10 to adult. Bring a GPS unit, or the park can provide a unit to use. Reservations must be made three days in advance of the workshop date. For reservations and more information, contact the park interpreter at Jacksonport State Park, 205 Avenue St., Newport, AR 72112; call (870) 523-2143; or e-mail donna.bentley@arkansas.gov. This event has limited accessibility for visitors with disabilities.
Awards Banquet
WARD — The Ward Chamber of Commerce invites all to its annual awards banquet on Friday, April 8, at the Ward Chamber Building, 80 W. Second St. in downtown Ward. A social hour will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7. The keynote speaker will be Randy Zook, president of the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce. Entertainment will be provided by Cassie Lea of Hot Springs. Tickets are $20 per person or $150 per table of eight. For more information, call Sharon Roberts at (501) 743-4395 or Chris Mann at (501) 941-9987 (cell) or (501) 843-3585; or visit www.wardchamber.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; fax to (501) 378-3500; or e-mail to jbrosius@arkansasonline.com.