This week's events

Dec. 2

Festival of Lessons and Carols

BATESVILLE — The Christian Science Society in Batesville will hold its annual Festival of Lessons and Carols at 4 p.m. at 1740 E. College Ave. The event features traditional Christmas music interspersed with Scripture readings. Performers include organist Russell Stinson and the Lyon College Flute Choir, under the direction of Laura Stinson. The program will showcase the neo-baroque Flentrop organ. For more information, contact Chandra Huston at (870) 307-7488.

Dec. 3

Lonoke County Retired Teachers Meeting

CABOT — The Lonoke County Retired Teachers will meet at noon at The Diner in Cabot. A Rio de Janiero missionary will be the speaker. Following the meeting, attendees will go to the Cabot Manor Rehab to sing Christmas carols and distribute cards. All retired school employees are invited. Participants are asked to bring nonperishable food items for local food pantries.

Dec. 4

Extreme Couponing Class

HEBER SPRINGS — A free Extreme Couponing Class with Hollie Ross will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Heber Springs Community Center. The class will cover coupons for groceries, fuel, name-brand clothing, restaurants and more. Participants are asked to bring a Sunday newspaper with the inserts, and a laptop, if they have one.

Quickbooks 101

HEBER SPRINGS — EGP University will offer Quickbooks 101 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Conference Room at EGP, PLLC, 421 S. Seventh St. The cost is $150, which includes lunch and course materials. For more information or to register, call (501) 362-8281.

Found Magazine Tour at Lyon

BATESVILLE — Davy and Peter Rothbart of Found Magazine will be at Lyon College’s Nucor Auditorium in the Lyon Building at 7:30 p.m. The Rothbart brothers will bring their My Heart Is an Idiot: Found Magazine’s 10th Anniversary Tour to Batesville, featuring treasures from the magazine, shared by Davy, with music by Peter. For more information, call Chandra Huston at (870) 307-7488.

Dec. 4-6

End of Semester Art Show

ASH FLAT — Art students currently enrolled at Ozarka College-Ash Flat will present up to 70 pieces of original artwork for their annual end-of-semester showcase from noon Tuesday to noon Thursday. The free event is open to the public. This year’s show will include paintings in acrylic, oil and water-color, as well as graphite, charcoal and pen-and-ink drawings. For more information, contact Ash Flat Director Molly Carpenter at (870) 994-7273 or mcarpenter@ozarka.edu.

Dec. 6

Reducing Stress Seminar

BATESVILLE — A free community health education event on reducing stress will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in Conference Room B of White River Medical Center. The event will be presented by Tom Stalf, director of WRMC’s Senior Haven. Lunch will be provided.

Dec. 7

AARP Driver Safety Course

SEARCY — The PrimeTimes of the White County Medical Center will offer an AARP driver safety course from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hubach Center. Bill Mizell will be the instructor. The course will cost $12 for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers. Those attending are asked to park in the back of the hospital off Moore Street. To register for the class, call Anna Overbay at (501) 380-1050.

Ozarka Trees and Tidings

MELBOURNE — Ozarka College will hold its third annual holiday event, Ozarka Trees and Tidings, at the John E. Miller Education Complex, 218 College Drive, at Ozarka College-Melbourne. The free event will include games, pictures with Santa and a holiday movie. Santa will give out gifts while supplies last, and the Ozarka College Culinary Arts Department will prepare snacks that will be served before the movie. Photos with Santa will be taken from 5-6:30 p.m., followed by the movie at 6:30. For information on the movie, visit Ozarka College’s Facebook page at www.ozarka.edu/facebook.

Lyon Chorale Christmas Concert

BATESVILLE — The Lyon College Concert Chorale’s Christmas concert will be at 7:30 p.m. at Brown Chapel on the school’s campus. The concert chorale will be conducted by Karen Graham, Lyon’s new choral director, and accompanied by Russell Stinson on piano and organ. The Batesville Choral Society will join the Lyon Concert Chorale for the program. Featured works will be Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and John Rutter’s arrangement of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” There will also be congregational carols. For more information, call Chandra Huston at (870) 307-7488, or visit lyon.edu.

Step Dancing and Music by the Hunts

NEWPORT — The Hunts will perform at the next Arkansas State University-Newport Patron Series Concert at 7 p.m. in the Center for the Arts. The show will include step dancing, percussion, acoustic and electric guitars, piano melodies and vocal harmonies, as well as Christmas music. Tickets are $15 per person at the ASUN Business Office on the Newport campus or by calling (870) 512-7802 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday

Pioneer Village Open House

SEARCY — The inaugural Pioneer Village Christmas Open House will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The theme for the celebration is an Old Fashion Christmas. Pioneer Village is a preservation project of the White County Historical Society. For more information, call (501) 580-6633.

Magic of Wrestling Christmas Event

NEWPORT — The Magic of Wrestling will present a Christmas gift to everyone Saturday in the Newport High School Cafeteria. A meet-and-greet will be held with wrestling legends Grandmaster Sexay Brian Christopher, Superstar Bill Dundee, Magician/Wrestler Spellbinder, Human Highlight Reel Austin Lane and more. The Kiwanis Club will have an auction and will sell barbecue and hot dogs, beginning at 5 p.m. Magic Man Jimmy Rhodes will perform a Christmas magic show, and Santa will make an appearance. The free activities begin at 6 p.m.

State Park Open House

POWHATAN — Powhatan Historic State Park will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will include a re-creation of past Christmas traditions and offer participants the chance to participate in a mock trial in the 1888 courthouse. Attendees will create a special holiday craft. For more information, call the park at (870) 878-6765.

Ongoing

Fill a Ford Toy Drive

HEBER SPRINGS — The Jayson Jones Fill a Ford Toy Drive and the Arkansas Dream Center Christmas Mall are accepting new unwrapped toys and gifts for children up to 18 at Jayson Jones Ford or in drop boxes at various businesses until Dec. 10. The toy drive provides Christmas gifts for area underprivileged children. Monetary donations are also appreciated. The distribution center will be open Dec. 15 at the Arkansas Dream Center Christmas Mall at the New Life Church, and volunteers are needed. For more information on the toy drive or to make donations, call (501) 691-4600. For information on the Christmas Mall or to volunteer, call (501) 206-8357.

Pangburn Middle School Toy Drive

PANGBURN — Pangburn Middle School is holding a toy drive for Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Drop off new, unwrapped toys for children who do not get to spend Christmas at home with family. Drop boxes will be in area businesses in Pangburn and Heber Springs through Dec. 13. Area businesses and individuals who would like to participate may call (501) 728-4912.

First Electric Toy Drive

HEBER SPRINGS — Drop off new, unwrapped toys at 150 Industrial Park Road through Friday. Toys will be given to children through Arkansas’ U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. For more information, call First Electric Cooperative at (800) 489-7405.

Upcoming

Newport Christmas Parade

NEWPORT — The Newport Christmas Parade will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 13. Entry is free, and participants may choose their own holiday theme. Return entry forms to the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce office.

Friends of the Library Fundraiser

NEWPORT — The Friends of Jackson County Library are selling raffle tickets for a Nook Tablet. Tickets are $2 each or three for $5. The drawing will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 15 at the Library. The winner does not have to be present. For tickets or more information, contact Cindy Sweat at (870) 503-6442.

Christmas Cantata

CABOT — The Mount Tabor United Methodist Church Choir will present its Christmas cantata, “Tonight,” at 10:45 a.m. Dec. 16. After the worship service, the choir will sponsor a soup/chili festival in the Fellowship Hall. A minimal donation is requested for lunch, and there will be drawings for white-elephant gifts donated by church members. Donation tickets are $1 each, six for $5, or 12 for $10. All donations will go to purchase new choir robes. There will also be a Best Dessert Contest, and free pictures with Santa will be offered.

Grief Share Support Program

CABOT — The Grief Share Support Program will begin Jan. 5 and be held from 9-11 a.m. each Saturday for 13 weeks at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 301 S. Pine St. in Cabot. There is a $15 registration fee, and scholarships are available. For more information, call (501) 605-8082 or (501) 941-2563.

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.

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