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
Session on Foodborne Illnesses
ASH FLAT — Millie Collins of the Sharp County Extension Agency for Family and Consumer Sciences will present a session on foodborne illnesses titled “Is It Done Yet?” at noon Friday at the Ash Flat City Library. Many cases of the stomach flu are caused by foodborne pathogens, and this session will offer ways to help avoid that for the holiday season. For more information, call Collins at (870) 994-7363.
AARP Driver Safety Course
SEARCY — The PrimeTimes of 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 costs $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.
Dec. 8
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 will 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.
Dec. 10
River Poets of Batesville Meeting
BATESVILLE — The River Poets of Batesville, the Independence County chapter of the Poets Roundtable of Arkansas, will meet from 7-9 p.m. in the Conference Room at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville’s library. Anyone with an interest in writing poetry is invited to attend. For more information, call (870) 612-2038 or (501) 350-6092.
Ongoing
Artist’s Paintings Featured
ASH FLAT — The Ash Flat Public Library will have the works of featured artist of the month Sue Ross on display at the library during December. Ross began painting in the early 1980s. Working in oils only, the artist’s main themes are old houses, homeplaces, barns and scenery around the area.
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 Monday. 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 a donation, 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 conducting 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. 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 First Electric Cooperative, 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.
Writer’s Guild Meeting
BATESVILLE — The White River Writer’s Guild will meet from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 18 in the conference room of the Citizens Branch Bank at the top of Ramsey Mountain. Those attending are encouraged to bring some of their writing — any form — to share. For more information, call (501) 350-6092.
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.