Dec. 16
Celebrating the Christmas Season
MAUMELLE — Pastor Tony Auxier and the congregation of First Baptist Church Maumelle invite the public to join them in celebrating the Christmas season. The Celebration Choir, under the direction of Bruce Rodtnick, will give its Christmas concert at 10:15 a.m. today. Each Sunday in December, Pastor Auxier’s sermons will focus on the true meaning of Christmas. For more information on worship opportunities, call the church office at (501) 851-3547 or visit www.fbcmaumelle.org.
Dec. 17
Christmas Carol Sign and Sing
CONWAY — The Faulkner County American Sign Language class will sign and sing Christmas carols at 6:30 p.m. at the Faulkner County Library. All library events are free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Dec. 18
Christmas Musical
MORRILTON — Kindergartners and first graders from Morrilton Primary School and second- and third-graders form Morrilton Elementary School will present their Christmas Musical at 6 p.m. at the H.B. White Auditorium on the Morrilton High School campus. The Primary Poppers and the Mighty Pup Singers will also perform. The public is invited.
Retired Teachers Holiday Luncheon
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Retired Teachers Association will have its annual holiday luncheon at 11:30 a.m. in the Activity Center of Conway First Baptist Church. Guests are asked to bring a dish or dessert. Dan and Elisa DeTogni will provide holiday music. Anyone who has retired from any position in education is welcome to attend. For more information, call (501) 327-4216.
Dec. 20
Holiday Heroes Blood Drive
CONWAY — The Conway Police Department will hold a Holiday Heroes blood drive from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Conway School District Annex, 1902 Hairston St. There will be music, food and games. The public is invited.
Gospel Performance
CONWAY — The Nelson Family singers will bring traditional gospel music and Christmas carols to the Faulkner County Library at 7 p.m. The Larry Nelson family has been traveling for more than 28 years, singing gospel music at churches and other venues. Refreshments will be served. All library events are free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Dec. 21
’Twas the Night Before Christmas
GREERS FERRY — Children’s Theatre on Tour, a touring company of the Arkansas Arts Center’s Children’s Theatre in Little Rock, will perform ’Twas the Night Before Christmas at 9:30 a.m. at West Side School, 7295 Greers Ferry Road. The show will take place in the new gym, with plenty of parking. The North Central Arkansas Foundation for the Arts and Education is sponsoring the event. The public is invited to attend.
Ongoing
Group Study Exchange Program
CONWAY/RUSSELLVILLE/MORRILTON — The Rotary Club is seeking four outstanding professionals to visit southern Italy as part of the Group Study Exchange program of The Rotary Foundation. A Rotarian will lead the team to visit southwestern Italy from May 22 to June 20. The team will make presentations to Rotary Clubs and other groups about Arkansas and their professions. The Rotary Foundation pays for round-trip airfare. Rotary Club members in Italy will provide meals, lodging and group travel in their district. Team members will pay only for personal and incidental expenses. Non-Rotarian team members should be between the ages of 25 and 40; employed full time in a business or profession; and live or work in Rotary District 6170. Applications, which can be found at rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/161en.pdf,. need to be submitted by Jan. 15.
Time of Prayer and Reflection
CONWAY — During this Advent season, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church invites the public to a time of prayer and reflection. The church sanctuary will be open for prayer from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. A brief noonday prayer service will take place at approximately 12:30 p.m. People of all faiths are welcome. The church is at 925 Mitchell St., adjacent to Conway Junior High School.
Food for Fines
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Library will offer its Food for Fines program through Jan. 2. Patrons who bring in nonperishable food items will have their library fines forgiven. All food donations will go to the Community Action Program for Central Arkansas. Food may be dropped off at any library branch. For more information, call the library at (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Adult Education Registration
CONWAY — Registration is under way for December workshops at the Conway Adult Education Center. For more information, call (501) 450-4810, or visit caec.org for a class schedule.
Eagle Tours
RUSSELLVILLE — Lake Dardanelle State Park will offer free winter lake cruises for the best chance of seeing the American bald eagle throughout December. Many other birds will be in the area for viewing, including American white pelicans, ducks and snow geese. Participants are asked to dress warmly, as temperatures and winds are more severe on the lake. Tours will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday; at 11 a.m. Saturday; at 2 p.m. Dec. 27; and at 9 a.m. Dec. 29. To reserve a seat, call (479) 967-5516.
Cookbook Sale
CONWAY — The Conway Symphony Orchestra is selling cookbooks and CDs at the Faulkner County Library. CDs are $5, and cookbooks are $15. The sale will continue until Jan. 1. For more information, call the library at (501) 327-7482.
Upcoming
Master Naturalists Membership Drive
The Central Arkansas Master Naturalists are looking for new members to learn about and preserve the natural world in Arkansas. Classes will begin Jan. 12 on botany, entomology, mammals, meteorology, birding, archaeology and more. After completing the Master Naturalist training program, volunteers are armed with knowledge that can change lives, help the environment and make a difference in the world. For more information, call (501) 837-9634 or visit arkansasmasternaturalists.org.
Cheerleading and Dance Clinic
RUSSELLVILLE — The Arkansas Tech University spirit squads will hold a cheerleading and dance clinic from noon to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 12 for children ages 5 to 12. The clinic will be held in the Hull Physical Education Building, Room 112. All participants will perform at halftime of the Arkansas Tech women’s basketball game later that evening at Tucker Coliseum. Tipoff will be at 4 p.m. The cost for the clinic is $25 per participant, which includes a clinic T-shirt. For more information or a registration form, visit www.atu.edu/spirit.
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 email to rvonews@arkansasonline.com. Deadlines for calendar-item submissions are noon Friday for Thursday editions and noon Tuesday for Sunday editions.