Nov. 29
Band Extravaganza
CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas Bear Marching Band will hold its eighth Band Extravaganza at the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall. The two-hour performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will feature the UCA Wind Ensemble, the Jazz Band and the Bear Marching Band. Although the event is free, it is also the biggest fundraiser for the entire band program. A $10 donation for adults or $5 for students at the door is appreciated. For more information, call (501) 450-5764.
Nov. 29-30
Poinsettia Sale
RUSSELLVILLE — Students from the Arkansas Tech University Department of Agriculture will put their fall semester work on display during a poinsettia sale at the Arkansas Tech Greenhouses from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Friday. Proceeds from the sale will be used to purchase greenhouse plants and supplies. The Arkansas Tech Greenhouses are on the north end of campus near the Physical Plant offices. There will be signs to direct shoppers to the greenhouses. For more information, call (479) 968-0251.
Nov. 30
Scholarship Deadline
CONWAY — A limited number of scholarships will be awarded for a variety of services offered by the Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center. The awards will be based on health and financial need. The scholarships are funded by proceeds from the Conway Regional Women’s Council’s Dazzle Daze, and the deadline to apply is Friday. For more information, call Wendy Carpenter at (501) 450-9292.
Honor Band Concert at UCA
CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas Honor Band will give a public concert at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Performance Hall on the UCA campus. There is no charge for admission. For more information, visit uca.edu.
Nov. 29-Dec. 2
Candlelight Carol Service
CONWAY — The Hendrix College Choir, under the direction of Nancy Fleming, will present the 48th annual Candlelight Carol Service at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday and at 4 p.m. Sunday in Greene Chapel. The services are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. To make reservations, call (501) 450-1495. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu/news/news.aspx?id=62440.
Nov. 30-Dec. 1
Winter Wonderland
RUSSELLVILLE — The Winter Wonderland Drive-Through Light Display will be open Friday and Saturday, and again Dec. 7 and 8, Dec. 14 and 15, and Dec. 19-24. Pictures with Santa Claus will be available to area youths on Saturday and on Dec. 8, 15 and 19-24. There will be a live Nativity scene. On Dec. 19-24, an outdoor ice-skating rink will be added. Admission is a $5 donation. For more information, visit discoverrussellville.org.
Nov. 30-Dec. 2
Holiday Tour of Homes
CONWAY — The Village at Hendrix will feature several homes in the Bethlehem House Holiday Tour of Homes from 6-8 p.m. Friday, and again from 1-5 p.m. Saturday and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. The event begins with a preview party Friday night. Tickets for the preview party are $30 and allow participants to attend the other two days. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday tours are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Today is the deadline to purchase advance tickets. For more information, contact Beth Tyler at (501) 730-5048 or tyler@thevillageathendrix.com. All proceeds will go to the Bethlehem House capital campaign for a new homeless shelter.
Dec. 1
Pancake Breakfast
CONWAY — The 32nd annual pancake breakfast, silent auction, craft sale and bake sale will be held from 7 a.m. to noon at the Conway Senior Citizens Center, 1620 Donaghey Ave. Tickets for the event, available at the Conway Senior Center, are $6 for adults and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. Carry-out meals will be available as well. For more information, call (501) 327-2895.
Grab Bag Adventures
RUSSELLVILLE — Lake Dardanelle State Park will host Grab Bag Adventures at 9 a.m. at the park. The event offers an opportunity to learn about the diverse habitats around Lake Dardanelle. Participants will meet a park interpreter at the amphitheater to find out what is in her magic bag. Hints will be given, but visitors’ sense of wildlife will be tested. For more information, call (479) 890-7479.
Tinsel and Tutus Holiday Concert
CONWAY — The Conway Symphony Orchestra will present its annual holiday extravaganza, Tinsel and Tutus, at 7:30 p.m. at Reynolds Performance Hall. The orchestra will be joined by the Arkansas Festival Ballet, plus special guests the Central Arkansas Children’s Choir and the Parkview Arts and Science Magnet School Choir. The performance will include highlights from The Nutcracker, new arrangements of holiday favorites and a special visitor from the North Pole. Tickets are $6 for children and students, and $20 to $38 for adults, with a discount rate of $15 for groups of 10 or more. Purchase tickets at the Reynolds box office, (501) 450-5506, toll-free at (866) 810-0012, or at ConwaySymphony.org.
Western Performance
CONWAY — Conway’s Jonathan Trawick will be joined by the Western Fling band for a performance at 7 p.m. at the Faulkner County Library. 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.
Trout Day 2012
RUSSELLVILLE — The CADDIS Fly Fishing Club, the Russellville Recreation and Parks Department and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are partnering to present Trout Day 2012 from 9 a.m. to noon. The commission will stock Pleasant View Park pond with 1,000 Rainbow Trout prior to the event. All ages are invited to participate, and fly-fishing as well as bait-fishing will be available. Bait will be provided. For more information, call (479) 968-1272.
Sugarplum Festival
LESLIE — The fourth annual Sugarplum Festival will be held from 2-6 p.m. in and around the city park in Leslie. The event will include Santa Claus, vendors, hayrides, clogging and hot apple cider. For more information, call (501) 941-4828.
Dec. 3
Free Concert
CONWAY — Jonathan Trawick will perform at 7 p.m. at the Faulkner County Library. Trawick started playing guitar in his early college years, adding mandolin to his repertoire in the last few years. All library events are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Parade Entry Deadline
RUSSELLVILLE — The entry deadline is noon Monday for the 2012 Russellville Christmas parade, to be held Dec. 6. Entry forms are available at the Recreation and Parks Department office at 1100 E. Parkway or online at russellvillearkansas.org. For more information, call (479) 968-1272.
Dec. 5
Ladies’ Lunch Break
CONWAY — Second Baptist Church will hold a Ladies’ Lunch Break from noon to 1 p.m. in the church’s Fellowship Hall. The meal is $5, and child care is available, if needed. For more information, call the church office at (501) 327-6565.
Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band Concert
CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas will host its final Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band concert of the fall semester at 7:30 p.m. in the Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall. Kelly Johnson, associate professor of clarinet, will be featured on “Black Dog,” a Led Zepplin pure rock original, with the clarinet taking the role of a lead guitar. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 450-5764 or email rickyb@uca.edu.
Ongoing
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 9 a.m. Wednesday; at noon Dec. 7; at 2 p.m. Dec. 9; at 10 a.m. Dec. 13; at 10 a.m. Dec. 19; at 11 a.m. Dec. 22; at 2 p.m. Dec. 27; and at 9 a.m. Dec. 29. To reserve a seat, call (479) 967-5516.
Be a Santa to a Senior
CONWAY/RUSSELLVILLE — Be a Santa to a Senior, a campaign to deliver gifts and provide companionship to local needy seniors, is being held again this holiday season. To help, pick up ornaments with the first names of seniors and their gift requests through Dec. 10 from Christmas trees at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Russellville or at Conway Regional Medical Center. Buy items on the list and return them unwrapped, with the ornaments attached, to the hospitals. Community gift-wrapping events will be held from 4-6 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Pope County Senior Center in Russellville and at 3 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Conway Senior Wellness and Activity Center. For more information, visit www.beasantatoasenior.com.
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.
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.
Upcoming
Readings by MFA Writers
CONWAY — Louie Land, Lynne Landis, Scotty Lewis, John Mitchel and Stacey Margaret Jones from the inaugural class of the Arkansas Writers Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Central Arkansas will read from their original works, including poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction, at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Faulkner County Library. Refreshments will be served. All library programs are free and open to the public. For more information, call the library at (501) 327-7482.
Christmas Parade and Luminaries
MORRILTON — The annual Morrilton Christmas Parade will be held at 5 p.m. Dec. 6 in downtown Morrilton, followed by the Night of Luminaries at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. The annual light displays at the Conway County Courthouse, the train depot and City Hall in Morrilton will continue through Dec. 31.
Christmas Festivities
GREENBRIER — The Greenbrier Lions Club, in partnership with the city and the Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce, will offer Christmas activities for the community on Dec. 6, including a chili cook-off, a parade and a tree-lighting ceremony. Submissions for the chili cook-off are due at 4:50 p.m., and the judging will begin at 5 p.m. The parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Eastside Elementary School, travel down Glen Lane, through the Sagebrush Cove subdivision and conclude behind the City Event Center. Following the parade, the tree-lighting ceremony will feature Christmas carols, pictures with Santa and the announcement of parade winners. Parade and chili cook-off entry forms may be obtained by calling (501) 472-7083 or visiting greenbrierchamber.org.
Human-Rights Celebration
CONWAY — Church Women United of Faulkner County will sponsor a human-rights celebration, Embracing Our Oneness, at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 7 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 925 Mitchell St. The public is invited.
Celebrating the Arts
RUSSELLVILLE — Central Presbyterian Church will celebrate the arts with a performance from Will Lang, Cherokee/Osage, who will present and play his Native American love flutes in the church sanctuary at 7 p.m. Dec. 7. Lang’s white-charcoal pencil on black matte paper drawings, along with his wife Janell Lang’s custom jewelry, will be on display in Knox Hall, along with others’ art, including work from Rebecca Ward’s students at Center Valley Elementary School and Tracy Roberts’ Russellville fifth-graders. Roberts’ daughter, Mackenzie, will exhibit her braided hemp jewelry, with the proceeds to benefit Relay for Life efforts in 2013. The Dec. 7 event is part of the First Friday Art Walk, sponsored by Main Street Russellville and hosted by Russellville downtown businesses and Central Presbyterian Church.
Frozen Feet 5K
CONWAY — The Inaugural Frozen Feet 5K Run/Walk hosted by the Junior Auxiliary of Conway will be held at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 8 starting along the perimeter of the Conway High School football stadium. Costumes, jingle bells, hot chocolate, and jolly old St. Nick will be a part of the family-friendly event. The Junior Auxiliary will take donations of new or gently used socks, gloves, mittens, scarves, caps and other cold weather items to be distributed to Faulkner County schools. To register, visit jaconway.org, then pick up packets at The Sporty Runner in downtown Conway, 1016 Van Ronkle St., from noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 7 or from 6:45-7:45 a.m. Dec. 8 at the Conway High School Fieldhouse. The registration fee is $25 before Dec. 8 and $30 the day of the event.
Shakespeare Auditions
CONWAY — Auditions for the 2013 summer season of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre will be held from 6-10 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11 in Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas. Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, Oliver! and A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed. To schedule an audition, send a headshot and resume to casting@arkshakes.com. Actors are asked to prepare two contrasting classical monologues (at least one by Shakespeare) no longer than two minutes each, as well as 16 bars of a song if they would like to be considered for the musical. An accompanist will be provided. Separate auditions will be held for youth (17 and under) who wish to audition for the season. For more information about auditions or the 2013 season, contact Scallet at (501) 852-0702 or arkansasshakespearetheater@uca.edu.
Oxford American Editor Presentation
CONWAY — Roger Hodge, the new editor of the Oxford American, will speak at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Faulkner County Library. Hodge was the editor of Harper’s Magazine from 2006-10, and during his tenure, the magazine was a National Magazine Award finalist seven times, winning in 2006 for fiction and in 2010 for reporting. 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.
Reading and Book Signing
CONWAY — Arkansas author Gwendolyn Graves will read from her latest book, The Fall of Men, at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Faulkner County Library. A book signing will follow. Participants my purchase a copy of the book and of Scorned, by the same author, online and bring them to the library to be signed. 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.
Newcomers’ Luncheon
MAUMELLE — A newcomers’ luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Maumelle Country Club. The Drugstore Cowboys will provide entertainment, and the menu will include roasted pork medallions, wild rice, glazed carrots, baked apples, rolls and chocolate cake. The cost is $14 and should be paid by check to Maumelle Newcomers. Reservations are required by Dec. 10 by calling Joan Ann Olsen at (501) 851-4223.
Christmas Carol Sign and Sing
CONWAY — The Faulkner County American Sign Language class will sign and sing Christmas carols at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 17 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.
Gospel Performance
CONWAY — The Nelson Family singers will bring the pure mountain sound of traditional gospel music and Christmas carols to the Faulkner County Library at 7 p.m. Dec. 20. 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.
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.