Dec. 5
Art Exhibit
CONWAY — Today is the last opportunity to view the University of Central Arkansas Department of Art’s BA/BFA Juried Senior Exhibition. Works in all media by candidates for graduation can be seen from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the McCastlain Hall Baum Gallery.
Christamas Parade and Tree Lighting
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville’s The Songs of Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting will take place in historic downtown Russellville at 6 p.m. The Russellville Christmas Parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. and travel from South Arkansas Avenue to West Main Street. The parade is one of the largest lighted Christmas parades in the state. For more information, call (479) 968-1272, email knealy@rsvlar.org, or visit russellvillearkansas.org or www.discoverrussellville.org.
Audubon Point Holiday Party
MAUMELLE — Audubon Point will hold a holiday party for fellow seniors at 2 p.m. Volunteers are needed to bring refreshments and to help serve. All are invited. To participate, call Kathy Kafka at (501) 851-4771.
Dec. 5 and Dec. 6
Poinsettia Sale
RUSSELLVILLE — The Arkansas Tech University Department of Agriculture will host its annual poinsettia sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Friday at the Arkansas Tech Greenhouses on the north end of the Tech campus. Signs will direct shoppers to the greenhouses. All proceeds will be re-invested in greenhouse plants and supplies for students in the department. For more information, call (479) 968-0251.
Dec. 5 – Dec. 7
Live Nativity
CLINTON — The 16th annual Live Nativity will continue today through Saturday at the Van Buren County Fairgrounds. There will be shows at 6 and 7 each night, with performances by the Nelson Family. Attendees are asked to dress for the weather. Cocoa and coffee will be served. Admission is free. For more information, call Paul Rhoda at (501) 745-8377 or Tamie at (501) 745-8255.
Dec. 5 – Dec. 8
Candlelight Carol Service
CONWAY — The Hendrix College Choir, under the direction of Nancy Fleming, will present the annual Candlelight Carol Service at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday and at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Greene Chapel on campus. The service is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. For reservations, call (501) 450-1495 from noon to 2 p.m. today or Friday.
Dec. 6
Human Rights Celebration
CONWAY — Church Women United of Faulkner County will sponsor a human-rights celebration, Breaking Down the Doors of Injustice, at 9:30 a.m. at the Four Winds Church, 2005 Dave Ward Drive. The public is invited.
Newcomers Coffee
MAUMELLE — The Maumelle Newcomers monthly coffee will be at 10 a.m. at the Maumelle Community Center. Everyone in the community is invited.
Artist Reception
RUSSELLVILLE — Gallery 307 invites the public to a reception for local artist Daniel Freeman from 5-8 p.m. during the Russellville Christmas Art Walk. His solo show, Moments of Clarity, will feature new original works, as well as prints. Gallery 307 is at 307 S. Commerce Ave. in historic downtown Russellville, and the show will be up through December. For more information, call the gallery at(479) 223-7351 or visit www.facebook.com/Gallery307.
Art Walk
RUSSELLVILLE — The winter Art Walk will be held from 5-8 p.m. in downtown Russellville. The free event is held quarterly and will offer a chance to stroll the downtown area, see local artists and musicians, and do some holiday shopping. Food and drink will be available. For more information, call (479) 967-1437, email msrsvl@centurytel.net, or visit www.mainstreetrussellville.com.
Dardanelle Christmas Parade
DARDANELLE — The Dardanelle Christmas Parade will be held Friday with the theme “Christmas Caroling.” For more information, call (479) 229-3328 or email dardanellechamberofcommerce@gmail.com.
Dec. 7
Community Concert
POTTSVILLE — The Community Festival Chorale will present its fall 2013 concert at 7 p.m. in the Pottsville Junior High School Cafetorium. The program, A Christmas Gathering, will include holiday favorites. The choir will be accompanied by a small wind ensemble, a rhythm section and a string quartet, as well as piano. The choir will be joined on two selections by the Pottsville High School choir, directed by Thomas Rickman. The free concert is open to the public. For more information, contact Shirley Faulkner, Arkansas Center for Music Education director, at info@ac-me.org or (479) 264-9107.
Christmas Lights
PERRYVILLE — More than 44,000 lights will illuminate the historic Perryville town square, including the centerpiece 1888 Perry County Courthouse. The official lighting and Christmas parade will kick off at 5:30 p.m. For more information, call (501) 707-8820 or email pcollins@hyahoo.com.
Christmas Open House
PETIT JEAN MOUNTAIN — Dressed in its Christmas finery, historic Mather Lodge at Petit Jean State Park will offer a holiday open house. The family-oriented event will include arts-and-crafts activities, as well as seasonal entertainment. Admission is free. For more information or the schedule of events, contact the park at (501) 727-5441 or petitjean@arkansas.com or visit www.petitjeanstatepark.com.
Winter at the Lake
RUSSELLVILLE — Lake Dardanelle State Park will offer Winter at the Lake, a free event that will provide programs, crafts and refreshments for the whole family, beginning at 9 a.m. Activities will include making edible ornaments for the Christmas tree that can be shared with birds. Also, an educational program will explain how nature and animals change during the winter. The day will culminate with the trimming of the park tree at 5 p.m. For more information or the schedule of events, call (479) 967-5516 or email lakedardanelle@arkansas.com.
Sugarplum Festival
LESLIE — The fifth annual Sugarplum Festival will kick off in Leslie. Witness Productions of Hot Springs will perform the Passion Play, a musical, at noon and 6 p.m. at the Ozark Heritage Arts Center. The production focuses on the life of Jesus as witnessed by the Apostle Peter. There will also be a crafts fair in the gallery of the Ozark Heritage Arts Center offering locally handmade items and supporting nonprofits. In the City Park, Santa will visit at 3 p.m., and there will be free hot cocoa, a bean-bag toss, hayrides, open houses and merchant specials. For more information, call (870) 391-1313.
Heber Springs Christmas Parade
HEBER SPRINGS — The annual Heber Springs Christmas Parade will begin at 6 p.m. The theme will be “12 Days of Christmas.” All parade entries need to have some form of lighting so they can be seen. For an entry form, visit www.heber-springs.com/events/christmas-parade-0.
Shopping Extravaganza
MORRILTON — Sacred Heart’s Holiday From the Heart Hometown Shopping Extravaganza will be held from 5-9 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Gym/Ruff Auditorium. All proceeds will help the school’s parent-teacher organization provide items for classrooms. To register as a vendor, contact Ashely Hoelzeman at ashleyhoelzeman@yahoo.com. Details are also available at www.sacredheartmorrilton.org.
Breakfast With Santa
RUSSELLVILLE — The River Valley Circle of Friends will hold its annual Breakfast With Santa from 8-11:30 a.m. at Sequoyah Elementary School in Russellville to benefit Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at Simmons First Bank, 800 N. Arkansas in Russellville, or at the door. The pancake breakfast will include sausage, bacon, milk, orange juice and coffee. For more information, call (479) 970-6861.
Dec. 7 and Dec. 8
Holiday Tour of Homes
CONWAY — The Bethlehem House Holiday Tour of Homes at The Village at Hendrix will be held from 2-6 p.m. Saturday and from 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Proceeds will go to Bethlehem House, the homeless shelter in Conway. Tickets may be purchased from Village Books, The Kitchen Store & More, Jenifer’s Antiques and The Village at Hendrix Welcome Center. For more
information, call (501) 327-2475 or visit www.HendrixVillage.com/tour.
Dec. 9
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
CONWAY — Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party will show the
audience its jazz moves at 7:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas. Tickets, available at the UCA Ticket Central Box Office, are $30 to $40 for adults, $27 to $37 for senior citizens, $25 to $35 for UCA alumni, $23 to $33 for UCA faculty and staff, free for UCA students with a current student ID and $10 for all other students and children. For tickets, call (501) 450-3265 or toll-free in Arkansas at (866) 810-0012 or visit www.uca.edu/tickets. For more information about UCA’s College of Fine Arts and Communication, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
Dec. 10
Lighting Ceremony and Contest
FAIRFIELD BAY — Fairfield Bay holiday festivities have been rescheduled for Tuesday, starting with the annual lighting of Ed Leamon Park. The musically enhanced lighting will be at 5:30 p.m., followed by free cookies and coffee at the Senior Center. Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus will be there, and special holiday music will be presented by the Madrigal Singers from Peace Lutheran Church. The tour bus for judging Light Up The Bay will leave the Senior Center after the festivities. Call the NEWS office at (501) 884-6012 to reserve a seat.
Pinnacle Brass Concert
CONWAY — The Pinnacle Brass will perform holiday music, as well as a variety of standards and classical pieces, at 7 p.m. at the Faulkner County Library. All library programs are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call the library at (501) 327-7482, email Nancy@fcl.org, or visit Facebook and Twitter.
Dec. 11
Celebrating the Sonnet
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Library and creative writing students at the University of Central Arkansas will present Celebrating the Sonnet at 7 p.m. at the library for an evening of poetry and light refreshments. Students in John Vanderslice’s sonnet-writing workshop will read their original sonnets, as well as the work of master sonneteers from throughout the centuries.
Dec. 11 – Dec. 22
Winter Wonderland
RUSSELLVILLE — The Winter Wonderland drive-thru light display and full Nativity/petting zoo will be open from 6-10 nightly on Wednesday through Dec. 22. Donations of $5 will be accepted. Santa will be present Wednesday and Dec. 13-14 and 20-22. Festivities will be held at Pleasant View Park. From Interstate 40, take exit 81 to Arkansas 7 North and go one mile. For more information, visit www.discoverrussellville.org.
Ongoing
Toys for Tots
CONWAY — The Dale W. Langford Detachment No. 1323 of the Marine Corps League in Conway is sponsoring its annual Toys for Tots drive. All toys donated in Faulkner County will be distributed in the county, members said. Collection boxes are located at several businesses, and toys will be distributed to needy children after Dec. 15. For more information, contact James Gibson at (501) 697-7107, David Meyskens at (501) 257-0241, Frank A. Lambert at (501) 269-2085 or David Skelton at (501) 327-7210.
Artists Christmas Show
CONWAY — The annual Conway League of Artists Christmas Show and Sale will begin Saturday and be on exhibit through Dec. 28 at the Faulkner County Library. The exhibit will show league members’ work only and usually has small pieces for sale, with 10 percent of the proceeds going to the library. Members can hang as many works as they want on screen displays. For more information, call Coe Wilson at (501) 208-2264.
Master Naturalists Class of 2014
CONWAY — The Central Arkansas Master Naturalists are accepting applications for the class of 2014. Training will begin Jan. 12 at the Witt Stephens Nature Center in the Little Rock River Market District. The mission of the Master Naturalists organization is to develop a corps of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas in their communities. For more information, visit home.arkansasmasternaturalists.org.
Friends of the Library Book Shop
HEBER SPRINGS — The Friends of The Library Book Shop, 2255 Arkansas 25B N., is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. The shop offers a large variety of books at bargain prices. Proceeds will benefit all the libraries in Cleburne County, including the new library in Quitman. Volunteers are always welcome. For more information, stop by the shop.
Upcoming
Night of the Luminaries
MORRILTON — The University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton has rescheduled the 11th annual Night of Luminaries, following the Morrilton Christmas parade to Tuesday Dec. 10. This free, family-friendly event will start around 6 p.m. or as soon as Santa Claus arrives. UACCM faculty and staff will serve cookies, hot cocoa and apple cider. For more information, contact Courtney Stell at (501) 977-2142 or stell@uaccm.edu.
Holiday Sip & Shop
RUSSELLVILLE — Holiday Sip & Shop will be held from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 13 in historic
downtown Russellville. For more information, visit www.discoverrussellville.org.
The Nutcracker
RUSSELLVILLE — The Nutcracker will be performed at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Center for the Arts. For more information, visit www.discoverrussellville.org.
Holiday Jazz Romance
CONWAY — Simona Donova and Michael Yoder will perform at the Faulkner County Library 2 p.m. Dec. 15. Their program, Holiday Jazz Romance, includes popular tunes from movies and tunes with a Christmas theme, presented in the duo’s unique style — a combination of flute and bass in a jazz-performance setting. The free event is open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Fantastic Friday
RUSSELLVILLE — The River Valley Arts Center will host Fantastic Friday from 7-8 p.m. Dec. 20. For more information, call (479) 968-2452 or visit www.discoverrussellville.org.
The Angels Sang
MAYFLOWER — The Angels Sang, an original compilation of Scripture and music, will be presented by Rick and Francy Wilkins at 3 p.m. Dec. 22 at the Mayflower United Methodist Church. The church is on Miller Street (Arkansas 89) in front of the elementary school. For more information, call Rick Wilkins at (501) 442-5045.
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.