Jan. 14
Community Choir Rehearsal
RUSSELLVILLE — The Community Festival Chorale is accepting new and returning singers for the spring semester, with the first rehearsal at 7 p.m. Monday at the Arkansas Center for Music Education, 2106 E. 16th St. in Russellville. The nonauditioned choir is open to men and women of various vocal and musical abilities. Junior and senior high school students are also welcome. Families are encouraged to be involved. For more information or to sign up, contact Shirley Faulkner at (479) 264-9107 or shirley.faulkner@acme.org, or visit www.communityfestivalchorale.org.
Jan. 15
Retired Teachers Meeting
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Retired Teachers Association will meet at 1:30 p.m. in the Activity Center of First Baptist Church. Debra Robinson, executive director for the Faulkner County Senior Citizens Program, and Jo-Ed Woodward, client services coordinator for the Conway Senior Citizens Center, will provide a look at Benefits and Provisions for Seniors. Retirees from any position in education are invited to attend.
Exchange Program Deadline
CONWAY/RUSSELLVILLE/MORRILTON — Tuesday is the deadline to submit applications for the Group Study Exchange Program of the Rotary Foundation. The Rotary Club is seeking four outstanding professionals to visit southern Italy as part of the program. 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 will pay 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 can be found at rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/161en.pdf.
Jan. 16
Clean-Energy Economy Lecture
RUSSELLVILLE — The Applied Sustainability Center will present a free, informative session about Arkansas’ developing clean-energy economy from 6-7:40 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Doc Bryan Student Services Building at Arkansas Tech University. The event will offer a chance to learn about the opportunities in Arkansas for improving energy security, creating jobs, stabilizing energy prices and treading softer on the environment through cleaner energy sources. The free event is open to the public.
Jan. 17
Art Exhibits Opening Reception
CONWAY — The Baum Gallery of Fine Art at the University of Central Arkansas announces four upcoming shows: Swishbone: New Paintings by Julie Evans; Under the Influence: New Ceramic Work by Curt LaCross; Alternating Currents: A Mixed Media Art Installation by Mario Marzan; and Before and After: An Exploration of the Art Conservation Process. A public reception for the exhibitions’ openings will be held from 5-7 p.m. Thursday. The shows will be on display through Feb. 24. For more information, visit www.uca.edu/art/baum.
Small Business Workshop
RUSSELLVILLE — The Arkansas Tech University Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center will present “Risk Management and Insurance for Small Business” from 9 a.m. to noon. The workshop will be at Arkansas Tech. Business owners and those who want to start a business are encouraged to attend. Participants will learn to identify situations and warning signs that may cause risk in order to create and implement a risk-management plan for their small business. The cost is $30 to attend. To register, call (479) 356-2067.
Beginning Bridge Class
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Library will offer a beginning bridge class at 11 a.m. The free class, taught by Endrea Carroll, will cover the basics of the game and is open to the public. Class size is limited. To register, call the library at (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Upcoming
MLK Celebration
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Library will be closed Jan. 21 to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There will be a march from downtown to the library, followed by a special program at the library, but there will be no regular library services on that day. All library events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the library at (501) 327-7482.
Author’s Reading
CONWAY — Local author and Hendrix professor Tyrone Jaeger will read from his latest work, The Runaway Note, at 7 p.m. Jan. 22. Jaeger was born and raised in the Catskill Mountains, and his work has been published in The Oxford American, the Toad Suck Review, The Literary Review, the Indiana Review, the Southern Humanities Review and many others. The free event is open to the public, and refreshments will be served. For more information, call (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Email Basics Classes for Adults
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Library in Conway will offer email basics classes at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Jan. 24, Feb. 7 and 21, and March 7. The hands-on, one-hour classes will cover how to set up an email account with a secure username and password, as well as some do’s and don’ts when using email. To register, call the library at (501) 327-7482, or email nancy@fcl.org. There is no charge and a limit of three students per hour-long class.
Punch Brothers Performance
CONWAY — The Punch Brothers will perform at 8 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Worsham Student Performance Hall in the Student Life and Technology Center at Hendrix College. The show, sponsored by Hendrix Special Events, the Office of Student Activities and KHDX, is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m., and limited seating is available. For more information, call (501) 450-1291.
Health and Fitness Fair
GREENBRIER — The City Event Center in Greenbrier will hold its seventh annual Health and Fitness Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26. There will be free health screenings, cooking demonstrations, exercise demonstrations, and a pickleball clinic in the afternoon. The event is sponsored by the Road Runners Extension Homemakers Club. For more information or to become a participant, contact Emily Harris at (501) 733-2409 or Emily.Harris@windstream.net.
Made From Scratch Workshop
MORRILTON — Budding chefs, foodies, breakfast fans and seafood lovers are invited to participate in the second class in the Made From Scratch workshop series from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 26. The class, which will feature 2008 Summer Olympics Chef Robert Hall, will be at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, 1 Rockefeller Drive. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. The cost is $80 per participant. For more information or to register, visit LiveTheLegacy.org.
Old-Time Concert
CONWAY — Dana and Susan Robinson of North Carolina will give a concert at 2 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Faulkner County Library. The group will perform a blend of original music and old-time songs. All library events are free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. For more information, call (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Retrospective of Jim Thorpe
CONWAY — Dr. Bob Reising will return to the Faulkner County Library at 7 p.m. Feb. 1 with a video retrospective on Jim Thorpe, the man who made the Super Bowl possible. Thorpe was known as the greatest athlete of the 20th century. He was an Olympian, a professional baseball player and a professional football player. All library events are free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Sweetheart Saturday
RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Hospice’s ninth annual Sweetheart Saturday will be held from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Hughes Community Center, 1000 E. Parkway Drive. Local food vendors, bakeries and restaurants will supply a selection of sweet and savory treats. An assortment of items for silent and live auctions will be available for bidders. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Arkansas Hospice River Valley Home. Tickets are $10 for one or $18 for two and may be purchased at the Arkansas Hospice Russellville office, 2405 E. Parkway, Suite 3, or by calling (479) 498-2050.
Symphony Guild Fundraiser
RUSSELLVILLE — The Talk of the Town Tables fundraiser will be hosted by The Russellville Symphony Guild on Feb. 9. The annual event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Lake Point Conference Center with heavy hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and live music, followed by a steak dinner at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds will be used to bring the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra to Russellville for a concert on April 6. Proceeds are also designated for the guild scholarship funds that provide scholarships to local high school music students. Tickets for the event are $60 and may be purchased from any board member or by calling Judy Murphy at (479) 967-1177.
Sweetheart Dinner
MORRILTON — The General Federated Women’s Adelaide Club of Morrilton will have a sweetheart dinner and dance Feb. 9 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Morrilton. The pork-chop dinner, catered by the Knights, will begin at 7 p.m. Jim Aldridge — singer, showman and saxophonist — along with his partner, Kern Kennedy, on keyboard, will provide music for the annual benefit. A dessert table will be provided by Adelaide Club members, and auction items will be available for silent bids. Tickets are $30 per person and must be purchased in advance from any Adelaide member or by calling Sue Noble at (501) 354-2756.
Mardi Gras Dance
FAIRFIELD BAY — A Mardi Gras dance will be held from 6:30-10 p.m. Feb. 12 at St. Francis of Assisi Parish Hall, 250 Woodlawn Drive. The dance will feature the Little Red River Band. Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased from Judy Johnson in the Parish Office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; from Therese Preusser at (501) 884-3049 or (501) 454-8313; or at Jack’s convenience store, 540 Dave Creek Parkway.
Charity Ball
RUSSELLVILLE — The 48th annual Junior Auxiliary of Russellville Charity Ball will be held March 2 at the L.V. Williamson Boys and Girls Club of the Arkansas River Valley, 600 E. 16th St. in Russellville. The black-tie-optional event will start at 6 p.m., and activities will include hors d’oeuvres, Southern cuisine by Opal Mae’s Café, a live auction and dancing. Mr. Lucky will provide musical entertainment. Tickets, at $70 per person or $130 per couple, may be obtained by calling (601) 467-1735 or (479) 890-1381.
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.