Aug. 14
Back 2 School Round Up
CONWAY — A United Way of Central Arkansas Back 2 School Round Up will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Conway Expo Center, 2505 E. Oak St. Local organizations will offer information about their groups, as well as activities for kids. Free food will be available. The event is free, but donations of school supplies will be accepted for students in Mayflower and Vilonia who were affected by the April tornado. A bus from each city’s school will be there to “stuff” with supplies, organizers said.
Meat Sale Order Deadline
MORRILTON — Noon today is the deadline to order Petit Jean meats to benefit Sacred Heart Catholic School. The school is selling Petit Jean whole slow-smoked Boston butts, 8-10 pounds, for $32 each and smoked pork ribs, 4-4.5 pounds, for $26, just in time for Labor Day. The meat will be available for pickup from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at Morrilton Packing House. Order forms are available in the school office and at www.sacredheartmorrilton.org. Call (501) 354-8113 for more information.
Maumelle AARP Monthly Chapter Meeting
MAUMELLE — The Maumelle AARP Chapter will meet at 6 p.m. at the Maumelle Senior Wellness Center. Representatives from St. Joseph Center of Arkansas in North Little Rock will give a presentation on the past, present and future of the center, which is on the grounds of the former St. Joseph Orphanage near Camp Robinson and is being developed as an educational center to assist with hunger relief in Arkansas. A short business meeting will be held. Members are asked to bring school supplies for the chapter’s August drive. Anyone 50 or older is welcome to attend. For more information, call Betty Hall at (501) 851-6828 or Jan Bowen at (501) 803-0089.
Aug. 15
AARP Driver Safety Program
HEBER SPRINGS — An AARP Driver Safety Program class will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the McCoy Room of the Administration/Student Services Building on Arkansas State University-Beebe’s Heber Springs campus. Individuals age 55 and older who complete the course will qualify for a three-year discount on their automobile-insurance premiums in Arkansas. The cost is $15 for AARP members and $20 for nonmembers. The fee may be paid in cash or by check, payable to AARP. To reserve a place, call ASU at (501) 362-1273 or email jlrath@hebersprings.asu.edu.
Aug. 16
Spaghetti Supper
and Bake Sale
SAINT VINCENT — Knights of Columbus Council 10908 in Saint Vincent will sponsor its annual spaghetti and meatball supper from 5-8 p.m. The menu will include green beans, coleslaw and dessert. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children 5-12 years old. Children 4 and younger may eat free. Takeout meals will be available for $10 each. There will be a bake sale to raise money for the Knights of Columbus Persons With Disabilities Fund. For more information, call (501) 354-4854.
Aug. 17
M.J. Hickey Pool Closing
RUSSELLVILLE — The last day to swim at the M.J. Hickey Pool will be Sunday. The pool will then close for the season.
Library Summer Concert Series
CONWAY — Men of Fire will perform at 2 p.m. to conclude the Faulkner County Library’s Summer Concert Series 2014. The concert will be held in the “parklike setting” of the interior of the library, with ice cream and lemonade provided. The series is supported by Friends of the Faulkner County Library. All library programs are free and open to the public. For more information, call the library at (501) 327-7482 or email Nancy@fcl.org.
Author Presentation
CONWAY — Jay Grelen, author of Sweet Tea Tales, will be at the Faulkner County Library at 3:30 p.m. Grelen will read from his new book and discuss life as a “newspaper hack” and the stories that go along with that. Grelen spent 35 years at 10 newspapers, including 10 years at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which published his thrice-weekly “Sweet Tea” column.
Aug. 18
Rotary District Seminar
HEBER SPRINGS — The Rotary Club of Heber Springs will host a seminar by the Rotary District on Monday at Arkansas State University-Heber Springs. For more details, contact Rotary member Brenda Erby Fudge at (501) 472-0161.
Aug. 19
Child Development Associate Training
CONWAY — Childhood Services at Arkansas State University will conduct training for individuals in the Conway area who would like to earn the Child Development Associate credential. Classes in Conway will begin Tuesday and meet weekly. For more information on the CDA credential, visit the Childhood Services website, asuchildhoodservices.org; email cda@astate.edu; or call (870) 972-3055 or (888) 429-1585.
Aug. 20
Holiday Puppets Family Show
FAIRFIELD BAY — The Holiday Puppets will perform at 11 a.m. at the Puppet Playhouse in the post office building. The 45-minute show, which will be the group’s last performance at this venue for the summer, features Punch and Judy, Dudley the Magnificent Magician and The Cat Came Back shadow puppets. The family show is free and open to the public.
Adult Digital Literacy Classes
CONWAY — Connect Arkansas returns to the Faulkner County Library with free adult digital-literacy classes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The course schedule is 10 a.m., Intro to Windows 8 (students encouraged to bring their own laptops; 11 a.m., Intro to Microsoft Word; 1 p.m., Setting up and Using Email; and 2 p.m., Q&A. Students are asked to register in advance by calling the library at (501) 327-7482 or emailing nancy@fcl.org. All library events are free and open to the public.
Ongoing
Augsburg Fall Fest Booth Applications
AUGSBURG — JoAnn Dorn, arts, crafts and vendor booth chairwoman, is taking applications for booth spaces for the seventh annual Augsburg Fall Fest, to be held Oct. 11 at Zion Lutheran Church at the intersection of Arkansas 333 and Augsburg Road. To reserve a booth at the festival, call Dorn at (479) 331-2302. The fee for all booths is $25. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the River Valley Free Christian Clinic and the Augsburg Food Pantry.
Midday Manna
CONWAY — A Bible lecture and luncheon led by Wanda Landers takes place from 11:45 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at Woodland Heights Baptist Church, 4215 Prince St. Lunch, a drink and dessert are served for $5. For child care by reservation, call (501) 329-0001.
Conway Community Meditation Group
CONWAY — The Conway Community Meditation group meets from 12:30-1:30 p.m. every Tuesday at The Locals, 1024 Van Ronkle St. This session provides a time of unifying harmony with fellow Conway residents. All are welcome. For more information, visit www.thelocals.be/events.
Simply Said Storytelling
CONWAY — Simply Said is an informal, open-mic storytelling time held at 6 p.m. every Thursday at The Locals, 1024 Van Ronkle St. Participants are asked to share a story, without using notes, in no more than five minutes. For more information, visit www.thelocals.be/events.
Spanish Practice Group
CONWAY — The Spanish Practice Group meets at 4 p.m. every Friday at The Locals, 1024 Van Ronkle St. Join other Spanish-speaking enthusiasts in conversation. Todos son bienvenidos! For more information, visit www.thelocals.be/events.
Wordpress Conway
CONWAY — Wordpress Conway takes place at 6 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month at The Locals, 1024 Van Ronkle St. For anyone who uses Wordpress or wants to learn more about it, this central-Arkansas group can provide help with questions or issues Wordpress users may have. For more information, visit www.thelocals.be/events.
TeamKID
MAUMELLE — Southern Hills Baptist Fellowship and JumpZone have teamed up to offer a free children’s program, TeamKID, for first- through sixth-graders. The program is held at 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday at the JumpZone building. For more information, call (501) 851-7729 or visit www.southernhillsbaptist.tv.
Tea Party Meeting
HEBER SPRINGS — Arkansas’ We the People Tea Party of Cleburne County meets at 6:30 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of every month at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 1101C W. Main St. Various issues are discussed. For more information, call Marlin Schwartz at (847) 977-5261.
Upcoming
Gospel Singing Convention
GREENBRIER — The 2014 Arkansas-Oklahoma Gospel Singing Convention will be held Aug. 22 and 23 at LifeSong Baptist Church in Greenbrier. Singing will begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 22, with refreshments following. Singing will resume at 10 a.m. Aug. 23, break for a potluck lunch, and continue at 1 p.m. The public is invited. Officers for the convention are Larry Hutson, president; Roy Guiltner, Arkansas vice president; Thomas Williston, Oklahoma vice president; and Karroll Morphew, secretary-treasurer. Freddie Mark Wilcox is pastor of the church.
Concealed Carry Course
Maumelle — Safe Shooting Sports of Arkansas, LLC will conduct an Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry License course Aug. 23 at the Hampton Inn in Maumelle. The course includes a free National Rifle Association Basic Pistol Shooting Course. Discounts are available for nurses and first responders. See www.safeshootarkansas.com to register for the class, or contact Jeff Allison, an Arkansas State Police instructor, at (501) 813-2908.
World Record Potluck Party
CLINTON — We Love VBC, Van Buren County, will attempt to break the Guinness world record for the largest potluck party. The event will be held Aug. 23 at the school auditorium and gymnasium in conjunction with SurvivorFest. Admission to the event is “one dish” as defined by the Guinness rule book, which means “large enough to share with at least six other people at the potluck.” Live entertainment will be provided, and the event will be videotaped to document the attempt at a world record. For more information, call (501) 253-4716 or email jackiesikesjp8@yahoo.com.
Alzheimer’s Walk
RUSSELLVILLE — The fourth annual River Valley Alzheimer’s Arkansas Walk will be held Aug. 23 at the L.V. Williamson Boys & Girls Club in Russellville. Participants will donate $25 each and receive a commemorative T-shirt while supplies last. Admission is free. For more information, call (501) 224-0021, email barbara.jensen@alzark.org, or visit www.alzark.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.