Aug. 30-31
Chuckwagon Races
CLINTON — The 29th annual National Championship Chuckwagon Races continue today through Sunday at the Bar of Ranch, 2848 Shake Rag Road. The event will feature the wagon races, along with the Snowy River Race, bronc fanning, camping, trail rides, concerts, equine clinics, bull riding and a nondenominational religious service. Admission is $25 per adult per day. For more information, call (501) 745-8407, email chuckwag@artelco.com, or visit chuckwagonraces.com.
Aug. 29
AARP Book and Bake Sale
CONWAY — The Conway AARP chapter will hold its 2014 Book and Bake Sale from 9 a.m. to noon at The Ola and John Hawks Center, formerly named the Conway Senior Wellness and Activity Center, at 705 E. Siebenmorgen Road. For more information, contact Ruby Johnson, vice president of the Faulkner County chapter, at (501) 327-0498 or Vernita Davis at (501) 329-8722.
Aug. 30
Wait Until Dark Auditions
CONWAY — The Conway Dinner Theater will hold auditions for Wait Until Dark on Saturday. Call (501) 339-7401 for an appointment. The cast includes six men, one woman and one girl, who should look about 12. Performance dates will be Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 and Nov. 1. The Conway Dinner Theater, at 2201 Washington Ave., is sponsored by the Faulkner Academy of Arts.
Founders and Builders Day
PETIT JEAN MOUNTAIN — On Saturday, Petit Jean State Park staffers will hold a variety of programs related to the history of the park’s founders and builders. Petit Jean became the first state park in Arkansas in 1923, and in 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps laid the foundation for the park as it is today. For a detailed schedule for this free event or more information, contact the park at (501) 727-5441 or petitjean@arkansas.com, or visit www.petitjeanstatepark.com.
Aug. 31
Econoline Meet
PETIT JEAN MOUNTAIN — The 13th annual Mid-South Econoline Meet, an opportunity for owners of Ford Econoline trucks and vans to show off their vehicles, will be held Sunday at the Museum of Automobiles on Petit Jean Mountain. For more information on this free event, call (501) 727-5427, email info@musuemofautos.com, or visit www.museumofautos.com.
Sept. 3
Ladies’ Lunch Break
CONWAY — The First Wednesday Ladies’ Lunch Break will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Second Baptist Church, at Dave Ward Drive and Farris Road. Attendees are asked to enter the church parking area from Farris Road. Women of all ages are invited to attend. The meal, for $5, includes a drink and dessert. Child care is available at no charge with advance registration. To register, call (501) 327-4066 or (501) 730-4106 by Monday.
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
Red Apple Inn Golf Scramble
HEBER SPRINGS — The Rotary Club of Heber Springs will hold its annual Golf Scramble on Sept. 5 at the Red Apple Inn and Country Club. For more information, call Rotary member Brenda Erby Fudge at (501) 472-0161.
Lake, River Cleanup
GREERS FERRY — The 45th annual Greers Ferry Lake and Little Red River Cleanup will be held Sept. 6 at various marinas and the federal fish hatchery. Volunteers will meet at the various locations to pick up trash along designated shoreline areas. Party barges will be used to transport the volunteers. Trash will then be taken to collection points around the lake and river, and a picnic lunch and entertainment will be provided for participants. For more information, visit www.greersferrylake.org.
Livestock Show and Fair
CLINTON — The 77th annual Van Buren County Livestock Show and Fair will be held Sept. 6-13 at the fairgrounds, 1827 Arkansas 16. Activities will include creative arts and livestock exhibits, a carnival, music shows, the Farmer for a Day event for children 10 and younger, a salute to veterans, a dog show and commercial exhibits. Admission is $3 for age 13 and older. For more information, call (501) 253-1190, email grahamassociatesinc@clintoncable.net, or visit www.vanburencountyfair.org.
Sci-Fi/Fanstasy Book Club
CONWAY — The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club will hold an organizational meeting at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Faulkner County Library. The club will normally meet at the library at 5:30 p.m. the first Monday of the month. 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.
NFL Punt, Pass and Kick
RUSSELLVILLE — The Russellville Recreation and Parks Department will host a local competition for the NFL Punt, Pass and Kick from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Pleasant View Park, 3595 N. Arkansas Ave. The free competition is open to boys and girls, ages 6 to 15. Registration forms are available at the Hughes Center, or contestants may register at the event. For more information, call the Hughes Center at (479) 968-1272.
Health and Safety Expo
HEBER SPRINGS — The second annual Health and Safety Expo will be held Sept. 11 at the Heber Springs Community Center, 201 Bobbie Jean Lane. The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive, and vendors will present products and services pertaining to a healthful lifestyle. The expo is free. For more information, call (501) 362-4901.
Conway EcoFest
CONWAY — The sixth annual Conway EcoFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 13 at Laurel Park. The festival provides an opportunity to cultivate curiosity through interactive exhibits centered on an eco-friendly theme. The event will include music, food and presentations on topics such as energy, natural resources and recycling. Activities will include a marketplace, a cardboard-car derby, kites, animals and cooking demonstrations. For more information, call (501) 472-0901 or visit www.conwayecofest.com.
Political Rally and Auction
CLINTON — The Van Buren County Fair will host a political rally and auction at 4 p.m. Sept. 13 during the fair. Preregistration is required for candidates by calling Seth at (501) 242-1042 or Corrine at (501) 253-1190. The rally is open to all city, county and state candidates. Auction proceeds will go to the Van Buren County Fair scholarships, which are awarded annually.
St. Elizabeth Bazaar, Spaghetti Dinner
OPPELO — St. Elizabeth Church on Arkansas 154 in Oppelo, near the foot of Petit Jean Mountain, will hold a bazaar and spaghetti dinner Sept. 14. The bazaar is set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include bingo, a silent auction, a bake sale and a kiddie land, complete with a bounce house. The spaghetti dinner will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and feature homemade spaghetti with Petit Jean sausage, homemade bread and salad. Tickets are $13 for adults, $6 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and younger when accompanied by an adult.
Quarterly Luncheon
HEBER SPRINGS — The Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its quarterly luncheon at noon Sept. 17 at the Heber Springs Community Center. Julie Murray, the new chamber director, will be the guest speaker and present Leadership Heber Springs. This is a new program sponsored by the chamber and ASU-Heber Springs that will focus on developing and educating the future leaders of the Heber Springs area. Tickets for the luncheon are available for $10 by calling (501) 362-2444 or emailing chamber@heber-springs.com.
Business Expo
HEBER SPRINGS — The 2014 Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo will be held from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Heber Springs Community Center. For more information or an application, visit www.heber-springs.com.
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.