Feb. 24
Audubon Society Meeting
PETIT JEAN MOUNTAIN — The Arkansas River Valley Audubon Society will meet at 7 p.m. in the Stables Room at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain. A program will be announced later. Refreshments will be served, and guests are welcome to attend. The meeting offers an opportunity to visit the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute for those who have not done so. For more information, call Coe Wilson at (501) 208-2264. The backyard bird count is in effect.
Feb. 25
Play Auditions
CONWAY — The Conway Community Arts Association and the Lantern Theater will hold auditions for its next production, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, at 6:30 p.m. at The Lantern, 1021 Van Ronkle St. in downtown Conway. Liz Parker, director of the play, is looking for five women, 18 to 40, and one man, 18 to 40, for this dark comedy about five bridesmaids who hide in a bedroom during the wedding reception and discuss everything from religion to drugs to cheating husbands. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the play. For more information, call Parker at (501) 450-6247.
Feb. 26
Cancer Caps
HEBER SPRINGS — The love-cap group will be sewing at 9:30 a.m. at Hope Lutheran Church. All hats are given away to those who have lost their hair because of illness. Sewers and machines are needed. Pizza will be provided, so bring drinks, etc. People are asked to bring friends and stay as long as they can. The group usually finishes by 2 p.m. For more information, call Suzi at (501) 206-8878 or Jean at (501) 206-0350.
Feb. 27
Prayer Service
MORRILTON — An Interfaith Prayer Service will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce building, 115 E. Broadway in downtown Morrilton. Representative prayers of Christianity, Judaism, and the Baha’i, Islam and Hindu faiths will be offered. The public is invited. Refreshments will be served at 5:30, and prayers of healing will begin at 6.
Arkansas International Travel Club
CONWAY — The Arkansas International Travel Club will hold its charter meeting from 6-8 p.m. at the Faulkner County Library. The club is a new organization dedicated to spreading the word about international travel opportunities available to central Arkansas and River Valley residents. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Gretchen Schol at schol@uaccm.edu or 501-977-2050.
Distinguished Lecture
CONWAY — Neil deGrasse Tyson will speak at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas. The event is sold out, but any turn-back tickets will be available one hour before the lecture. Tickets are $5 to $15, with two free tickets for UCA students with a valid student ID. For tickets, call UCA Ticket Central at (501) 450-3265 or toll-free in Arkansas at (866) 810-0012, or visit www.uca.edu/reynolds.
Chamber Banquet and Awards
MARSHALL — The Greater Searcy County Chamber of Commerce will hold its first Chamber Banquet and Awards Ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Searcy County Civic Center in Marshall. The guest speaker will be Lavina Grandon, president and policy and education director of the Rural Community Alliance. The meal is $10.50 per person in advance. RSVP by today to Big Springs Trading Co. at (870) 439-2900.
Ongoing
Maumelle Photo Club
MAUMELLE — The Maumelle Photo Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Maumelle Library, which is part of the Central Arkansas Library System. The club displays its photos each month at the library, using a theme.
TeamKID Children’s Program
MAUMELLE — Southern Hills Baptist Fellowship and JumpZone have teamed up to offer a free children’s program, TeamKID, for children in first through sixth grades. 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.
Sign Language Class
CONWAY — A sign language class meets at 5:30 p.m. Mondays at the Faulkner County Library.
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. Issues to be discussed include Obamacare, overspending, constitutional items, taxation, state sovereignty, and local, state and federal government operations. For more information, call Marlin Schwartz at (847) 977-5261.
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 books at bargain prices. Proceeds from the shop benefit the libraries in Cleburne County. Volunteers are needed. Friends of the Library are welcome to attend the monthly meetings at 1 p.m. the second Thursday of the month. Stop by the shop for more information.
Upcoming
Softball League Organizational Meeting
RUSSELLVILLE — The Russellville Recreation and Parks Department will hold an organizational meeting for Adult Summer Softball at 6:30 p.m. March 3 at the Hughes Community Center. Anyone interested in entering a team in the summer softball league will need to have a representative at the meeting. Registration will begin March 4 and end at 5 pm. March 14. If unable to attend the meeting, registration forms are available in the Russellville Recreation and Parks Department office or online at www.russellvillearkansas.org. For more information, call the Hughes Center at (479) 968-1272.
Fish Fry
MORRILTON — Knights of Columbus Council 5209 in Morrilton will hold its annual fish fry March 7 at the KC Hall, 808 N. Cedar St. Carryout lunches will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for $10. All-you-can-eat dine-in meals will be served from 5-8 p.m. for $13. Carryout dinners will be sold for $10 each, beginning at 4 p.m. The cost is $5 for children ages 4-12, and children younger than 4 may eat free. The public is invited, and proceeds will support charitable work in the community.
Author Presentation
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Library will welcome Sam Taggart, M.D., at 7 p.m. March 11. Dr. Taggart is the author of The Public’s Health, a narrative history of the evolution of health and disease in Arkansas over the past 200 years.
Commerce Banquet
VILONIA — The 2014 Vilonia Area Chamber of Commerce banquet will be held at 6:30 p.m. March 14. Preston Scroggin of Vilonia, director of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission, will be the guest speaker. The menu will include brisket and smoked chicken. The deadline to purchase tickets, at $25 each, is March 5. Sponsorships are available, beginning at $200. The chamber is also accepting nominations for Citizen of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Business of the Year, Youth of the Year, School Employee of the Year and City Employee of the Year. To submit a nomination, email viloniachamberofcommerce@yahoo.com or call Jill Bonnema, chamber CEO, at (501) 499-1312.
Deep South Quartet Convention
RUSSELLVILLE — The Crusader’s Ministries of Magnolia and Gateway Pentecostal Church of God of Russellville will host the Deep South Quartet Convention at 6 p.m. March 14 and 15 at Gateway Pentecostal Church, 1155 Bradley Cove Road. The Crusader’s Ministries, Ed Held, the New Living Quartet, Patrick Quick and The Travelers, and Terry Lemay will take the stage to minister through song, testimony and preaching. Church vans and buses are welcome. CDs and Christian-wear merchandise will be available before and after the service. For more information, call David at (870) 904-3118. Those who are unable to attend may watch the convention live at www.dsqc.org.
Chocolate Roll Festival
MARSHALL — The third annual Marshall High School Art Club Chocolate Roll Festival will be held March 15 at Marshall High School. The festival will begin at 10 a.m., and awards will be presented at 2 p.m. The centerpiece of the festival is a competition to determine who makes the world’s best chocolate rolls. After all, Searcy County is known as the Chocolate Roll Capital of the World. For more information, call (870) 448-6224.
Democratic Political Rally
CLINTON — A Democratic Political Rally will be held at 6 p.m. March 15 in the G.W. Building at the Van Buren County Fairgrounds. A ham, bean and cornbread supper will be served for a donation. Each candidate will have an opportunity to comment. Local entertainment will be provided. The rally is sponsored by the Van Buren County Democratic Central Committee.
Anglers Expo
HEBER SPRINGS — The Anglers Expo will be held March 28 and 29 at the Heber Springs Community Center. Vendors supporting hunting, fishing, and sports industries will display their products. Featured guests will be The Swamp People from the History Chanel. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Cleburne County. For more information, contact Rotarian Dara Samuel at (501) 362-8402 or dara.anglersexpo@gmail.com, or visit www.anglersexpo.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.