COMMUNITY EVENTS IN THE RIVER VALLEY & OZARK AREA

April 24

Sunday Lunch Fundraiser

CONWAY — The 27th annual Sunday lunch, a fundraiser for the senior programs in Faulkner County, will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ola and John Hawks Senior Wellness and Activity Center, 705 E. Siebenmorgen Road. Tickets, at $7 for adults and $4 for children ages 4 to 12, will be sold at the door. Children ages 3 and younger may eat free. Carry-out meals will be available. The menu includes chicken and dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls, Mandarin orange cake and a choice of drinks, including “toad juice.” A kids meal includes a hot dog, potato chips, cookies and a drink. A bake sale and silent auction will be held. For more information, call (501) 327-1122.

April 24-28

Smoke on the Mountain

CONWAY — The Lantern Theatre and Conway Community Arts will present Smoke on the Mountain, by Alan Bailey and Connie Ray, at 2:30 p.m. today and at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The play is directed by Cindy Romeo, with stage management by Angel Moix. Tickets are $20 each. For reservations or more information, visit www.conwayarts.org.

April 25

Music Theatre Workshop

RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Tech University will present its Music Theatre Workshop, songs from Broadway musicals over a variety of eras, for a spring dessert cabaret in the Williamson Hall Dining Room at 1205 N. El Paso Ave. on the Tech campus. Seating will begin at 6:45 p.m., with dessert and the performance to follow. Tickets are $25 per person. Proceeds will assist in the further development of the ensemble. To make reservations, call (479) 968-0473 or email ktfutterer@atu.edu.

April 27

Women Writers Conference ‘First to Know’ Gathering

CONWAY — The University of Central Arkansas Department of Writing and the College of Fine Arts and Communication will hold a “First to Know” gathering at the UCA President’s Home, 140 Donaghey Ave., from 6:30-8 p.m. for the creation of The C.D. Wright Women Writers conference. The conference, named for C.D. Wright, an Arkansas poet who wrote about the state’s people and politics and died unexpectedly in January, will be held annually, beginning in November 2017. For more information, contact Longhorn at (501) 450-5108 or slonghorn@uca.edu.

QuickBooks Online

RUSSELLVILLE — The Arkansas Tech Small Business and Technology Development Center will present QuickBooks Online from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Arkansas Tech University. This workshop is for business owners and their employees who have little or no experience using the cloud-based version of QuickBooks. Topics will include navigation, setting up a company, transactions, reports and more. The cost is $65, and registration is required by calling (479) 356-2067 or visiting asbtdc.org/training/russellville-events by Tuesday. A computer will be provided for each participant to use during the session.

April 28

Poetry Slam

CONWAY — As part of the Faulkner County Library’s celebration of April as National Poetry Month, the library’s first poetry slam will take place at 7 p.m. Participants my read a poem they have written or a work by their favorite poet. Sign-up sheets are available at the front desk, by calling (501) 327-7482 or by emailing nancy@fcl.org. The library will also display the work of its patrons and staff. To submit poems to be selected for display, email adrianna@fcl.org. All library events are free and open to the public.

Hendrix Choir Performance

CONWAY — The Hendrix College Department of Music will present a performance of Carmina Burana, by Carl Orff, at 7:30 p.m. in Staples Auditorium on campus. The performance will feature the Hendrix College Choir, conducted by Andrew Morgan, along with the newly formed Hendrix Chorale and guest soloists. Composed in 1935-1936, Orff’s work is a 25-movement cantata based on texts from a medieval poetry collection found in a Bavarian monastery. The free performance is open to the public. For more information, contact Morgan at (501) 450-1248 or morgan@hendrix.edu.

April 30

Let’s Go Surfing! Benefit Dance

FAIRFIELD BAY — The Let’s Go Surfing! benefit dance for the Fairfield Bay Community Education Center will take place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Fairfield Bay Conference & Visitor Center, 110 Lost Creek Parkway. The event will feature live music by Lucky Draw, as well as a silent auction, light appetizers, games, prizes and a pay-as-you-go bar. Tickets are $25 for the event and $5 each for the 50/50 raffle. Purchase tickets at the Education Center or the Conference Center, or from committee members Cindy Wellenburger, Kay Otis, Linda Duncan, Sharon Luxon, Bonnie Lang or Catherine Swift. RSVP by calling (501) 884-4440.

Cemetery Preservation Workshop

MORRILTON — The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program will offer a free cemetery preservation workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bold Pilgrim Cemetery on Bold Pilgrim Road. Rusty Brenner of Texas Cemetery Restoration will provide instruction on basic repair, straightening and cleaning of gravestones. Registration is limited to 40 people. For more information, email holly@arkansasheritage.org.

ONGOING

Meeting Date Change

RUSSELLVILLE — The Russellville Recreation and Parks Commission has changed its meeting date to noon the second Thursday of each month. The commission meets at the Hughes Community Center.

Tea Party Luncheon

CONWAY — The Faulkner County Tea Party has a luncheon at noon every Thursday at Larry’s Pizza, 1068 Markham St. Guest speakers and the members’ “soap box” are featured each week. Anyone interested in governmental and business affairs on the county, state or national level is invited to arrive early, eat pizza and meet the group’s members.

Upcoming

Wolf Cemetery Decoration Day

OPPELO — The Wolf Cemetery Decoration Day will take place May 1. A potluck dinner will begin at noon at the Riverview Baptist Christian School cafeteria, 123 Riverview Road. The program will start at 2 p.m. at the Wolf Cemetery. In case of inclement weather, the program will be at the Riverview Baptist Church. For more information, call Mike Atkinson, Wolf Cemetery Association president, at (501) 215-0375.

Book Signing

CONWAY — Lois Giorgis will have a book signing from 10 a.m. to noon May 5 at the Faulkner County Library. She will sign copies of Life Keeps Happening, a set of two novellas for young

readers: Three Weeks and its companion novella, Saying Goodbye. Giorgis is a former high-school counselor and the mother of two and stepmother of three. She is also a longtime artist. For more information, call the library at (501) 327-7482, email nancy@fcl.org, or contact Facebook or Twitter.

Pony Up for HAVEN

CONWAY — Pony Up for HAVEN, the third annual Kentucky Derby Party to benefit Help for Abuse Victims in Emergency Need, will be from 4-7 p.m. May 7 at Back Achers Ranch, 3725 College Ave. Tickets are $30 each or $100 for four. The event includes hors d’oeuvres and drinks and viewing the race, plus a live auction. Attendees are asked to wear traditional Kentucky Derby attire. Tickets are available at HavenAR.eventbrite.com. HAVEN is a residential home for abused and neglected girls ages 6-18.

Master Gardeners Plant Sale

CONWAY — The Faulkner County Master Gardeners have many plants ready for their annual plant sale, to take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 14 at the Conway Expo Center and Fairgrounds, 2502 E. Oak St., just off U.S. 64. For more information, call the Faulkner County Cooperative Extension Service at (501) 329-8344.

Quilts of Valor Sew Day

CONWAY— The “A Second Tour” Quilts of Valor group will have a sew day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 21 at the McGee Center, 3800 College Ave. The group will work on Quilts of Valor projects — quilt blocks or tops. Quilters of any skill level are welcome to participate. All quilt tops completed are awarded to veterans in Arkansas. To request a quilt for a veteran, visit www.QOVF.org. For more information regarding joining a group or starting a group, contact Sheila Gordon, Arkansas state coordinator, at (501)-354-5758 or sheila.gordon@QOVF.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.

Upcoming Events