CALENDAR EVENTS IN THE THREE RIVERS AREA

Saturday

International Food Fest
SEARCY — St. James Catholic Church will hold its eighth annual International Food Fest at 6:30 in the church’s Parish Hall. Tickets are $10 in advance or $20 at the door. There will be a silent auction with more than 200 donated items, and the raffle of a National Football League football autographed by members of the 2015 Green Bay Packers. Raffle tickets for this event, along with those for a cash prize, will be sold. For ticket information, call the parish office at (501) 268-5252.
Saturday International Food Fest SEARCY — St. James Catholic Church will hold its eighth annual International Food Fest at 6:30 in the church’s Parish Hall. Tickets are $10 in advance or $20 at the door. There will be a silent auction with more than 200 donated items, and the raffle of a National Football League football autographed by members of the 2015 Green Bay Packers. Raffle tickets for this event, along with those for a cash prize, will be sold. For ticket information, call the parish office at (501) 268-5252.

Jan. 31

Movie Screening

EL PASO — CrossRoads Cowboy Church, 3071 Arkansas 5, will show the movie Nail 32. The family-friendly movie is based on the life of Russ Weaver’s dad and the start of the cowboy church. Beans, cornbread and desserts will be served at 5 p.m., and the movie will start at 6. All are invited to attend. Admission is free. For more information, call Becky at (501) 230-7872 or find CrossRoads Cowboy Church on Facebook.

Feb. 1

Community Music Gathering

BATESVILLE — There will be a Batesville Community Music gathering from 6-8 p.m. at First Community Bank. All are invited to attend and sing, play music or listen.

Feb. 2

Republican Candidate Debate

BATESVILLE — A debate between candidates in contested Republican primary races and Arkansas Supreme Court races in Independence County will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Citizens Bank Annex, 285 E. College St. U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers and his opponent, Curtis Colemen, as well as state Rep. James Sturch of Batesville and his opponent, Phillip Finch, have been invited. Supreme court candidates Clark Mason, Judge Shawn Womack, Judge Courtney Goodson and Judge Dan Kemp have also been asked to attend. For more information, call (870) 612-3570 or email CharlesRFuqua@gmail.com.

American Pen Women Meeting

CHEROKEE VILLAGE — The National League of American Pen Women’s Spring River Branch will meet at 10 a.m. at Cherokee Village Lutheran Church, at the corner of Cherokee Road and Okmulgee Drive. The group will work on an informative pamphlet and upcoming events. This group of women writers, artists and musicians meets the first Wednesday of the month. New members are welcome. For more information, call Pat Dunlap at (870) 966-4714 or Pat Oplinger at (870) 257-5558.

Feb. 4

Lyon College Convocation

BATESVILLE — Lyon College Professor Emeritus George Lankford will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Nucor Auditorium in the Lyon Building at Lyon College. Lankford will discuss the early history of Batesville and Independence County. Admission is free and open to the public.

Women’s Self-Defense Class

BATESVILLE — A free women’s self-defense class will be held at 6 p.m. in Independence Hall at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville. No registration is required for the event, presented by the Batesville Police Department’s Law Enforcement Community Relations Team. Water will be provided. For more information, call (870) 805-0797 or (870) 805-0798, or visit LawEnforcementCRT@gmail.com.

Feb. 6

The SAME Cafe

SEARCY — The SAME Cafe will be open from 4-5:30 p.m. at the West Side Church of Christ, 709 W. Arch St. The SAME Cafe is open to anyone in the community who would like a free warm meal.

Souper Bowl Saturday

BATESVILLE — The Batesville Area Arts Council will present Souper Bowl Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 424 E. Main St. Advance tickets are $7. Soup will also be sold for $8 per quart. Events will include Make Your Own Football Art! for $5 per person and other family activities. Tickets are available at the BAAC Gallery on Main, the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Carlee’s Hallmark, Citizens Bank, First Community Bank and Hangups Frame Shop, and from BAAC board members. For more information, call the arts council at (870) 793-3382.

Chili Supper and Dessert Auction

FLOYD — The Floyd-Romance Volunteer Fire Department will hold its Chili Supper and Dessert Auction at 5:30 p.m. at the Floyd Main Fire Station, 1105 Arkansas 31. All politicians and candidates for local office are encouraged to attend. Tickets are $5 each. Children ages 4 and younger may eat free. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Fire Department. For more information, call (501) 993-7665.

ONGOING

Photography Exhibit

BATESVILLE — The Kresge Gallery at Lyon College has opened the spring semester’s exhibition series with a photography exhibit by Lyon volleyball coach Ray Green through Feb. 26. Titled Road Trip, the exhibition features photographs taken by Green on various trips across the country. He explains in his artist statement that he stops a lot on trips and likes to capture details the typical tourist might overlook. The Kresge Gallery is in the Alphin Building on campus. The gallery’s hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission to the gallery is free, and the exhibit is open to the public.

The Fantasticks

SEARCY — Center on the Square Community Theater, 219 W. Arch Ave., will present The Fantasticks, directed by Mario Hofheinz, with Susan Bucher as musical director. The play is a funny, romantic musical about a boy, a girl and their fathers, who try to get the couple together by keeping them apart. Showtimes will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and again Feb. 12-13 and 19-20; and at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 14 and 21. Tickets are $18, plus tax. For more information or tickets, call (501) 368-0111 or visit centeronthesquare.org.

The Biggest Loser Community Challenge

HIGHLAND — The Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce will present the eight-week Biggest Loser Community Challenge, an online health and wellness challenge, beginning Feb. 15. The challenge seeks teams of four, for a $100 fee, for the national event, which will give away more than 10,000 prizes, including trips to the finale of The Biggest Loser television show in Los Angeles. People of all fitness levels are welcome. Register a team at www.biggestlosercommunity.com. For more information, contact Todd Conforth with Clary Fitness at (870) 994-4444, the chamber at (870) 856-3210, or Kari or Pat at Curves at (870) 856-6010.

GED/Adult Education Classes

FLORAL — The University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville Adult Education Department offers reading, math, writing and computer-literacy classes from 3-5 p.m. Mondays in the computer lab at Midland Elementary School in Floral. Enrollment is ongoing. Students must be at least 18 and not enrolled in school. For more information, contact Nancy Whitmire at (870) 612-2085 or nancy.whitmire@uaccb.edu, or Judy Pearson at (501) 345-2413.

Second Time Around Bookstore

SEARCY — The Literacy Council of White County operates the Second Time Around Bookstore at 811 S. Main St., Suite D. Proceeds from the sale of donated books support the mission of helping adults in the community improve their literacy and English-language skills. The store and literacy office are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. To train as a tutor, to become a bookstore volunteer or for more information, call (501) 278-5500.

Yoga in the Gallery

BATESVILLE — The Batesville Area Arts Council offers Yoga in the Gallery classes at 8:45 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at the BAAC Gallery on Main, 226 E. Main St. The hour-long sessions are taught by RYT200-certified yoga instructor Marnie Davis. Beginners are welcome, and no preregistration is required. The cost is $10 per session or 10 sessions for $70. For more information, call (870) 793-3382.

Pancake Breakfast

McRAE — A pancake breakfast is held from 7-9 a.m. the second Saturday of each month at McRae Masonic Lodge F. & A.M. No. 687. Donations are accepted.

WISE Coalition Meeting

SEARCY — The WISE (White County Invested in Substance Abuse Eradication) Coalition meets from noon to 1 p.m. the third Wednesday of every month in the Community Room of the First Community Bank University Branch, 800 E. Beebe Capps Expressway. All are invited to attend and get involved in activities to help prevent and reduce substance abuse in White County youth. For more information, visit wisecoalition@gmail.com or call (501) 388-6555.

Cabot Civitan Meetings

CABOT — Cabot Civitan Meetings are held at 6 p.m. the first and third Mondays of each month at First Security Bank in downtown Cabot. For more information, call Tom Nolting at (501) 606-3731.

Friends of the Library Book Shop

HEBER SPRINGS — The Friends of the Library Book Shop, 2255 Arkansas 25B N., is open from 3:30-7 p.m. Mondays, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. The shop offers a large selection of books at bargain prices. All proceeds from the shop benefit the libraries in Cleburne County.

To submit an item for the Calendar of Events, mail information to Calendar of Events, Three Rivers Edition, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR, 72203; send faxes to (501) 378-3500; or email trnews@arkansasonline.com. Deadlines for calendar-item submissions are noon Friday for Thursday editions and noon Tuesday for Sunday editions.

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