Sept. 19
AARP Meeting
CONWAY — The Conway AARP chapter will meet from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Conway First United Methodist Church, 1610 Prince St., for a potluck lunch in the church’s Fellowship Hall, on the north side of the church by the parking lot. The meal will begin at 11:10 a.m. and be followed by bingo at noon. All seniors ages 50 and older are welcome to attend. Attendees are asked to bring a potluck dish, a bingo prize and a canned food item for the church’s food pantry. For more information, call Ruby Johnson at (501) 327-0498 or Ron Ross at (501) 327-6803.
Sept. 20
Conway Women’s Chorus Auditions
CONWAY — The Conway Women’s Chorus is seeking new members for the fall semester. Open rehearsals will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the building attached to the Conway Dinner Theater, 2201 Washington Ave., Suite 12. “If you are looking for a way to use those singing talents, we’ve got just the thing for you,” said Joan Hanna, director of the chorus, as well as its sponsor, the Faulkner Academy of Arts. For more information, call Hanna at (501) 339-7401, or visit www.faulkneracademyofarts.org.
Retired Teachers Meeting
CLINTON — The Van Buren County Retired Teachers and School Employees Association will meet at 11:30 a.m. at Western Sizzlin in Clinton. The speaker will be Matt Hughes of Hughes Insurance Agency in Russellville, who will discuss upcoming insurance changes. Tyrene Gardner, superintendent of the Shirley School District, will give an update on the school system’s status and talk about changes for the 2016-17 school year. All retired school employees are encouraged to attend, and guests are welcome.
Sept. 21-24
Junkfest
SEARCY COUNTY — Junkfest, an annual community yard sale in Searcy County, will take place Wednesday through Saturday, with yard sales in Marshall, Leslie and St. Joe. There will also be sales, specials and deals at local antique stores, flea markets and thrift stores. Junkfest will coincide with the multicounty Ozark Byways Buy Days on Saturday. For more information, call (870) 448-2557.
Sept. 22 and 23
Book Sale
CONWAY — The Olin C. and Marjorie H. Bailey Library at Hendrix College will host a book sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the library. A wide variety of used books will be for sale, priced $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardbacks. The public is invited. For more information, call Britt Murphy, library director, at (501) 450-1288 or Lynn Beatty at (501) 450-4556.
Sept. 22 – Oct. 1
10th Annual ArtsFest
CONWAY — ArtsFest, Conway’s citywide celebration of the arts, will mark its 10th anniversary with this year’s festival, from Thursday through Oct. 1, at locations throughout the city. ArtsFest is planned and presented by the Conway Alliance for the Arts. Events, which are free and family-friendly, include visual arts, dance, music, creative writing, film, theater and more. For a complete schedule of ArtsFest activities, visit www.artsinconway.org.
Sept. 24
Brass in the Clouds
RUSSELLVILLE — Performers from the Arkansas Tech University Department of Music will present the 12th annual Brass in the Clouds concert, co-sponsored by Mount Nebo State Park, at 6:30 p.m. at Mount Nebo’s Sunset Point. The public is invited to attend. Trombone, trumpet and horn ensembles will perform under the direction of Sean Reed and T.J. Perry, assistant professors of music. Mount Nebo State Park recommends that audience members bring blankets or chairs for seating. For more information, call (479) 968-0368, or visit www.atu.edu/music.
Author Fair
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Library will present the fourth annual Author Fair from 1-4 p.m. The event, which will take place during Banned Books Week and ArtsFest 2016, will celebrate the freedom to create and the art of the writer. Authors from many genres will be featured, and books will be available for purchase. Participants will learn what it takes to write and sell nonfiction, novels, children’s books, literature, poetry and more. Published authors who would like to attend the event may contact the library. All library events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the
library at (501) 327-7482 or email nancy@fcl.org.
Garage Sale
MAUMELLE — A large multifamily garage sale, sponsored by the Maumelle AARP Chapter, will take place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 174 Lily Drive to help support the group’s community-service projects. Items available for sale will include household and yard items, clothing, linens, a large-screen Sony HD TV (rear projection), an exercise bike, knickknacks, books and more. For more information, call (501) 231-7445.
ONGOING
Friday Night Bingo
HEBER SPRINGS — Friday Night Bingo takes place each week at the American Legion Hall, 49 Park Road. Doors open at 5:30 for bonanzas, and regular play starts at 6:30 p.m. Food is available.
Stroke Support Group
CONWAY — The Stroke Support Group meets from 1-2 p.m. the third Thursday of every month at Conway Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, 2210 Robinson Ave. Participants are invited to have coffee and share stories about life after stroke. They gain practical guidance on nutrition, exercise, and social and emotional support, with resource networking. The free meetings feature special guest speakers and topics of interest.
Faulkner County Coin Club Meetings
CONWAY — The Faulkner County Coin Club meets the first Thursday of each month at the Ola and John Hawks Senior Wellness and Activity Center, 705 E. Siebenmorgen Road. The 5 p.m. dinner is optional, and a $6 donation is suggested for those 60 and younger. A fellowship time takes place from 5:30-7 p.m. and includes educational speakers, show-and-tell, news and door prizes. The meetings are open to coin collectors, history buffs or anyone interested in coins, tokens, medals, paper money, documents, etc. For more information, call (501) 327-2895 or (501) 908-9678.
Open-Mic Event
FAIRFIELD BAY — An open-mic music event takes place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. the second and third Thursdays of each month at the Fairfield Bay Conference Center. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The event is open to anyone who would like to sing or play an instrument. For more information, call the center at (501) 884-4202.
Third Thursday Farmers Market
FAIRFIELD BAY — The Third Thursday Farmers Market will be open from 9-11 a.m. Oct. 20 in the Fairfield Bay Community Education Center Courtyard, 130 Village Lane. The market features plants, produce and herbs. Setup is at 8 a.m., and there are no vendor fees.
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.
Pork Roast Fundraiser
HEBER SPRINGS — The Rotary Club of Heber Springs is hosting its annual pork butt roast fundraiser to benefit the club’s community projects and scholarships. The cost is $40 for a 7- to 9-pound fully cooked smoked pork butt. The meat will be available for pickup from 8-9:30 a.m. Oct. 29. For more information, call Rotary Club President John Lyons at (501) 691-9331.
Upcoming
Audubon Society Meeting
CONWAY — The Arkansas River Valley Audubon Society will meet at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 in Room 10 of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Life Sciences (in the basement’s north hall) at Hendrix College. Call (501) 977-3899 for directions if needed. Many Happy Days I’ve Squandered: Part 2 will be presented by Jack Stewart, a director of the National Audubon Society and education chair of the Arkansas Audubon Society. He will focus on adventures spawned by some of the natural-history books he has read. Refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to join members for the program.
Punt, Pass and Kick
RUSSELLVILLE — The Russellville Recreation and Parks Department will host a Punt, Pass and Kick competition at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Vick Field, 915 E. Parkway Drive. The free football competition is open to boys and girls ages 6 to 15. Registration forms are available at the Hughes Community Center, or register at the event. For more information, call the center at (479) 968-1272.
Conway Writer’s Group Reading
CONWAY — The Conway Writer’s Group will celebrate ArtsFest with a reading of original works by local authors at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Faulkner County Library. Following the ArtsFest theme of “Conway Marks the Spot,” authors Robert Reising, Jean Leffler, Paula Abernathy, Libbey Talley, Bryan Williams, Kathy Kordsmeier, Joyce Holder, Joyce Rossi and Harvey Melton will read from original works that put Conway at the center of the story. Mike Abernathy will be the master of ceremonies for the event. All library events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the library at (501) 327-7482 or email nancy@fcl.org.
Artist in Residence Events
CONWAY — Kelly Link, an author of “speculative” or “slipstream” fiction, will visit the University of Central Arkansas as Artist in Residence in conjunction with the 10th celebration of ArtsFest in Conway. Link’s works include Get in Trouble, Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners and Pretty Monsters. Link will have a public reading and book-signing event at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in Room 107 of the UCA College of Business. She will offer a masterclass for creative writers at 10 a.m. Sept. 28 in Room 331 of the College of Business. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, at (501) 450-3293 or email jdmiller@uca.edu.
Arkansas Tech Open House for prospective students
RUSSELLVILLE — High school students and other individuals interested in learning more about educational opportunities at Arkansas Tech University are invited to the 20th annual Tech Open House from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 1 at the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center. Campus tours will depart from the library every 15 minutes. Representatives from every degree program offered at Tech will be available to answer questions and speak with prospective students. The Tech Open House door prize will be a fall 2017 tuition scholarship to Arkansas Tech. For more information, call (479) 968-0343 or (800) 582-6953, or visit www.atu.edu/admissions.
Heber Springs Dulcimer Day
HEBER SPRINGS — The second annual Heber Springs Dulcimer Day for mountain-dulcimer players will take place Oct. 8 in the First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 201 N. Fourth St. The one-day workshop offers beginner instruction by Wayne Randolph and intermediate classes by Lee Cagle. The cost is $20 for two sessions: 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. A limited number of loaner dulcimers will be available. There will be a free concert at 7 p.m. at the William Carl Garner Visitor Center featuring Cagle and local band Strings & Things. Preregister for the workshop by emailing bstracen@yahoo.com or calling (501)-206-9566. For more information, visit www.leecagledulcimers.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.