COMMUNITY EVENTS IN THE RIVER VALLEY & OZARK AREA

Sept. 29

Job Fair

CONWAY — The Conway Regional Nursing and Retention Council will host a job fair for nurses and medical technologists from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Conway Regional Medical Center Auditorium. The fair offers an opportunity for the public to learn more about nursing and other clinical job opportunities available in the Conway Regional Health System.

Papier Maché Masks Class

CONWAY — Learn how to make Halloween papier maché masks with artist Melinda Lindsay Engelhardt at the Faulkner County Library. The class meets from 4-6 p.m. Thursdays, beginning today and running through Oct. 27. The class is open to adults and children ages 8 and older. Preregistration is encouraged. To register, call the library at (501) 327-7482 or email nancy@fcl.org.

Sept. 29 – Oct. 1

10th Annual ArtsFest

CONWAY — ArtsFest, Conway’s citywide celebration of the arts, marks its 10th anniversary with this year’s festival, which continues through Saturday 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. 30

Chili Supper and Raffle

LANTY — There will be a Chili Supper and Raffle from 4-8 p.m. at the Lanty Community Building. The meal will include varieties of chili with all the fixins, as well as hot dogs and dessert. The cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 12 and younger. The raffle will include 10 prize packages, each valued at $85 or more. Raffle tickets are $1 each and can be purchased by calling Jane McClaren at (501) 354-0271 or Martha McClaren at (501) 354-5729. All proceeds will go to the Lanty Community Building Fund.

Sept. 30 and Oct. 1

Benefit Rummage Sale, Blessing of the Animals

HEBER SPRINGS — St. Francis Episcopal Church, 20 Woodland Cove, just off Arkansas 110 across from the Heber Springs Sports Complex, will have a benefit rummage sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. All proceeds from the sale will go to the operation of the Heber Springs Humane Society Shelter and the St. Francis Discretionary General Fund. St. Francis will hold its annual Blessing of the Animals at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church. All are invited to bring their pets to the ceremony. Donations of dry dog, puppy, cat and kitten food will be accepted at the sale Saturday and given to the humane society. For more information, call Kathy Shell at (501) 206-5140 or Nancy Spaulding at (501) 733-1704, or the church office at (501) 362-3111 or (501) 365-6564.

Oct. 1

Arkansas Tech Open House

RUSSELLVILLE — High school students and other individuals interested in learning more about educational opportunities at Arkansas Tech University are invited to the 20th annual Arkansas Tech Open House from 10 a.m. to noon 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 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.

Oct. 5

First Wednesday Ladies’ Lunch Break

CONWAY— The First Wednesday Ladies’ Lunch Break will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the Second Baptist Church Fellowship Hall at Dave Ward Drive and Farris Road. Enter the church off Farris Road. Women of all ages are invited to attend. Lunch, for $5, includes a drink and dessert. Child care is available at no charge with advance registration by calling (501) 327-4066 or (501) 730-4106 by Monday.

ONGOING

Stroke Support Group

CONWAY — A free stroke support group for patients and caregivers meets at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of every other month at the Conway Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, 2210 Robinson Ave. The next meeting will be Nov. 17. The group offers guidance on nutrition, exercise, and social and emotional support, and provides networking assistance for resources. Guest speakers present topics of interest to the group. For more information, call Debbie Cummings, recreational therapist, at (501) 960-8219 or Gwen Galloway, registered nurse, at (501) 932-3565.

Christmas Parade Entry Forms

RUSSELLVILLE — Entry forms for the 2016 Russellville Christmas Parade are now available at the Recreation and Parks Department office, 1000 E. Parkway, and at www.russellvillearkansas.org. The parade will take place at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1. All entries must have a Christmas theme. The entry fee is $25 for a float and $100 for a commercial entry other than a float. The entry deadline is noon Nov. 28. For more information, call the Recreation

and Parks Department at (479) 968-1272.

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.

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 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.

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

Business Expo

HEBER SPRINGS — The Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce will host the 14th annual Business Expo from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Heber Springs Community Center. More than 60 exhibitors will display and promote their products and services. The public is invited, and admission is free.

Public Lecture

CONWAY — Hendrix College will host Cacao Biology, Chocolate Culture: An Ecology of Colonial Knowledge and the Genesis of Taste, a public lecture by Kathryn E. Sampeck, at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6 in Mills C in the Mills Social Sciences Center. The lecture, sponsored by the Hendrix Sociology and Anthropology Club, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Hendrix anthropology professor Stacey Schwartzkopf at (501) 505-1507 or schwartzkopf@hendrix.edu.

Billy Kemp Concert

CONWAY — The Faulkner County Library will present Billy Kemp in concert at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at the library. Kemp, of Jeni & Billy fame, will perform songs from the Jeni & Billy release Heart of the Mountain, as well as others from the duos’ catalog, plus earlier songs that he co-wrote. 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.

Hilliard Speech Showcase

CONWAY — The annual Hilliard Speech Showcase will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 in Room 100 of the University of Central Arkansas College of Business. The event, created to honor the memory of Olive Hilliard, a professor at UCA from 2003 until her death in 2010, showcases outstanding students from Principles of Communication classes. The winner and runner-up will receive a cash prize. The Olive M. Hilliard Fund supports the showcase winners. To contribute, contact the UCA Foundation or the School of Communication office at (501) 450-3344. For more information, contact Teri Colaianni, Hilliard Speech Showcase committee chair, at (501) 450-5603 or teric@uca.edu.

Leslie Mountain Man Rendezvous

LESLIE — The fifth annual Leslie Mountain Man Rendezvous will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 7 and 8 in downtown Leslie. The free event will feature pre-1840 history coming alive, as well as vendors. Public, private and home schools are invited to attend Oct. 7. Downtown Leslie offers historic homes and buildings, the Ozark Heritage Arts Center, antique stores, shops, art, restaurants, lodging and sourdough bread baked in a brick oven. For more information, call (870) 448-2557.

Fall Festival

OPPELO — Riverview Baptist Christian School, 123 Riverview Road, will host its 44th annual Fall Festival on Oct. 8. A turkey and dressing dinner with all the trimmings will be served from 4:30-7 p.m. in the cafeteria. The cost is $9 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and $7 for children ages 5-12. Children younger than 5 may eat free. Carryout meals will be available. Activities will include a silent auction, a cake walk, a hayride, a treasure hunt, a blowup slide and a Pies and More Store. Games will begin at 6 p.m. There will be a live auction at 7:45 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the school. For more information, call the school at (501) 354-0327.

Second Saturday Bingo

HEBER SPRINGS — Second Saturday Bingo will take place Oct. 8 at St. Albert Catholic Church, 21 Park Road. Quickfire games will begin at 5:30 p.m. There will be a concession stand with homemade desserts.

Spaghetti and Sausage Dinner

NEW DIXIE — St. Boniface Catholic Church will have a spaghetti and sausage dinner from 4-7:30 p.m. Oct. 8 in St. Boniface Hall. The dinner will feature homemade rolls and peach cobbler. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-12. Children younger than 6 may eat free with a parent. The public is invited. For carryout meals, call (501) 759-2896 after 3:30 p.m.

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.

Russellville Trail Dedication

RUSSELLVILLE — The city of Russellville invites the public to the dedication of the North Phoenix Trail at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 11. The trail is adjacent to the Russellville Climbing Center at 1605 N. Phoenix Ave. The trail was funded by a West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District Inc. general-improvement-fund grant program.

Sunset Cinema: Downtown Date Night

RUSSELLVILLE — The Russellville Area Chamber of Commerce will present Sunset Cinema: Downtown Date Night on Oct. 14 at the new Depot Park, featuring Life as We Know It, starring Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel and Arkansas’ own Josh Lucas. Sponsor activities, including games and snacks, will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the movie will begin shortly after sundown. The rain date will be Oct. 21. The admission cost is $1 for adults. For more information about Sunset Cinema and other chamber programs, call (479) 968-2530 or visit www.russellvillechamber.org.

Fall Spaghetti Dinner

ST. VINCENT — The St. Mary’s Altar Society will have its annual fall spaghetti and sausage dinner from 5-8 p.m. Oct. 15 in the Parish Hall at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 10 miles north of Morrilton on Arkansas 95. The menu also includes slaw, green beans, homemade bread and pie. The all-you-can-eat dinner costs $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Children younger than 6 may eat free. Adult takeout meals will be available. The event will include a bake sale, a country kitchen and a silent auction. For more information, call Francie Gottsponer at (501) 354-4737.

2016 Krueger Lecture

RUSSELLVILLE — Paul Andrew Hutton, professor of history at the University of New Mexico, will be the guest speaker for the sixth annual David W. Krueger Lecture at Arkansas Tech University. Hutton will offer a lecture titled Davy Crockett and the Creation of an American Legend at 6 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Doc Bryan Student Services Center Lecture Hall. A reception will follow. The lecture is free and open to the public. Krueger served on the Arkansas Tech history faculty from 1960 to 2010. For more information, call (479) 968-0265.

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.

Golf Tournament

DRASCO — The International Church Planters’ sixth annual golf tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Oct. 29 at the Tannenbaum Golf Club. The entry fee for the four-person scramble is $75 per person or $300 per team and includes lunch, a T-shirt and range balls. Awards will be given for the first-place team in each flight, closest to the pin, the longest drive and a hole in one. Mulligans are also available for purchase. No alcoholic beverages will be allowed. Pay fees in advance by Oct. 15 by mailing to ICP, P.O. Box 112, Tumbling Shoals, AR 72581. For more information, call (501) 362-3339 or email Bill Williams at bw_icp@yahoo.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.

Upcoming Events