Library to collect glasses for eclipse
Anyone with eclipse glasses used to watch last Monday's solar eclipse can donate them to the William F. Laman Public Library for the Astronomers Without Borders redistribution program to help children in South America and Asia watch the next solar eclipse in 2019.
Both Laman sites are collecting the eclipse glasses. The main library is at 2801 Orange St., and the Argenta Branch, 420 Main St. downtown.
The Laman Library System gave away 1,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses obtained through a STAR_Net grant for last week's eclipse.
The Astronomers Without Borders program distributed 13,7000 solar eclipse glasses to schoolchildren in eight countries in west and central Africa in 2013, according to a library news release about the program.
Auto, air show set Sept. 23 at airport
Wings Over the Rock, the annual air and car show at the municipal airport, 8200 Remount Road, will be Sept. 23.
Gates will open at 9 a.m. Admission is $5 for those age 9 and over. Children age 8 and under will be admitted free.
The air and car show features jet-powered pickups, antique cars, muscle cars, formation flying, war birds and helicopter rides.
Thea office update to finish this week
Renovation is expected to be completed by month's end at the Thea Foundation's headquarters at 401 Main St. downtown.
The building update by Bell Construction of North Little Rock cost $286,000, according to information from the nonprofit foundation distributed to the City Council.
The foundation added that it has spent $635,027 year-to-date within the city "in support of our economy."
That amount includes bringing about 2,450 visitors into downtown, including attendees participating in Thea functions and out-of-towners staying in city hotels. The amount also includes salaries for Thea staff members, all of whom live in the city, according to the information sheet.
In addition, the foundation spent $105,396 in support of arts programs and scholarships to schools and students during 2016, the foundation said.
The city provided the Thea Foundation $48,000 from this year's budget as part of $795,000 awarded to several nonprofit community programs, after originally reducing Thea's appropriation by $20,000. Thea's was the only appropriation for a community-based program that was proposed to be cut back before aldermen reinstated the money.
Two weeks remain for 2 artists' exhibit
A "Paints, Pastels, Pencils and Pixels" art exhibit will be available free to the public through Sept. 9 at the Argenta Branch of the William F. Laman Public Library.
The exhibition opened Aug. 18 at the library, 420 Main St.
The show displays the works of Miller E. "Eddie" Smith and Ed Rhodes.
Smith is a member of the Arkansas League of Artists' board of directors. Rhodes spent 30 years as a graphic designer for the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service communications office.
Metro on 08/27/2017