COMMUNITY EVENTS IN THE THREE RIVERS EDITION

Dec. 10

Cabot Christmas Parade

CABOT — The Cabot Christmas parade will begin at 3 p.m. The theme is “A Hollywood Movies Christmas!” Route maps are available at www.cabotparks.com. For more information, call (501) 920-2122 or email cabotbeautiful@yahoo.com.

Dec. 12

Izard County Republican Committee Meeting

MELBOURNE — The Izard County Republican Committee will meet at 6 p.m. in the Melbourne Community Church Fellowship Hall, 114 Jackson St. Charles Fuqua will speak about the Federal Reserve System and how it affects the country. Members and friends are welcome to attend.

Dec. 13

AARP Drive Smart Course

CABOT — An AARP Drive Smart Course will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Cabot United Methodist Church, 2003 S. Pine St. The instructors are Jerry and Bertie Yates. The cost of the course is $15 for AARP members with an AARP card and $20 for nonmembers. Participants are asked to bring a sweater or jacket because the room is usually cool. To register for the class, call Jean Davenport at (501) 843-5694.

Dec. 14

American Legion Post 71 Meeting

CABOT — Criswell Robinson American Legion Post 71 will meet at 7 p.m. The pre-meeting meal will begin at 6 p.m. All veterans are invited to attend. The meetings are normally held the fourth Thursday of every month. Sons of veterans may join the Sons of American Legion, and women may join the Auxiliary. Daughters may join the Junior Auxiliary. Post 71 has a Legion Riders chapter for motorcyclists and a ham radio club, STARS. For more information, call Post 71 at (501) 203-5715 or come by from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, at 114 N. First St. in the Cabot mini mall.

STARS Club Christmas Party

EL PASO — The STARS Club, a ham-radio group, will have its Christmas party at 5:30 p.m. at the El Paso Community Center. Attendees are asked to bring a side dish to share. There will be a raffle for four digital mobile radios. Contact Gordon Miller at gmiller266@gmail.com.

ONGOING

Searcy Art Gallery Exhibit

SEARCY — An exhibit of paintings by Howard Johnson will be on display through Jan. 1 at the Searcy Art Gallery, 300 E. Race Ave. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call (501) 279-1094.

Silver Angel Tree Program

NEWPORT — The White River Area Agency on Aging is sponsoring its annual Silver Angel Tree program to provide a merry Christmas to many seniors. Each angel, which indicates gender, size and gift ideas, is available for pickup at iCare Pharmacy and in the Merchants and Planters Bank lobby, both in Newport. Return Angel gifts to the WRAAA office, 1200 Arkansas 367, next to US Pizza Co., by Friday, with the angel tag attached to the gifts, which can be wrapped or unwrapped. Monetary donations are also accepted. For more information, call the WRAAA at (870) 523-4982.

Water Aerobics Opportunities

SEARCY — The Searcy Swim Center is offering gift certificates for the holidays for Searcy Splash, a water aerobics class. The options include a monthlong pass for $25, a four-month pass for $95 and a yearlong pass for $275. Members of the Searcy Swim Center who are 18 and older can try out Searcy Splash for free, and nonmembers can attend a class by purchasing a $5 day pass. The next free class is from 9-10 a.m. Saturday. For more information, call the center at (501) 658-3546 or message Searcy Splash on Facebook.

BAAC Member Exhibition

BATESVILLE — The Batesville Area Arts Council presents its second annual BAAC Member Exhibition, which will be on display at the BAAC Gallery on Main, 226 E Main St., through Jan. 6. The exhibit features artwork from 11 local and regional artists, including Dustyn Bork, Regina Bryant, Ian Campbell, Patricia Corder, Marlene Gremillion, Lance Layman, Aline McCracken, Merry Ann McSpadden, Marlene Salls, Ruby Schaaf and Mark Turner. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

A Very Melba Christmas

BATESVILLE — A free Christmas movie series titled A Very Melba Christmas will feature films during the holiday season at the Melba Theater, 115 W. Main St. The following movies will be shown at 6:30 p.m.: Miracle on 34th Street will be shown today, Home Alone on Tuesday, Jingle All the Way on Thursday, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York on Dec. 17, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Dec. 19, and A Christmas Story on Dec. 21. For more information, call the theater at (870) 569-8002.

Jacksonville Sertoma Club Meeting

JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Sertoma Club meets at noon every Wednesday at the Southern Oaks Country Club, 701 Foxwood Drive. The Sertoma Club raises money for hearing aids and for scholarships for local high school seniors, including seniors from the Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock.

Search for Historical Items

CABOT — Criswell Robinson American Legion Post 71 needs items of history: artifacts, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, pictures, stories, anything that pertains to a veteran’s history or the history of the community. The American Legion will celebrate its 100th anniversary soon and wants to preserve this history and share it with future veterans and others. To contribute items, call Susie Goebel at (501) 203-5715, or come by Post 71 at 114 N. First St.

Incident Command System Classes

CABOT — The STARS Club, a ham-radio group, will offer the following classes, taught by Steve Moore with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: ICS (Incident Command System) 100, Saturday; ICS 200, Jan. 20; and ICS 800, Feb 17. All are welcome to attend the classes, which will take place at American Legion Post 71, 114 N. First St. For more information, contact Gordon Miller at gmiller266@gmail.com.

American Legion Oratorical Contest

CABOT — American Legion Post 71’s Oratorical Contest is open to high school students younger than 20. The speeches are eight to 10 minutes long and must be on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution. Applications are available from Kim Gibson at Cabot High School and must be submitted to the American Legion Department Headquarters by Dec. 31. Certifications must be submitted to Department Headquarters by Feb. 17. The contest will be March 3, with the location to be announced.

Shepherd’s Center Wednesday Activities

BEEBE — From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.every Wednesday at the Shepherd’s Center at Beebe United Methodist Church, 302A N. Main St., seniors participate in classes in quilting, art, jewelry making, scrapbooking, card making, genealogy, beginning computers, Bible discussions and bridge. At special times, cake decorating, holiday food preparation and ethnic food classes are offered, and in the spring, American Sign Language and gardening. Lunch is a potluck served to all who attend, whether or not they bring a dish.

Bluegrass Music Night

HEBER SPRINGS — Heber Springs Christian Church, 1101 N. Broadway St., offers a bluegrass music night from 6:30-8:30 every Tuesday. Musicians are invited to participate. Free coffee will be available.

Beebe Kiwanis Club Meetings

BEEBE — The Beebe Kiwanis Club meets at noon the first and third Thursdays of each month in the Stephens Room of the Student Center at Arkansas State University-Beebe. Kiwanis is a volunteer organization with the mission of helping youth in the community. For more information, call Flo Fitch at (501) 230-2890 or Debra Crisco at (501) 454-3505.

Civitan Meetings

CABOT — Civitan meets at 6 p.m. the first and third Mondays of the month at First Security Bank in downtown Cabot. Civitan is an organization that provides training and support for people with developmental disabilities.

Free Brown-Bag Lunch

CABOT — The Mount Tabor United Methodist Church Women of Cabot serve a free brown-bag lunch at 11 a.m. each Thursday at the church, 4100 Arkansas 89 S. In 2016, this mission of the church served more than 8,600 lunches to the hungry and needy of Cabot.

Opportunity for Bridge Players

BEEBE — Bridge players are needed at 1 p.m. Wednesdays at the Shepherd’s Center at Beebe United Methodist Church, 302A N. Main St. Beginners are welcome. For more information, call (501) 843-2930.

Beebe Caregivers Support Group

BEEBE — The Beebe Caregivers Support Group meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the Shepherd’s Center at Beebe United Methodist Church, 302A N. Main St. For more information, call Sandra Garrett at (501) 940-4021.

Alzheimer’s Support Group

CABOT — The Alzheimer’s Support Group meets at 10 a.m. the second Tuesday of each month at Cabot United Methodist Church, 2003 S. Pine St. For more information, call (501) 265-0027.

Republicans Meetings

NEWPORT — The Jackson County Republicans meet at 7 p.m. the fourth Monday of the month at Merchants and Planters Bank, 915 Arkansas 367 N. For more information, call Jeff McDonald at (870) 731-7646.

Cabot Lions Club Meetings

CABOT — The Cabot Lions Club has regular get-togethers at noon the first and third Thursdays of the month at the Kingpin Sports Grill. Lions serve local communities and protect the planet. Club members provide children with eyeglasses, offer food for seniors and provide assistance during natural disasters. All are invited to the meetings.

Upcoming

Community Music Gathering

BATESVILLE — There will be a community music gathering from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 18 at First Community Bank. Instrumentalists and singers are invited to attend and contribute their favorite Christmas songs. Listeners are also welcome. The group will not meet on New Year’s Day.

Eve of New Year’s Eve Bash

BATESVILLE — The Independence County Library Friends Foundation will celebrate New Year’s Eve early from 7-11 p.m. Dec. 30 at the Barnett Building, 267 E. Main St. The event will feature live music by The Cherry Pickers, dancing, food and drinks, including Champagne, and lots of door prizes. Tickets are $45 and may be purchased at the library, 368 E. Main St., or at the Citizens Bank Main Branch or the First Community Bank Main Branch. Proceeds from the dance will benefit the library. For more information, call (870) 793-8814 or visit the Independence County Library’s Facebook Page.

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. The deadline for calendar-item submissions is noon Tuesday.

Upcoming Events