Leers speaks on architecture
Andrea Leers will present a lecture titled “Material Matters” at 5 p.m. April 3 in Ken and Linda Sue Shollmier Hall, Room 250 of Vol Walker Hall, on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, as part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design lecture series.
Leers is the principal and co-founder of Leers Weinzapfel Associates of Boston. The work of Leers Weinzapfel Associates lies at the intersection of architecture, urban design and infrastructure, and it is notable for its inventiveness in dramatically complex projects.
In her lecture, Leers will address how material is at the heart of the architectural imagination. She will explore a diverse group of recent projects that are bound together by a common attitude about the exploration of material. Each project reveals how material research, selection and detailing build on the properties of materials to meet sustainable goals, to respond to context and to evoke a compelling emotional impact.
This is the Warren Segraves lecture, sponsored by Modus Studio. The public is invited to attend. Admission is free, with limited seating.
Information: (479) 575-4704 or fayjones.uark.edu.
Seniors get
free produce
Arkansas has the highest rate of hunger among seniors in the country. In an effort to fight this growing problem, the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Arkansas will give seniors an opportunity to obtain fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables for free.
The USDA Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides one $50 coupon book per household to senior adults age 60 and older to purchase locally grown fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and honey at local farmers markets from approved vendors. To be eligible to receive a coupon book, seniors must meet monthly gross household income guidelines of $1,832 for a family of one, $2,470 for a family of two, $3,108 for a family of three or $3,747 for a family of four (add $642 for each additional family member).
Senior adults that meet the income guidelines and bring photo ID and proof of gross household income will receive a coupon book on a first come first-served basis when distribution begins at the local senior activity centers. In Benton County distribution dates and sites are as follows:
• 9 a.m.-noon April 3: J.B. Hunt Transport Senior Activity Center, 704 E. Monroe Street, Lowell
• 9 a.m.-noon April 5: Gentry Senior Activity and Wellness Center, 121 E. Main, Gentry
• 9 a.m.-noon April 6: Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center, 1870 Limekiln Road, Gravette
• 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 7: Siloam Springs Senior Activity and Wellness Center, 750 Heritage Court, Siloam Springs
• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 10: Rogers Adult Wellness Center, 2001 Persimmon St., Rogers
• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 11: Benton County Senior Activity and Wellness Center, 3501 S.E. L St., Bentonville
Care coordinators will also assist seniors in applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicare Savings Program, and Extra-Help with Prescription Drug Costs.
Distribution dates are scheduled at senior centers within the entire AAANWA service area of Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Newton, Searcy and Washington counties for seniors to have the opportunity to receive coupon books.
Information: (479) 273-9424.
Goddess Gala
set April 12
The Goddess Gala/ Merlin Foundation Fundraiser will be from 6 to 11 p.m. April 12 at the Basin Park Hotel Ballroom in Eureka Springs. Proceeds will benefit the Merlin Foundation’s work with abused children. Music will be provided by Eureka Springs musicians. Events will include raffle, potluck, drumming, blessing of the seeds and dancing. Costumes are encouraged. Advance tickets are $14, and $20 at the door. Tickets are available at Gazebo Books, Annie’s at the New Orleans, Eureka Market or from Valerie Damon. This is a women-only event.
Information: Goddessgala.com.
Shiloh Museum
plans camps
Registration is under way for the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History’s summer camps for children. Campers will explore the intersection of science and history through hands-on activities and crafts related to photography, water, trees, and inventions. Snacks are provided for both camps; lunch is provided for campers attending Session II.
• Session I: 9-11:30 a.m. June 19-23, for ages 7-10; $30 for museum members, $40 for nonmembers.
• Session II: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 10-14, for ages 11-14; $45 for museum members, $55 for nonmembers.
Space is limited for both camps; preregistration and payment is required. A limited number of scholarships are available. The registration deadline is May 31 or when camps are full.
The Shiloh Museum is located at 118 W. Johnson Ave. in Springdale.
Information: (479) 750-8165, or email jcostello@springdalear.gov.
Historic building nears completion
A 145-year-old piece of Springdale and Northwest Arkansas history will soon come back to life, thanks in part to a Walton Family Foundation grant which completes a $1 million fundraising campaign.
“The 1871 Shiloh Meeting Hall in Springdale is one of the oldest and most significant buildings in Northwest Arkansas,” according to Allyn Lord, director of the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. “Following rehabilitation, the Hall will become a place to gather, a place to learn, and a place dedicated to the history and the future of Springdale and Northwest Arkansas.”
When work is complete, the building’s first floor will be a meeting space for the museum’s education department, up to a dozen history-related groups, and the public. “With as many as eighty seats, the first floor will provide a much-needed mid-sized meeting place for downtown Springdale, which is quickly becoming a go-to destination, especially since the completion of the Razorback Regional Greenway which runs by the building,” Lord pointed out.
The second floor will become an exhibit hall, interpreting the history of the building and its many occupants over the years. “That portion of the building’s rehabilitation will be concluded in 2019-20, in time for the 150th anniversary of the building in 2021,” said Lord.
The building was donated in 2005 to the Shiloh Museum, a department of the City of Springdale, by Springdale’s Odd Fellows Lodge, conditional upon its renovation. Rehabilitation of the Hall’s exterior, roof, chimney, and belfry was completed in 2009 after raising nearly $200,000.
In July 2015 the Shiloh Museum launched the “Overhaul the Hall!” $1 million fundraising campaign to complete the building and prepare it for use. Towards that goal, the museum has received $500,000 from the City of Springdale and an additional $244,327 has been raised through donations and matching gifts from the Endeavor Foundation. The Walton Family Foundation grant of $255,673 completes the $1 million cost of the project.
Send news about local events, charity fundraisers and family or class reunions to ourtown@nwadg.com. Deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday for Sunday publication.