HOMETOWN EVENTS

— Town hall meeting

A town hall meeting with officials from Benton County government, including the county judge and the county assessor, will be held at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 22, at the Siloam Springs Community Center. Residents of the county's west side are invited to attend the informational meeting and ask questions.

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Gravette Choirs perform

Bella Vista Lutheran Church will host three Gravette school choirs in concert at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 17. The concert will be in the fellowship hall. Two of the choirs include selected vocalists from the high school, and the third features junior high students. The concert is free. The church is at 1990 Forest Hills Blvd. Information is available by calling 855-0272.

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Gentry Awards Banquet

Gentry’s annual awards night will be held Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Wooden Spoon Restaurant. The event is sponsored annually by the Gentry Chamber of Commerce. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m., with the program starting at 7 p.m. Glenn Smith, a local veteran, will be the featured speaker. Tickets are $20 and can be obtained by contacting Bev Saunders at 736-2358. Because seating is limited, reservations are sold on a first-come firstserved basis. Awards to be presented will be Lifetime Achievement Awards, Outstanding Citizen of the Year, Outstanding Business Person Award, Rookie of the Year, Silver Citizen Award and Outstanding Community Organization. The public is invited to participate.

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Decatur Youth Sports

Decatur Youth Sports is accepting sign-ups for baseball, softball and T-ball until Feb. 28. There will be a $25 fee to participate. For more information, contact Amy Brooks at 752-3281 or [email protected].

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Jolly Good Times Club

The monthly meeting of the Jolly Good Times Club will be held Wednesday, Feb. 23, at the Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center. Members will gather in the computer room at 10:15 a.m. The menu will feature fried chicken from Eda, veggies by Mary, salad by Susan and dessert by Betty. Betty Howard will give the program. Visitors and new members are welcome.

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Faith Bible Church Video Sessions

Faith Bible Church ofGravette will be presenting 13 video sessions of The Truth Project, a production of Focus on the Family. The sessions cover broad topics such as truth, philosophy and ethics, anthropology, theology, science, history and community involvement and are moderated by Del Tackett. Pastor Ed DeLapp will serve as the facilitator of these sessions which are approximately one hour in duration and will be followed by a brief discussion. The initial presentation was at 6 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 13. Additional sessions are scheduled for succeeding Sunday evenings, with the exception of the last Sunday of each month. The public is invited. Faith Bible Church is located on Highway 59, one mile south of Gravette. Contact DeLapp at 816-509-2886 for information.

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Area Quilt Class Saturday

Area quilters who attend the quilt class at Gravette Church of Christ will meet this Saturday, Feb. 19. The class will begin at 1 p.m. at the church annex, 202 Irving St. SW in Gravette, weather permitting. Anyone interested is invited. Please bring projects in progress and a snack to share. Class will be canceled if roadways are hazardous.

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Gentry Parent Survey

The 2011 Gentry Parent Involvement Survey is available to take on-line. Just click the link found on the school Web page, www.gentrypioneers.com. Those who cannot access the survey on-line by computer may call the principal’s office at their child’s school to find an alternate way to take the survey.

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Spaghetti Dinner

On Sunday, Feb. 20, the Middle School Ambassadors and Students of the Month are hosting a Spaghetti Dinner at the Gravette Arvest Bank from 11:30 to 2 p.m. Everyone is invited. To-go meals will be prepared and ready for those who can’t stay. Lunch - for $5 - includes dessert and drink. Gift items will be available for purchase. All proceeds go toward the New York City summer reward trip. For more information, contact Roger or Janna Sharp at 787-4193.

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Soul-mate Evening at Men's Fellowship Gathering

The First Baptist Church of Gentry will be having its monthly Men's Fellowship Gathering at 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 19, in the fellowship hall. This will be a special evening for the men to show their love and thankfulness for their soulmates. Each man is asked to bring a main dish or a side dish for dinner. Each man is asked to serve his soul mate. Guest couples are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Madden Waits at 736-5009.

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Care and Share Closings

Care and Share in Gravette announced that when Gravette Public Schools are closed due to weather conditions, the Care and Share store will also be closed. Regular hours for Care and Share are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday of each week.

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Knitting/Crocheting Group

Busy Hands Knitting and Crochet Group will hold meetings in Decatur the second and fourth Thursday of each month,starting on Feb. 25. Men and women of all ages are invited - children under 13 need to be accompanied by an adult. The group is emphasizing making items for charities. Free lessons are available. For more information, call Sheri at 752-8555.

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New Home-school program benefits Horses for Healing

Horses for Healing is offering an 8-week course on equine education to home-schooled children, ages 8 to 18. Classes begin on Monday, Feb. 21, and will meet each Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The course satisfies the home school curriculum animal science and physical education requirements and covers riding lessons, stable management, horsemanship, animal science, social skills and equine care. The cost is $50 per week for each child. All proceeds from the program will benefit the Horses for Healing Equine-Assisted Program for Northwest Arkansas children with special needs. Horses for Healing is located at 14673 Daniels Road in rural Bentonville (in the Highfill area). For more information, contact Karen at 795-0570 or karen @ horsesforhealingnwa .org.

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Riparian Project Planned

The Illinois River Watershed Partnership will be sponsoring tree planting from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, March 12, to plant 5,000 seedlings along creeks and 1,000 seedling for the SWEPCO tree farm.For more information, call 238-4671 or e-mail [email protected].

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Chair Exercise Program

The Gentry Senior Activity Center started a free chair exercise program called PEPPI (Peer Exercise Program Promotes Independence) at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and at 10 a.m. Thursdays. The program consists of stretching, strengthening and balance. It is designed to help prevent falls, to gain strength and flexibility in the limbs and to gain independence. The class is open to anyone, age 60 or above, and his or her spouse (regardless of age). For more information, call 736-0378.

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Computers Needed

The Gentry Lions Club is collecting and refurbishing older computers and laptops and giving them to students in need of a computer. Older computers and laptops - up to about 10 years old - are being accepted. Hard drives are reformatted and a lighter Linux-based operating system and programs are installed. For more information or to donate a used computer to the Lions Club, contact Randy Moll at 233-0081.

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Bilderbacks in concert

The Bilderbacks, a Southern Gospel trio, will be at Turning Point Fellowship in Gentry at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20. The concert is open to the public.

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VFW Meetings

Decatur VFW Post 9834meets on the first Tuesday of each month - at 7 p.m. New members and guests are welcome. The facility is three miles east of Decatur on Arkansas Highway 102, right on Tilly’s Hill Road, and the first building on the right.

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Gentry Senior Center

Gentry Senior Activity Center, at 121 East Main Street (just east of the Gentry Public Library) is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Meals and rides to the center and activities are available Monday through Friday by calling Jackie Bader, the center’s manager, at 736-0378. Van routes are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday - Gentry, Highfill and Springtown; and Tuesday and Friday - Gentry and Decatur.

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Gravette Senior Center

The Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center, at 1870 Limekiln Road, is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Center is one of seven operated by the Office of Human Concern, in partnership with the Area Agency on Aging of NW Arkansas and United Way of NW Arkansas. Many activities are scheduled and lunch is served every weekday. For information on hot home-delivered meals for Gravette, Decatur and Sulphur Springs, frozen home-delivered meals for Maysville home-bound seniors or other services the center offers, call Mary Kay Kelley, director, at 787-5950.

Community News, Pages 3 on 02/16/2011