HOMETOWN EVENTS

Gentry Homecoming

Gentry High School's homecoming crowning ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Pioneer Stadium, with the homecoming game to follow at 7 p.m. The Homecoming Parade will begin at 1 p.m. Friday and start at the school and end on Main Street. Powderpuff football is planned for Thursday afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m. or a little before in Pioneer Stadium.

Decatur FD Halloween

The Decatur Fire Department will be handing out candy in the General Store parking lot starting at 6 p.m., Oct. 31. Fire trucks will be on display for children.

DNE Fall Festival

The Decatur Northside Elementary School Fall Festival will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Oct. 29. Activities will include a costume contest, games, a silent auction and chili cook-off. The event will serve as a fundraiser for a new basketball court and age appropriate play area for upper elementary students.

Sulphur Springs Event

Sulphur Springs will hold its first fundraiser in the city park on Saturday, Oct. 22, to raise money for next year’s Independence Day celebration. Gospel singing (by everyone) will be from 3 to 4 p.m., followed by a barbecued chicken dinner between 4 and 6:30 p.m. "Chicken with Style," the original American Legion chicken barbecue, will be served. Everyone is invited to come sing, eat and have fun. Dinners will be available to go for those who can’t stay. For more information, contact Shirley Barber at 298-3033.

Coffee with the Mayor

Coffee with Mayor Bill Edwards will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Centerton City Hall, 290 North Main Street. This is an informal townhall meeting with the mayor and other elected officials. Coffee and donuts will be served.

FCCLA Chili Dinner

Gravette Middle School FCCLA club will be hosting its first annual chili dinner contest in the middle school cafeteria at 5:30 p.m., Oct. 20. Tickets are $5 each for dinner, drink and dessert. All proceeds go toward helping students with competitions and toward various local charities. A pumpkin carving contest is also planned and contestants can bring in their already-carved pumpkins for judging. For more information, contact Nichole Mannion at 903-5543 or nichole. [email protected].

Benefit Bean Supper

Maysville E.H. Club will hold a benefit bean supper this Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Maysville community building. Serving of beans, coleslaw, cornbread and drinks begins at 5:30 p.m. All proceeds go to help pay operating expenses for the building. There will also be a pie sale and cake walk. Homemade pies and cakes are needed for these two events.

Jolly Good Times Club

The monthly meeting of the Jolly Good Times Club will be held Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Billy V. Hall Senior Center. Members will gather at 10:15 in the sitting room. Betty Howard will give the program. The potluck lunch will feature meat by Betty, salad by Mary and dessert by Susan. Visitors and new members are always welcome.

Hannah's Hope Poker Run

A poker run to benefit Hannah’s Hope will be held Saturday, Oct. 22. The run will start from the old Marvin’s parking lot next to O’Reilly’s in Gentry. Registration will begin at 9 a.m., with the last bike out at 10 a.m. Riders should return by 12:30 p.m. The first 50 to sign up will receive a free T-shirt. T-shirts will also be available for purchase. A barbecue lunch will be provided free for all who register and for one entry in the raffle. The raffle will begin at 12:30 p.m. Tickets will be available for purchase for more chances to win. All proceeds will go to Hannah's Hope. Hannah's Hope (helping others pay expenses) provides assistance to families of children with cancer. More information on the charity is available at the Hannah’s Hope Foundation website: www.hannahshopefoundation.org. More information on the benefit is available by calling 212-0062 or by email at [email protected].

Miss and Mister Octoberfest Pageants

Gentry's Miss Octoberfest and Little Miss and Mister Octoberfest pageant applications are available on the school website. The pageants are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29.

Mural Unveiling Ceremony

An unveiling of the Old Baptistry Mural (painted around 1950) which has been mounted in the foyer of the new auditorium of the First Baptist Church in Gentry is set for 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30. Rick Parker, who works with the Smithsonian Institute and grew up in the church - whose father was a deacon - has cleaned and restored the mural. Ben Woody - who also grew up in the church and whose father was a deacon - will be speaking. Jack Jones, pastor in the mid ‘60s, will have the dedication prayer. Johnetta Bilby will share some history of the painting and sing. Refreshments will be served afterwards.

Trick or Treat on Main

Gentry’s annual Trick or Treat on Main Street will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31. Little ghosts and goblins are invited to strollMain Street and trick or treat from participating merchants, churches, individuals and community groups. About 1,500 children participated in last year's event. Businesses, groups and individuals are invited to team up for the event if the cost is too much for them to handle individually. Anyone living or working on highway 59 or the outskirts of Gentry who would like to contribute to the treats may set up a table on the city’s sidewalks in front of empty buildings.

Highfill Trunk or Treat

Highfill will hold its second annual Trunk or Treat from 5 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30, in the city park. Children, dressed in their Halloween costumes, go from trunk to trunk for their treats. Cars will start lining up at 4:30 p.m. to get ready. Participants in the candy and treat giveaway are encouraged to decorate their car trunk or pickup truck tailgate for the occasion. For more information, contact Melissa Teters at 236-1518 or Highfill City Hall at 736-5711.

Trunk or Treat

Decatur United Methodist Church will be hosting Trunk or Treat from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Halloween night, Oct. 31. Hot-dogs and candy will be served and games will be available.

Saddle Up for St. Jude

Cowboy Crossroads in Christ is sponsoring a Saddle Up for St. Jude trail ride Saturday, Nov. 5. Check-in is at 8 a.m. and riders will ride out at 10 a.m. Take U.S. Highway 412 east of Siloam Springs to Martin Pedro Rd., then south to the second drive on the left. Coggins tests are required for all horses, no stud horses allowed. A continental breakfast will be served by Farm Bureau agents of Benton County and lunch will be served at 1:30 p.m. by the Norman Bryant Foundation. Entry fee for the ride is $25 and T-shirts may be purchased for $10. An auction of donated items will be held at 2:30 p.m. For information, call Tom at 752-3403 or Jim at 549-5498.

League Directors Meeting

The Gravette Summer Baseball/Softball League Board of Directors will meet at 1 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Gravette branchArvest conference room. This will be an election meeting for officers positions which have been vacated or whose term has ended. The public is welcome and invited to attend. For information contact Tony Kildow, 787-0250.

Gravette Kiwanis

The Gravette Kiwanis Club holds breakfast meetings at 7 a.m. each Friday at the cafeteria in Ozarks Community Hospital. Guests are welcome.

Glenn Duffy Fall Festival

Glenn Duffy Elementary School will hold its PTOsponsored Fall Festival from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28. Activities will include games, silent auction, chili supper, costume contest and a cake decorating contest. The silent auction is from 5 to 7 p.m.. The costume contest is at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are only 25 cents and all games cost one ticket.

Decatur Food Bank

Living Water Ministries in Decatur opens its food bank every other Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at 1148 Highway 102 West in Decatur. The next open date for the pantry will be Friday, Oct. 28. Anyone who needs assistance is welcome. All that is required is an identification (a photo ID is preferred) and current address. For information, contact Larry Long, 549-5645, or Janet Long, 524-2848.

Area Men’s Breakfast

The Decatur United Methodist Church has a men’s breakfast the second Saturday of each month, beginning at 8 a.m., at the Gallery Cafe in Decatur. All area men are invited to join the group for good food and Christian fellowship.

Emergency Help

Families in Gravette School District wishing to apply for emergency help with food or utilities may make application from 9 to 11 a.m., Tuesday through Friday, at the Main Street Care and Share store in Gravette.

Mt. Zion Singing

Regular singing will be held at Mt. Zion Church at 6:30 p.m. the fourth Saturday of each month.

‘Singspiration Service’

The Gentry Church of God (Holiness) will be holding a special “Singspiration” service at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 19. The service consists of musical worship and praise. Fellow-Christians are invited to bring a song, reading or poem. The church is located just north of the Gentry police station, at 104 North Collins. For more information, contact Pastor Dan at 626-831-2942.

Singing Services

Monthly singing services at Falling Springs Church are held at 7 p.m., the first Friday of each month. The church is located northwest of Gentry and west of Decatur on Falling Springs Road.

Decatur Food Pantry

The Decatur United Methodist Church offers a food pantry program and a commodity food program for residents in Decatur on the first and third Thursday of every month, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Men's Fellowship

First Baptist Church of Gentry has a monthly Men's Fellowship Gathering on the third Saturday of each month at 8 a.m. All men are encouraged to come for the food and fellowship. Guests are welcome. For more information, contact Madden Waits at 736-5009.

VFW Meetings

Decatur VFW Post 9834 meets on the first Tuesday of each month - at 7:30 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.

Community News, Pages 3 on 10/18/2011