NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Gravette pee wee cheerleader signups will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29, at the Upper Elementary playground. Hours will be 12 noon to 5 p.m. both days. Contact Maria Holloway, 936-0687, with any questions.

Prayer Breakfast

A prayer breakfast will be held at 7 a.m., Thursday, May 3, at the First Baptist Church in Gentry in observance of the 61st annual National Day of Prayer. The guest speaker will be Randy Barrett, superintendent of Gentry Public Schools. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Wyatt Hopkins Memorial Poker Run

The Third Annual Wyatt Hopkins Memorial Poker Run, sponsored by the Decatur Fire Department, will be held on May 5. Riders will leave from the Decatur Fire Station between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., and return to the Decatur Community Building for a barbecue beef sandwich dinner, prize drawings and entertainment by Matt Davis. All profits will go to the Arkansas Childrens Hospital.

Decatur Spring Cleanup

Decatur residents can set out bulky waste for pickup along with their regular trash on April 26. The citywide spring cleanup was originally set for April 19, but was rescheduled because of a mix up of dates with the garbage collection company. Large or bulky household items such asChristmas trees, furniture and toys will be accepted. Items such as tires, paint, chemicals, computers, fluorescent light bulbs and yard waste will not be picked up.

Gravette Community Garden

Garden plots are still available in the Gravette Community Gardens for folks who wish to grow some of their own vegetables and flowers. Rules, plot map and contracts are available at Arvest Bank. Stop by and sign up today. Direct questions to Miriam at 787-5032.

Arkansas Night

The Decatur Northside Elementary School will be hosting Arkansas Night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., May 1. Parents and community members are invited to come learn about Arkansas culture, history, natural resources, nature and wildlife, and business with educational booths, student decorations, music and folk tales.

Cowboy Tradin’ Days

Booth spaces are still available for Cowboy Tradin’ Days which will be held in the Sulphur Springs City Park May 4-6. Admission is free for the event, which will feature displays by Western and Native American craftsmen, trail rides and hay rides each day, live music, camping on the grounds, food and refreshment. There will be events for the kids, including a farm animal petting corral and stick-horse barrel racing. Bank robberies and shoot outs will be re-enacted, and there will be story telling and cowboy poetry. Cowboy church will be held on Sunday morning. A special event will be a horseback poker run for adults. Craft and food vendors, entertainers and chuckwagoncooking teams are invited. For more information, go to http://tradingdays. cowboycafe1.com/ or call Deb at 215-6022.

Jolly Good Times Club

The monthly meeting of the Jolly Good Times Club will be held Wednesday, April 25, at the Billy V. Hall Senior Center. Members will gather at 10:15 in the sitting room. Betty Howard will give the program preceding the potluck meal. Susan will bring a meat dish, Mary, a vegetable and salad, and Betty, dessert. Visitors and new members are always welcome.

Bloomfield 4-H Tomato Sale

Got Spring fever? The Bloomfield 4-H club is selling tomato plants as a spring fundraiser. The sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 28, in the old Marvin’s Grocery Store parking lot in Gentry. There will be five varieties of tomatoes available for $2 a four-pack.

Community Literacy Program

The Decatur and Gravette Community Literacy Program is in need of volunteer tutors. Volunteers work two to three hours a week, and the program provides all training and materials. There is no need for tutors to speak any language other than English. For more information, call 787-8200.

Kindergarten Registration

Glenn Duffy Elementary School in Gravette will hold kindergarten registration through Friday, April 27. Pre-K applications will also be available. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Parents with questions are encouraged to call the school at 787-4120.

Gravette Spring Cleanup

The city of Gravette will hold its annual spring cleanup day on Tuesday, May 1, only. Residential trash customers will be able to put out extra large items - primarily old furniture - for curbside pickup. The following items will not be accepted: liquids, hazardous waste, dirt, chemical products, oil filters, propane tanks, motor oils, oils, antifreeze, paints, batteries, tires, appliances with compressedair, florescent tubes, barrels, animals and toxic materials.

My Collection Exhibit

The Gravette Historical Museum will host a special exhibit Saturday, May 5, at the Museum located at 501 Charlotte Street in Gravette. Admission to the museum is free and the hours of the special exhibit are from 10 a.m. until2 p.m. The exhibit, “My Collection”, is a gathering of the private collections from around the community of Gravette. Exhibits will include buttons, old cookbooks, old tools, Barbie dolls and cars. There is sure to be something of interest for everyone. If you are interested in starting your own collection but are not sure what to collect or how to get started, come visit with the exhibitors to get some tips. The Bank of Gravett will be hosting a benefit luncheon on the museum grounds. A barbeque sandwich, chips and a drink may be purchased for $5, beginning at 11 a.m. All proceeds will benefit the museum. For information about the exhibit or the Gravette Historical Museum contact Steve at 206-2491.

Tired Iron of the Ozarks

Regular meetings of the Tired Iron of the Ozarks are held at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Tired Iron clubhouse located at the club’s show grounds on Taylor Orchard Road southwest of Gentry. Christian Coffee House

Rebecca’s Beat in Gentry (on Rebecca Street, just off Gentry Blvd.) will again open at 7 p.m. on Saturday night for live music and discussion of various topics related to life and Christianity. All are welcome to come for coffee, fellowship, guidance and information.

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.

Convenience Center

Benton County Planning & Environmental and Benton County Solid Waste District provide a free service to the public for disposal of large bulky household items, appliances, electronics and metal. Hours of operation are every Saturday (except on holiday weekends) 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Convenience Center is located at the Benton County Solid Waste District, 5702 Brookside Rd., Bentonville.Items and electronics accepted are furniture, mattresses, box springs, plastic toys, playground equipment, computers, printers, radios, telephones, televisions, VCRs, DVDs, appliances, microwaves, refrigerators, hot water heaters, air conditioners, grills, bicycles, swing sets, dishwashers, freezers, dehumidifiers and scrap metal. For more information, call 795-0751.

Rabies Clinics

The 2012 Benton County Rabies Clinic Week will beheld through April 28. Local veterinarians will offer the rabies vaccinations at reduced prices. A local schedule of locations follows:

◊April 25 - Decatur Fire Station ($8.00), 4 to 5:30 p.m. by the Country View Animal Care Center;

◊April 26 - Sulphur Springs Park ($8.00), 4 to 5:30 p.m. by the Country View Animal Care Center;

◊April 28 - Country View Animal Care Center ($8.00), 8 to 10 a.m., at the Country View Animal Care Center in Gravette;

◊April 27 by appointment - Country View Animal Care Center, at 17624 West Highway 72, in Gravette ($8.00) - 787-6284;

◊April 25-28 by appointment - Gentry Veterinary Clinic, at 21499 West Highway 12, in Gentry ($7 for one-year and $15for three-year vaccination) - 736-2354.

Gentry Farmers’ Market

Gentry’s farmers’ market will be open May 31 on Mondays and Thursdays, beginning at 8 a.m. each day, at the south end of the Gentry City Park (outside the wooden fence and along the circle drive). The market will be open, free of fees, to all vendors who abide by the market’s rules (to be available at the Gentry City Hall or Gentry Chamber of Commerce office). Items which may be sold at the market include fresh produce, plants and flowers, baked goods, jellies, jams, preserves, eggs, other non-commercial food items and handmade crafts.

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.

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 from 5 to 7 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month.

Men's Fellowship

First Baptist Church of Gentry has a monthly Men's Fellowship Gathering at 8 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month. 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 at 7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. 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.

Old Settlers' Day in Colcord

Talbot Library and Museum, 500 S. Colcord Ave., Colcord, Okla., will again be taking part in observance of Old Settlers Day on Saturday, June 2. Thisannual event, held in Colcord for many years, was originally known as the annual Colcord Picnic. Talbot Library and Museum will be hosting its annual book and bake sale, offering homemade baked goods and used books, as well as hamburger lunches on that day. New books will also be available for sale in the bookstore. All proceeds will go toward Talbot Library and Museum operating funds. The Library and Museum will also be hosting the Colcord Rodeo Queen contestants for the speech portion of their competition. The special event of the day at the Library and Museum will be the 2 p.m. book presentation and signing of “Sam Sixkiller, Cherokee Frontier Lawman” by author Chris Enss in the historic Springtown Schoolhouse at Talbot’s.Old Settlers' Day events include a parade, annual rodeo, car show, and food and music offered throughout the town. For more information, contact Talbot Library and Museum, 918-326-4532, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, or email [email protected].

News, Pages 2 on 04/25/2012