HOMETOWN EVENTS

— NWA Riding Club

NWA Riding Club will hold a season opener playday rodeo starting at 6 p.m., April 7, at the Luca Don Equestrian Center west of Gentry. The club will hold biweekly playday rodeo events through November that include western pleasure, pole bending, flag races, barrel races and a speed race for all ages with an emphasis on kids. The club also hosts trail rides, campouts and other kid-friendly events. All horses are required to have a current negative coggins test. For more information, visit www.nwaridingclub.org or call 712-266-6006.

Chili Supper

Highfill Volunteer Fire Department’s annual chili supper is at 6:30 p.m., Saturday (March 24), at the Highfill Community Hall.

GMCH Ole Timers

The GMCH Ole Timers, the gang from the old Gravette Hospital, will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28, at the Gallery Cafe in Decatur.

Driver Safety Program

The AARP Driver Safety Program will be offered in Gravette at the Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center, 1870 Limekiln Road, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3. Designed for drivers, 50 and over, the class will explain the changes that occur in vision, hearing and reaction time as we age, and provide useful driving safety tips for handling these changes. Upon completion of the class, participants will qualify for a discount on their automobile insurance. A materials fee of $14 will be due at the class (AARP members with a valid membership card will receive a $2 discount). Class size is restricted, so contact the Senior Activity Center at 787-5950 to register for the class.

My Collection Exhibit

Gravette Historical Museum will, on May 5th, host a special exhibit entitled “My Collection,” which will provide opportunity to those interested to showcase their private collections to the community. There is no entry fee. Just sign up, set up, answer any questions of guests and have a great time. Whether you collect buttons, cookbooks, old tools, Barbie dolls or even cars, lots of people would love to see your stuff. It doesn’t even have to be old or be an antique. Indoor and outdoor spaces are available, but spaces are filling up. For information or to reserve space, contact Steve at 206-2491.

Decatur AG Easter Egg Hunt

Decatur Assembly ofGod Church will host its annual community “Easter Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza” at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 7, for children through age 12. There will be thousands of eggs and candy to hunt, with prizes in every division. Ability Tree, Inc., will be providing children with special needs a designated hunting area. For questions regarding special needs, please call 373-6033. The hunt will take place on the campus of Decatur Assembly of God Church, 675 N. Main in Decatur.

Gravette Holiness Revival

The Gravette Church of God (Holiness) will be in revival April 10-15. The speaker will be Steve Dillon. Steve is currently the pastor at the Church of God (Holiness) at St. Charles, Mo. Steve and his wife Mary served as missionaries in Belize for one term. The public is invited to attend the services each night at 7:30 and on Sunday at 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. For information or transportation, call 787-7312.

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. The club’s 20th Annual Spring Show is set for April 20-22.

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.

Revival Meetings

Mason Valley Baptist Church - located 1.5 miles west of the XNA Airport north entrance, or half way between Vaughn and Highfill - will hold revival meetings with evangelist Steve Cody of Lenapah, Okla., March 25-30. Service times are Sunday at 10:45 a.m. and Sunday through Friday evenings, beginning at 7 p.m. Vicki Bedford of Rogers will lead the music.

Academy Days 2012

Young men and women in junior high and high school who may be interested in pursuing appointment to a military academy are invited to attend a meeting with Congressman Steve Womack. The meetingwill be held from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 31, at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, 6800 SW Minuteman Avenue, in Bentonville. Further information is available by calling the Congressman’s Military and Veterans Advisor, Lewis Kaslow, at 464-0446.

Pancake Supper

Tickets are on sale for the 40th annual Gentry Lions Club Pancake Supper, to be held at the middle school/high school cafeteria from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 22. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for children under 5. Proceeds will be used to provide eye services for the blind and visually impaired. For tickets or information, contact any Gentry Lions Club member or call 233-0081.

Library Gala Planned

Friends of the Gentry Library have announced plans for a gala event to benefit the Gentry Public Library. "Fiesta" will be the theme of the gala slated for April 21 at the Gentry High School/ Middle School Cafeteria, beginning at 6 p.m. As in years past, the gala will include auctions, both silent and live, excellent food and entertainment. Individual tickets are available for $25, with sponsored tables seating eight for $300. The proceeds from the "Fiesta" gala will enable the Gentry Public Library to continue to meet the technology needs of the patrons in Gentry. Check out the Facebook page for the Gentry Public Library for more information as it becomes available. Contact the library at 736-2054 to purchase tickets and to donate auction items.

Gentry Easter Egg Hunt

Gentry’s annual Easter egg hunt sponsored by Main Street Gentry Chamber of Commerce will be held at 2 p.m. April 7 in the city park. Assisting the chamber this year will be the Gentry High School National Honor Society and the Gentry High School FCCLA. There will be four age groups: Ages 3 and under; 4 and 5; 6 and 7; and 8-10. About 1,000 prizes will be awarded.

AARP Driver Safety Program

Registration is open for an AARP Driver Safety Program which will be held at Bella Vista May 24 from 12:30 to 4:30. Cost is $14, with a $2 discount for AARP members. Sponsored by the Bank of the Ozarks and NWACC College at the Crossing, the class will be held at the Highlands Crossing,Suite 100. To register or for information, call NWACC, 855-1903.

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.

Computers for Students

The Gentry Lions Club is accepting used computers to be refurbished and given to students needing a computer. The club is currently accepting desktops and laptops. Hard drives are reformatted and a new operating system installed before they are given away. For more information or to donate a computer, call Randy Moll at 233-0081.

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 be held April 21 to 28. Local veterinarians will offer the rabies vaccinations at reduced prices. A local schedule of locations follows:

◊April 21 - Country View Animal Care Center ($8.00), 8 to 10 a.m., at the Country View Animal Care Center in Gravette;

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

◊April 23 - Hiwasse 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 24 and 27 by appointment - Country View Animal Care Center, at 17624 West Highway 72, in Gravette ($8.00)- 787-6284;

◊April 21-28 by appointment - Gentry Veterinary Clinic, at 21499 West Highway 12, in Gentry ($7 for one-year and $15 for three-year vaccination) - 736-2354.

Benefit Concert

Kaylin Cripps of Gentry will be performing with her new band in their first live concert from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., on March 31, at the Community Christian Fellowship Center, 525 South Lincoln Street, Siloam Springs. The performance is for the Roberts/Philpott Eye Associates team “Relay for Life” fundraiser benefiting the American Cancer Society. A spaghetti supper will be held at 5:30 p.m., along with other entertainment, silent and live auctions.

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.

Cemetery Cleanup

A work day will be held at the Springtown Cemetery, beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday, March 24.

Emergency Help

Families in Gravette School District wishing to apply for emergency help with food or utilities may make applicationfrom 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.

Cultural Center Meeting

Geoff Giglierano and Anna Marie Wingron, executive director and community programs and outreach director (respectively) for the Missouri Humanities Council, will be visiting the Southwest City (Mo.) Cultural Center, located at 207 South Broadway in the Old Presbyterian Church building, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 27. Area citizens are invited to attend to learn about activities the Center will be hosting in the future. The MHC representatives will be presenting information about available programs and answering questions. For more information, contact Joyce Morris at 417-762-3191.

News, Pages 2 on 03/21/2012