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COMMUNITY EVENTS IN THE THREE RIVERS AREA

TODAY Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

NEWPORT — The members of First Presbyterian Church, at Fourth and Main streets, invite everyone to attend the church’s candlelight Christmas Eve service at 4:30 p.m. The festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will celebrate the birth of Jesus with Bible readings foretelling the coming birth of the Messiah, as well as Christmas carols celebrating his birth. For more information, call the church at (870) 523-3733.

SATURDAY Eve of New Year’s Eve Bash

BATESVILLE — The Independence County Library Friends Foundation will celebrate New Year’s Eve early from 7-11 p.m. Saturday at the Barnett Building, 267 E. Main St. The event will feature live music by The Cherry Pickers, dancing, food and drinks, including Champagne, and lots of door prizes. Tickets are $45 and may be purchased at the library, 368 E. Main St., or at the Citizens Bank Main Branch or the First Community Bank Main Branch. Proceeds from the dance will benefit the library. For more information, call (870) 793-8814 or visit the Independence County Library’s Facebook Page.

ONGOING Searcy Art Gallery Exhibit

SEARCY — An exhibit of paintings by Howard Johnson will be on display through Jan. 1 at the Searcy Art Gallery, 300 E. Race Ave. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call

(501) 279-1094.

Evening GED Classes

SALEM — Ozarka College’s free evening GED classes at Salem High School will once again be offered from 4-7 Mondays, beginning Jan. 8. The college’s Adult Education Program is Americans With Disabilities Act-accessible and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-compliant, and disability accommodations are available upon request. Registration is ongoing. For more information, call Ozarka College’s Adult Education Department at

(870) 368-2051.

Jacksonville Sertoma Club Meeting

JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Sertoma Club meets at noon every Wednesday at the Southern Oaks Country Club, 701 Foxwood Drive. The Sertoma Club raises money for hearing aids and for scholarships for local high school seniors, including seniors from the Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock.

Incident Command System Classes

CABOT — The STARS Club, a ham-radio group, will offer the following classes, taught by Steve Moore with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: ICS (Incident Command System) 200, Jan. 20; and ICS 800, Feb 17. All are welcome to attend the classes, which will take place at American Legion Post 71, 114 N. First St. For more information, contact Gordon Miller at gmiller266@gmail.com.

American Legion Oratorical Contest

CABOT — American Legion Post 71’s Oratorical Contest is open to high school students younger than 20. The speeches are eight to 10 minutes long and must be on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution. Applications are available from Kim Gibson at Cabot High School and must be submitted to the American Legion Department Headquarters by Dec. 31. Certifications must be submitted to Department Headquarters by Feb. 17. The contest will be March 3, with the location to be announced.

Shepherd’s Center Wednesday Activities

BEEBE — From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday at the Shepherd’s Center at Beebe United Methodist Church, 302A N. Main St., seniors participate in classes in quilting, art, jewelry making, scrapbooking, card making, genealogy, beginning computers, Bible discussions and bridge. At special times, cake decorating, holiday food preparation and ethnic food classes are offered, and in the spring, American Sign Language and gardening. Lunch is a potluck served to all who attend, whether or not they bring a dish.

Bluegrass Music Night

HEBER SPRINGS — Heber Springs Christian Church, 1101 N. Broadway St., offers a bluegrass music night from 6:308:30 every Tuesday. Musicians are invited to participate. Free coffee will be available.

Beebe Kiwanis Club Meetings

BEEBE — The Beebe Kiwanis Club meets at noon the first and third Thursdays of each month in the Stephens Room of the Student Center at Arkansas State UniversityBeebe. Kiwanis is a volunteer organization with the mission of helping youth in the community. For more information, call Flo Fitch at (501) 230-2890 or Debra Crisco at (501) 454-3505.

Civitan Meetings

CABOT — Civitan meets at 6 p.m. the first and third Mondays of the month at First Security Bank in downtown Cabot. Civitan is an organization that provides training and support for people with developmental disabilities.

Free Brown-Bag Lunch

CABOT — The Mount Tabor United Methodist Church Women of Cabot serve a free brown-bag lunch at 11 a.m. each Thursday at the church, 4100 Arkansas 89 S. In 2016, this mission of the church served more than 8,600 lunches to the hungry and needy of Cabot.

Opportunity for Bridge Players

BEEBE — Bridge players are needed at 1 p.m. Wednesdays at the Shepherd’s Center at Beebe United Methodist Church, 302A N. Main St. Beginners are welcome. For more information, call (501) 843-2930.

Beebe Caregivers Support Group

BEEBE — The Beebe Caregivers Support Group meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the Shepherd’s Center at Beebe United Methodist Church, 302A N. Main St. For more information, call Sandra Garrett at

(501) 940-4021.

Alzheimer’s Support Group

CABOT — The Alzheimer’s Support Group meets at 10 a.m. the second Tuesday of each month at Cabot United Methodist Church, 2003 S. Pine St. For more information, call (501) 265-0027.

Friday Night Bingo

HEBER SPRINGS — Friday Night Bingo takes place each week at the American Legion Hall, 49 Park Road. Doors open

at 5:30 for bonanzas, and regular play starts at 6:30 p.m. Food is available.

Cabot Lions Club Meetings

CABOT — The Cabot Lions Club has regular get-togethers at noon the first and third Thursdays of the month at the Kingpin Sports Grill. Lions serve local communities and protect the planet. Club members provide children with eyeglasses, offer food for seniors and provide assistance during natural disasters. All are invited to the meetings.

UPCOMING Crop Marketing 101 seminar

NEWPORT — There will be a Crop Marketing 101 seminar from 9-11 a.m. Jan. 18 at the Iron Mountain Depot downtown. The topics will touch on improving work relationships with buyers, how the future market really works and the importance of puts and calls and why they tend to be misused and misunderstood. For more information or to RSVP by Jan. 12, contact Jordan Thomas at (501) 851-7300 (office), (706) 983-1204 (cell) or jordan@scottagri.com.

Princess and Superhero Party

SEARCY — Harding University’s Women for Harding will host a family event, the sixth annual Princess and Superhero Party, from 9-11:30 a.m. Jan. 20 in Heritage Auditorium. Snacks, crafts, activities and fun will be part of the morning, which will also include Harding students as kids’ favorite princesses and superheroes. Children are encouraged to wear their favorite costumes. Tickets, at $10 for children and $5 for adults, can be purchased at

www.hardingtickets.com or by calling (501) 279-4276.

The Oak Ridge Boys Concert

SEARCY — Harding University’s Women for Harding will present The Oak Ridge Boys in concert, with special guest Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers, at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22 in Benson Auditorium. The show is part of The Oak Ridge Boys’ 2018 tour, Shine the Light. Tickets are $28, $38 and $48, and include Arkansas sales tax (no additional fees). Tickets can be purchased at www. hardingtickets.com.

Piano Recital

SEARCY — Harding University will present a recital by pianist Scott Carrell at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 in the Reynolds Center Recital Hall. The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 279-4343.

Batesville Chamber Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony

BATESVILLE — The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce will host its annual meeting and awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Batesville Community Center. The event will feature an Adventures in Wonderland theme. BACC honors outstanding area businesses and individuals who play a significant role in the community. Nominations in various categories are due Jan. 8. General-admission tickets are $100 each and can be reserved by calling the chamber at (870) 793-2378 or emailing jamie.rayford@ mybatesville.org. Corporate tables are also available.

Woodwind Recital

SEARCY — Harding University will present a recital by Rayna DeYoung on saxophone and Kelsie Dye on flute at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Reynolds Center Recital Hall at Harding University. The recital is free and open to the public. For more information, call (501) 279-4343.

Jacksonville Chamber Banquet

JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet will take place at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Jacksonville Community Center, 5 Municipal Drive. Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be the guest speaker. The cost of the dinner is $45 per member or $360 for a table of eight. RSVP by

5 p.m. Feb. 1 by calling (501) 982-1511 or

Jack Wright: The Songs and Stories of Neil Diamond

emailing chamber@ jacksonville-arkansas.com. NEWPORT— The Arkansas State University-Newport Patron Series will present Jack Wright: The Songs and Stories of Neil Diamond at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Center for the Arts, 7648 Victory Blvd. Tickets can be purchased at tickets.asun.edu. To submit an item for the Calendar of Events, mail information to Calendar of Events, Three Rivers Edition,

P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR, 72203; send faxes to (501) 378-3500; or email trnews@ arkansasonline.com. The deadline for calendar-item submissions is noon Tuesday.