This week’s EVENTS

ONGOING Both Ends Burning Exhibit

RUSSELLVILLE — An exhibition of paintings by Michael Shaeffer titled Both Ends Burning is available for viewing in Arkansas Tech University’s Norman Hall, 203 W. Q St., through Sept. 24. A reception and gallery talk are scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sept. 8. A native of Long Island, New York, Shaeffer has lived in Little Rock since 2010. According to the artist’s exhibit statement, his memories of the New York City club scene in the 1990s and 2000s are the inspiration for much of his work. The gallery is typically open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (excluding holidays), but hours may vary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To schedule a visit to the gallery, call (479) 964-3237. Photos from the Both Ends Burning exhibition are available at www.facebook.com/ATUNormanHallGallery.

ATU Student Debt Retirement

RUSSELLVILLE — Arkansas Tech University will invest $1.73 million of its institutional American Rescue Plan funds from the federal government to retire student debts owed to the university. The program will apply to eligible individuals who were enrolled from spring 2020 through spring 2021. There are 1,671 current and former ATU students who will have debts to the university retired. Tech representatives are attempting to contact these students whose accounts are affected by the action. Those with questions about how the retirement of debts owed to ATU will affect them may call (479) 968-0216.

Going to the Dogs Exhibit

CLINTON — The North Central Arkansas Artist League’s new exhibit, Going to the Dogs, will be open to the public at Ozark Health Medical Center until Nov. 8. The show will be in two hallway locations: upstairs near the nursing-home entrance and downstairs in the outpatient wing. The artworks are for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Hospital Auxiliary projects. With August known as “Dog Days,” some proceeds from sales of the artwork will also go to the Animal Protection League in Fairfield Bay.

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines

Sherwood Urgent Care centers, including Conway, Conway North, Maumelle and Russellville, offer Moderna COVID-19 vaccines each Wednesday. The free vaccine is for people ages 18 and older. For more information or to sign up for the vaccine, visit sherwoodurgentcare.com.

Hidden Treasures Market

FAIRFIELD BAY — The Hidden Treasures Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at Woodland Mead Park, 522 Dave Creek Parkway. There is no cost to have a booth at the event, but vendors are required to preregister. This is a free public event, and everyone is welcome to shop. Upcoming markets will be Sept. 11 and 25. For more information or to register, call the Fairfield Bay Chamber of Commerce at (501) 884-3324.

Master Gardeners Online Training

Registration for the Arkansas Master Gardeners program’s online fall training is open. Five sessions will be conducted via Zoom from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 22 and 29, and Oct. 6, 20 and 27. The $75 fee includes the Master Gardener handbook. Trainees will learn about basic botany, soils and fertilizer, pest control, landscape design, vegetable and fruit gardening, annuals and perennials, and more. Each new Master Gardener is paired with a mentor. For an application, contact a county Cooperative Extension Service office. For more information, visit www.uaex.uada.edu/master-gardeners, or for a directory of offices, visit www.uaex.uada.edu/counties.

Neighbor’s Table

RUSSELLVILLE — Neighbor’s Table offers a free meal every Saturday at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 501 S. Phoenix Ave. The meal is takeout only and can be picked up from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, call (479) 968-3622.

Veterans Food Pantry

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — The Veterans Villages Helping Hand Program Food Pantry, 8325 MacArthur Drive, serves all veterans, as well as activeduty, Guard and Reserve service members and their families, in Faulkner and Perry counties. The food pantry will be open from 8 a.m. to noon every other Wednesday, including Sept. 8 and 22. The Veterans Villages of America Program also helps with unemployment, health care and housing for veterans and service members. For more information, contact Mark Diggs at (501) 442-1237 or mark@diggsandassociates.com, or visit www.veteransvillagesofamerica.org.

Food Pantry and Thrift Store

MORRILTON — The Conway County Care Center’s food pantry, at 108 W. Broadway, is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Residents of Conway County may visit the pantry once a month to take home free supplemental food, regardless of household income. The center also operates a thrift store, where clothes and household items are available at a low cost, or free when there is an immediate need. For more information, to volunteer or to make donations, visit www.conwaycountycarecenter.com.

Cleburne County Cares Food Pantry

HEBER SPRINGS — The Cleburne County Cares Food Pantry, 2016 Arkansas 25 Bypass, is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Those who need food are asked to call ahead at (501) 362-8486 so the pantry can have the items ready for pickup.

Fairfield Bay Rotary Meetings

FAIRFIELD BAY — The Fairfield Bay Rotary meets at noon every Wednesday, with lunch at 11:30 a.m., in the Fireside Room at the Little Red Restaurant at Indian Hills, 337 Snead Drive. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Arkansas Department of Health guidelines are followed.

UPCOMING Virtual Workshop for Caregivers

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — CareLink, Central Arkansas’ Area Agency on Aging, will present a community workshop for caregivers in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Arkansas and the Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The free, virtual event will take place from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Sept. 29. The focus of the sessions is to educate, encourage and support caregivers. For more information or to register, visit carelink.org/familycaregiver-workshop. For information about caregiver support, call CareLink at (501) 372-5300 or toll-free at (800) 482-6359, or visit carelink.org.

Oktoberfest Art Walk

FAIRFIELD BAY — The Oktoberfest 2021 Art Walk will take place Oct. 1 and 2 in Fairfield Bay. Artists are asked to reserve an art booth for both days by Sept. 1 to sell their artistic creations.

For more information, call Rema Merritt at (501) 691-2893 or Robbie Miller at (501) 350-2796.

Sacred Heart Modified Oktoberfest

MORRILTON — Sacred Heart Catholic School, 106 N. St. Joseph, will host a modified version of its annual Oktoberfest on Oct. 2. The event will include a socially distanced silent auction, a takeout spaghetti dinner and a raffle for a 2022 Kawasaki Mule. Weather permitting, bingo and pull tabs will be open outside. Sacred Heart families are asked to sell tickets, and the class that sells the most will win special privileges and a final class field trip. Representatives for the top-selling classes will be crowned Herr & Dame of Oktoberfest. For more information and raffleticket forms, visit www.sacredheartmorrilton.org.

To submit an item for the Calendar of Events, mail information to Calendar of Events, River Valley & Ozark Edition, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72203; fax to (501) 378-3500; or email to rvonews@arkansasonline.com. The deadline for calendar-item submissions is noon Tuesday.