MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Feb. 23

Bella Vista (DoC) Highland Christian Church will host a Red Cross Blood Drive on Thursday, Feb. 23, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Please register at redcrossblood.org and register under Highland Christian Church, Bella Vista. The church is located at 1500 Forest Hills Blvd. in Bella Vista.

Feb. 24

Lenten Fish Fries at St. Bernard Catholic Church are back this year. The Bella Vista Strings will also be back at the three events to give fish eaters a little ambiance with their meals.

Aubrey Plauche says that he never lets a person leave the fish fries hungry; the portions are big and filling. The menu includes: catfish, potato salad, coleslaw, hush puppies, dessert and coffee, tea and water. The cost is $15 per person. Tickets are required and may be purchased at the church office at 1 Saint Bernard Lane in Bella Vista, Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The phone number to call for more information is 479-855-9069. Tickets will also be available for purchase before weekend Mass Saturday, 4:30-5 p.m.; and Sunday, 8:30-9 a.m.

The social hall opens at 5 p.m. with serving to begin at 6 p.m.

There will be two additional Lenten Fish Fries on Friday, March 10, and Friday, March 31.

Feb. 25

In honor of Black History Month, Pea Ridge National Military Park Guide Kerry Jones will present a special program on the life of Frederick Douglass using Douglass’ own writings. This one-hour program will take place in the park visitor center auditorium at 6 p.m.

Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves and commemorates the March 7-8, 1862, battle that helped Union forces maintain physical and political control of the state of Missouri. Administered by the National Park Service, the 4,300-acre battlefield is located 10 miles north of Rogers, just off US

Highway 62. Visit us on Facebook or online at nps. gov/peri.

March 1

HUMMERS (Highlands United Methodist Men) will host a blood drive Wednesday, March 1, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 417227-5006 or go to cbco.org/ donate-blood. All participants will receive a free t-shirt.

March 7

The Bentonville/Bella Vista club of Altrusa International is hosting a Games Day in Bella Vista on Tuesday, March 7. The party offers an opportunity for participants to purchase a table to play games of their choice, such as bridge, mah jongg or canasta. Guests will be treated to lunch provided by local Altrusans and all proceeds will go to programs that benefit Children’s Literacy.

The event will take place at Saint Bernard’s Catholic Church located at 1 Saint Bernard Lane, starting at 10 a.m. The entry fee, due in advance of the event, is $60 per four-person table. Please contact Peggy Rosenthal at pjr1010@yahoo.com to register.

March 19

The annual Bella Vista Historical Museum membership meeting will be held Sunday, March 19, at 2 p.m. There will be a brief business meeting in which board officers for the coming year will be elected; and then a speaker has been secured.

This meeting is open to the public. The speaker will be Randy McCrory, a historian living in Rogers, who has studied Benton County history extensively. He will speak on the burning of Bentonville during the Civil War. He presented this program two years ago for the Bella Vista Civil War Roundtable and it was very well received. McCrory is a recent Walmart retiree and is the administrator of the website, vintagebentonville.com. He is a long-time supporter of the Bella Vista museum and donated the original 1926 blueprints for the Sunset Hotel construction to the museum.