CALENDAR

Editor’s Note: At press time, the following events and meetings were known to be still scheduled. Organizers or appropriate officials are encouraged to contact Sandra Hope at shope@pbcommercial.com to make additions or changes.

Friday, Feb. 26

Lowe’s, Sheriff’s Office to give away water

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with Lowe’s to provide bottled water to the community. The donations will be provided Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lowe’s parking lot, 2906A E. Harding Ave., at Pine Bluff.

City hosts clinic for 2nd doses of vaccine

The city of Pine Bluff will host a covid-19 vaccination clinic from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. This clinic is only for people who received the first dose of the vaccine at the clinic Jan. 29, according to a news release. The clinic was organized by Doctor’s Orders Pharmacy, the Arkansas Department of Health and the city of Pine Bluff. The event was rescheduled from Feb. 19 because of the inclement weather.

FBT scholarship contest deadline set

FBT Bank & Mortgage (FBT) is hosting the Simple Salute Black History Month Scholarship Contest. The deadline to enter is Friday, Feb. 26, at 11:59 p.m., according to a news release. The contest is open to high school seniors and college freshmen who live in Dallas, Cleveland and Jefferson counties. Applicants must write an essay, 2,000 words or less, or record a three-to-five minute video about an African-American Arkansan who has positively impacted history. Two winners will each receive a $2,500 scholarship. Winning essays or videos will be announced March 10 via social media. Details: fbtbank.com/ simplesalute.

Saturday, Feb. 27

Pilgrim Church opens pantry Saturday

Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 2507 Hill St., will open its Raven’s Nest Food Pantry on Saturday, Feb. 27, from 8-9:30 a.m. or until all the food has been given away. Food will be handed out on a first come, firstserved basis. Participants must bring a picture identification. The program is a U.S. Department of Agriculture distribution site, according to a news release.

Black heritage celebration set

Author Jason Irby, a Jefferson County native, will present the sixth annual Arkansas Heritage Celebration of Black History Month on Feb. 27. Due to the coronavirus and protocols of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the program isn’t open to the public. Interviews will be conducted with honorees and broadcast later, according to the Stuff in the Bluff website. Two individuals will be honored with a Legend Among Us award: Otis Kirkland, a well known photographer and philanthropist and native of Jefferson County, and Crystal Young-Haskins, the first African American female in the Little Rock Police Department to hold the rank of assistant chief of police, according to the release.

Beginning Saturday, Feb. 27

Arts center reschedules youth cooking program

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas rescheduled two youth cooking sessions, according to a news release. The CrEATe Lab with Faith Anaya will be held from 1-3 p.m. Saturday and March 6. The program is open to ages 10-17. The CrEATe Lab is $35 with partial scholarships available. To register, visit asc701.org/create-lab or call ASC at 870-536-3375.

Sunday, Feb. 28

Kings Highway celebrates Black History

Kings Highway Missionary Baptist Church, 2312 Fluker St., will host a Black History program at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 28, on Kings Highway’s Facebook page. The youth of the church will present “Chucks and Pearls,” according to a news release.

Through Sunday, Feb. 28

UAPB accepts entries to Snack Recipe Contest

Pine Bluff youth, ages 5-18, are invited to submit original snack recipes for the 2021 Snack Recipe Contest. The event is sponsored by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Programs. The first-place prize is a $100 gift card, the second-place prize is a $75 gift card, and the third-place prize is a $50 gift card. The entry deadline is Feb. 28, according to a news release. Each participant must fill out an entry form and submit the original recipe and a photo by email to Teresa Henson at hensont@uapb.edu or to Teki Hunt at huntjimenezt@uapb.edu.

Museum hosts free virtual tours at site honoring Ebony founder

Friends of John H. Johnson Museum will offer free virtual tours of the historic John H. Johnson Museum and Educational Center at Arkansas City in observance of Black History Month. Johnson is the late founder of Johnson Publishing Co. which publications included Ebony and Jet magazines. During February, the virtual tours will guide visitors through the museum named for the Arkansas City native, according to a news release. For details on the tour, visitors can send an email to info@johnhjohnsonmuseum.org and they will provide a direct link. Details: www.johnhjohnsonmuseum.org.

Beginning Monday, March 1

Tickets go on sale for Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., will open its box office March 1 for people to purchase tickets for its first 2021 production, “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: A Virtual Fractured Fairy Tale.” The production, featuring a full cast of Southeast Arkansas youth ages 21 and younger, will stream at 7 p.m. April 1-4. This production is directed by Kayla Lake and written by Brian D. Taylor. The event is sponsored by Relyance Bank. The play is inspired by classic fairy tales. Tickets are $7 for ASC members and $10 for nonmembers and can be purchased at asc701.org/.

Beginning Tuesday, March 2

Kennel Club to host dog obedience class

The Southeast Arkansas Kennel Club is sponsoring a dog obedience class starting March 2. It will be held at Hestand Stadium each Tuesday from 7-8 p.m. for eight weeks. The cost is $65, according to a news release. Details: (870) 879-3384.

Wednesday, March 3

Pine Bluff Commercial sets church news deadline

Church news is printed in The Commercial on Friday. The deadine to submit church announcements is noon Wednesday. Announcements can be for in-person services or online services as well as other ministry events. Articles may be submitted by email to shope@adgnewsroom.com. Pastors, ministers or other writers interested in writing a religion column may submit articles for consideration by email. Please include your phone number, the name and location of your ministry or city where you reside, and your photo. Photos may also accompany church news by email.

Beginning Tuesday, March 9

Workshops to address doing business with government

The Generator will host two workshops about doing business with the government. The presenter will be Liz Russell, procurement counselor with the Arkansas Procurement Technical Center. Due to covid-19, seats will be limited, according to a news release. March 9 — from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Introduction to Government Contracting will be held. March 30 – 6-7 p.m. Marketing to the Government will be held. Interested participants may register at https://goforwardpinebluff.org/the-generator/#doingbizwgovt. Details: Mildred Franco, executive director, at francomildred@goforwardpb. org.

Clearing the Air Conference, Cancer Summit set

The 18th Clearing the Air Communities of Color Conference and 22nd Arkansas Cancer Summit will be held virtually from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 9 and from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 10. The Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office (MISRGO) at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the Arkansas Cancer Coalition (ACC) will host the events, according to a news release. The virtual conferences are open to the public. Registration is required and is available through March 4 at http://www.arcancersummit.org/register. Details: http://www. arcancersummit.org/agenda-2 or contact Marian S. Lothery, MISRGO coordinator, at evansm@uapb.edu or (870) 575-8923.

Friday, March 12

Highway officials seek public input about U.S. 65 plans

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) will conduct an online public involvement meeting to gather input on the proposed plans to add 8-foot paved shoulders along U.S. 65 between Interstate 530 and U.S. 425 at Pine Bluff. The public is invited to listen, view meeting materials, and provide written comments. The website will be available for comments until 4:30 p.m. March 12. To access the online public meeting, participants should go to this link: https://vpiph01job-020716-i530-hwy-425-hwy-65-ardot.hub.arcgis.com/ Those who don’t have internet access can contact Karla Sims at 501-569-2000 or by email at karla.sims@ardot.gov, to ask questions about the proposed project and how to access project information.

Through Monday, March 15

Foundation accepting scholarship applications

Pine Bluff and Jefferson County students can apply for scholarships from the Pine Bluff Area Community Foundation. The deadline to apply is March 15. Each scholarship has its own eligibility criteria. In general, the community foundation scholarships are for area students pursuing higher education at two- or four-year colleges or universities, vocational schools or technical training programs, according to a news release. Students can begin their application by visiting www.arcf. org/apply/scholarships/.

Wednesday, March 17

Deadline set for SBA loan forms from spring storms

The deadline to apply for loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration for assistance after the storms in the spring of 2020 is March 17. In Jefferson County, applicants may apply for SBA federal disaster loans for economic injury caused by severe storms and straight-line winds that occurred April 12, 2020. Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ or call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Through Monday, March 22

AKA, First Sisters seek scholarship applicants

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Delta Omega Omega Chapter, and First Sisters Outreach Inc. are accepting scholarship applications from graduating female high school seniors who will be attending the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. March 22, according to a news release. Applications and eligibility requirements are available online at akadeltaomegaomega.com/scholarship. html or by emailing Ka’Lisa Stanfield at akadooscholar@gmail.com.

Through Thursday, March 25 AgDiscovery teen program applications set at UAPB

Applications are being accepted for AgDiscovery, a residential career and science exploration program for teens. March 25 is the application deadline, said Willie Columbus, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff educational outreach coordinator and AgDiscovery program director. UAPB will host AgDiscovery June 12-25 on campus. UAPB is among 21 institutions to host the event. A complete list of host universities, brochures, information and application forms and instructions are available online at www.aphis.usda. gov/agdiscovery. Details: Willie Columbus at UAPB at (870) 575-7145 or columbusw@uapb.edu or the UAPB AgDiscovery Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/uapbagdiscovery/.

Through Friday, March 26

Homegrown By Heroes Scholarship forms available

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas are partnering to provide two $1,000 Homegrown by Heroes academic scholarships to military veterans and active military personnel, their spouses, and children who are pursuing degrees in agriculture. Funding for the scholarships is provided by Farm Credit.Applications are due March 26 and are available at agriculture.arkansas.gov/arkansas-department-of-agriculture-programs/. Details: arkansasgrown.org/homegrown-by-heroes/.

Thursday, April 1

Deadline set for Korean War vet stories in yearbook

April 1 is the deadline to submit entries for the 2021 Arkansas Korean War Veterans Yearbook. The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs is participating in the project honoring Arkansas veterans. To be included, a veteran must have served in Korea or its territorial waters between June 25, 1950, and July 27, 1953. Veterans or relatives may submit photographs and biographies, which will be accepted on a first-come, first-accepted basis. The submission form is available at https://forms.gle/DfzvkGyN3TNAFrsC9. Submissions also may be sent by email with the veteran’s first, middle, and last name in the subject line to Koreayearbook2021@gmail.com.