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.

Through Monday, Sept. 6

Agencies to close for Labor Day

Several agencies have announced their Labor day closings dates. Jefferson County Courthouse and related offices and Pine Bluff City hall and related offices will be closed through Monday, according to their calendars. Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas will close its main office Monday, however Southeast Arkansas Transportation (SEAT) will still take cancer and dialysis patients to appointments, according to a spokesman. State Capitol offices and state buildings will be closed Monday. The State Capitol will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the Secretary of State’s news release.

Tuesday, Sept. 7 Governor to visit Sheridan

Gov. Asa Hutchinson will visit Sheridan for the Grant County Fiber Broadband Expansion event at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The event will be held at the Yellowjacket Arena at Sheridan High School, 800 W. Vine St., according to the governor’s schedule.

Lowe’s, city to make old school men’s home

Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington, Justin Roach of Lowe’s, and several company associates, will host a volunteer day from 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 7 at the City of Pine Bluff’s Opportunity House, formerly First Ward School, at 1300 E. Fifth Ave. The city will host the event to work on one of Lowe’s 100 Hometowns projects. This project will turn the unused school building into a men’s only transitional housing center, according to a news release. Volunteers will come together to clean up the building to prepare it for building renovations and landscaping. The city of Pine Bluff was the only municipality in Arkansas to be awarded the grant.

Wednesday, Sept. 8 Flag retirement ceremony set

The city of Pine Bluff will host a flag retirement ceremony at noon Sept. 8 on the north lawn of the Pine Bluff Civic Center complex, 200 E. Eighth Ave. The American flag currently flown at the complex will be retired and a new banner raised, according to a news release from the mayor’s office. Arkansas Secretary of Veteran Affairs Nate Todd will discuss the significance of the flag and the values it represents. The public is invited to attend and refreshments will be served.

SEARK board to meet

The Southeast Arkansas College Board of Trustees will hold their bi-monthly meeting at 10 a.m. Sept. 8 in the welcome center training room. SEARK is asking anyone who’s not on the agenda to attend via Zoom, according to a news release. For the Zoom link, contact Wanda Grimmett at wgrimmett@seark.edu.

Pine Bluff Commercial sets church news deadline

Church news is printed in The Commercial on Friday. The deadline to submit church announcements is noon Wednesday. Pastors, ministers or others interested in writing for the Devotional Page may also submit columns for consideration. Articles should be submitted by email to shope@pbcommercial.com. Details: (870) 534-3400, ext. 5.

Thursday, Sept. 9 NAACP plans Zoom meeting

The Pine Bluff NAACP Branch will hold its membership meeting via Zoom at 6 p.m. Thursday. Participants must have the Zoom link to join the meeting. Individuals wishing to attend may email pbnaacp@yahoo.com for the Zoom link, according to a news release.

County Road 96 to be inspected

One lane of County Road 96 across Arkansas Post Canal near Tichnor will be closed from 8 a.m. 1 p.m. Thursday to conduct a routine bridge inspection. The closure is being coordinated with emergency services and law enforcement agencies, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) news release. Flaggers will be present to assist with the flow of traffic, but motorists should plan for additional travel time

Underway

‘Deeply Rooted: A Glimpse into Southern Lifestyle’ exhibit open

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., will host “Deeply Rooted: A Glimpse into Southern Lifestyle,” an exhibition featuring work from its permanent collection, through March 5, according to a news release. The exhibit was curated by Torri Richardson, the center’s curatorial intern and 2021 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. This exhibition will show southern lifestyle from various viewpoints.

UAPB Art Exhibition

Featuring Amanei Johnson open

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s art department has opened a new exhibition featuring paintings from student Amanei Johnson at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas. This exhibition will be on display in The ARTSpace on Main’s loft gallery at 623 S. Main St. Johnson recently received a $1,000 award from the national group Black Girls Who Paint. This exhibition will run through Nov. 6, according to a news release.

Conservation education grants available

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Division of Rural Services has more than $769,000 to give to Arkansas schools and educators for conservation education programs in the 2021-22 school year, thanks to fines from wildlife violations. Educators in every county are encouraged to apply for grants by the Oct. 26 application deadline to make use of these free dollars for education. Any school or conservation district in Arkansas may apply for these grants, according to the Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Newsletter. Details: visit www.agfc.com/conservationgrants.

Beginning Friday, Sept. 10

St. John celebrates men’s day virtually

St. John AME Church, 1117 W. Pullen St., will host its annual men’s day worship and praise services virtually. At 6 p.m. Sept. 10, the guest preacher will be the Rev. Rodney Smith, pastor of First AME Church at Oakland, Ca. At 6 p.m. Sept. 11, the guest preacher will be the Rev. Derick Easter, pastor of New St. Hurricane Baptist Church of Pine Bluff. At 11 a.m. Sept. 12, services will feature the Rev. Robert Shaw, pastor of Bethel AME Church at San Francisco, Ca. To attend virtually, visit www.stjohnamepinebluff.org or https://www.facebook.com/St.JohnPineBluff/ or https://www.facebook.com/rev.cwilliams. To attend by Zoom the ID number is 4322086226 and password: 1117. By audio, dial 1-312-6266799 and when prompted enter 4322086226# then when prompted enter 1117#

Saturday, Sept. 11

St. John AME slates free food boxes

St. John AME Church, 1117 W. Pullen St., will give away food boxes to people in need from 9-11 a.m. Sept. 11. One food box per family will be provided in a drive thru event in front of the church on Cherry Street. Participants are asked to stay in their vehicles and open their trunks to receive the food. State ID’s are required, according to a news release. The sponsor is St. John’s Soul Food for the Mind, Body, and Spirit Feeding Ministry. To volunteer for this ministry people may email Pearl Matlock at pearl1948@sbcglobal.net. Financial donations may be sent to St. John AME Church-Feeding Ministry, 1117 W. Pullen St., Pine Bluff, Ark., 71601, or electronically through Givelify St John AME Pine Bluff.

Governor to speak at state’s 9-11 ceremony

Gov. Asa Hutchinson is scheduled to speak at the state commemoration of Patriots Day at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, on the steps of the Arkansas Capitol building. The ceremony is open to the public and will be broadcast via Facebook live at https://www.facebook.com/ADVAVets/ under events, according to a news release from Sue Harper, District 9 Veteran Service Officer.

Sunday, Sept. 12

Art league holds meeting

The monthly meeting of the Pine Bluff Art League will be held from 2-4 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Services Center, 211 W. Third Ave., Room A & B. Crystal Jennings will present a new technique on framing without glass. The public is invited to attend. Due to the continued rise in covid-19 cases, the league will require all members and visitors to wear masks during the meeting. Social distancing is encouraged, according to a news release. Details: PBAL President Spainhour at mediapinebluffartleague@gmail.com.