Local notes

HOBBS

Celebrate the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day and the 100th anniversary of Arkansas State Parks beginning at 9 a.m. April 15 at Hobbs State Park Conservation area, 20201 E. Highway 12 in Rogers. Food trucks will be selling food and drinks. A percentage of sales benefits the park.

• 9-11 a.m.: Birds and Breakfast. See live songbirds captured in the park by ornithologists and then help release the birds after learning more about them. Breakfast snacks and beverages will be provided.

• 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Educational booths and kids crafts. Come and go as you please. Booths will be on the Ozark Plateau Trail next to the park’s visitor center.

• 11:30 a.m.-noon: Musical performance by WildHeart. They will be selling their CDs and DVDs as well, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the park.

• Noon-12:45 p.m.: Centennial recognition by Jeff King, Deputy Director of Arkansas State Parks, and Jay Schneider, Asst. Superintendent of Hobbs State Park. Afterwards there will be free cupcakes and a ceremonial planting of Ozark chinquapin tree seeds.

• 1-1:45 p.m.: Musical performance by WildHeart

• 2-2:45 p.m.: 100 Years of Arkansas State Parks: Join Park Interpreter Chris as we take a journey back to 1923 and the founding of the first Arkansas State Park, Petit Jean. Learn about our mission and how this state agency has grown over the past 100 years to include 52 parks.

Information: (479) 7895000.

BOTANICAL GARDEN

The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks is inviting local gardeners to partake in their “Butterfly Gardening” class from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 18.

“Butterfly Gardening” specifically for butterflies, we help to improve our natural environment in a variety of ways. In this class, BGO’s Butterfly House Mentor, Kitty Sanders, will discuss the basics of developing your very own butterfly garden. Guests will learn what host and nectar plants they need, tips on design, and which native butterfly species may be drawn to their gardens.

Tickets to the “Butterfly Gardening” class are available for purchase on the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks website. Tickets are $15 for the public and free for BGO members.

Celebrate Earth Day 2023 at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks from 3 to 6 p.m. April 21. This outdoor event includes family-friendly hands-on, interactive activities, crafts, and games. Enjoy live music by “March to August,” be amazed by a magic show with Alan Burdick, visit booths featuring a variety of community partners and explore six cultivated acres of spring garden beauty.

Guests are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy in the garden, but pack in and pack out.

Admission is free for BGO members. For nonmembers, admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids ages 4-12, and free for children 3 and under. Tickets are available for purchase at bgozarks.org/events or at the gate.

Information: (479) 7502620 or bgozarks.org.

GENERATIONS

Fenix Art and Mt. Sequoyah Creative Spaces are hosting a call for artist’s submissions of work for an upcoming exhibit in June 2023. The opening reception will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 1, in conjunction with Fayetteville’s First Thursday events.

A panel discussion featuring the artists will be held the next night, from 6-8 p.m. June 2.

Closing date is June 28 and the works will be exhibited in the Fenix gallery.

This exhibition will be showcasing work by local queer artists, ages 19 and older, as well as displaying work from high school students and FYRE program. The theme Generations aims to illustrate the artist’s expression of their own queer experience. By exhibiting work from artists 12 and older, Generations hopes to give a fuller perspective of the queer journey over time.

Queer artists from Northwest Arkansas, 19 and older, are invited to enter their visual art into the juried exhibition with cash awards of up to $500, the judge is TBA and there is no entry fee.

The deadline for entries is April 24.

Artwork must have been completed within the past two years and should reflect some aspect of the queer experience.

Information: (469) 4035617 or email fenixqueergenerations@gmail.com.

OLLI

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arkansas has announced the following classes:

• April 11: Chasing Waterfalls of Arkansas. Hike the Ozark/St.Francis National Forest to view waterfalls at their spring best. 9 a.m.4 p.m. $25 members, $40 nonmembers; The Gift of Safe, Tasty Drinking Water. The Beaver Water District provides us with clean, safe water to drink. Learn how it’s done and what it took to get there. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Beaver Water Facility. $19 members, $34 nonmembers

• April 12: Cut the Cord: Streaming TV, Movies & Internet. 10 a.m.-noon. Drake Airfield. $19 members, $34 nonmembers

• April 13: Historic Fayetteville. Visit the historic Headquarters House Museum with a docent. 10-11:30 a.m. Headquarters House. $29 members, $44 nonmembers; Cops, Robbers & Criminal Law. Hear Circuit Judge John Threet discusses cases he has presided over. 2-4 p.m. Washington County Courthouse. $25 members, $40 nonmembers; Balance & Aging. 3-4 p.m. Washington Regional Senior Center. $19 members, $34 nonmembers

• April 14 & 21: 4 Keys to Healthgevity: Living Healthier Longer. 10 a.m.-noon. Butterfield Trail Village. $29 members, $44 nonmembers

• April 14, 21 & 28: Early Hollywood. Part I - The 1910’s and 1920’s established everything that Hollywood was to become in the decades to follow. 1-3 p.m. Zoom. $39 members, $54 nonmembers • April 17: Believing in Books & Trusting Your Gut. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Pearl’s Books. $19 members, $34 nonmembers; Drinking in the Ozarks. Odd Soul Pub. Join Erin Rowe to sample and discuss Scotch Whiskey. 1-3 p.m. Odd Soul Pub, Springdale. $35 members, $50 nonmembers.

Information: (479) 5754545 or olli.uark.edu.

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