Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Local notes
ARISE
Chance for Change in partnership with the Center for Arkansas Legal Services will host their inaugural reentry expo, the Arkansas Reentry Integrated Support Expo (ARISE) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 6 at St. James Baptist Church, 4916 High St. in Fort Smith.
ARISE was designed to provide comprehensive support and resources for individuals reentering society after incarceration. The event will feature a panel of community experts, an expungement clinic, as well as a second chance job fair. Additional onsite resources include available housing, licensing reinstatement professionals, adult education programming, health department informational aids (i.e. birth certificates applications, etc.) along with amnesty — the withdrawing of misdemeanor warrants with the resetting of fines — and many other reentry resources and network opportunities.
The target attendees are those in need of support as they embark on their journey toward a brighter future.
Information: (469) 8305913 or (501) 376-3423.
HOBBS STATE PARK
Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area will host a free astronomy program from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 9 at the park’s visitor center. The Sugar Creek Astronomical Society will provide powerful telescopes for all guests to use.
The evening begins with an indoor program from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the upcoming total solar eclipse which occurs on April 8. Instructions cover what to expect in Northwest Arkansas, how to prepare for viewing, and specific points to watch for during the eclipse. Weather permitting, outdoor viewing will begin about 6:30 p.m. when participants will observe Jupiter before it sets for the season, view constellations Taurus, Orion and Canis Major, plus double stars, star clusters, the Pleiades and nebulae.
Items you may wish to bring include a flashlight covered with a red cloth (or red balloon) and a folding chair. If you have binoculars or a star chart, feel free to bring them. Recommended for ages 8+. Reservations not required.
Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area will also host two free archaeological programs for March Archaeological Month.
The first program will be held at 2 p.m. March 10 at the park’s visitor center. Michelle Rathberger, educational outreach coordinator, Arkansas Archeological Survey in Fayetteville, will present “Archaeology of Native Foods.” The program will discuss what foods are native to Arkansas, how people in the past prepared those foods, how did they find them and how archaeologists find and learn about these foods and how they were made.
Program participants will play a foraging simulation to try out finding food in nature. (Fun for adults too)
The second program will be at 2 p.m. March 24 at the park’s visitor center. Dr. Carl Drexler, station archaeologist and research associate professor at the Arkansas Archaeological Survey in Magnolia, will present “History in the Ozarks’ Dirt: Archaeology at Van Winkle’s Mill.” Drexler’s presentation will summarize the many years of archaeological work at Historical Van Winkle Hollow with emphasis on the lumber industry in Northwest Arkansas and the myth of the isolated Arkansas hillbilly.
Information: (479) 7895000.
HEALTH FAIR
The Springdale Public Library is hosting a Community Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 30.
This free health fair offers resources, information, and health screenings for all ages. The Arkansas Department of Health and UAMS will have their mobile health units set up outside of the library. Representatives will be available from UAMS, Walmart Health, Community Clinic of NWA, Welcome Health, the University of Arkansas Extension Office, the Springdale Fire Department and more. There will also be a special story time for children from 10:30 to 11 a.m. as well.
AR Department of Health will offer the following screenings: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar/glucose, A1C, height, weight, and BMI. UAMS will offer free covid and flu vaccinations, blood pressure screenings, A1C screenings, height and weight.
The tooth fairy is paying a special visit to the Library for our Community Health Fair. The tooth fairy will read dental-themed books and lead a fun activity. There will be an opportunity for photos with the tooth fairy after the story time. This storytime is open to children of all ages.
Information: (479) 7508180 or email comments@ springdalelibrary.org.
WRITERS’ COLONY
The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow has announced the winner of the 2024 “Imagination” fellowship. Siham
Inshassi was selected from 52 applications received from writers across the U.S. and overseas. This fellowship may be of any genre which invited writers to explore how imagination has influenced them, changed their life, or led them to a creative outlet. Inshassi will receive a twoweek residency at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow.
Inshassi is a Palestinian-American author, currently working on her first novel. She was the 2023 Miami Book Fair Emerging Writer Fiction Fellow and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from The New School, where she was awarded the Ignite Fellowship, working with the New York Women’s Foundation. Her work focuses on culture and identity politics, both in the home and beyond, and explores psychology and human nature and their relationship to cultural dynamics. She’s been published in The Margins, The Inquisitive Eater, Brooklyn Magazine, and The Drum, among others. Inshassi is inspired by art, people and places.
Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow Director, Jeanne Glass, said, “WCDH looks forward to meeting Siham, a talented writer with the imagination, creativity and strength that is clearly portrayed through her writing.”
Information: writerscolony.org/sponsor-a-fellowship.
VIDEO CONTEST
The Fort Smith International Film Festival, Ozark Media Arts Festival, Arkansas Cinema Society (ACS) and Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission will host a statewide video contest for high school students (grades 9-12) to create a video commercial of 30 seconds or less that promotes environmental responsibility in Arkansas. The contest will run March 1 until May 24. Winners will be announced June 28 at the ACS Filmmaking Lab for Teen Girls. There is no fee to enter the contest.
Students should focus their video on the Keep Arkansas Beautiful mission of inspiring Arkansans to improve their communities through education, preventing litter, promoting recycling and keeping Arkansas beautiful. Videos must be submitted to the Fort Smith International Film Festival on FilmFreeway at filmfreeway.com/fortsmithinternationalfilmfestival.
The winning student commercial will be featured on various television channels and showcased at the Fort Smith International Film Festival and ACS Filmmaking Lab for Teen Girls. The teacher of the winning student(s) will receive a free, two-night stay for two at an Arkansas State Parks lodge of their choosing (based on availability at the time of reservation). If the winner does not have a teacher advisor associated with their project, then the winner can nominate a teacher for the Arkansas State Parks lodge prize.
The winning students will receive an award package including gift cards and various prizes.
Information: keeparkansasbeautiful.com.
CBCO
Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, a supplier of blood, platelets and plasma to patients at 45 area healthcare facilities, is partnering with four area attractions to offer free admission for lifesaving donors to help boost the region’s blood supply this spring.
Successful donors in March and April will receive an Ozarks Adventures Pass, worth more than $150 in value in free admission offers. The Ozarks Adventure Pass has tear-away vouchers for free admission so donors can visit all of the following attractions:
• Two free admissions to The Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville, a $24 value,
• One combo admission to Beyond the Lens in Branson, Mo., a $36.99 value,
• Two free admissions to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs, a $64 value, and
• Two free admissions to The Discovery Center in Springfield, Mo., a $30 value.
Donors will also receive a limited-edition vintage CBCO T-shirt. To participate, give blood at any mobile blood drive or one of four CBCO donor centers located in Bentonville, Springdale, Joplin, Mo. or Springfield, Mo.
Information: cbco.org/ adventure.
Send news about local events, charity fundraisers and family or class reunions to ourtown@nwaonline.com. Deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday for Sunday publication. Please include a phone number or email address for publication.