Entertainment Fort Smith - March 2016

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EDITOR’S NOTES

Editorial Staff LINDA SEUBOLD Editor in Chief lindaseubold@efortsmith.com LYNN WASSON Managing Editor lynnwasson@efortsmith.com DONNA PAYNE Senior Editor donnapayne@efortsmith.com MARY JANE HENNIG Art Director Contributing Writers BRITTANY RANSOM KARRIE KELLY KRISTAN ROLAND JIM SPEARS PAIGE STEWART Contributing Photographers BOB DYER ROGER CARTER GLENN GILLEY KARRIE KELLY DONNA PAYNE BRITTANY RANSOM KRISTAN ROLAND

Advertising Sales Advertising Coordinator KARRIE KELLY karrie@efortsmith.com 479-494-1888 CHARLES G. HUBBARD Corporate Sales charleshubbard@efortsmith.com 479-831-3995 CALVIN EVANS Account Executive calvinevans@efortsmith.com 479-414-3252 LINDA GILHAM Account Executive lgilham@efortsmith.com 479-629-0235 Bookkeeping JULIE BERCH HAMILTON accounts@efortsmith.com 479-494-1888 © 2016 eFortSmith.com Media, Inc. 4

Entertainment Fort Smith

March 2016

Take heart – we’re Fortified!

Doers make Fort Smith stronger Just a short talk with a younger person who’s optimistical can buck up a person’s attitude. We had that experience when we decided to launch a new interview series with some people we’ve nicknamed “Fortifiers,” because they’re making our city mightier and prepared for anything.

We launched it with a familiar name: Sicard. It has meant something around here for a good deal more than a century. Sam T. Sicard was gracious enough to give us an hour and in that time we caught the enthusiasm he transmits in his own easy-going but refreshingly sincere manner.

He’s but one of an emerging cohort of the 2010s. Along with other notable entrepreneurs such as Bill Hanna, Lance Beaty and Steve Clark, Sicard is glad he has chosen to be “dug in” here for life. He’s high on his hometown.

He’s the first to bring up their names, and other men and women around his age, who are deploying some distinctive strategies to build up Fort Smith and our local region.

Sicard notes 2015 as “a monumental year of change for our community” with surprising and wildly well-received new festivals, ideas and townbuilding civic activism. Most of those 2015 festivals and events will happen again this year.

One already has – the popular Fort Smith Marathon put on its second race last month with as many or more people participating as runners and importantly, as volunteers and sponsors.

While the fathers or even grandfathers and great-grandfathers of Sicard and the other Fortifiers invented and sustained some of our venerable events such as the Old Fort Days Rodeo, this generation has a new style. Maybe these crowds come with earbuds in, pushing a racing stroller. Or on a Harley. Maybe they like craft beer instead of Milwaukee’s best.

Well, OK. Let’s do it their way! This magazine is solidly behind anyone’s effort to fortify us. We are going to listen and share with you what some of these go-getters have on their minds.

We would be glad to hear your nominations for subjects who fit this description. It doesn’t matter if we didn’t know their daddies.

Also in this issue: Our second look at active young families happened to be with real cheerleaders, Jody and Rachel Presson. As one of my daughters had Mr. Presson as a teacher, I already knew he talked up his experiences as a college cheerleader to his Darby Junior High classes. Being junior high students, a few teased him about it.

“He walked around his desk one day and just dropped into the splits, without saying a word,” my daughter Flannery recalled. “The guys pretty much shut up after that,” she laughed.

Presson was helped through college by scholarships related to cheering and he also married his stunt partner, Rachel. He encourages students to find a passion that combines with their education and vocation. You will read what a positive influence they’re having on students.

We also heard, just in time to report it here, about some forward motion for the U.S. Marshals Museum. It’s not steel going up but it is the necessary schematic work to prepare for real construction. Let’s do this!

When you read about the Lawn & Garden Show and art center fundraising and cultural happenings, think of the people working behind it all. They’re Fortifiers, too. It’s our privilege to show you what they’re doing.

– Lynn Wasson

CIRCULATION Entertainment Fort Smith is a monthly city/regional magazine published from February to December by eFortSmith.com Media, Inc. Entertainment Fort Smith distributes 30,000 complimentary issues per month.

SUBSCRIPTION Entertainment Fort Smith can be mailed to you for $30 per publication year (11 issues).

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CONTENTS

March 2016

features

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Spring under one roof

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The Lawn & Garden Show springs eternal Gardeners flock to the Fort Smith Convention Center for three days in March to go gaga for classes, expert advice, shopping and, of course, live plans and flowers.

Fortifiers: Sam T. Sicard A talk with the president and CEO of First National Bank is the first in a series on people who are building up our town and making Fort Smith stronger.

The Pressons: Never underestimate the power of cheerleading A pair of educators who met as college cheerleaders, Jody and Rachel Presson now have a daughter, two careers and are devoted to encouraging Darby Junior High girls.

Miss UA-Fort Smith will pass the title to a new student Joni Fields-Adams shares her experiences of a year as Miss UAFS just as 18 new contestants try for scholarships in the 2016 Miss UA-Fort Smith Pageant.

Read This! Author N. Scott Momaday to speak here His novel ‘House Made of Dawn’ was selected for a Pulitzer Prize. Momaday, who explored contemporary Native American life in his fiction, will read here March 15.

Center for Art & Education remembers Ethel Ashley A 40th anniversary retrospective includes a tribute to a founder of the Center for Art and Education, Crawford County’s enduring gallery and art education institution.

departments

18 38

Ethel Ashley remembered

28 76

HOME & GARDEN Main Street Ltd. of Charleston, Ark., grew from monogramming to more.

GARDEN TOURISM Stop digging and take in some of the state’s most beautiful public gardens.

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Treats on the bunny trail

Entertainment Fort Smith

March 2016

WHAT’S COOKING Springtime and Easter treats from the Cookbook Queen, Kristan Roland.

COLOMBIA 34 TRAVELOGUE: Jim and Dixie Spears saw the ancient, reverent Easter processions in Popayán.

DINING GUIDE What you need to know to make a tasty choice in local eateries.

eve n t s

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MUSIC & PERFORMANCE Every area theater has outstanding performances on the bill for spring.

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EVENTS FOR KIDS Plus crafts with kids in mind and exciting Spring Break activities.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS The promise of spring brings outdoor recreation to March dates.

On the cover: Sam T. Sicard, at First National Bank’s ornate vault door. Photo by Lynn Wasson

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Photo by Pat Robbins

MARCH 18-20

A rite of spring: the River Valley Lawn & Garden Show

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or three days each spring, gardeners can express all their pent-up anticipation at the River Valley Lawn & Garden Show, presented by the area’s most enthusiastic horticulturists – the Master Gardeners.

Since 1995, the River Valley Master Gardeners, a division of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, has put on this comprehensive garden exposition with educational demonstrations, lectures and numerous vendor booths.

The Master Gardeners have invited an interesting slate of speakers and experts who will give demonstrations all related to planting and tending flower or food gardens, including fun new growing techniques.

In a pop-up lecture hall created to one side of the massive Fort Smith Convention Center, these programs are always well attended. Most of the experts are willing to stick around and answer questions.

While grown-ups may be choosing new varieties of daylilies or checking out high-quality garden tools, children can have a wonderful time with free crafts and activities related to growing things.

Everyone can enjoy the amazing variety of garden and outdoorrelated products, even if only via browsing the many booths. There will be eye-catching garden ornaments, both of the beautiful and artfully whimsical varieties. Birders can enjoy shopping for bird-feeders and bathouses. There are garden flags and plant markers, fencing, watering cans and irrigation systems. Vendors of landscape water features, swimming pools, and hot tubs and rain barrels have exhibited. Garden tools to wield by hand and powered equipment such as mowers are on display.

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Entertainment Fort Smith

March 2016

The star show-stoppers are the living gardens with live flowers, sod and trees that are designed and assembled overnight just for the show.

Local nurseries and landscapers outdo themselves each year with flowing waterfalls, stone-ringed ponds and blooming flowers “planted” into spectacular displays. Prizes, including a People’s Choice Award, are given to these live landscapes.

Sunrooms, gazebos, playhouses and storage buildings are erected inside the convention center by the local companies who build them.

Handmade botanical products offered, such as soaps, skin care items and home fragrance or organic cleaners, all start from green origins. In past years, wineries have been present to show off the fruit of the vine.

Outstanding living plants, from vegetable starts and herbs to exotic orchids and cacti may be for sale. Trees, shrubs, bedding plants and plants in pots for the porch or patio sprout from every direction from one end of the great hall to the other.

The Extension Service, backed by the UA School of Agriculture, is a deep repository for advice, instruction and diagnosis of potential disease or growing problems. Samples of troubled plants can be shown to the service’s experts for diagnosis and advice for solutions.

Proceeds of the show help sustain the education and public service provided by the Master Gardeners from The Learning Fields at Chaffee Crossing, its ever-expanding horticultural demonstration facility.

Fort Smith Convention Center, Rogers Avenue and South 9th Street, Fort Smith. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. each day. Admission is $5; kids under 12 are admitted free.

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Photo by Pat Robbins

INFORMATIVE TALKS BY GARDEN EXPERTS Friday, March 18 10:30 a.m. – Carol McKinney “Herbs”

Sunday, March 20 10:30 a.m. – Cheryl Anderson “Grow Bucket Gardening”

12:30 p.m. – Betty Harrison “Making Hyper-Tufa Flower Planters”

12:30 p.m. – Lance Kirkpatrick “Managing Fire Ants”

2:30 p.m. – Clifford Ivy “Butterfly Host Plants”

2:30 p.m. – Dee Wilcox “Pruning a Crepe Myrtle”

4 p.m. – Cheryl Anderson “Grow Bucket Gardening”

4 p.m. – Ralph Cooper “Roses”

Saturday, March 19 10:30 a.m. – Bill Schemel “Terrariums and Fairy Gardens” 1 p.m. – Janet Carson “Gardening 101, Getting Started on a Vegetable Garden” 3 p.m. – Jerri Johnston “Farmer’s Co-op” 4 p.m. – Sherrie Smith “Garden Diseases”

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Sam T. Sicard

FORT FIRST OF A SERIES:

ifie rs

making Fort Smith stronger

A talk with Sam T. Sicard – a native, activist citizen and Fort Smith banker

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ot everyone could accept the circumstances determining so much of their career as well as Sam T. Sicard. The easy-going, 39-yearold is like a lot of people you’ll meet around Fort Smith – a parent with kids in a lot of activities, a willing volunteer at community events and a nice guy you enjoy talking with over a coffee.

From his name alone, Fort Smithians knew he would have the opportunity to work in his family’s business, First National Bank, where he could become the fifth generation of Sicards to head the city’s longest-operating financial institution, founded 144 years ago.

Five years after the death of his respected father, Sam M., “Sam T.’s” steady performance as president and CEO has been as solid as that tall, white-glazed bank building looming over Garrison Avenue since 1910. Sam T. always credits his father’s willingness to share his own wisdom and experience freely with his son for giving him the confidence and skills to lead the business when he was thrust into the role.

This magazine chose to begin a series about difference-makers with Sicard for several reasons, one of which is that this bank’s president has always been an influential figure.

Sicard, however, not only joined many uplifting local efforts, as did his dad, he has initiated notable drives such as Step Up, Speak Out: Together We Can End Child Abuse, in 2012.

That non-profit organization has grown outward from Fort Smith to the surrounding counties served by the bank, doing outreach and education at ground level in schools and a myriad of related service agencies and groups. The nonprofit has helped make connections between all concerned people to help adults recognize and act decisively to stop the abuse of children.

More recently, Sicard increased his family’s and the bank’s ongoing support of the U.S. Marshal’s Museum with the completion of a $2 million gift toward its construction. The gift was put together as a $1 million First Bank Corp. pledge to match $1 million more in donations made in Sam M. Sicard’s honor by family, friends and associates.

Leveraging opportunities to a better outcome is Sicard’s strength and a strategy he advocates for the entire city. To reach a goal, he said, the first step is to be frank in sizing up its challenge.

“We have to keep things in context ... let’s go backwards just a little bit. You have to recognize what we faced as a community and what we have overcome: a combination of losing our largest employer in the longest recession in almost a century,” he said. “We have rebounded from that.

We’re not quite to where we were in total jobs but again, if you had told me where we are today vs. losing our largest employer and what our national economy has been through, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he explained.

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FORTIFIERS SERIES Identifying opportunity Sicard sees the positive in factors that others view as discouraging, such as comparing this area’s prospects to the Bentonville/Springdale/Fayetteville region, where the world’s dominant retailer is headquartered. That’s not just another part of the state with energetic growth, it is an anomaly within the whole nation, he said. It is rare good fortune for northwest Arkansas that Walmart was founded there and remains there, plus it is an opportunity, when viewed as he does.

“The way to look at it, in my opinion, is that is another asset – in our state. The proximity of it is an asset to Fort Smith,” Sicard thinks.

“There’s been job creation, I believe, in the local community due to the ability to expand people’s businesses into that market. FNB is there, as well, and it has supported more local jobs in our business. We have to have more infrastructure of support in the back office here to support operations up there.”

More than one way to navigate a trail “Before, if someone wanted to get away to a more urban environment with other attractions, they’d have to drive at least to Tulsa,” he said of the growth to the north. “So there’s positives. The other way to look at it, too, is competition makes you better. When we see progress in other communities, it inspires us to think bigger, think outside the box. It raises the bar. An example of that is the trails.”

In 2015, Sicard joined with an group that proposed the city divert funds collected by a street tax to construct multi-use trails, a potential recreational feature that is wanted and valued by active residents and residential developers, who ask for these pathways to enhance neighborhoods they build.

“What inspired me to get involved in the trails is that I spent some time on the Razorback Greenway. It made me think how something similar could be done in the Fort Smith community,” he said. “I’m not sure I would be as passionate about it if I hadn’t seen it. I’m not an avid bike rider, actually, but I have a friend who’s really into it and together we made a full day of it.

We rode the whole thing and stopped and ate and drank and had a great time with a group of friends, and I thought this would be something very cool for our community. I’m not sure I would be as inspired about our trail system if I hadn’t done that,” he explained in reference to the nearby northwest Arkansas trail system.

Although the Fort Smith Trails & Greenways effort was voted down in a 2015 election, Sicard again saw a way to leverage opportunity.

“We took the election not as an objection to trails, but a response that was against reducing funding for our streets. We understand that,” he said. “We were planning for other alternatives to get it done. We offered to match park department support with private support.”

Digging in for that extra effort after the election results, Sicard joined with Bill Hanna and other business people to suggest alternatively that the city raise its commitment (from existing funds) to prioritize trails. First National Bank offered a zero percent interest loan and the private sector group pledged to raise $3 million more from donations. The plan was greenlighted.

“We’re not done with that. We still have more money to raise but we will get there,” Sicard said of the ongoing campaign. “There are other funding initiatives – all the money from the Fort Smith Marathon goes to the trails.”

Building on momentum “I think that we need to remember 2015 as a monumental year of change for our community. It started with our first-ever Fort Smith Marathon, then it was the Steel Horse Rally, then the Peacemaker Music Festival – and all these things are being perpetuated,” Sicard observed.

Sicard, third from left, with team members celebrating the 4th of July.

“Then, of course, there was the success of the Unexpected Festival.” The new charter school now forming will be another asset, he added.

“Fort Smith is now on the radar for being a change agent, a community that is passionate about progress. I really do believe that people want to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. They just have to find how to do it. People come to me and ask, ‘How do you accomplish new initiatives?’

It’s all about finding like-minded people with different skill sets that have that same passion you have to be a part of something bigger than yourself and to give back. When you concrete those relationships, it’s amazing what you can accomplish.”

Recognize we’re all in this together Sicard is both an idealist and a smart, practical banker when he talks about engaging with his hometown. It is something he strongly believes, as did his father and his more distant ancestors, must be embraced throughout the bank’s team of associates. First National Bank actively seeks the kind of people who participate fully in service to the community. In every branch of the bank, team members are encouraged and given time to volunteer. FNB’s longtime Partners in Education relationship with Fort Smith Public Schools is just one example of many such partnerships that go on year after year.

“We are a community bank. We believe sincerely that our success is only a result of the success of the community. When the community prospers and has economic growth, we are direct benefactors. We view it as a partnership,” Sicard said. “I feel obligated to support many of these causes. I consider it an obligation of any business that benefits as a result of those events and activities that help us increase commerce, recruit talent, retain talent, retain families and young people. So, that’s what drives the bank. But that’s what also drives me. Who wants to go through life and not make a difference?”

– Lynn Wasson

FORTIFIERS

Next month, Entertainment Fort Smith continues the Fortifiers series.

Each subject interviewed will be asked to suggest other people whom they identify as catalysts for progress. Sicard suggested a list, including some of the men and women we’re very interested in interviewing.

Readers are invited to email their own candidates for this series about people making good things happen to lynnwasson@efortsmith.com.

March 2016

Entertainment Fort Smith

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READY to

RISE Step by step, U.S. Marshals Museum project progresses toward rising on the Fort Smith riverfront

he legion of local supporters rooting for the future U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith is encouraged by late February news: The processes of construction are beginning.

The museum staff met with project architects Polk Stanley Wilcox and Cambridge 7 & Associates in February to activate the schematic design phase of the museum.

This necessary phase can’t rival the excitement everyone will feel when steel framework begins to rise on the Arkansas riverfront site, but it will generate the final blueprints that will guide construction.

The design development phase will be next, then architects will provide an updated construction cost.

The tremendous challenge of building a national museum for the United States’ oldest law enforcement service has been recognized every step of the way by its backers, which include the early campaign team that successfully lobbied for its location here, generous major local donors, the volunteer board of directors, museum staff, descendants of marshals and thousands of citizens who anticipate the tourism boost the museum will create when it is opened.

News of progress is particularly welcomed by the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau, official destination marketing organization for this community, said Claude Legris, CVB director. “Hardly a day goes by that visitors don’t ask about the status of the Marshals Museum that will help ‘reinvent’ tourism for Fort Smith,” he said. “Be assured that our marketing messages to potential visitors will change as progress continues.”

Museum plans, carefully developed over time, include three permanent exhibit galleries, a temporary exhibit gallery, the Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor and a National Learning Center. A “Why Marshals” theater supported by a gift of the Pendergraft family will be a featured multi-media communication center. The museum will tell the more-than-225-year story of the U.S. Marshals Service and honor the sacrifice of marshals killed in the line of duty.

The schematic design phase now beginning and the design development phase will finalize the interior exhibit design already prepared with the exterior architectural plans. Actual construction cost can then be ascertained.

According to museum officials, the estimated building cost of $22.5 million dates to 2009. “The cost of the building is the single biggest component of project cost,” said Jim Dunn, president and CEO of the U.S. Marshals Museum. “We need to get this cost tied down before we lay out a plan for actual construction. This is a big step toward getting construction under way.”

In addition to activating the architects, the museum also will be selecting a construction consultant to assist the architects in estimating and reducing costs of the building. According to museum officials, the construction consultant should be in place by March 31.

“With the hiring of a construction consultant, our team will be complete.

The architects and exhibit designers are poised to proceed in helping make the museum a reality,” said Dunn.

Even as a “museum without walls,” significant programs carry the mission of the future facility. A lecture series, High Profile Cases of the U.S. Marshals Service, begins in March. “Escape from Alcatraz,” at 6:30 p.m.

March 7, will survey the island prison designed to be escape-proof.

Historically, 36 inmates attempted to escape from the California federal prison. Only three were not captured, and their case is still considered open by the U.S. Marshals Service. Other topics in the series include the case on which “The Falcon and the Snowman” was based and the investigation that captured the perpetrators of the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building. A full schedule of the series is in the Calendar of Events.

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Moving forward to the schematic design and designdevelopment phase will unite exterior architectural plans with interior exhibit design for attractions such as a Hall of Honor, above, and space for the Old West exhibit of the U.S. Marshals Museum.

Descendants of U.S. Marshals who served from Fort Smith will take special pride in the exhibits relating to the grittiest jurisdiction of the service, based here where the greatest number of deputies and marshals died in the line of duty.

The Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor, conceptual rendering shown above, will contain the names and stories of men and women who rendered exceptional service to the pursuit of justice.

A gift of the Ross Pendergraft family will make possible a theater with high-def visual educational presentations.

The nation’s history is intertwined with the Marshals Service in ways that will be especially relevant to students becoming aware of recent 20th century history such as the Civil Rights movement. U.S. Marshals helped enforce desegregation of schools.

March 2016

Entertainment Fort Smith

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MAKING

Home WORK

Family routine a team effort for Jody and Rachel Presson

Cheerleading is more than a fun extracurricular activity for the Presson family. Jody and Rachel Presson and daughter Taryn live, eat and breathe the sport, with much of their week consumed with practices, games and competitions.

Jody, a civics and economics teacher at Darby Junior High School in Fort Smith, coaches the squad with his wife, Rachel, who volunteers her time and talents. The duo has parlayed their passion for cheerleading into a mission, with the goal of changing students’ lives by teaching them the values of discipline, hard work and what it means to be part of a team.

Weekdays have all three headed to school: Jody at Darby, Taryn off to Cavanaugh Elementary School and Rachel at Grace Academy in Fort Smith, where she teaches part time. Jody’s dad takes Taryn to school, while Jody and Rachel drive together to Darby for morning practice.

Their workday doesn’t end when the school bell rings. There are games and after-school practices. Taryn joins her parents at Darby after school and does her homework while the teams practice in the gym. The 10-yearold also serves as team manager and fills in on the squad, when needed.

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Entertainment Fort Smith

March 2016

Saturdays are generally reserved for family time, with Sunday including fellowship at Harvest Time Church in Fort Smith.

“Our days are busy and some nights are really long. Team members tend to stay after practice for extra help or to work on their routines,” Rachel said. “A lot of nights, we are pulling through the drive-through before heading home to unwind and watch a little television before starting all over again the next day.”

It might be hectic, but it works for the Pressons, who understand the sacrifices they make have a positive effect on the kids they coach, and on the school as a whole.

The undertaking of the junior high squad was no small feat. The two helped resurrect a program that, just four years ago, ended the school year with only three girls. Having met as cheerleaders and stunt partners at Westark Community College (now UAFS), Jody and Rachel had a special place in their hearts for the sport and decided to recruit members and bring back cheerleading at the school.

“The first year, we had folks telling us not to mess with it, and we literally had to go around begging students to try out,” Jody said.

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The Darby Junior High cheer squad, shown during practice, won the 7A State Championship in December.

The Pressons pose with Chip and Dale during a recently vacation.

Jody and Rachel were cheer partners at Westark Community College.

The couple poured countless hours into building the squad. Rachel even left her full-time teaching job at Greenwood to devote more time to the team and her family. The program quickly earned a solid reputation and the number of students trying out has increased each year.

Now in their fourth year, the Pressons have developed an awardwinning program that is a great source of pride for the teams, as well as the school. The cheer team captured the 7A State Championship Title in December, along with two regional wins as Overall Grand Champions.

“This year has been a real breakthrough year for us,” Rachel said.

Jody added, “This squad has done so much for the school. These kids wear it like a badge of honor.”

The popularity of the program was no doubt thrilling, but it also presented a different kind of challenge.

“We had between 50 and 60 try out for cheer last spring,” Jody said.

“Rachel was really bothered by the idea of cutting so many. She came home from tryouts and just cried and said, ‘I want a dance team.’ She is the one who really pushed for it.”

So, for the first time in 12 years, Darby has a dance squad. Twentyone members comprise the group, which Jody and Rachel also sponsor.

In addition to caring for their family, the squads and their teaching jobs, the Pressons started a business to help other area schools with their cheer and dance teams.

“We started this last summer, working primarily with smaller schools in the region on their squads,” explained Rachel. She creates

choreography and helps set structure for the teams.

“Getting kids to work hard is a challenge sometimes, but once they get a taste of success, they understand.”

Their efforts are undoubtedly paying off, benefiting students who would otherwise not have a chance to take part in such a program.

“They take girls who have never cheered before and make them into state champions,” said Darby principal Dr. Darren McKinney. “To top that off, they wanted extra responsibility and they restarted the Darby dance team after a 12-year absence. They go above and beyond.”

Despite the long hours and challenges, the Pressons love the life they are leading and the time they get to spend together sharing their passion with local youth.

“We originally did this because we like cheer, but the team has truly had an impact on us, as well,” Jody said. “We do this now because they are our family.”

Taryn also has come to love her “extended family” and enjoys spending time helping her parents with the squads. “They are like sisters to her,” Taryn’s dad said.

The Pressons are proud of the results they are seeing and what they are accomplishing together, as a family. – Brittany Ransom March 2016

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Miss UA-Fort Smith Joni Fields-Adams will pass the crown as a more confident advocate for health

Fields-Adams is crowned at the 2015 Miss UAFS Pageant.

fter a year-long term as Miss University of Arkansan-Fort Smith, Joni Fields-Adams will soon pass on the crown and title after leaving her mark in the community and the campus. A new Miss UAFS will be chosen on March 12.

“Serving as Miss UAFS has led me down a road of discovering who I am as a person and has also given me a platform to be an inspiration to many,” Fields-Adams said.

Fields-Adams is a junior at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith studying Media Communication. Throughout her reign as Miss UAFS, she participated in the Miss Arkansas pageant, volunteered in different community and campus events and was a preliminary winner of the Lifestyle and Fitness Award at Miss Arkansas. As Miss UAFS, she has tried to use her position to inspire others to improve their own health.

“I want to use my voice to live a healthy lifestyle. When people see me, they know I don’t just talk the talk, but I also walk the walk. I want to lead by example and show others, especially college students, that it is possible to be healthy,” Fields-Adams said.

Training is a part of her daily schedule at a local fitness center, Body Tailors Personal Training. She currently trains with owner Brandon Morrison, who also trained her for the lifestyle and fitness category for both pageants. She became so involved with fitness and living healthy she now works there and trains clients.

Fields-Adams stays fit and “I help train a variety of people from college trains others to exercise. students, to stay-at-home moms, to working fathers, even elderly people. We can modify any kind of workout, so it doesn’t matter your fitness level, or your age, or your ability, we can modify every single kind of workout to fit your needs,” Fields-Adams said.

With the concern of pervasive obesity in our own state and in the nation, Fields-Adams believes it is crucial for people to be aware of their health and fitness.

“Currently, obesity is an epidemic in the world, but especially in the United States.

Right now, people are living depressed and not to their fullest potential because they have this burden of extra weight and this sluggish feeling all the time,” she said. “It’s extremely important to be aware of your health and what you’re putting into your body; what you’re eating, and how much you exercise.”

She now feels more comfortable spreading her message of health awareness.

“Being a part of the pageant and then being crowned Miss UAFS, I have gained a lot of confidence. This confidence enables me to speak and communicate more effectively the benefits of living healthier to my clients and others,” Fields-Adams said.

She has created a blog called kettlebellkisses.blogspot.com to offer more fitness inspiration.

“The hardest thing is walking through the door,” she said of beginning an exercise program. “You have to take the first step. Once you see results, then it becomes a habit. I love when my clients tell me they’ve lost 6 pounds, or they feel better about themselves. And that’s why I’ve made health part of my platform as Miss UAFS because I’m helping boost others’ self-esteem, and that’s what I really love.” – Paige Stewart

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MARCH 12

Student contestants in the 2016 Miss UAFS pageant Eighteen University of Arkansas-Fort Smith students will compete for the title of Miss UAFS at the university’s scholarship pageant held at 7 p.m. March 12 at ArcBest Performing Arts Center, Rogers Avenue and South 7th Street, Fort Smith.

The Miss UAFS pageant is a preliminary to the Miss Arkansas and Miss America scholarship programs.

Stacey Jones, associate vice chancellor for campus and community events, directs the pageant and is a producer for the Miss Arkansas pageant.

Tickets are $10, available at the door, by phone at 479-788-7300 or online at uafs.universitytickets.com.

Brooke Slaton

Brooklyn Morton

Darby Rohrer

Frances Hernandez

Harmony Chapin

Heather Deere

Holleigh Willis

Kailyn Tounzen

Kasey Smith

Katie Brown

Kaylin Cripps

Kriston Dorsey

Macy Null

Makayla Jackson

Payton Allen

Quynh Nguyen

Sheilah McKesson

Yabria Horton

Contestants Payton Allen, 21, of Alma Parents: Mike Allen and Nikki White of Alma.

Katie Brown, 20, of Alma Parents: Damon and Leigh Brown of Alma.

Harmony Chapin, 23, of Fort Smith Parents: Thomas and Sherry Chapin of Mena.

Kaylin Cripps, 21, of Gentry Parents: Eldon and Kaye Cripps of Gentry.

Heather Deere, 20, of Muldrow, Okla.

Parents: David and Mary Carr of Muldrow, Okla.

Kriston Dorsey, 21, of Fort Smith Parents: Donald and Melissa Dorsey of Fort Smith.

Frances Hernandez, 19, of Van Buren Parents: Julio and Cecilia Hernandez of Van Buren.

Yabria Horton, 20, of Cameron, Okla.

Parents: Roni and Connie Robinson of Cameron.

Makayla Jackson, 22, of Muldrow, Okla.

Parents: Christopher and Cyndi Jackson of Muldrow.

Sheilah McKesson, 19, of Fort Smith Parents: Larry McKesson of Fort Smith and Mary Rivet of Birmingham, Ala. Brooklyn Morton, 19, of Pocola, Okla.

Parents: William and Dyana Morton of Pocola, Okla.

Quynh Phoenix Nguyen, 22, of Fort Smith Parents: Nhieu Van Nguyen and Tuyet Phuong Thi Le of Fort Smith.

Macy Null, 21, of Cameron, Okla.

Parents: Scott and Chrissy Harper of Cameron, Okla. and Mark Null of Van Buren.

Darby Rohrer, 21, of Greenwood Parents: Dennis and Christi Rohrer of Greenwood.

Brooke Slaton, 21, of Charleston Parents: Brent Randolph of Charleston.

Kasey Smith, 20, of Pea Ridge Parents: Ken and Jani Smith of Pea Ridge.

Kalyn Tounzen, 21, of Van Buren Parents: Mike and Jeri Tounzen.

Holleigh Willis, 21, of Fort Smith Parents: Chris and Angela Willis of Greenwood.

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DESIGNER NOTES

Main Street Ltd. offers Charleston gifts and distinctive personalization harleston’s softball teams were once strapped for a local source of athletic uniforms with players’ names on them.

Melinda and Frank Berry found the idea for a business then that has now been a destination for appealing gifts and apparel for 20 years.

“Our daughter played softball and we had trouble getting uniforms for the players. We opened Main Street Ltd. to help meet that need for other families struggling with the same issue,” said Melinda.

“We’re all about offering unique items here. I like a classic look, not too trendy. Charleston is a small town. We want residents to know they don’t have to travel far to get what we offer here,” Melinda said.

Now customers make the 20-minute drive from Fort Smith to shop with her. One appealing draw is the shop’s selection of the popular John Wind Jewelry Collection, known for its pearl baubles and initial charms.

Main Street Ltd. is stocked with many styles of Charles River raincoats, jackets and sweatshirts that look spectacular with monograms.

There are accessories from the Live Original Collection by Sadie Robertson from “Duck Dynasty” and “Dancing with the Stars” fame.

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DESIGNER NOTES The Berrys also have their own label.

“We started our own original line of shirts called Simply Ginger2, which we named after our ginger-haired grandchildren,” Melinda said.

Main Street Ltd. also carries many darling lines of baby and toddler clothes such as Sweet Dreams, Ruffle and Rugged Butts and Blue and Pink Gingham. Hair bows and popular glitter bows can be found to match any outfit.

Customers can also shop online at mkt.com/main-street-ltd. The website has baby gifts such as blankets, diaper bags and Floppy Longears rabbits, Aden & Anais loveys, teethers, sleeping bags and Musy Mates – muslin blankets with soft animal heads. Orders can be shipped or picked up in 120 minutes.

Grandmas can find flashy children’s fashions here, with bows to coordinate little girls’ looks.

The store specializes in items that can be monogrammed or embroidered so they become one of a kind.

It’s a magnet for Charleston school boosters and has some unique Razorback merchandise that won’t be seen at every tailgate party.

The screen printing service that gave the store its start is handy for all the surrounding schools for athletic and school spirit. Cheerleaders, teachers, school bands in addition to Scouts, church groups and day cares can all create or customize items identifying their interests.

Screen printing, monogramming and embroidery enable customers of Main Street to wear or give something no one else will have.

“We work hard to make every customer satisfied,” Melinda said. “We have a quick turnaround on all our services and we take pride in our work so we will have repeat customers for life.”

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home & garden goodies Contemporary comforter set

by Ashley found at Furniture Emporium.

Plush bunny and whimsical Easter decor from Jennifer’s Gift Shop inside Sparks Medical Center.

Stoneware verse mugs and decorative trivet available at The WareHouse in Greenwood.

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home & garden goodies

Chenille throw, Easter bunny decor and accent pillow from the Now and Then Shoppe.

Vintage rocking horse found at Designer Again.

Baby Jak cozy baby blankets available at The Polka-Dotted Zebra in Greenwood.

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home & garden goodies

Embroidered quilt and a four-piece lilac quilt set from Abilities Unlimited.

Davorin Morta wood pipes available exclusively at Winston's Pipe & Cigar Emporium.

Irish cream liqueur, special reserve Irish whiskey, Irish-style lager and party accessories from In Good Spirits.

Keogh’s chips and Frontera and Damn Good Heat salsas found at Paul’s Meat Market.

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home & garden goodies

Potted shamrock plants in green and red available at Neumeier Nursery & Florist.

All-natural wasp traps found at Luther Stem Pools and Spa.

Bunny planter, bottle cap opener and decorative clock from The Goods.

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home & garden goodies

Door mat with interchangeable inserts and matching springtime garden flag found at Seasons.

Matching pet food bowls and coffee mugs available at Zoe Bug’s.

Meadowcraft wrought iron chaise lounge from Prestigious Pool Care.

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WHAT’S COOKING with KRISTAN ROLAND

Spring Treats EASTER OVERLOAD BROWNIES 1 cup salted butter, melted 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups granulated sugar 4 large eggs 1 tbsp. vanilla extract 11⁄3 cups flour 12 oz. (ish) jar hot fudge sauce 16 Double Stuff Oreos (I used Spring Oreos for pretty color!)

11 oz. bag Kraft Caramel bits 2 tbsp. heavy cream Roughly 25 bunny-shaped marshmallow Peeps Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-pan with nonstick spray ( I prefer to line mine with foil prior to spraying. It makes the brownies easier to remove.) and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa and melted butter. Stir in sugar until combined. Stir in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Fold in flour just until you no longer see flour streaks in the batter. Gently fold in the hot fudge sauce.

Spread half of batter in prepared pan. Evenly place Oreos over the surface and cover with remaining batter.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out with fudgy crumbs but no raw batter. Let brownies cool for 30 minutes.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat caramel bits and cream, stopping every 30 seconds to stir until smooth.

Pour over brownies and spread evenly. Top with Peeps before caramel sets.

Allow brownies cool to room temperature. For easy cutting, allow the brownies to chill in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.

RICE KRISPIES CATERPILLAR TREATS 3 tbsp. butter or margarine 1 package (10 oz., about 40) marshmallows 4 cups miniature marshmallows 6 cups Rice Krispies Canned frosting or decorating gel Sprinkles Assorted small, round candies In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add cereal. Stir until well coated.

Using buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into 15x10x1-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool slightly. Using

small round cookie cutters coated with cooking spray cut into circles.

Place eight to nine circles next to each other, forming caterpillars.

Decorate with frosting, sprinkles and/or candies. Best if served the same day.

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WHOPPER EGG BROWNIES Brownies 1 cup salted butter, melted 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups granulated sugar 4 large eggs 1 tbsp. vanilla extract 11⁄4 cups flour 12 oz. (ish) jar hot fudge sauce 11⁄2 cup malted milk ball eggs

Frosting 1 stick salted butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tbsp. malted milk powder 1 cup malted milk eggs, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil and spray thoroughly with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa and melted butter. Stir in sugar until combined. Stir in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Fold in flour JUST until you no longer see flour streaks in the batter. Gently fold in hot fudge sauce (you may need to heat it just enough to spoon/pour out of jar). Fold in candy.

Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes.

Brownies will look cakey on top and feel very dense – that is normal.

Let brownies cool completely.

Prepare frosting: In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter, vanilla, and cream on medium low until combined. With the mixer on low speed, beat in powdered sugar and malt powder until just barely mixed.

Increase speed to high and beat for one minute. Fold in crushed candy and spread frosting on cooled brownies.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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FUNFETTI WHOOPIE PIES 1 box Pillsbury Spring Funfetti cake mix 1/3 cup water 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs 1 can Pillsbury Spring Funfetti frosting Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix cake mix, eggs, water and oil in a large mixing bowl on medium speed until fully combined. Drop batter using a small cookie scoop on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 6-8 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.

Remove to a wire baking sheet to cool.

Once cookies are cooled, frost the flat part of half the cookies then top with another cookie.

About Kristan Kristan Roland, a work-athome housewife living in Fort Smith, has been blogging at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen since 2010. She balances potty training, fifth-grade math homework and running a home, all while working with brands such as Pillsbury, Disney and eBay. Her recipes have been featured in Parents Magazine and Women's World Weekly. Kristan's fun, simple, everyday approach to baking isn't the only thing that draws her readers in -- it's also her honest and hilarious musings on being a wife and mother in a world where everyone else seems to have it together. confessionsofacookbookqueen.com March 2016

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State popping with colors of spring

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Garvan Woodland Gardens Daffodil Days & Tulip Extravaganza Celebrate the end of winter at the Garvan Woodland Gardens, the University of Arkansas’s 210-acre botanical garden located on Lake Hamilton. There are thousands of beautiful blooms – starting with crocus, daffodils and hyacinths; followed closely or perhaps concurrently depending on weather by more than 150,000 brilliant Dutch tulips. In addition, spring annuals and azaleas bloom, making it the biggest display of color between Dallas and Memphis all season.

Sites include a Japanese garden, waterfalls, cascades, six-story wood-and-glass Anthony Chapel, hundreds of thousands of colorful plantings in a sculpted landscape, a welcome center, children’s adventure garden and gift shop. Most trails are ADA accessible and pets are Garvan Peacock at the Pratt Welcome Center. allowed with a fee.

From the dynamic architectural structures to the majestic botanical landscapes, Garvan Gardens offers breathtaking sights (and fantastic photo opportunities!) at every turn.

The gardens are open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Admission is free for members; $15 adults, $5 ages 6-12; free under 6. For up-to-date photos and peak bloom times, check the Garvan Gardens Facebook page. garvangardens.org/eventcalendar

March 18-20 48th Annual Historic Washington Jonquil Festival This three-day festival heralds the arrival of spring in southwest Arkansas. Thousands of jonquils welcome craftspeople, entertainers and visitors to the town of Historic Washington. Unique crafts and delicious foods are just part of the attractions from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March 18-19 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 20. Tours of the park, historic homes and museums are available at regular price. Call the park at (870) 983-2684 for details. Festival admission is free; $5 parking. Historic Washington State Park, 1874 Courthouse, Washington, Ark. 870-983-2684 historicwashingtonstatepark.com March 11-12 23rd Annual Camden Daffodil Festival Tour the amazing daffodil gardens, with more than a million blossoms. Enjoy the rich history of south Arkansas with guided tours through Camden's famous museums, antebellum homes and historical sites complete with costumed re-enactments, or shop to your heart's content along the sidewalks of downtown Camden displaying a myriad of food, collectables, and crafts.

The festival is free and open to the public with tickets available for purchase to specific events and tours. 9 a.m.6 p.m. March 11, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March 12. 205 West Washington, Camden, Ark. camdendaffodilfestival.com March 2016

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fashion & fitness goodies Dainty, handmade bracelets by Ronaldo available at Greenwood Flowers and Gift Shop.

Oliver Peoples Spring 2016 sunglasses found at Dr. Steven Stiles Optometry.

Aveda styling foam and volumizing tonic from Metropolis Hair Studio.

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fashion & fitness goodies Hemp hearts, heart health supplements and dark chocolate with chilies and cherries from Olde Fashioned Foods.

Arkansas pride T-shirts by Calamity Jane’s Apparel found at Main Street Ltd. in Charleston.

Marbled-frame sunglasses

by Dolce & Gabbana available at Ennen Eye Center.

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fashion & fitness goodies Natural moisturizing products

by Hempz from Vanity Calls.

L’Amour diamond engagement ring available at Newton’s Jewelry.

Magnetic jeweled bracelets and mirrored keepsake box found at Coleman Pharmacy.

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TRAVEL

Witnessing a centuries-old tradition – Easter procession in reverent Popayán, Colombia

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n April 2010, we had the opportunity to visit a very interesting city in Colombia – Popayán, where we saw Holy Week celebrated in an extraordinary way.

Our son John and wife Margaret were working in Bogota, Colombia. Margaret was with the U.S. State Department, USAID, and John was working, at the time, for the Clinton Foundation. It was quite an adventure with their soon to be 1-year-old son, Michael, in tow.

Popayán is in southwestern Colombia near the border with Ecuador, between two mountain ranges. It has a population of more than 200,000.

In 2009, UNESCO declared the processions of Easter Week as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Patrimony of Humanity. It was this event we came to observe. Of course, Dixie and I had never heard of Popayán or its processions.

The city was founded in 1537 by the Spanish conquistador Sebastian de Belalcazar. This was 70 years before the British settled Jamestown.

It is a treasure of Colombian and indigenous culture.

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since at least 1558. There are only two other places in the world that such processions occur.

We flew to Popayán out of Bogota across the magnificent Andes Mountains covered by rainforest and hiding a multitude of FARC guerrillas still fighting the government. It is much better than in the past and the government is very friendly to the U.S. It is exciting to see soldiers walking the streets carrying machine guns. We felt totally safe.

We stayed in an old monastery converted to a top-class hotel called Hotel Dann Monasterio.

The guest rooms surrounded a courtyard that had a fountain and manicured garden.

As we settled into our room for a nap after the long flight, feeling the breeze from the open window, we heard him: COCK-A-DOODLE DOO! COCK-A-DOODLE DOO!!

What the heck? I looked out the window and between the hotel and the church next-door was this grassless gap of about 15 feet by 30. Living there were several hens, two enormous dogs that could have been pit bulls or mastiffs or something from a Stephen King novel, and one

These bearers carry one of the many floats of religious statuary depicting the life of Christ during the traditional processions celebrating Holy Week in Popayan, Colombia.

extra large, very obnoxious rooster from hell.

“Shut the hell up!” I yelled at the rooster – who ignored me.

The two dogs guarding the gates to Hades looked up at me growling, drooling and barking in a manner that told me not to mess with the rooster and that he could crow whenever he pleased and they meant whenever. 2 a.m? No problem, crow away, and he did over and over.

I really wanted to introduce that rooster to Col. Sanders.

We met some interesting people, including a man I visited with in the lobby. He ran a travel service leading tours of the Galapagos Islands, which are a possession of Ecuador and famous for Darwin's Origin of Species.

I also met a man who had come in from the

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TRAVEL countryside who was familiar with and friends with some of the FARC guerrillas. He was a German expatriate.

We toured the churches and museums of the city. It was a treat to see what very few American tourists get to see.

The week of processions for which Popayán is known is called Semana Santa or Holy Week. It begins on Tuesday and runs through Saturday before Easter.

The procession involves statuary from the churches of every parish, representing the Stations of the Cross and the life of Christ.

This statuary is very large and heavy. The figures of Christ and other scenes of the crucifixion story are carried on floats that are highly decorated with silver, fabric and flowers and lighted by candles.

Each of the floats, beneath its decorations, is a wooden platform set upon four timbers borne on men’s shoulders. The eight people who carry the float are called carqueros.

The position of a carquero is inherited and each one serves for a lifetime. If one should die before the next Easter, his spot is marked by a black bow and his place is taken by the next in his family in line for the job.

The route of the procession is shaped like a cross. It departs from a different church each night and the floats differ nightly, progressing through the life of Christ. The floats are so heavy that the procession moves at a very slow rate. The bearers can only go about 10 steps before they have to rest the float on wooden supports carried with them. There are attendants who follow along just to make sure the candles stay lighted.

The procession begins with the streets being cleaned of every item. No trash, dust or chewing gum spot remains before the procession begins.

Before the procession, the streets are filled like a festival with street vendors of every kind.

Leading off the procession are blue-clad scouts to clear the way of spectators, followed by the bishop and priests of the parishes along with altar boys and local dignitaries.

Music is first provided by a military band.

Military units such as the national guard follow with all helmets polished. Local organizations are involved, including the symphony orchestra marching along like a half-time show. To see a grand piano being pushed down the road along with a string bass on a cart is a sight to see.

The floats come along interspersed, moving a few steps and then being set down. Then it starts again.

An ornate representation of Our Lady of Sorrows, with flowers and cherubim, carried by honorary bearers as spectators watch by candlelight. The floats rest briefly on high wooden legs before bearers lift them once again and move onward.

Left: A soldier on duty, keeping respectful order.

The procession was magnificent. It was moving. The spirituality of it all is really hard to describe. We would move along from place to place to get a better view as they proceeded.

There were about 10-12 of these heavy floats carried step-by-step each night.

The final night, we sat on the balcony of the hotel and watched. As the procession wound down, food vendors pushed their carts along or were they pulled by llamas. It reminded me of the old cartoon show “Mr. Sherman and Peabody,” where the street sweeper came along after the show.

Then, I heard the final military band coming in the distance. What is that they are playing? It's “A Long Way to Tipperary!”

Indeed, it is.

Contributing writer Jim Spears, who retires this month after serving as a judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit since 1992, has shared other stories of his travels with this magazine. He is pictured, right, with his wife, Dixie, and their grandson. The Spears were visiting their son John and his wife, Margaret, and Michael, who then lived in Colombia.

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MARCH 15

Read This!

Writer M. Scott Momaday to read here for community literary event

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Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that inspired a Native American literary movement has been selected as the book for this year’s Read This! program, a community reading activity sponsored by the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. “House Made of Dawn” by M. Scott Momaday is the book.

A series of events related to Native American culture began last month to prepare for the author’s visit at 7 p.m.

March 15 in the Stubblefield Center.

A screening of “The Cherokee Word for Water,” a film about Wilma Mankiller, first female chief of the Cherokee Nationa, will occur from 4-6 p.m. March 8, which is also International Women’s Day, in room 107 of Windgate Art & Design building, the university’s new state-of-the-art visual arts facility.

Published in 1968, “House Made of Dawn” concerns Abel, a Native American and World War II veteran who struggles with isolation and loss of identity after his return to New Mexico following the war.

The novel was widely acclaimed and catalyzed a literary movement of Native American writers including Leslie Marmon Silko, Sherman Alexie and Louise Erdrich.

Dr. Cammie Sublette, interim head of the Department of English and committee co-chair, praised the book’s complexity and its contribution to Native American literature. “‘House Made of Dawn’ examines the complexities of Native American identity through rich imagery and tightly written prose,” Sublette said. “The book is a classic not just of Native American literature, but also of the wider 36

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American literary canon. We are thrilled to be able to introduce such a brilliant book to the Fort Smith community.”

Hailed as “the dean of American Indian writers” by The New York Times, Momaday has earned universal acclaim for his novels, poems, plays and scholarly work. He received the National Medal of Arts in 2007 and has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Mondello, Italy’s highest literary honor.

Dr. Ann-Gee Lee, associate professor of English, is co-chair of the Read This! committee.

“The planning process has already been very enlightening. We are honored to have a chance to involve the local Native American groups and learn more about their rich cultures,” Lee said. “We are especially excited to host such a prominent Native American writer who introduced Native American literature to a mainstream readership.”

Dr. Paul Hankins, dean of the College of Communications, Languages, Arts and Social Sciences, said Read This! is integral to the university’s mission of improving quality of place in Fort Smith through the arts.

“The university’s Read This! program has established a record of promoting quality literature to the greater Fort Smith region, complemented by visits from accomplished and prominent writers that offer an in-depth perspective that enriches our appreciation of the work,” Hankins said.

“Through this community book read, UAFS has helped garner an appreciation for literature and the arts in the community, and we look forward to continuing that effort with this year’s selection.”

Previous books chosen for the Read This! program are “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon, “The Sunflower” by Simon Wiesenthal and “True Grit” by Charles Portis.

Admission to the March 15 talk is free, but tickets are required. Phone the campus box office. 7 p.m. UAFS Stubblefield Center, 532 North Waldron Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-788-7300 uafs.edu

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MARCH 2-26

Joyce Poole (from left), Norma LaRue and James Denton with artwork and the new Crawford County Art Association sign. c.1979

Center for Art & Education focuses on founding and founders Ethel Ashley with seascape she painted.

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n March, the Center for Art and Education in Van Buren will celebrate 40 years of service to the community and honor the woman that cast the vision for center, as well as the women who had the courage and tenacity to help her realize her dream.

Included in the activities will be a memorial celebration for founding member Ethel Ashley, who died in August.

Ashley dreamed of a place for artists to gather and study art. Her dream came true when Norma LaRue, Lenice Gordon, Helen Havener, Aline Pope, Louise Scroggins, Wanda Cunningham and Lena Stall organized a group that began to paint and show their art in public places.

Their mission “to further our local talent and provide places for oneman shows” was soon joined by Betty Campbell, Kathryn Stewart, Willie Lovett, Lavan Kendrick, Doris Echoes and Patsy O’Kelly. The efforts and interest of these women began the Crawford County Art Association, now the Center for Art and Education. Their legacy is the programs for children and adults the art center is able to provide.

The Ethel Ashley Founding Members Retrospective – A Gathering of 40 Years: Art, Artist and Memories, will be available for viewing in both the Main Gallery and the Studio Gallery from March 2-26. The art center walls will tell their story with a display of art from many of its early members.

The Making of an Art Center, an open house from 5-7 p.m. March 4, will allow visitors to learn about the early days of center, tour the retrospective exhibit and hear about the services the center offers.

Celebrate the lives that have been touched and the visionary artists that made it all happen during a memorial celebration for Ashley at 2-4 p.m.

March 19 at the art center. Guests are invited to join CAE staff and members in welcoming Ashely’s family at a reception in her honor and a memorial celebration of her life and legacy.

The Center for Art & Education, located at 104 North 13 Street, Van Buren, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. All events are free. 479474-7767 art-ed.org

These paintings by Ethel Ashley (from left), John Bell Jr. and Doris Echoes are part of the permanent collection at the Center for Art and Education.

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March 1 UAFS Choral Concert The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith choirs will present their annual choral concert, performing music by composers including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Johannes Brahms, Randall Thompson, David Mooney and many others. Free. 7:30 p.m. Grand Avenue Baptist Church, 3900 Grand Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-788-7025

MUSIC & performance

March 3 UAFS Battle of the Bands The Campus Activities Board hosts the 12th annual Battle of the Bands at Breedlove Auditorium, featuring local bands competing for cash prizes. The contest will be emceed by musician David Paige. He and his band will open and close the show, as well as perform in between band entries. The winning band will receive $150, while the crowd favorite will win $50. Free. 7 p.m. University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, 5210 Grand Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-788-7318

Cinderella March 1-6 Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella This Tony Award-winning musical is a lush production featuring an orchestra, jaw-dropping transformations and all the touchstones of the fairy tale – the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the masked ball – plus some new twists. Travel back to childhood or introduce a new generation to Cinderella’s beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago.” Ticket prices vary. Six evening performances and two matinees. Walton Arts Center, 495 West Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Ark. 479-443-5600 waltonartscenter.org March 5 Bob Wills Birthday Bash Aaaaaaah Ha! Tulsa’s famous Cain Ballroom always celebrates the birthday of Bob Wills. On New Year’s night 1935, he made his debut at Cain’s and the venue soon became known as “The Home of Bob Wills.”

This year’s performers honoring the late, great, King of Western Swing include Leon Rausch, Tommy Allsup, Johnny Cox, Monty Bob Wills Gaylord, Shaun Howe, Mac Mac Rae, Spencer Sutton, Mike Bennett, Steve Ham and Terry Thompson. This is the 111th anniversary of Bob Wills’ birthday. $20, $23 or $32. 7 p.m. Cains Ballroom, 423 North Main Street,Tulsa, Okla. 918-584-2306 cainsballroom.com

Salt N Pepa with Spinderella Whatta Show at Choctaw Casino Cheryl James (Salt), Sandy Denton (Pepa) and Deidra Roper (DJ Spinderella) rose to musical stardom in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and transformed the male-dominated rap industry with their stylish image and catchy lyrics.

The powerful trio will perform some of their smash hits, such as “Push It,” “Shake Your Thang,” “Shoop” and “Whatta Man.” Salt-N-Pepa have won five awards: Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, MTV Video Music Award for Best Electronic Dance Music Video, MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography, MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video and BET I Am Hip-Hop Icon Award.

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Tickets, $49 are available online. 8 p.m. Choctaw Casino Hotel, 3400 Choctaw Road, Pocola, Okla. 800-745-3000 ticketmaster.com March 2016

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MUSIC & PERFORMANCE

Ozark Folk Center State Park 2016 Music Auditions Musicians can audition for the Ozark Folk Center State Park’s 2016 season on two dates in March.

Besides perpetuating Arkansas’ musical heritage in live performances for visitors to the folk center, all performances during the Ozark Folk Center State Park’s 2016 season will be recorded for rebroadcast on Ozark Highlands Radio, which airs on public radio stations in Arkansas.

Musicians should call ahead to schedule an audition time for either day. Performers should come prepared to play at least three songs, each written prior to 1941, as well as song of their choice. The tune of choice can be written after 1941 or can be an original composition. A

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piano will be available; all others bring their own instruments. No microphones or other sound equipment will be used during the auditions.

Call Daren Dortin or email daren.dortin@arkansas.gov to reserve an audition time and date.

The mission of Ozark Folk Center State Park is to perpetuate, present and promote the Ozark way of life in an educational and enjoyable manner through craft demonstrations, musical programs, the Heritage Herb Garden, workshops and other special events. 3 p.m. March 5; 6 p.m. March 18. Ozark Folk Center State Park, 1032 Park Avenue, Mountain View, Ark. 870-269-3851 ozarkfolkcenter.com

The Sound of Music is brought alive by the Salzburg Marionette Theater When Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved Broadway musical The Sound of Music became a movie, Twentieth Century-Fox MARCH made the decision to use marionettes in “The Lonely Goatherd” sequence, creating in one of the most charming musical numbers ever on film. Now, the magic of marionette puppetry animates the entire story, as the Salzburg Marionette Theatre tells the tale of the Von Trapp Family Singers. Enjoy all the highlights, including the treasured songs “Do-Re-Mi,” “The Sound of Music,” “My Favorite Things” and “Edelweiss.” The hills are still alive, if you look past the strings! Best for ages 7 and up. Tickets $15-20. 7 p.m.

Walton Performing Arts Center, 495 West Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Ark. 479-4435600 waltonartscenter.org

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MUSIC & PERFORMANCE

Two originals, one show March 12: Staples and Lowe Mavis Staples was practically born singing. At the direction of her father, Roebuck “Pops” Staples, she and her siblings became famous first as the gospel and spiritual Staple Singers, whose message songs and freedom songs bolstered the Civil Rights movement. The Staple Singers crossed over into R&B and soul with chart-topping hits such as “I’ll Take You There” and “Let’s Do It Again.”

Mavis grew onward as an artist, continuously crossing genre lines like no musician since Ray Charles.

Weaving herself into the very fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock and even hip hop over the better part of the last 60 years, the iconic singer has remained a Mavis Staples superstar through the decades.

Sought by almost everyone in the music industry for collaborations on gospel, soul or all-star style albums, Staples also stayed relevant and respected by contemporary hip-hop and rap artists who have sampled her incredible vocals.

Staples headlined the Riverfront Blues Festival here in 2005, a high mark for the Blues Society.

She has performed surprising live duets with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and joined with Arcade Fire singer Win Butler.

After one such impromptu performance at a show in 2011 with Nick Lowe, Mavis and Nick became friends and decided to tour together.

Nick Lowe

Lowe, a U.K. rocker in the late ’60s, became established as a producer of Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and The Pretenders and as a legendary singersongwriter with compositions that include “Cruel to Be Kind” and “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love And Understanding.”

He brings a wit and understated excellence to every performance that led The New York Times to describe his live shows as “elegant and nearly devastating.”

Always at the leading edge of artistic trends, Lowe collaborated with Dave Edmunds as the band Rockpile.

Although they recorded for separate labels, two of the pair’s most significant solo albums from the period, Lowe’s Labour of Lust and Edmunds’ Repeat When Necessary, were effectively

Rockpile albums.

Lowe married Carlene Carter, daughter of June and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, in 1979. He played and recorded with Johnny Cash, and Cash recorded several of Lowe’s songs, giving Lowe a foray into Americana and country.

In this engagement at the Walton Arts Center, Staples and Lowe will perform together (and separately) in a concert freighted with much musical mastery and history.

Tickets are $33-$53. 8 p.m. Walton Arts Center, 495 West Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Ark. 479-443-5600 waltonartscenter.org

LIVE in local clubs

Fraternal Order of Eagles Saturday Night Entertainment March 5 - Libby Starks & Bandit March 12 - Mike Nichols & Friends March 19 - Double Take March 26 - Country Express Saturday nights from 8 p.m. until midnight. Largest dance floor in this area. Non-smoking. $5 members and $7 for non-members.

Fraternal Order of Eagles, 3321 South 66th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-5888 La Huerta Mexican Restaurant Patio Performances March 18 - Machine Puppets La Huerta has entertainment on the patio most spring and summer weekends at its downtown location, weather permitting. All ages may attend. Dining on the patio is available. Must be 21 to order alcoholic drinks. La Huerta, 400 Garrison Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-3655

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March 12 Mark Lowry and The Martins Christian artists Mark Lowry and The Martins join forces in song and comedy for this gospel concert.

Lowry entertains across the world. “Mary Did You Know,” which he wrote, has become beloved as one of the best-known modern Christmas songs. A former member of the Gaither Vocal Band, Lowry continues to appear in Gaither homecomings and has recorded 12 solo albums in music and comedy. The Martins, siblings and Arkansas natives, have received 8 Dove awards and a Grammy nomination. The Martins combine their Southern gospel roots with contemporary influences. Tickets are available online or by phone. 8 p.m. Alma Performing Arts Center, 103 East Main, Alma, Ark. 479-632-2129 almapac.org

March 13 AAC Live: Regina Carter The subscription music series Artist, Audience and Community Live presents jazz violinist Regina Carter, who is considered the pre-eminent violinists in jazz.

Though her work draws upon a wide range of musical influences, including Motown, Afro Cuban, Swing, Bebop, Folk and World, she has crafted a signature voice and style. Her performances highlight the potential of the jazz violin for its lyric, melodic, and percussive potential. Through artistry with an instrument that has been defined predominantly by the classical tradition, Carter is pioneering new possibilities for the violin and for jazz. Tickets are $40, available online. Doors open 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m. 801 Media Center, 801 North A Street, Fort Smith, Ark. artistaudiencecommunitylive.com

John Moreland March 10 Peacemaker Music Series: John Moreland Moreland started writing when he was 10, the same year his family moved from Kentucky, to Tulsa, where he lives today. He turns 30 this year, but he’s been slinging songs for more than half his life. Largely selfperformed and self-produced, Moreland produces music that is influenced by his Oklahoma roots music that has been called “gloriously and joyfully heartbreaking.” Presented as a fundraiser by the Peacemaker Music Festival as part of a 2016 series, Moreland’s appearance is chosen to showcase unique, independent talents. $30. 7:30 p.m. 801 Media Center, 801 North A Street, Fort Smith, Ark. Facebook/Peacemaker Music Series

Regina Carter

Mark Lowry

Davies as Joplin March 17-18 A Night with Janis Joplin Janis Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967 and, almost overnight, became the queen of rock ‘n’ roll. The unmistakable voice, filled with raw emotion and tinged with Southern Comfort, made her a mustsee act from Monterey to Woodstock. With her unforgettable songs “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Mercedes Benz,” “Cry Baby” and more, this show, written and directed by Randy Johnson, celebrates Janis and her musical influences – icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, who also are portrayed. The show takes the form of a Joplin concert at the peak of her fame. Mary Bridget Davies takes the starring role as Joplin, following her Tony-nominated Broadway run.

The show is 2 hours 20 minutes, with intermission. $30-$70. 8 p.m. Walton Arts Center, 495 West Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Ark. 479-443-5600 waltonartscenter.org 42

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March 19 Gospel at the Opera Enjoy Gospel at the Opera with The Hinson Family and The Diamond State Trio.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the concert The Hinson Family begins at 5 p.m. $10.

The King Opera House, 427 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 903-413-7301 thehinsonfamily.com March 24-25 On The Map Festival This inaugural, indie music festival in downtown Fayetteville offers acts such as Bleached, This Will Destroy You, Pallbearer, Lee Bains III and the Glory Fries, Water Liars, Mike Adams at his Honest Weight, Adam Faucett & the Tall Grass, Tristen and more. Full lineup and tickets on Facebook or the website. $25-$35.

Fayetteville Town Center, 15 West Mountain Street, Fayetteville, Ark. 479-445-0951 onthemapfest.com March 26 Lost in the ’50s Tribute Show Top tribute artists such as Jerry Standridge (as Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson); Jim Wolley (Platters); Jennifer Ford (Patsy Cline) and Gabrielle Gore (Skeeter Davis) plus the Rockin’ 50s Dancers. Proceeds are designated to support wounded veterans.

Tickets, $10 are reserved and available by phone or at the door. King Opera House, 427 Main Ford as Cline Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-649-8803

March 31-April 9 Crimes of the Heart In Mississippi, the three Magrath sisters have gathered to await the demise of their grandfather. The oldest is a spinster; the middle sibling has a failed singing career; the youngest is headed for a jail cell after shooting her husband.

Playwright Beth Henley won the Pulitzer Prize for this effort. Micki Voelkel directs this production of the Fort Smith Little Theatre.

Admission $10. Show times are 7:30 p.m. March 31; April 1-2; 6-9. 2 p.m. April 2-3. Fort Smith Little Theatre, 401 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-2966 fslt.org March 31-April 24 Rapture, Blister, Burn Sparks fly in this Pulitzer Prize-nominated play about women who want to have it all. One built a career as a rock star academic; the other built a life with her family. Decades later, a dangerous game begins as each tries to claim the other’s territory. 7:30 and 2 p.m. $10-$45. TheatreSquared, Nadine Baum Studios, 505 West Spring Street, Fayetteville, Ark. 479-443-5600 theatre2.org April 1-3 The Rainmaker At a time of a paralyzing drought in the West, one girl’s

family is worried as much about her potential future as an old maid as they are about their dying cattle. A sweet-talking man with quite the sales pitch appears claiming to be a “rainmaker.” He promises to bring rain for $100. His arrival sets off a series of events that enable Lizzie to see herself in a new light and brings new hope to her family. 7 p.m. April 1-2, 2 p.m. April 3. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office. 7 p.m. Alma Performing Arts Center, 103 East Main, Alma, Ark. 479-632-2129 almapac.org

Disciple April 3 Rock the River for Hannah House City RockFest Tour features Christian artists Disciple, Seventh Day Slumber, Spoken, Decyfer Down and Children 18:3. This is a music family event. Tickets are $13 advance; $15 at the door, $10 for groups of 12 or more, or $25 VIP admission. 6-10 p.m. Larry’s Pizza, 6700 U.S. 71 South, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-5683 rocktheriver.com

March 31 Peacemaker Music Series: Jonathan Tyler He played Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Hangout Fest and the Voodoo Experience. His 2010 LP, “Pardon Me,” reached No. 8. It was everything he thought he’d wanted. But it wasn’t really him.

“Holy Smokes,” his new LP, finds Tyler shed of label constraints, baring his soul as a songwriter. Presented as a fundraiser by the Peacemaker Music Festival as part of a 2016 music series, Tyler is exactly the kind of artist these independent music lovers want to showcase. $30.

7:30 p.m. 801 Media Center, 801 North A Street, Fort Smith, Ark. Facebook/Peacemaker Music Series March 2016

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MUSIC & PERFORMANCE April 9 Southern Gospel Celebration “Feed the Hungry” A gospel concert featuring the McKameys, Jeff & Sheri Easter and Mark Bishop. Donate at least one canned good per person. $20, $25 and $30, available at Solid Rock Bookstore in Fort Smith or by phone. 6 p.m. Van Buren Fine Arts Center, 2001 Pointer Trail, Van Buren, Ark. 479-883-8131

Hungrytown April 5 Hungrytown Folk Music Concert The Fort Smith Public Library welcomes the folk duo Hungrytown. Vermont-based songwriters Rebecca Hall and producer/multi-instrumentalist/husband Ken Anderson play an intimate concert featuring a blend of acoustic folk music with harmonies to die for. They pull off the trick of sounding both like traditional English folkies and old school Appalachians. The couple tours North America, Europe and New Zealand. Hungrytown’s music has received radio airplay worldwide and has appeared on television shows, including the hit series, Portlandia. Free. 7 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith. 479-7830229 fortsmithlibrary.org

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April 16 The Gospel According to Swing The symphony presents “one of its coolest, highest energy concerts ever” with jazz great Byron Stripling.

The contrasting styles of gospel and swing meet in this concert also featuring R&B organist Bobby Floyd.

The program will begin classically with Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 “Reformation” and move on to gospel classics such as Down by the Riverside. Subtly, the symphony will move towards the jazz standards echoing faith and celebration, leading to When the Saints Go Marchin’ Byron Stripling In. Tickets $38-$43; students $15-$20.

7:30 p.m. ArcBest Performing Arts Center, 55 South 7th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-7575 fortsmithsymphony.org

Anjelah Johnson April 23 Standup Comedy with Anjelah Johnson Anjelah Johnson is so much more than her character Bon Qui Qui – a fast food cashier with attitude and no filter. Millions of fans know her only from Bon Qui Qui videos, records and songs.

Others knew Johnson first from her viral video breakout, “Nail Salon.”

Those early successes led her to MADtv as a regular.

Johnson owns all that talent in one fertile comic mind and has talent even beyond those wildly popular performances. She has also guest-starred as an actress in Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Shield and Ugly Betty while touring with her standup comedy.

Johnson brings all her fans’ favorite characters, including Bon Qui Qui, of course, to a comedy show at Pocola’s Choctaw Casino. Tickets, $49, are available now online. Must be 18 to attend. 8 p.m. Pocola CenterStage inside Choctaw Casino, 3400 Choctaw Road, Pocola, Okla. ticketmaster.com

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ort Smith Museum of History presents GIs on Garrison, an entertaining and educational evening celebrating the USO and fun times on Garrison Avenue during World War II. Featuring cocktails and fancy fare reminiscent of a USO officers dinner and entertainment of the era, guests will be transported to a USO dinner and dance of the 1940s. Emcee Reggie Moore, Miss Camp Chaffee Beth Templeton and a variety of re-enactors will relate stories of the homefront in Fort Smith during the war and the scene on Garrison Avenue.

The fundraiser will be March 19 at the Blue Lion in downtown Fort Smith, 101 North 2nd Street. The evening begins at 6 p.m., with cocktails and jazz piano music with John Lindquist, heavy hors d’oeuvres, including “Victory Vegetables” and “SOS” at 7 p.m., followed by a USO welcome and program with Moore and Templeton and a dance demonstration by Marcus Coker and Stacy Dilley.

Swing jazz music and dancing to the Don Bailey Jazz Quintet with Tabitha Graves begins at 8:30. A cash bar is available for cocktails, wine and beer of the era. Tickets are $50 and may be reserved by calling the museum, 479-783-7841, or online at fortsmithmuseum.org. A reserved table for eight is $400. Sponsorships are available for $1,000 and include a prime location and complimentary wine.

All proceeds benefit the Fort Smith Museum of History.

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KIDS EVENTS

ROAD TRIP! Fly, float or visit the wild side – all close to home Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari Gentry

This 400-acre safari is home to a variety of exotic animals that live in the natural environment of an Arkansas landscape with several large ponds. Safari consists of a four-mile drive-through, petting parks, and walk-through areas for interaction with the animals. Pony and camel rides operate on seasonal basis. Picnic table available. Snack bar. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari 20923 Safari Road, Gentry 479-736-8383 wildwildernessdrivethroughsafari.com

Ozark Mountain Ziplines Eureka Springs

Whitewater Recreation Park

Two hours per tour for anyone 3 and older; open for families, groups, individuals. Includes 10 zip lines, ranging from 120 to 1,800 feet in length; suspended tree platforms, one suspended sky bridge and two short hikes.

Siloam Springs

Ozark Mountain Ziplines 208 West Van Buren Street Eureka Springs 479-363-6699 ziplineeurekasprings.com 46

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Positioned along the scenic Illinois River, this family-friendly, alcohol-free park features an engineered river for skilled kayakers as well as beginners with length of rapids approximately 700 feet and Class II and III difficulty. The park has specially designed riverbank access so families can enjoy the beautiful waters of the Illinois River. Additionally, there is a climbing boulder, a picnic area, accessible walking trails, rain garden and designated changing area.

Whitewater Kayak Recreation Park 19253 Fisher Ford Road, Siloam Springs 479-524-5136 siloamspringskayakpark.com

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KIDS calendar of events

March 2 Dr. Seuss’ Birthday Party Inviting all toddlers for a birthday bash for Dr. Seuss. Enjoy some of your favorite Dr. Seuss stories – “Hop on Pop,” “Green Eggs and Ham” and “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!” Stick around for some Dr. Seuss birthday cake. Free.

10 a.m. Mulberry Public Library, 220 North Main Street, Mulberry, Ark. 479-997-1226

March 2 Dr. Seuss Story Time Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Celebrate everyone’s favorite author on his special day with stories, crafts, and a snack. Preschool storytime is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Dallas Branch Library. Free. 10:30 a.m. Dallas Branch Library, 8100 Dallas Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-484-5650 March 2-30 Preschool Story Time Story time this month will include books by Dr. Seuss, the weather, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and Hats. Free. 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. Wednesdays. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ MARCH

The smart and beautiful young Ella lives in the care of her wicked, self-absorbed stepmother Madame and Madame’s two daughters, Charlotte and Gabrielle. Ella’s only friends in the world are the animals in the woods, “crazy Marie” and the revolutionary student JeanMichel. Meanwhile, in another part of the kingdom, Prince Topher is trying to find himself and learn his place in the kingdom. When his scheming advisor Sebastian suggests throwing a ball so the Prince could meet potential brides, Ella and Topher’s different worlds come together. Expect the unexpected in this clever retelling of the beloved fairytale.This lush production features an incredible orchestra, jaw-dropping transformations and all the moments you love – the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the masked ball and more – plus some surprising new twists. Colorful costumes, onstage magic and comic performances make this musical a great early Broadway outing for young theatergoers. $25-$78. 7 p.m. March 1-3; 8 p.m. March 4; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

March 6; and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. March 6. Walton Arts Center, 495 West Dickson Street, Fayetteville, Ark. 479-443-5600 waltonartscenter.org

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March 1-29 Baby & Me Babies, birth to age 3, and caregivers can join the library for songs, finger plays, bubbles, parachute play, a story and play time. This is an opportunity for social interaction with both babies and their adults. This program supports early literacy and language skills. Free. 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

March 1-29 Teen Time Tuesdays The teens will meet on Tuesdays after school for a variety of activities. 3:30 p.m.

Tuesdays. Free. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

March 2 BINGO for Books: Dr. Seuss Edition It’s Dr. Seuss’ birthday! Celebrate it with Bingo for Books - the Dr. Seuss edition!!

Take the whole family and join the fun in this after school event. Play BINGO and winners will be able to select a book from a selection of children and teen titles.

Please note the new start time: 4 p.m. Free. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229 48 Entertainment Fort Smith March 2016

March 2-30 Toddler Story Time Stories, music, crafts and snacks with Ms. Anna. 10 a.m. Wednesdays. Free. Mulberry Public Library, 220 North Main Street, Mulberry, Ark. 479-997-1226

March 2-30 Teen Time Make new friends and take advantage of the chance to learn something on Mondays. On Wednesdays, it’s all about games. Free. 3:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

March 2-30 Toddler Story Time Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Pete the Cate, the color green and music. On March 23, the theme will be Easter, with the Easter Bunny and an egg hunt. Free. 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Alma Public Library, 624 Fayetteville Avenue, Alma, Ark. 479-632-4140 March 2-30 Preschool Story Time Ms. Lara invites all preschoolers to hear a wonderful story and make a fun craft to take home. Story time will not meet March 23. Free. 10 a.m. Wednesdays.

Cedarville Public Library, 737 Pirates Way, Cedarville, Ark. 479-410-1853

March 3-31 Game Time Young or old, all are welcome to have fun on Thursday afternoons. We will have crafts, games and everyone’s favorite Brick Builder’s time using LEGO bricks on March 31. Free. 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

March 5 Children’s Program: Traveling with the Deputy Marshals Fort Smith National Historic Site will be offering a children’s program on the life and duties of a Deputy U.S. Marshal. The program will discuss what it took to do their jobs, including weapons, tack, equipment, rules and regulations. Kids will be able to make their own log book and badge. Free. 10-11 a.m. Fort Smith National Historic Site, 301 Parker Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 469-783-3961 nps.gov/fosm

March 5 Van Buren Project Graduation: Loren McDaniels Van Buren Project Graduation 2016 presents Miss Arkanas 2016 Loren McDaniel, who will speak on her platform, Confidently You! This is a wonderful experience for all ages hear McDaniel speak about goal-setting, confidence building, and bullying. Pictures with Miss Arkansas 2016 will be included with admission. Tickets to this program also grant entry to the Little Miss Van Buren Pageant. All proceeds benefit Project Graduation 2016. $10. 11 a.m. Van Buren Fine Arts Center, 2001 Pointer Trail East, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-806-4796 vbsd.us/fac

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March 5 Little Miss Van Buren Pageant Project Graduation 2016 will host the Little Miss Van Buren Pageant. The Little Miss Pageant has five age categories from infant through eighth grade. Miss Arkansas 2016 Loren McDaniels will be the special performer, as well as three other exciting entertainers. $6. 1 p.m. The Van Buren Fine Arts Center, 2001 Pointer Trail East, Van Buren, Ark. 479-471-4017

March 5-26 RAM Saturdays The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum offers a handson exploration of a new medium or type of art. People of all ages are invited to experiment with techniques and materials that will include paint, mixed media collages, ceramics and fiber art during this month’s afternoon activities. Take home the works you create.

The program is free but reservations are requested by email at rsvp@fsram.org. 1-4 p.m. Saturdays. Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, 1601 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-784-2787 fsram.org

March 7 Prime Time Story Time: In Like a Lion Enjoy this monthly prime time story time program featuring stories, crafts, refreshments and other fun. Take along your friends and to this free family-friendly evening story program for kids of all ages. 6 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229 March 7-28 Story Time Toddlers and preschoolers can listen to an exciting story and make a craft. Free. 10:30 a.m. Mountainburg Public Library, 1300 U.S. 71 North, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-1600 March 7-28 Teen Time Tweens and teens are invited to have some fun at the library with their friends. Free. 3:45 p.m. Mondays.

Mountainburg Public Library, 1300 U.S. 71 North, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-1600

March 10 Discovering Digital Animation for Teens In celebration of Teen Tech Week, UAFS Professor Dr. Augie Nell Nichols will share the latest in what’s happening in the digital animation field. You’ll think you’ve been transported to Hollywood when you see this brand new two-minute demo of the special effects created by digital design students at UAFS. The examples of what’s taking place in this dynamic new field are sure to impress – and it was all done on the UAFS campus by bright, talented students. The program will include discussion and a follow-up activity.

Free. 5:30 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229

March 10 Dr. Seuss Day Have a fun-filled day all about Dr. Seuss. Celebrate his birthday with fun and games and treats for all. Watch the world of Dr. Seuss come alive. Free. 4 p.m. Alma Public Library, 624 Fayetteville Avenue, Alma, Ark. 479-632-4140

March 10 Umoja Soul Story Time Do you like to hear stories?

Take the family out for a special treat to Windsor Branch Library, where Leora Jackson will share fun stories about unity and togetherness. Jackson is an activist, advocate, speaker, poet, author and storyteller.

This story time event is intended for all ages. Free. 6 p.m. Windsor Branch Library, 4701 Windsor Drive, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-785-0405

March 10, 24 Kids Kicking Cancer Cancer is hard but life can be fun. The Reynolds Cancer Support House offers an activity-based support group for children ages 7-17 who are cancer fighters or survivors themselves or have a sibling or primary caregiver that is a cancer fighter or survivor. This is a safe place to "keep on living." Provided in partnership with Western Arkansas Guidance and Counseling. 67 p.m. Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House, 3324 South M Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-6302 March 11 Owl Prowl Take a stroll along Wells Lake and Beaver Creek Trail.

The park staff will lead a search for, and try to call in, the most famous creatures of the night. Please bring a flashlight for the walk back. Free. 6:30-8 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993 March 11 Teen Tech Week: Create your own Meme Stop by the library and create your very own meme to win a great prize. Free. 4-5 p.m. Mulberry Public Library, 220 North Main Street, Mulberry, Ark. 479-997-1226 March 11 Bingo for Books Do you love free books and playing bingo? Meet new friends and win books by playing bingo! Everyone will go home with at least one book. Free. 10-11 a.m. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

March 12 Once Upon a Prom Once Upon a Prom is giving away prom dresses to girls who can’t afford one. Teenage girls in need can drop by, try on dresses and take their favorite home for free. Sizes 00-24 are available, though larger sizes are more limited. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Heritage United Methodist Church, 1604 East Pointer Trail, Van Buren, Ark. 479-208-3568

March 12 Union Christian Academy Open House Prospective students may tour facilities, meet with faculty and explore what Union can offer. Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Union Christian Academy, 4201 Windsor Drive, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-7327 unioneagles.org

March 12 Sack Lunch Program Volunteer Orientation Are you looking for unique and fulfilling community service opportunities? The Sack Lunch Program’s

KIDS EVENTS mission is very simple: If you are hungry, they will feed you. Volunteers serve lunches twice a day to anyone who stands in its line. Last year, the program served more than 50,000 lunches to food insecure people in the greater Fort Smith area. A volunteer orientation workshop, led by Sack Lunch Program codirector Jean T. Kolljeski, will provide an overview of the program, a tour of the facility and describe community service opportunities that are available. Registration is required. Free. 10 a.m. Skinner Building (St. John’s Episcopal Church Office Building), 214 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-9912 March 14 4-H Program After school, there will be a regular 4-H meeting for ages 6-12 and teens. Free. 4-5 p.m. Mulberry Public Library, 220 North Main Street, Mulberry, Ark. 479-997-1226 March 14, 28 Laptime Story Time (0-24 months) A love of reading starts early. Babies and their caregivers are invited to this special story time geared toward children birth to 24 months old. There will be rhymes, songs, simple stories and lots of interactive fun. The story time will last around 20 minutes, with time for casual interaction following the program.

Free. 10:30 a.m. Miller Branch Library, 8701 South 28th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-646-3945

March 14 Cuentos para Niños en Español Niños de todas las edades y sus familias están invitados a la Biblioteca principal a la hora de los cuentos GRATIS, incluiremos cuentos, historias, canciones, refranes y otras actividades divertidas en español. Ven y aprende acerca de la Biblioteca y lo que tiene para ofrecer a tu familia. Gratis. 6 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229 March 16 Movie Time Elliot, Boog and all your favorite woodland creatures are back in a brand new comedy adventure. Free. 3:30 p.m. Cedarville Public Library, 737 Pirates Way, Cedarville, Ark. 479-410-1853

March 16 St. Patrick’s Day Story Time Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this story time for preschool-age children featuring seasonal stories, crafts and snacks. Preschool Story Time is held at 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday. Free. Dallas Branch Library, 8100 Dallas Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-484-5650 March 17 Spanish Story Time Join Mrs. Norma and enjoy the magic of stories through reading, singing and other fun activities in Spanish. Free. 6 p.m. Windsor Branch Library, 4701 Windsor Drive, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-785-0405

March 19 Hannah House Annual Charity Bowling Tournament This bowling tournament is for all ages. Bowlers don’t have to be skilled – bowl some gutter balls in good fun to help raise funds. Kids will have a ball. Lane sponsorships are available for $50. $120/4-man teams; $30 individual. 1- 4 p.m. Bowling World, 6100 South 36th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-5683 March 2016 Entertainment Fort Smith 49

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KIDS EVENTS

March 19 29th Annual Family Kite Flite Day A day of fun for the entire family and celebrate the end of Winter and beginning of Spring at the only prehistoric, Native American, archaeological site open to the public in Oklahoma. Nearly 500 families and individuals will fly kites they bring or the local scouts will help you make one. Professional kiters will show off their skills throughout the day. Small children can find treasures in the sandbox and adults can shop at the arts and crafts sales area. Free, with donations encouraged. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center, 18154 1st Street, Spiro, Okla. 918-962-2062

March 19 Reptile Mania Have you ever wanted to see a rattlesnake up close?

Here is your chance. Join snake enthusiasts Brad Birchfield and Jeremy Sloan as they present reptiles from their extensive collection of native venomous and non-venomous snakes. The free program addresses facts and myths about snakes and details conservation efforts in Arkansas. 1-2 p.m. Lake Fort Smith State Park, 15458 Shepherd Springs Road, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-2469 March 19 Be Snake Safe Warm spring weather means snakes are waking up and looking for something to eat. Learn how to avoid an unpleasant meeting with our slithery friends. Meet in the visitor center classroom. Free. 12:30 p.m.-1 p.m. Lake Fort Smith State Park, 15458 Shepherd Springs Road, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-2469 March 19-27 Spring Break Specials at Crystal Bridges Not heading out on a road trip this spring break? Take your family to the museum to experience “The Open Road” exhibition, which offers a survey of works created by 19 photographers on the move across the nation from the 1950s to today. These Spring Break Specials feature a variety of fun activities each afternoon, including art-making, performance, and more.

Free. 1-4 p.m. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Ark. 479-657-2335 crystalbridges.org March 21 Wii Games Students, stop by the library to play your favorite Wii game. Free. 1-3 p.m. Mulberry Public Library, 220 North Main Street, Mulberry, Ark. 479-997-1226

March 21 LEGO Club Kids, tweens, and teens are invited to design, create and build unique creations with the LEGO Club. Supplies are provided – all you need is your imagination.

Free. 5 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229

March 21-24 Spring Exploration: Youth Art Spring Exploration designed around Manga, Anime, Romero Britto, Joan Miro and Paul Klee. Crayons, markers, watercolor, paper, oil pastels will be used to explore all these wonderful individual styles. Each student will leave each class with a colorful piece of art, as well as play a fun art game. $10. 1-3 p.m. Cre8ive Arts Network Visual Art Studio, 7408 Buckhorn (off Terry Street), Fort Smith, Ark. 479-357-9079 50 Entertainment Fort Smith March 2016

March 22 Movie Day Spring break movie day at the library. Students can stop by to watch an old favorite. Check out the title and details online. Free. 2 p.m. Mulberry Public Library, 220 North Main Street, Mulberry, Ark. 479-997-1226 crawfordcountylib.org

March 22 Spring Break Game Day Enjoy a fun-filled time with family and friends playing board games, card games and checkers. Test your gaming abilities and battle it out for bragging rights while making awesome spring break memories. Rain or shine, the weather’s always good at your library.

Free. 1-8 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229

March 22 Pajama Story Time and Stuffed Animal Sleepover Kids of all ages and their families are invited to join the Miller Branch Library for a very special bedtime story time. Children are encouraged to wear pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal friend. After everyone enjoys some bedtime stories, songs, and a craft, the stuffed animals will then have the opportunity to stay at the library for a sleepover. The next day, kids can pick up their animal friends along with some fun pictures of the sleepover shenanigans. Free. 6 p.m.

Miller Branch Library, 8701 South 28th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-646-3945 March 22-25 Nature Center Spring Break Lots of special programming is planned for the week of Spring Break. Canoes and kayaks will be out on Wells Lake every day from noon to 2 p.m. for everyone to try. Watch a critter be fed each day at 2 p.m.

Special programs and make-and-take activities will be held throughout each day. Full schedule online. Free.

8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993 rivervalleynaturecenter.com

March 23 Easter Craft Easter eggs, bunnies and more for ages 6 and older.

Design your own Easter craft to take home. Free. 4-5 p.m. Mulberry Public Library, 220 North Main Street, Mulberry, Ark. 479-997-1226

March 24 Musical Instrument Craft Make craft stick harmonicas and Chinese drums. 4 p.m. Free. Alma Public Library, 624 Fayetteville Avenue, Alma, Ark. 479-632-4140

March 24 March Support Group Meeting/Therapy for Kids The Pervasive Parenting Center and Developmental Wings are combining efforts to help families in eastern Oklahoma. The Pervasive Parenting Center will offer their monthly parent support group meeting to help the families find resources, talk to other families and provide moral support for coping with disabilities. This meeting is open to everyone including families, professionals, teachers, etc. Developmental Wings will offer their regular music and art therapies to children at the same time. These classes are designed to engage children and encourage creativity. Free. 6 p.m.

Waylon Jones Complex, Ranger Road, Roland, Okla.

918-658-5076 pervasiveparentingcenter.org

March 24 Hopping Easter Party Enjoy a hopping good movie to celebrate this Easter holiday. There will be refreshments and an Easter Egg Hunt in the library. Free. 4 p.m. Alma Public Library, 624 Fayetteville Avenue, Alma, Ark. 479-632-4140 March 24 Petey the Parrot Story Time and Crafts Read with Petey the Parrot from Parrot Island Water Park. Petey will join preschoolers for a story time that will be followed by an all-ages make-and-take craft day. Petey is looking forward to seeing the variety of splash-themed crafts that will be available for making and taking. Free. 10 a.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229

March 25 Princess Paint Party with Miss Arkansas Paint and personalize your own crown cut-out with Miss Arkansas Loren McDaniel. Enjoy punch and cookies, story time, pictures and autographs. $25. 68 p.m. Madame’s Main Attraction, 701 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-719-0736 March 25 Make your Snack Create your very snack with lots of different goodies.

For ages 6 and older. Free. 3 p.m. Mulberry Public Library, 220 North Main Street, Mulberry, Ark. 479-997-1226

March 26 Hunter Education Course The course teaches fundamentals of safe and responsible hunting, is free and open to all ages. Anyone born after 1968 must complete a Hunter Education course and carry a valid Hunter Education Card to legally hunt in Arkansas. Free. 7 a.m.-6 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993 rivervalleynaturecenter.com

March 26 Elks Easter Egg Hunt This annual easter egg hunt will feature three age-level hunt areas for the children ages 1 to 12 to hunt the hundreds of colorful Easter Eggs. The egg hunts begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. There are prizes galore to be won and taken home. After the egg hunts are over and while the prize give-away is underway, participating children and their families will be treated to a free hot dog picnic-style lunch. Take your cameras because Elroy the Elk will be on hand to meet the children and pose for pictures. 11:30 a.m. Fort Smith Elks Lodge #341, 5504 Massard Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-478-1060 elks.org March 31 Game Day Tweens, teens and adults – take all your cards. It’s your game choice. Free. 3:30 p.m. Cedarville Public Library, 737 Pirates Way, Cedarville, Ark. 479-410-1853

April 2 Little Miss Edamame Pageant Held in conjunction with the Edamame Festival in Mulberry, this pageant has divisions for newborns all the way up to 18-year-olds. Spring outfits only for this outdoor pageant under the music pavilion. Noon-2 p.m. Mulberry City Park, 419 U.S. 64 West, Mulberry, Ark. 479-632-3500 pageantgypsy.com

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KIDS EVENTS

AETN contest invites young students to write, illustrate stories

T

he Arkansas Educational Television Network is accepting entries for the PBS KIDS Writers Contest through April 1.

The contest is designed to promote the advancement of literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The contest empowers children in kindergarten through third grades to celebrate creativity and build literacy skills by writing and illustrating their own stories.

“By providing opportunities for kids to learn and explore through creative writing, AETN is building on its 50-year commitment to children and their long-term success in school and in life,” AETN executive director Allen Weatherly said.

Each entrant will receive a participation certificate and 12 winners – three from each grade – will receive an AETN prize pack. In addition, first-place winners will be given the opportunity for Clifford the Big Red Dog to visit their school and to tour the AETN studios in Conway. More than 200 students from across Arkansas entered the contest last year.

Winning stories, as well as contest rules, creative writing resources and entry forms, are available at aetn.org/writerscontest. Additional information is available by emailing marketing@aetn.org.

Stories may be fact, fiction, prose or poetry. Only one entry will be allowed per person, and stories must be by a single author. Kindergarten and first-grade stories must have a minimum of 50 words and a maximum of 200 words. Second- and third-grade stories must have a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 350 words.

Text must be printed, written legibly or typed. Children who cannot write may dictate their story to be printed, written legibly or typed. Stories must have at least five original, clear and colorful illustrations. NonEnglish text must be translated on the same page, and the translated text (English text) must adhere to the word count.

Entries will be judged on originality, creative expression, storytelling and integration of text and illustrations.

Stories should be submitted by April 1, by mail to: AETN – Writers Contest, 350 South Donaghey, Conway, AR 72034. Winners will be chosen in April and featured onaetn.org/writerscontest.

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© Bernard Plossu, Courtesy of the Artist and Eaton Fine Art, West Palm Beach, Florida © Todd Hido, Courtesy the artist Bruce Silverstein Gallery

New Mexico, 1980, by Bernard Plossu

Outside Memphis, Tennessee, 1960, by Inge Morath

The Open Road: Photography and the American Road Trip MARCH

The Open Road features 19 photographers on the move across America from the 1950s to today, presenting the story of the American road as inspiration in more than 100 important photographs. Crystal Bridges’ first MAY large-scale photography exhibition presents the story of the American road as inspiration. Visit roadside motels, Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Route 66, the Pacific Coast Highway, theme parks and everyday America. The images provide offbeat and personal reflections of the photographers’ journeys, including the people they encounter, car culture, roadside attractions, and more. Photographers featured in the exhibition include: Robert Frank, Ed Ruscha, Garry Winogrand, Inge Morath, William Eggleston, Lee Friedlander, Joel Meyerowitz, Jacob Holdt, Stephen Shore, Bernard Plossu, Victor Burgin, Joel Sternfeld, Alec Soth, Todd Hido, Shinya Fujiwara, Ryan McGinley, Justine Kurland, and Taiyo Onorato and Nico Krebs. Together, these photographers elevate the snapshot – often taken through the window of a moving car – to a work of art. A related book, published by Aperture, is available in the museum store. Admission to the exhibit is $10 for adults; free for members. A guided tour of The Open Road exhibition is 12 p.m. Monday and Thursday (except March 3). Gallery guides will look closely at the photographs of five or six significant artists and discuss the photographers’ road trips and how these experiences influenced their work and affected the idea of the American road trip. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Monday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Ark. 479657-2335 crystalbridges.org

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#6097, 2007, by Todd Hido

U.S. 97, south of Klamath Falls, Oregon, July 21, 1973, by Stephen Shore 52

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© Stephen Shore, Courtesy of the artist and 303 Gallery, New York

©Inge Morath/Magnum Photo

CALENDAR of events

© Stephen Shore, Courtesy of the artist and 303 Gallery, New York

© Todd Hido, Courtesy the artist Bruce Silverstein Gallery

© Bernard Plossu, Courtesy of the Artist and Eaton Fine Art, West Palm Beach, Florida

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March 1 Linux Installation Are you a Windows user who is curious to try Linux because you have heard so many good things about the OS from your geek friends? Barry Tabor will teach how to install Linux Software and uninstall Windows.

Free. 10 a.m.-noon. Alma Public Library, 624 Fayetteville Avenue, Alma, Ark.479-632-4140

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March Library art, photography exhibition openings

March 1-April 9 Delta Beta Sigma Lambda Chapter Reunion: Sister Search A chapter of DBS, a national high school sorority, was founded in Fort Smith in 1927. Generations of area women have belonged to what is now the oldest active chapter in the sorority and a reunion of all years is being planned for 1 p.m. April 9 at the Fort Smith Museum of History. The planners hope to have alumna in attendance from every previous pledge class. Representatives of deceased members are invited to participate, as well, to complete the rolls of all members and are encouraged to help senior alumni who may not use the internet to get in touch with the planners.

An almost-complete list of alumni can be found online at lambdadbsalumni.blogspot.com. Contact the reunion by email at DBSLambda@gmail.com. For more information, see DBSLambdaAlumni.weebly.com.

March 3 WFO Tulsa Storm Spotter Training Are you storm ready? National Weather Service will be giving a storm spotter training class. 7 p.m. Van Buren Police Department, 800 Fayetteville Road, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-1541

Photographic works of Michael Leonard will be on display. Landscapes and wildlife are featured in many of his photographs. His exhibit runs through April 30. Free. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229

March 3, 17 Enneagram Fellowship Of Fort Smith Meeting View educational videos, discuss books and readings that are beneficial in studying the enneagram. Free. 5 p.m. Central Presbyterian Church, 2901 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-650-2555

March 4 Grape Escapes, A Vine Affair Grape Escapes is a cocktail party-style, signature fundraiser giving guests the opportunity to sample more than 375 wines from around the world and enjoy hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants and caterers. Enjoy live music, a wine pull and live and silent auctions. All funds raised will be used in our community to fund critical services and support for individuals with disabilities served by Bost Inc., a nonprofit organization serving individuals with disabilities in 28 counties in western Arkansas. Event attire is semi-formal. $100. 6 p.m. Fort Smith Convention Center, Rogers Avenue and South 9th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-652-4553 bost.org March 4, 18 Crochet & Knitting Club Join the crochet and knitting club. All experience levels are welcome. Take your own yarn and size G or H hook. Free. 10 a.m.-noon. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

Cindy Sugg will exhibit her original oil paintings and pastels. She has studied under many professional artists and is inspired by the beautiful landscapes captured in Wolf Kahn’s works. Her exhibit runs through March 31. Free. Miller Branch Library, 8701 South 28th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-646-3945

Tracy Farrar will display a collection of her photographic work encompassing wildlife, landscapes and fine art subjects.

A self-taught, natural light photographer, Tracy's travels with her camera have taken her from Honolulu to St. Louis to Ocho Rios to the Yucatan Peninsula. Her exhibit runs through April 30. Free. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, 479-783-0229 March 2016

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Bike Across America: Tales from the Road What does it take to bike across the United States? Join Steve Garufi of Trinidad, Colo., as he talks about his experience biking across the country. He has ridden his bicycle from the Pacific to the Atlantic in 2008 and 2011. He authored a memoir about his first trip titled Under a Triumphant Sky: A Bike Across America Story. The talk will be a Q&A format with photos, props and maps. For bicyclists who dream of cycling across the country themselves, this is a must-attend event. Also, this will be entertaining for anyone curious about what it's like to spend six to eight weeks riding a bicycle full-time.

Garufi will be sharing many stories – the good, the bad and the funny. Garufi’s memoir will be available for purchase before and after the presentation for $15. Free. 7 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229 fortsmithlibrary.org

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March 4 Variety Show: Songs of the Road Crystal Bridges presents a variety show exploring the love of road trips. The night will include film, performance, and an interactive concert by Smokey & the Mirror. Local poet Houston Hughes will host the show with intermittent spoken-word from great travel writers of our time, including Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouac and many others. The short film “Pull My Daisy” (1959, 30 minutes) will be screened. It explores the Beat generation and was co-directed by Robert Frank, a photographer in The Open Road exhibition. Free. 47 p.m. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Ark. 479.657.2335

March 5 Subiaco Academy Spring Carnival Enjoy an evening of family fun, with live music, food, wine tasting, games and bounce arounds. $5-20. 4-9 p.m. Subiaco Academy Field House Green Room, 405 North Subiaco Avenue, Subiaco, Ark. 479-934-1001

March 5 Giant Garage Sale Giant annual garage sale at St. Scholastica features furniture, household items, home decor, games, books, toys, jewelry, CDs, DVDs, plants, baked goods and more collected from the sisters and their generous donors. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. St. Scholastica Retreat Center, 1205 South Albert Pike, Fort Smith, Ark. 479783-1135 stscho.org

March 5 Eagle Tour & Loon Watch Tour features southern bald eagles on the nest. Start by watching eagles from the refuge’s webcam and then continue on the 25-person tour bus. Take your 54 Entertainment Fort Smith March 2016

the Ozark-Ouchita bioregion. Students from Arkansas Tech document the seeds, grow them out in ROOST gardens to distribute the next season, and catalogue them in databases. Arkansas farmers and gardeners have a legacy of heirloom seeds that are in danger of being lost. Sharing seeds will encourage production of diverse varieties for posterity, and observes the heritage of Arkansas gardening. The mission of Ozark Folk Center State Park is to perpetuate, present and promote the Ozark way of life in an educational and enjoyable manner; through craft demonstrations, musical programs, the Heritage Herb Garden, workshops and other events. Ozark Folk Center State Park, 1032 Park Avenue, Mountain View, Ark. 870-269-3851 March 5 Little Miss Van Buren Pageant Project Graduation 2016 will host the Little Miss Van Buren Pageant. The Little Miss Pageant has five age categories from infant through eighth grade. Miss Arkansas 2016 Loren McDaniels will be the special performer, as well as three other exciting entertainers. $6. 1 p.m. Van Buren Fine Arts Center, 2001 Pointer Trail East, Van Buren, Ark. 479-471-4017 vbsd.us/fac

March 6 14th Annual Little Rock Marathon This bodacious race has the world's largest finisher's medal, tons of volunteers with Southern hospitality and a race for every pace. Walkers are welcome. For individual race information, visit the website. Registration fees vary. 7 a.m. Downtown Little Rock, 500 West Markham, Little Rock, Ark. 501-371-4639 littlerockmarathon.com/

binoculars. Stops will be made at two nesting sties as well as other points of interest where eagles are known to be viewed. Two spotting scopes will be provided. Following a lunch break in Vian, make your way to Tenkiller State Park’s Driftwood Nature Center for more eagles and lots of loons, including the common loon, the red-throated loon, the pacific loon and the yellow-billed loon. Free. Eagle Tour at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, 9 a.m.-noon; Loon Watch at Tenkiller State Park, 2 p.m. Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge & Tenkiller State Park, Vian, Okla.

918-489-5641

March 5-26 RAM Saturdays The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum offers a handson exploration of a new medium or type of art. People of all ages are invited to experiment with techniques and materials that will include paint, mixed media collages, ceramics and fiber art during this month’s afternoon activities. Take home the works you create.

The program is free but reservations are requested by email at rsvp@fsram.org. 1-4 p.m. Saturdays. Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, 1601 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-784-2787 fsram.org

March 5 Free Seed Swap at Ozark Folk Center State Park The 8th Annual Ozark Seed Swap is organized by the folk center and ROOST (Revitalizing Ozark-Ouchita Seed Traditions) in a true spirit of sharing. Even those who don’t have seeds to bring can come with envelopes, garden implements, baked goods or tea to share or trade with the gardeners. ROOST is dedicated to protecting and improving the diversity of heirloom seed varieties, knowledge and practices throughout

March 7-April 11 Mission SlimPossible Mission SlimPossible is a six-week weight loss program to get healthy and lose those extra pounds. Participants will learn about basic nutrition, meal planning, smart shopping, dining out, social activities and behavior modification. Participants will have access to a registered dietitian, a certified chef and a physical therapist. Each person will also receive a complimentary one-month membership to Marvin Altman Fitness Center. $99 per person; $175 per couple. 5:30-7 p.m. Mondays. Sparks Nutrition Counseling Center, 818 Lexington Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-441-4183 SparksHealth.com

March 5 Van Buren Project Graduation: Loren McDaniels Van Buren Project Graduation 2016 presents Loren McDaniel, Miss Arkansas 2016, speak on her platform, Confidently You. This is a wonderful experience for all ages hear McDaniel speak about goal-setting, confidence building, and bullying. Pictures with Miss Arkansas 2016 will be included with admission. Tickets to this program also grant entry to the Little Miss Van Buren Pageant. All proceeds benefit Project Graduation 2016. $10. 11 a.m. Van Buren Fine Arts Center, 2001 Pointer Trail East, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-806-4796 vbsd.us/fac

March 7-11 Crawford County Library Week Patron Appreciation Day Fun stuff will be going on all week long at Van Buren, Alma, Mountainburg and Cedarville for Crawford County Library Week. Daily activities are listed on the library website. March 11 is “Patron Appreciation Day.” Free. Alma Public Library, 624 Fayetteville Avenue, Alma, Ark. 479-632-4140

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Savoring History: A Ladies’ Tea at the Clayton House MARCH

Celebrate Women’s History Month by raising a cup of tea with friends in a home steeped in important Fort Smith women’s history. This month’s theme honors women who have shaped America’s history and its future through their public service and the building of viable institutions.

Savoring History will provide an opportunity to catch up with friends while soaking up the authentic setting of the pioneering Fortnightly Club. This club began in 1888 for social and literary pleasure, and the women met many times in Mrs. Florence Clayton’s home. The purchase of new books each year for their own study led the women to ultimately perform the community service of establishing a public library.

Tables for four to six guests will feature a perfect pick-me-up of flavorful teas, light sandwiches, scones, crumpets, jam and fruit.

The tables will be set in the four main downstairs rooms of the opulent home. Copies of beautifully handwritten minutes of the Fortnightly Club when it met in Florence Clayton’s parlor will be on each table. Mrs. Clayton, portrayed by Gayle Ross, will visit each parlor to share the highlights of the club’s activities. Guests will take home a list of the first books chosen for the Fort Smith library by the ladies in the form of a lovely handmade bookmark. The Clayton House continues to serve the public as a living history book nearly 40 years after its grand opening in 1977 as a historic house museum. Prior to the opening, the home underwent a seven-year authentic restoration to its 1882 appearance. The Clayton family included William H.H. Clayton, chief prosecutor of Judge Parker’s court; his wife, Florence; and six daughters and one son. They lived in the home from 1882 to 1897 without electricity or indoor plumbing. In addition to learning about the Fortnightly Club, guests will receive details on renting the Clayton House for private teas, weddings, receptions, luncheons and other parties.

Information on volunteering also will be provided. A nonprofit organization, the Fort Smith Heritage Foundation maintains the home’s preservation and opens its doors to tourists each week with funding by donations, memberships and grants.

Proceeds from the tea will help with the museum’s many educational and cultural programs. Reservations may be made online at the museum’s website or by phone. $20. 2:30 p.m. The Clayton House, 514 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-7833000 claytonhouse.org

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March 8 Book Talk: The Islands at the End of the World In this fast-paced survival story set in Hawaii, electronics fail worldwide, the islands become completely isolated, and a strange starscape fills the sky. Leilani and her father embark on a nightmare odyssey from Oahu to their home on the Big Island. Leilani’s epilepsy holds a clue to the disaster, if only they can survive as the islands revert to earlier ways. Free. 6 p.m. Alma Public Library, 624 Fayetteville Avenue, Alma, Ark. 479-632-4140 March 8-29 Running Nourished Runners have specific nutrition needs. When these needs are met, runners are metabolically equipped to increase performance. Taught by Maggie Chamberlain, RD, this is a program developed to educate and inspire runners' nutrition goals. Each person will receive a one-month membership to Marvin Altman Fitness Center, individualized nutrition goal setting, running form evaluation and strength training session with a physical therapist, recipes and meal planning for runners, and nutritive snacks. $75 for 4 weeks. 6-7:30 p.m. Sparks Nutrition Counseling Center, 818 Lexington Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-4414183 SparksHealth.com March 9 Medicine in Fort Smith: The First Hundred Years The Fort Smith Historical Society will offer a program by Dr. Taylor Prewitt on the history of medicine in Fort Smith. Prewitt is a retired physician who also is an author and historical researcher. Hear his absorbing presentation, which will survey many familiar figures and recount important developments in the history of the local medical community. Free.

6:30 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, Community Room, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229

March 10 Crafts for Adults/Bookmarkers Materials will be available for this craft, so you can make it the way you want. Free. 2 p.m. Alma Public Library, 624 Fayetteville Avenue, Alma, Ark. 479-632-4140 March 10 Umoja Soul Story Time Do you like to hear stories? Take the family out for a special treat to Windsor Branch Library, where Leora Jackson will share fun stories about unity and togetherness.

Jackson is an activist, advocate, speaker, poet, author and storyteller. This story time event is intended for all ages. Free. 6 p.m.

Windsor Branch Library, 4701 Windsor Drive, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-785-0405 fortsmithlibrary.org

March 10, 24 Kids Kicking Cancer Cancer is hard but life can be fun. The Reynolds Cancer Support House offers an activity-based support group for children ages 7-17 who are cancer fighters or survivors themselves or have a sibling or primary caregiver that is a cancer fighter or survivor. This is a safe place to "keep on living." Provided in partnership with Western Arkansas Guidance and Counseling. 6-7 p.m. Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House, 3324 South M Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-6302 ReynoldsCancerSupportHouse.org

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Arkansas Wildlife and Landscapes MARCH

Join Mike Martin for a photographic experience of Arkansas. The program highlights a variety of wildlife throughout the state with a focus on the less commonly seen birds of Arkansas. Martin, who is a native Arkansan, has been an avid nature and wildlife photographer for over 20 years. He has had several of his photos published by Cornell University’s Ornithology Department’s award-winning website, “All About Birds.” He is the author of a photography book entitled “Arkansas Wildlife and Landscapes,” published in 2010. In 2011, Martin’s photo of a great blue heron won Best in Show at the Mid-America Photographic Symposium in Eureka Springs. In 2012, his photo of a Krider’s hawk was selected by the Field Museum in Chicago for a kiosk display in the museum’s new “Hall of Birds” exhibit. In July of 2013, one of Mike’s bald eagle photos was selected as the featured photo in the annual “Wildlife” magazine produced by the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. Free 1-3 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993 rivervalleynaturecenter.com

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March 10-12 Boat Show Whit's Marine hosts an annual in-house boat show. Free. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Whit's Marine in Fort Smith and Alma, 823 North 11th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-785-5985 whitsmarine.com

March 11 Owl Prowl Take a stroll along Wells Lake and Beaver Creek Trail. The park staff will lead a search for, and try to call in, the most famous creatures of the night. Please take a flashlight for the walk back. Free. 6:30-8 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993 rivervalleynaturecenter.com

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March 11, 25 Redwork & Embroidery Club Join the library’s redwork and embroidery class. All experience levels welcome. Take your own supplies.13 p.m. Free. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

March 11-13 Spring ATV & Side By Side Rally A three-day, off-road rally in the beautiful Mulberry Valley is held by Byrd's Adventure Center with Honda Power Sports of Fort Smith. Located one hour from Fort Smith, Fayetteville and Russellville, this event offers trail rides for all skill levels, games for adults and kids, great food, prizes and more. Take camping gear, fishing pole, Frisbee and your own ATV or UTV if participating in the rally events on Byrd's trails. Registration is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 11. March 12 includes trail rides, skill courses and games all day with an evening feast. A night ride begins at 7 p.m. On March 13, open trail rides. $45, includes evening feast; kids 10 and under free. 8 a.m. Byrd's Adventure Center, 7037 Cass Oark Road, Ozark, Ark. 479-667-4066 byrdsadventurecenter.com March 11-13 In-House Boat Show See what's new in boating at Barling Boats. Free. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Barling Boat Sales, Fort Smith, 6401 South Zero Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-649-8887 barlingboats.com

March 12 Once Upon a Prom Once Upon a Prom is giving away prom dresses to girls who can't afford one. Teenage girls in need can drop by, try on dresses and take their favorite home for free. Sizes 00-24 are available, though larger sizes are more limited. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Heritage United Methodist Church, 1604 East Pointer Trail, Van Buren, Ark. 479-208-3568 March 12 Turkey Hunting 101 James Barger, a Mossy Oak pro staff member and state board member in Arkansas for the National Wild Turkey Federation, will share turkey hunting tips on scouting, roosting, setups, calls and answer questions about turkey hunting. Barger is an avid sportsman and accomplished turkey hunter. He loves the still hunting method of bowhunting whitetails. He has taught many seminars across the country and has successfully guided many hunters, young and old, to their first harvest. Free. 1-3 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993 rivervalleynaturecenter.com

March 12 2016 Fort Smith St. Patrick's Day Parade The parade will start at the corner of North 13th Street and Garrison Avenue and travel west to North 6th Street. The Indian Territory Pistoliers will start the parade off with a gunfight on Garrison. Please visit the Facebook page "Fort Smith Fire Department St. Patrick's Day Parade" for more details and an entry form. Free. 3 p.m. Downtown Fort Smith, Garrison Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-4052 March 12 Sack Lunch Program Volunteer Orientation Are you looking for unique and fulfilling community service opportunities? The Sack Lunch Program's 58

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS mission is very simple: If you are hungry, they will feed you. Volunteers serve lunches twice a day to anyone who stands in its line. Last year, the program served more than 50,000 lunches to food insecure people in the greater Fort Smith area. A volunteer orientation workshop, led by Sack Lunch Program codirector Jean T. Kolljeski, will provide an overview of the program, a tour of the facility and describe community service opportunities that are available. Registration is required. Free. 10 a.m. Skinner Building (St. John's Episcopal Church Office Building), 214 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-9912 March 12 Union Christian Academy Open House Prospective students may tour facilities, meet with faculty and explore what Union can offer. Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Union Christian Academy, 4201 Windsor Drive, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-7327 unioneagles.org

March 12 Authors in the Afternoon: Melissa Campbell Rowe Fort Smith author Melissa Campbell Rowe will sign copies of her book “Dance of Joy.” Meltdowns. Rejection. Bullying. All of these words are associated with autism. As the story opens, Jeff Howard races to the emergency room to find his wife battered by their autistic son. Jeff’s plans for his success and family start falling apart and the reality is that life is hard.

Jeff’s journey from denial to acceptance is poignant and honest. Through the process, the family learns some new words to associate with autism: courage, acceptance and joy. “Dance of Joy” is Melissa's first book. She wanted to write a fictional book about families learning to live with autism to shed light on the struggles families face. Her older son was identified as being autistic almost 25 years ago. “Dance of Joy” provides a glimpse into a family's life and concerns as they deal with autism through the characters of Jeff and Meredith. She hopes this book brings understanding to families with a child with autism and enlightenment to the grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing at this open-house style event. Free.

1-4 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229 March 2016

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Caney Creek Trail Sam’s Throne Trail

MARCH

Sam's Throne is one of the premier climbing spots in the Ozarks. Head out to Chicken Point, then down and across the valley floor to Sam’s Throne, climb the crack to the top and enjoy the great views of the surrounding bluffs, valley and mountains. This is an easyto-moderate hike of about 4 miles. Meet at Cloverleaf Plaza parking lot in Van Buren to carpool/caravan. 8 a.m. Sam's Throne, Highway 123, Near Mount Judea, Ark.

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March 12 How to Live Gluten-Free Master Gardeners will share their personal experience with gluten-free diets. There are different reasons for eating gluten-free and advantages to adopting a gluten-free diet. Recipes will be shared and some gluten-free foods will be available for tasting. $20. 911 a.m. Learning Fields at Chaffee Crossing, 700 Gardener Lane, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-883-1059

March 12 3rd Annual Talimena 13.1 Run & Relay This event includes an individual category, a four-person relay and a 13-person relay. Formerly called the Rich Mountain Classic, this race was first run in 1986 and continued through 1990, using the Janssen Park to the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge race route. In 1991, the “Classic” was renamed the Talimena Drive ½ Marathon and was run from the lodge to near the state line and back. The Talimena Drive is called the “scenic drive” for a reason: The drive from Mena to the state park and lodge is beautiful with many breathtaking views and overlooks. In 2014 this event was re-named the Talimena 13.1 Run & Relay. Gov. Bill Clinton and Attorney General Steve Clark were past participants in the race. In the 1890s, the KCP&G Railroad Co. built a north-south railroad from Kansas City to Port Arthur Texas. While building the route through the Ouachita 60 Entertainment Fort Smith March 2016

TrailBlazers Hiking Club Sets Course for March MARCH

The club will hit the Buckeye and Caney Creek Trails for a distance of 8.5 miles, rated difficult. After an initial climb, the trail is mostly along the ridge top until it drops down the mountain to the Caney Creek Trail.

There are great views, rock outcrops, a waterfall and several creek crossings. Meet at Home Depot parking lot in Fort Smith to carpool/caravan, 7:30 a.m. Ouachita National Forest, FR 38, near Shady Lake, Ark.

479-646-9562 thcfs.com Hunt's Loop includes a hefty climb up Short Mountain with panoramic views and interesting geological formations. Hike about 2 miles along the Ouachita Trail to the 4.3-mile loop for a total 6.3 miles, rated moderate. Meet at Home Depot parking lot in Fort Smith to carpool/caravan. 6 a.m. Ouachita National Forest, Highway 7, near Jessieville, Ark. 479-646-9562 thcfs.com

Mountains, a flat area atop of the 2,681-foot Rich Mountain was discovered, and Dutch investors were captivated by the beauty of this windswept mountain.

The original lodge was constructed of native stone and timber at a cost of $100,000. The lodge became known as the “castle in the sky.” The lodge was abandoned and fell upon disrepair. In 1957, a state park was built at the same location. In 1973, the building was destroyed by fire, but the State Parks rebuilt the lodge. The lodge recently underwent a major renovation and reopened last summer. The race will begin at 8:30 am at Janssen Park in Mena, and end near the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge. Time limit is four hours to complete. The first 150 registered participants will receive a goody bag and a T-shirt. Registration fees range from $40 individual to $325 for relay teams.

8:30 a.m. Janssen Park, Mena, Ark. 479-234-5601 talimenarunandrelay.com

Register online or by calling guest services. $100; $80 for members. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Ark. 479-657-2335 crystalbridges.org

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March 13, Cr(EAT)e Food Series: Art Inspires Cuisine – The Open Road Enjoy an in-depth glimpse and taste of how art inspires the culinary world of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Join culinary director Case Dighero, executive chef Bill Lyle and special guests to discuss the temporary exhibition “The Open Road” while experiencing a special dinner inspired by the exhibition.

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March 13 Yoga Hike Join local yoga instructor Terri Hargrove at Lake Alma Trail for a 3.8-mile hike around the lake and one hour of yoga in the great outdoors. Yogaterrium will provide water, snacks and yoga mats. Lake Alma is located just behind the city water park off Collum Lane near large water towers by the dam, with a parking area off Mountain Grove Road. $10. 2-5 p.m. Lake Alma Trail, Mountain Grove Road, Alma, Ark. 479-459-2187 March 14 Master Your Money Bill Gentry of the non-profit Credit Counseling of Arkansas (CCOA) Inc. will help you master your money goals. Learn the basics rules of money management. The class will cover the fundamentals of budgeting and saving, how to create a spending plan and ways to cut expenses on things like groceries, entertainment, and utilities. Free. 5 p.m. Miller Branch Library, 8701 South 28th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-646-3945 fortsmithlibrary.org

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March 14 Embroidery Guild of Fort Smith This month's project is a Stitch Book. Everyone is welcome. Take basic supplies. Refreshments served.

Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-646-2759

March 15 United Way of Fort Smith Campaign Wrap-Up Wear green and enjoy this St. Patrick's Day themed event at which lunch will be served and campaign awards will be presented. Free. 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Fort Smith Convention Center, Hall C, Rogers Avenue and South 9th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-1311 unitedwayfortsmith.org

March 15 Wild Edible Plants Learn which plants are edible and where to find them.

Charles Griffith has been teaching about wild edibles since the early 1980s, including plant walks at Yellowstone National Park. Free. 6 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479452-3993 rivervalleynaturecenter.com

RAM Annual Art Affair: A Midsummer Night’s Dream MARCH Known for its distinctively creative galas, the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum this year will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as its annual “art affair” to support educational programs. Guests will enjoy a themed signature drink, appetizers, a sumptuous dinner along with live music, raffle prizes and frivolity – Jim and Vicki Perry (left) with gala sponsors Kelly and all among the beautiful works of art Marilyn Newton at 2015's RAM art affair. in the museum’s collection. 21 West End has created entrees of artichoke-basted chicken with vegetables and wild rice, with appetizers and special desserts.

The open bar service is courtesy of In Good Spirits. Some of the prizes include a $2,500 gift certificate from Newton’s Jewelers and gift cards to other local boutiques and restaurants. An evening at the ClueMasters Live Escape Room Mayor Sandy Sanders and his wife, Dr. Sandi also will be won by a party guest.

Sanders, (left) with RAM supporters JoAnn and Gary The suggested attire is “artsy chic Campbell at last year's gala. with a touch of green.”

Reservations are requested by March 4. Tickets, available by phone or mail, are $50 per person for members; $100 non-members. 8-11 p.m. Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, 1601 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-784-2787 fsram.org

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March 16 Cancer & Nutrition Series The topic “Maintaining Nutritional Health during Treatment” will be presented by registered dietician Ryan Ellison. Free. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Reynolds Cancer Support House, 3324 South M Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-6302 reynoldscancersupporthouse.org

March 16 Senior Circle: Chair Yoga Get fit where you sit. Learn relaxing yoga poses to do at home, at work or anywhere there is a chair. Chair Yoga is a gentle variation practiced sitting on a chair, or standing using a chair for support. It is suitable for seniors or those who have limited flexibility due to aging or disability. Participants will be asked to stand, sit and perform low-impact stretching and should wear comfortable clothing. Lucinda K. Benton, licensed massage therapist and certified yoga instructor, leads the class. Registration required. Free. 2-3 p.m. Shuffield Education Center, Sparks Regional Medical Center, 1001 Towson Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-441-4000

March 17 Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Oncologist Isam Abdel-Karim and gastroenterologist Brian Cross, both of Cooper Clinic, will speak about the risk factors, prevention, screening and treatment of colorectal cancer. Refreshments provided by Cooper Clinic. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House, 3324 South M Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-6302 reynoldscancersupporthouse.org March 17 Open Mic Night at Dewey’s Café It’s a fun, casual open mic night at Dewey’s Café. Musicians, poets, and other talented folks are invited to perform. Sign up at the door; arrive early to ensure a spot on the list. Showcase your talent or just listen.

Music or poetry does not have to be original work.

Acoustic music only, please. Free. 7 p.m. Dewey's Cafe, Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229 fortsmithlibrary.org

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Book Talk: Read This! – ‘House Made of Dawn’ MARCH

Crawford County library patrons are invited to read N. Scott Momaday’s “House Made of Dawn” as part of UA-Fort Smith’s Read This! “House Made of Dawn” is the story of Able, a young Native American man from one of the Pueblo reservations, who is also a veteran from World War II. His attempts to navigate life and identity after returning from war are raw and difficult: fraught with complexity and deeply tied to Pueblo Native American culture and practice. A limited number of copies are available at the front desk. Momaday’s richly imagined narrative broke ground for Native American Literature to enter the mainstream. Momaday will speak on the UAFS campus March 15. 7 p.m. Free. Van Buren Public Library, 1409 Main Street, Van Buren, Ark. 479-474-6045

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Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Ark. 479-657-2335 crystalbridges.org

March 19 29th Annual Family Kite Flite Day A day of fun for the entire family and celebrate the end of Winter and beginning of Spring at the only prehistoric, Native American, archaeological site open to the public in Oklahoma. Nearly 500 families and individuals will fly kites they bring or the local scouts will help you make one. Professional kiters will show off their skills throughout the day. Small children can find treasures in the sandbox and adults can shop at the arts and crafts sales area. Free, with donations encouraged. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center, 18154 1st Street, Spiro, Okla. 918-962-2062 March 19 Dutch Oven Workshop Dutch oven cooking is delicious and fun to do. Join park staff and volunteers to learn what you need to know to get cooking! Preregistration is required. Free.

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Ridge Runner Cafe Pavilion, Devil’s Den State Park, 11333 West Arkansas 74, West Fork, Ark. 479-761-3325

March 17-20 Centering Prayer Retreat Centering prayer is a way of bringing to consciousness the unconscious "emotional wounds of a lifetime" (Thomas Keating) and enabling these stumbling blocks to becoming cornerstones for our true self.

There will be a 12-step meeting during the retreat open to all, as the 12-step program is a more cognitive way of dealing with our emotional shortcomings and character defects. The retreat will be in silence after the opening circle on Thursday night until lunch on Sunday. Experience the powerful synergy of these two spiritual resources. Deadline for registration is March 3. $235; a $50 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required at time of registration. 6 p.m. March 17 to 12:30 p.m. March 20. St. Scholastica Retreat Center, 1205 South Albert Pike, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-1135 stscho.org/retreat-registration

March 18 Diamond Dance This is a monthly fun social dance that includes ballroom, Latin, country, European and line-dancing music together in a relaxing social environment. This is not club-affiliated so membership is not required.

This is a smoke-free environment and the dress attire is dressy casual to formal. $5. 8-10 p.m. Eagles Ballroom, 3317 South 66th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-674-2578

March 18 Food for Thought: Beginning Yoga Are you looking for a low-pressure opportunity to learn about the benefits of yoga? The library offers the perfect opportunity at this program featuring beginning yoga with Terri Hargrove from Yoga-terri-um.

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strength and focus. Mats will be provided or use a chair – perfect for seniors or anyone with balance challenges. Take your lunch or pick one up at the library's Dewey's Café; drinks and dessert will be provided by the library. Free. Noon. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229 fortsmithlibrary.org

March 18-20 Fort Smith Council of Garden Clubs Flower Show Garden Club members will fill the design section but the public is invited to enter horticulture. Entries can be dropped off on March 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. $5.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fort Smith Civic Center, Roger Avenue and South 9th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-788-8932 fortsmithconventioncenter.org

March 18-20 Hell on the Border Annual Shooting Match Old Fort Gun Club and Judge Parker’s Marshals are hosting the Annual Hell On The Border SASS Cowboy Action Shooting Match and The Arkansas State Wild Bunch Match. Eye protection required and ear protection is recommended. Free to spectators. 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Old Fort Gun Club, Old Fort Gun Club Road, Van Buren, Ark. 479 461-2824 oldfortgunclub.com

March 19 Educator Studio Workshop: Create with Faith Ringgold Educators and librarians are invited to enjoy this unique opportunity to participate in a hands-on workshop with artist Faith Ringgold. This workshop will follow Ringgold’s participation in Crystal Bridges’ Distinguished Speaker Series on March 18. To apply for participation in this free program, please contact Sally Ball at sally.ball@crystalbridges.org. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

March 19 Boating Education Course The Arkansas Boating Education Course teaches fundamentals of safe and responsible boating is open to all ages. Anyone born after 1985 must complete a Boating Education Course and carry a valid Boating Education Card to operate a motorboat powered by an engine of 10 horsepower or more (including a personal watercraft) in Arkansas. Take the class, pass the test and receive a boater safety card. Boat smart, boat safe. Free. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993 rivervalleynaturecenter.com

March 19 Reptile Mania Have you ever wanted to see a rattlesnake up close?

Here is your chance. Join snake enthusiasts Brad Birchfield and Jeremy Sloan as they present reptiles from their extensive collection of native venomous and non-venomous snakes. The program addresses facts and myths about snakes and details conservation efforts in Arkansas. Free. 1-2 p.m. Lake Fort Smith State Park, 15458 Shepherd Springs Road, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-2469 arkansasstateparks.com/lakefortsmith March 19 Roller Derby Fundraiser The LeFlore County Maidens of Mayhem will host the Benton County Derby Dames in an effort to help raise funds for Pervasive Parenting Center. Take your own chair; seating is limited. $7 for adults, free for children.

4:30 p.m. Skate Reation, 102 Hughes Drive, Poteau, Okla. 918-658-5076 pervasiveparentingcenter.org

March 19 Be Snake Safe Warm spring weather means snakes are waking up, moving around and looking for something to eat.

Learn to avoid an unpleasant meeting with our slithery friends. Meet in the visitor center classroom for this free, fun and important program. Free. 12:30 p.m.-1 p.m. Lake Fort Smith State Park, 15458 Shepherd Springs Road, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-2469

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Ozark Style Mind Stretchers: African Americans in the Deep Cotton South MARCH

Jeannie Whayne of the University of Arkansas Department of History will discuss the social, economic and environmental history that surrounds plantation agriculture, race relations and environmental changes. Her most recent book about the Lee Wilson plantation in northeastern Arkansas, Delta Empire: Lee Wilson and the Transformation of Southern Agriculture, will provide the foundation for an examination of what has changed in the last 50 years and what hasn’t.

Music and snacks provided. Free. 6 p.m. St. John's Episcopal Church Ruth Skinner Building, 214 North 6th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-9912

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March 19 Speed of Light Technology: Do We Have It? We are constantly told that it simply cannot be achieved. But science has made similar claims before only to be proven wrong. Join Arkansas Mufon for a compelling look at the very real possibility that the speed of light is not only possible, but probable. The speaker is a gentleman whose career gave him access to top secret, classified information about advanced propulsion systems. Hear his assessments. Free.

10:30 a.m.-noon. Fort Smith Public Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-0229 armufonwcs.wix.com/armufonwcs

March 19 2 Hip Chicks Roadshow The 2 Hip Chicks Roadshow is coming to Muskogee and bringing dozens of vendors and one-of-a-kind items with them. This traveling vendor show will feature vintage and shabby chic items for your home and yourself. Shop row after row of clothing, home decor, party items, gifts and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston Street, Muskogee, Okla.

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March 19 Ozark Pastel Society Meeting Ozark Pastel Society is a group of artists who paint using the pastel medium and are from many parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and several other states. The meeting will focus on making note cards with your painting images. Charles Peer and Judy Howard will set up your card layout and you will have six cards printed. Special instructions needed in advance will be sent to 2016 OPS members. There are 66 Entertainment Fort Smith March 2016

March 19, 23 Wagon Road Wander Spring begins to show itself with the slightest drop in elevation. Search for butterflies, birds, and flowers along an old wagon road. Free. 10-11:30 a.m. Will Apple's Road Trailhead near Visitor Center, Mount Magazine State Park, 16878 Arkansas 309, Paris, Ark. 479-963-8502 March 19-27 Spring Break Specials at Crystal Bridges Not heading out on a road trip this spring break? Take your family to the museum to experience “The Open Road” exhibition, which offers a survey of works created by 19 photographers on the move across the nation from the 1950s to today. These Spring Break Specials feature a variety of fun activities each afternoon, including art-making, performance, and more.

Free. 1-4 p.m. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Ark. 479-657-2335 crystalbridges.org

March 20 Frog Watch USA: Frog I.D. Workshop Citizen-scientists around the country listen to frogs and toads through August at a site of their choice and submit their findings to a national database. In this frog identification workshop, students learn to identify and mimic all the frogs and toads in our area, why they are important, why they are in trouble and what can be done to help them. This workshop is free but pre-registration is required. Call to sign up. Take a sack lunch. Free. 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Lake Fort Smith State Park, 15458 Shepherd Springs Road, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-2469 arkansasstateparks.com/lakefortsmith plans for an art show opportunity and a workshop this summer. Membership dues are $25 and should be paid by the first meeting of the year; free membership is offered to high school and college students under 21. Free for members. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Windgate Visual Arts West Building, John Brown University, 2000 West University Street, Siloam Springs, Ark. 877-528-4636 jbu.edu

March 19 GIs on Garrison Fort Smith Museum of History presents: GIs on Garrison, an entertaining and educational evening celebrating the USO and fun times on Garrison Avenue during World War II. Featuring cocktails and fancy fare reminiscent of a USO officer’s dinner and entertainment of the era, guests will be transported to a USO dinner and dance of the 1940s. Tickets may be purchased by phone or online. Enjoy a fun evening and learn the stories of Fort Smith and Garrison Avenue during World War II. All proceeds benefit the Fort Smith Museum of History. $50. 6-10:30 p.m. Blue Lion, 101 North 2nd Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-7841 fortsmithmuseum.org

March 19 Hannah House 2nd Annual Charity Bowling Tournament This bowling tournament is for all ages. Bowlers don't have to be skilled – bowl some gutter balls in good fun to help raise funds. Kids will have a ball. Lane sponsorships are available for $50. $120 for a fourman team; $30 individual. 1-4 p.m. Bowling World, 6100 South 36th Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-5683 hannahhouseark.com

March 20-21 Vernal Equinox Walks Special archaeologist-guided tour of the only prehistoric, Native American, archaeological site open to the public in Oklahoma. Each walk will last about two hours and be about 1 mile of easy walking along paved trails. Archaeologist Dennis Peterson will talk about the site, the mounds and culture that created them and why some of the mounds are aligned with the solstice and equinox sunsets. Fee for the walk is $3 adults, $2 children in addition to the site admission, which is $5 adults, $4 seniors and $3 children. 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 7 p.m. Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center, 18154 1st Street, Spiro, Okla. 918-962-2062

March 21 The Action at Devil's Backbone Mountain Ridge National Historic Site ranger Cody Faber tells the story of the Civil War skirmish near Greenwood and describes how the battle has shaped life in western Arkansas at the monthly meeting of the South Sebastian County Historical Society. All are welcome. Free.

7-9 p.m. Community Room, Farmer's Bank, 71 West Center Street, Greenwood, Ark. 479-996-6357 facebook.com/oldjailmuseum

March 21 Is The Waterfall Running?

Did you know that there is a waterfall on the Ozark Highlands Trail? Join a park interpreter on this 1.5mile hike to see if the waters are flowing. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Meet in the visitor center lobby. Free. 9-10:30 a.m. Lake Fort Smith State Park, 5458 Sheperd Springs Road, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-2469

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March 22 iCook iCook is an interactive cooking class to learn how to cook quality, restaurant-style meals with a healthy twist. The monthly class includes dinner and beverages for participants. An accomplished chef and registered dietitian will be available to answer your food and nutrition questions while you are cooking your own delicious meal. Space is limited and registration is required. Participants can register and pay in person at the Sparks Nutrition Counseling Center located at 818 Lexington Avenue. To register and pay by phone, call Sarah Sawyer at 479-441-4183. $25; $40 per couple. 5:30-7 p.m. 7th-Floor Dining Room. Sparks Medical Center, 1001 Towson Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-441-4183 sparkshealth.com

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March 24 March Support Group Meeting/Therapy for Kids The Pervasive Parenting Center and Developmental Wings are combining efforts to help families in eastern Oklahoma. The Pervasive Parenting Center will offer their monthly parent support group meeting to help the families find resources, talk to other families and provide moral support for coping with disabilities. This meeting is open to everyone including families, professionals, teachers, etc. Developmental Wings will offer their regular music and art therapies to children at the same time. These classes are designed to engage children and encourage creativity. Free. 6 p.m.

Waylon Jones Complex, Ranger Road, Roland, Okla.

918-658-5076 pervasiveparentingcenter.org March 24 Welcome Neighbor Book Club The book “A Thousand Voices” by Lisa Wingate will be reviewed. Any woman is welcome to attend and enjoy the discussion. Free. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Dewey's Cafe, Main Library, 3201 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-459-1603 welcomeneighborftsmith.weebly.com

March 24-27 Triduum Retreat at St. Scholastica Join the monastic community of St. Scholastica to celebrate the Triduum during Holy Week. Enter into worship with the sisters to follow in the footsteps of Jesus to Calvary and share in the joy of His resurrection. Begin this commemoration of the Paschal Mystery with orientation at 2 p.m. on Holy Thursday and conclude with the Feast of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Deadline for registration is March 10. $115; a $50 non-refundable deposit is needed at the time of registration. St. Scholastica Retreat Center, 1205 South Albert Pike, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-1135 stscho.org/retreat-registration

March 25 Stand-Up Paddleboard Demonstration Paddle boards are one of the newest ways to enjoy the lake. It is a mix of canoeing and surfing. You paddle much like you would a canoe with a paddle, but you have to have to learn to balance yourself. If you like paddling and you like to try new things, join a park interpreter at the kayak beach to try your hand at paddle boarding. This program is simply a test drive and each turn will only last long enough to get a feel for the board. The boards are available for rent from the visitor center. Free. 11 a.m. Kayak beach Lake Dardanelle State Park, 100 State Park Drive, Russellville, Ark. 479-967-5516

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March 26 Hunter Education Course The course teaches fundamentals of safe and responsible hunting, is free and open to all ages. Anyone born after 1968 must complete a Hunter Education course and carry a valid Hunter Education Card to legally hunt in Arkansas. Free. 7 a.m.-6 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993 rivervalleynaturecenter.com

March 26 Cloth Diapers and More Class River Valley Bum Fluffers hosts this cloth diaper information class. Free 2-4 p.m. Farmer’s Bank, 227 Fort Street, Barling, Ark. 479-213-7154 March 26 Bear Gap Expedition Explore a seldom visited area of Mount Magazine State Park. Investigate interesting geological, historical and legendary features of this unique place. This area is not in park brochures. Wear hiking boots and carry water. Meet at Brown Springs Picnic Area. 10-11:45 a.m. Free. Mount Magazine State Park, 16878 Arkansas 309, Paris, Ark. 479-963-8502

Maya’s Quilt of Life is now on view at Crystal Bridges.

Distinguished Speaker Series: Artist Faith Ringgold MARCH

Meet artist Faith Ringgold as she speaks about her career of more than 60 years, with particular focus on Maya’s Quilt, inspired by Arkansas native Maya Angelou and on view in the Crystal Bridges’ 1940s to Now Gallery. The work hung in Angelou’s home and was commissioned by Oprah Winfrey for Angelou’s 61st birthday. Explore Ringgold’s fascinating career, beginning in the early 1960s with political imagery and the artist’s first-hand accounts of the Civil Rights Movement in her “American People” series.

Ringgold’s inspiring, often humorous, and always human stories illustrate her life’s work as an artist, activist, author, teacher and parent through the evolution of an amazing body of work, including her well-known story quilts. Ringgold is well-known for her painted story quilts, which unite a tradition of representational painting with the rich history of quilting in the African-American community. The border of “Maya’s Quilt of Life” is made from pieced-together fabric that frames Angelou, who is surrounded by flowers in her signature patterned African dress and head wrap. Handwritten texts appear on both sides of the center panel with excerpts from Angelou’s written works. A book signing with the artist will follow the lecture. Call or go online to register. $10; $8 members. 7-8:30 p.m. Crystal Bridges Museum Great Hall, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Ark. 479-657-2335 crystalbridges.org

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March 26 26th Annual Turpentine Creek Kite Festival Take your kites or buy one at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. The celebration includes vendors, contests and fun activities for parents and children. KaleidoKites' experts will be available to assist children in kite making and flying techniques. Donations to the refuge requested for kite-making assistance. The festival is one of the refuge's most popular events. Admission is free for kite flying; regular admission prices apply to tour refuge wildlife on display. Proceeds finance rescue and ongoing care for more than 135 tigers, lions, cougars and other wildlife that make the sanctuary a life-long home. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, 239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs, Ark. 479-253-6596 turpentinecreek.org March 26 Devil's Den Rocks!

It’s time to celebrate what makes this park special.

Join State Geologist Sandra Chandler and park staff for a fun weekend as you learn about the special features that make Devil’s Den the rockin’ place to be.

Free. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Devil’s Den State Park, 11333 West Arkansas 74, West Fork, Ark. 479-761-3325

March 26, April 2 Women and Murder in the Indian Territory: 1870-1898 In celebration of Women's History Month, the Fort Smith Museum of History will explore women tried for crimes, in a two-part series. Women & Murder in the Indian Territory (1870-1898), presented by volunteer Mark Potter, will detail the stories of 15 women and girls arrested and charged with murder during the era when the jurisdiction of the federal court in Van Buren and Fort Smith stretched into the Indian Territory. Former slaves, a widow in need of money, jealous men, a wife who killed over money, murders in self-defense, a suicide and a poisoning by a 14-yearold – these stories and more are the focus of Women & Murder in the Indian Territory (1870-1898). Women such as Arena Howe, Fanny Echols, Elsie James and Susan Riley, along with young girls like Mollie Speaks, were accused of crimes just as horrible and gruesome as the men who were executed on the gallows of the

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS federal court. These stories are an important part of local history and add to a deeper understanding of what the federal court dealt with during the latter part of the 19th century. $7 adults, $2 children, under age 6 free. 1-2 p.m. Fort Smith Museum of History, 320 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-7841

Drawing of the execution of Crawford Goldsby, alias Cherokee Bill, March 17, 1896.

March 26 Execution Program: Cherokee Bill Fort Smith National Historic Site will be discussing the life, crimes and execution of Crawford Goldsby, aka Cherokee Bill. Park volunteer Roger Carter will present stories about Goldsby, his two murder trials, as well as the workings of the court, the deputies and the famous Judge Parker. Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Fort Smith National Historic Site, 301 Parker Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-3961 nps.gov/fosm

March 27 Spring Fling Lake Tour Lake Fort Smith State Park Experience the beginning of a new season along the Frog Bayou at Lake Fort Smith. Take a jacket as this might be a chilly experience. Reservations are suggested and may be made at the marina at (479) 3691018. This is a weather-dependent event and may be canceled. Adults $10, children 6-12 $6; under 6 free.

2 p.m. Lake Fort Smith State Park, 5458 Sheperd Springs Road, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-2469

March 28 Lake Cruise Lake Dardanelle State Park Explore the wonders of Lake Dardanelle and the Arkansas River aboard the state park tour boat (weather permitting). Enjoy abundant wildlife, amazing history and astounding views of the river valley throughout this one-hour cruise. There is no fee for the tour, but space is limited. Call to register for a seat.

Boarding will begin 15 minutes before the tour at the boat dock near the south boat ramp. Free. 9 a.m. Lake Dardanelle State Park, 100 State Park Drive, Russellville, Ark. 479-967-5516

March 30 Small Business Startup Summit Starting a Business in Arkansas, How to Write a Business Plan and Business Financing Options all help you identify the major steps crucial to starting and financing your endeavor. Seating is limited and registration is required. $75, includes lunch Q&A session; veterans attend free. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Arvest Tower, 5000 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-356-2067 asbtdc.org/training/russellville-events/

March 31 Kaisa Bathuli: Route 66 Explore the significance of Route 66 to America’s heritage with Kaisa Bathuli, program manager for the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, which is dedicated to preserving the special March 2016

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS places and stories of the historic highway. This talk is inspired by the temporary exhibition “The Open Road.” Call or go online to register. Free. 7-8 p.m.

Great Hall, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Ark. 479-657-2335 crystalbridges.org

March 31-April 3 Racquet to Sack It Tennis Tournament Vein Clinics of Arkansas will present this Western Arkansas Tennis Association tournament to benefit the Sack Lunch Program. This team tennis event will be held at the Ben Geren Park Tennis Center and expects to host more than 100 tennis players. Team registration closes March 29. The proceeds from this event will be used to support the Sack Lunch Program relocation project. For sponsorship opportunities contact Rachel, tournament chairman, at 479-459-7195.

8 a.m. Ben Geren Park Tennis Center, 7200 Zero Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-782-5333

Civil War Artillery: The Confederate Years Fort Smith National Historic Site offers this program about Confederate artillery at Fort Smith. Confederate forces held Fort Smith for the first two years of the war and artillery was very important to them, especially since it was in such short supply. Watch the park's reproduction cannon be fired with blank rounds and learn more about the Civil War at Fort Smith. Free. 2-3 p.m.

Fort Smith National Historic Site, 301 Parker Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-3961 nps.gov/fosm

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March 31-April 1 Indian Territory Days Experience a living classroom of Cherokee history and culture from the 1880s at the Cherokee Heritage Center's annual Indian Territory Days. Visitors will enjoy trained historical interpreters at nine different cultural stations leading Cherokee cultural activities. Activities will include storytelling, blowgun shooting, Cherokee marbles, a Cherokee language lesson and more. All activities at Indian Territory Days will be held in the Adams Corner Rural Village, a 19th century recreated Cherokee rural village. Demonstrations in pottery, basket weaving and finger weaving will show children the unique Cherokee lifestyle of this time period. After lessons in Cherokee culture, head inside the Cherokee Heritage Center to experience the museum's Trail of Tears exhibit. Come to Indian Territory Days to experience life in the 19th century. Identical activities are conducted on both days. Call for reservations. Cherokee Heritage Center, 21192 South Keeler Drive, Tahlequah, Okla. 918-456-6007, 888-999-6007 cherokeeheritage.org April 1-3 Ozark Mountain Bike Fest Springtime in the Ozarks means it’s time to hit the bike trails. Join park staff for a fun weekend on the bike trails. There’s fun to be discovered by all ages and levels of riders. Free. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Devil's Den State Park 11333 West Arkansas 74, West Fork, Ark. 479-761-3325 April 1-3 Green Country Arabian Classic This show, recognized by the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the Arabian Horse Association, will put on display the most beautiful and skilled Arabian horses in the region. Admire well-groomed horses as they showcase their skills in a number of activities during this three-day event. Classes in the Green Country Arabian Classic include reined cowhorse, working cowhorse, Arabian sport horse in hand, Arabian hunter hack and Arabian Western pleasure among many others. An on-site concession will be available, and horse-related vendors will be on hand. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tulsa State Fairgrounds, 4145 East 21th Street, Tulsa, Okla. 918-625-6718 April 2 Vike Hike Half Marathon & 5K Grab your running shoes and hit the road in Poteau

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS for a fun and challenging race. Beginning at Carl Albert State College in Poteau, runners can select the more difficult half marathon route or the 5K route. Whatever route you choose, you will be winding through some of the most beautiful scenery in Poteau. Both courses are USATF-certified. The half-marathon route will take runners along the breathtaking Poteau Scenic Bypass where beautiful Oklahoma views will wait at every turn. Runners of the 5K race will see stunning scenery, as well. Every finisher will receive a shirt and medal. $33-$81. Carl Albert State College, 1507 South McKenna, Poteau, Okla. 918-721-3922, 918-647-1200

April 2 Mulberry Edamame Festival The third annual celebration of the bean called edamame (soybeans) includes promotion and education about its uses, health benefits and its positive impact on the local and state agricultural industry. Taste samples, learn recipes and learn more at the festival’s central “Edamame Experience” booth and enjoy kids activities, food vendors, games and activities all day. Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mulberry City Park, 19 U.S. 64 West, Mulberry, Ark. Facebook/Mulberry City Limits

April 2 Super Heroes for Autism 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run Developmental Wings will host the Super Heroes for Autism 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, a great excuse to dress up as your favorite superhero and raise money for programs that assist children affected by autism and developmental disorders. Online registration is available through March 15 and guarantees a T-shirt for each participant. Late registration is available March 16-April 1. Packets may be pick up from 5-7 p.m. April 1 at Creekmore Park. There will be medals for the top male and female finishers and age group awards. There also will be prizes for best costume in individual male and female (adult and children) categories and prizes for the best team costume. $25 adults and teens; $10 for kids before March 16; $30 and $15 after. 7 a.m. registration, 8 a.m. start. Wells Lake at Chaffee Crossing, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 901-359-3232 endurancecui.active.com March 2016

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Honor Heights Park Annual Azalea Festival Since 1968, Muskogee's Honor Heights Park boasts 40 acres of manicured gardens with more than 30,000 azaleas in 625 varieties. The annual Azalea Festival celebrates the blooming of azaleas, tulips, dogwoods and wisteria as these buds begin to unfurl during the warmer temperatures of spring to the delight of visitors. Often considered one of the top spring events in the nation, Muskogee's Azalea Festival attracts visitors from around the world. Make your way to Honor Heights Park to enjoy a drive along paved roadways that wind around the blooming flowers, walkways perfect for runners or birders, five lakes, a variety of picturesque ponds, a butterfly sanctuary and a tree arboretum. Enjoy the blooms at Honor Heights Park and then head into downtown Muskogee for events that take place throughout the city. The annual Azalea Festival parade features everything from floats, antique cars, clowns and pageant queens, to horseback riders and cyclists. In recent years, this much-loved festival has expanded to include an Azalea Ball, chili cook-off, classic car shows, quilt exhibits, arts and craft displays, and plenty of live entertainment. Free. 8 a.m.-dusk. Honor Heights Park, 641 Park Drive, Muskogee, Okla. 918-682-2401

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April 2 Annual Park Day: Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park Looking for a way to give of your time and talents? Be a volunteer. Clean up the battlefield and grounds by helping park staff pick up litter, rake leaves, repair and replace split rail fences, clean historic buildings and maintain our historic vegetable and herb gardens.

Some tools will be provided but please take gloves and tools, if possible. Coffee, water and snacks provided. Volunteers receive a Park Day T-shirt and will have the opportunity to hear a local historian discuss the significance of this site. Scouts, church groups, reenactors, families and individuals are invited.

Groups are asked to call in advance so the park can be prepared. Free. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, 506 East Douglas,Prairie Grove, Ark. 479-846-2990 civilwar.org/aboutus/events/park-day/ April 6 Spin-A-Round Meeting Local members of Wool and Wheel Handspinners demonstrate the traditional art of spinning thread, and discuss the basics of making cloth. Knowing more about hand-woven cloth and hand-sewn clothing can enhance your appreciation of the lives people lived on and around this battlefield in the 19th century. Everyone is welcome. Coffee is furnished, bring snacks if you please. Free. 10 a.m.-noon. Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, 506 East Douglas,Prairie Grove, Ark. 479-846-2990

April 8 An Evening with the Snakes of Arkansas Through a live snake show, local reptile enthusiasts Jeremy Sloan and Brad Birchfield will explain how to identify Arkansas’ most common snakes, venomous vs. nonvenomous, and how to avoid them. Free 6:308 p.m. River Valley Nature Center, 8300 Wells Lake Road, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-452-3993

April 8-9 Good Food Festival and Home & Garden Show Good food and great home ideas come together to create a fun-filled day. You'll find vendors showcasing all kinds of home and garden products. Experts will be on hand to help you plan everything from kitchen remodels to landscape overhauls. This spring event is perfectly timed to help kick off your yard projects, spring cleaning and fresh decor updated. Between your shopping and browsing, enjoy delicious food at this outdoor festival. Food trucks will bring you the best regional flavors for sampling. Norris Park, 300 North Muskogee Avenue, Tahlequah, Okla.

918-431-1655, 918-456-3742 April 9 Grow Great Tomatoes The class will cover the basics of growing tomatoes, companion plants for tomatoes and tomato seed saving. Class fee includes four heirloom tomato plants.

Immediately after the tomato class, Bob Lindow will demonstrate how to make a tomato cage. Cages also will be available for purchase. Class size limited to 20.

Call for reservations. $15. 9-10:30 a.m. Learning Fields at Chaffee Crossing, 700 Gardener Lane, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-462-4113 April 9 Coyote Challenge Trail Run Channel your inner coyote as you choose a distance – 5K, 10K or 16K – and run through the Boston

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS Mountains, the most challenging and rugged terrain in all of the Ozarks. All pre-registration is online at GetMeRegistered.com. Runners will be able to register at the park on the day of the race. $5 for all distances, $6 on run day. 9 a.m.-noon. Lake Fort Smith State Park, 15458 Shepherd Springs Road, Mountainburg, Ark. 479-369-2469 arkansasstateparks.com/lakefortsmith

April 9 Reunion of the Lambda Chapter of Delta Beta Sigma Sorority All members of the Fort Smith high school chapters of DBS are invited to a reunion, historical exhibit and fashion show presented by current members of the sorority. The active DBS class will highlight its 2015 service accomplishments with a presentation of $22,000 raised for the Wounded Warriors Project. The event will culminate with a fashion show at 2:30 which will be open to the general public. 1 p.m. Fort Smith Museum of History, 320 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-783-7841 April 9 Fluff for Families: 5K, Fun Run and Baby Walk Benefits the River Valley Bum Fluffers cloth diaper donation program for families in need. The Fun Run will begin at 10 a.m. with prizes being awarded in the age categories birth-5, 5-10 and 10-17. The 5K will grant awards for first, second and third place. The Baby Walk, a one-mile event for the babywearing community, will be the final event. Register online at eventbrite.com. 10 a.m. Chaffee Crossing, 7213 Terry Street, Fort Smith, Ark. 479-213-7154 Facebook.com/groups/Bumfluffers

April 9 Zonta Club of Fort Smith Annual Geranium Sale Beautiful geraniums in red, dark pink, white, and salmon will be available. While the plants bring beauty to your location, the proceeds support local and international projects that advance the status of women.

Local support includes the Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Esther House, Girls Shelter, Girls Inc., The Crisis Intervention Center, First Impressions Workshop and a career fair for local junior high girls. The Zonta Club of Fort Smith also awards five educational scholarships to area women from the proceeds of the flower sale. Throughout the world, Zonta works toward justice and universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Pre-sales of flats of geraniums and giant marigolds, which end April 4, guarantee color choices. Flats, $27 for 18 plants, must be picked up 8 a.m.-noon the day of the sale. $1.50 each day of the sale. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sagely and Edwards Realtors parking lot, 3101 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Ark. March 2016

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s a protector and defender of our Constitution, the U.S. Marshals Service works diligently to preserve the rule of law across the country through our federal court system. In this role, they have been involved in some of the most high-profile cases in our country's history. The 2016 lecture series, WANTED, will explore several exciting, high-profile cases the U.S. Marshals Service has been involved in since the 1960s.

The lectures will be at 6:30 p.m. first Monday of each month and take place in the North Rotunda of the Fort Smith Convention Center, Rogers Avenue and South 9th Street. Cost for the four-lecture series is $25, or $10 per lecture. Series price will be available through April lecture.

Age-progression renderings escapees.

Lecture 1/March 7 Escape from Alcatraz Presented by: Deputy U.S. Marshal Arthur Roderick, retired

Lecture 2/April 4 Christopher Boyce and the Sleepover Bandits Presented by: Deputy U.S. Marshal Dennis Behrend, retired During his 27 years with the U.S. Marshals Service, now-retired Deputy Marshal Dennis Behrend was part of many high-profile investigations.

Hear about his part in the take-down of convicted spy and prison escapee Christopher Boyce, aka “The Falcon,” and bank robbers Joseph Dougherty and Terry Lee Connors, whose story was the basis for the 2001 movie “Bandits,” starring Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton and the 1985 film “The Falcon and the Snowman” starring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn.

Lecture 3/May 7 Oklahoma City Bombing: The Aftermath Presented by: Deputy U.S. Marshal Jamy Murphy, retired

Clarence Anglin at 28 and 84

John Anglin at 28 and 84

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In its 29 years of operation, 36 inmates attempted to escape from the federal prison on the island of Alcatraz. Only three were not captured, and their case is still considered open by the U.S. Marshals Service. Many believe they drowned in the attempt, but new evidence has come to light suggesting there may be more to the story.

Retired Deputy U.S. Marshal Arthur Roderick, featured on the History Channel documentary “Alcatraz: Search For Truth,” will discuss his involvement in the case and the ongoing investigation.

On April 19, 1995, the state of Oklahoma, and our country, were forever changed in what is considered the most significant act of domestic terrorism in our nation's history- the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Retired Deputy Jamy Murphy will discuss his role in the investigations following the bombing.

Lecture Four/June 6 Untitled Former USMS Director Stacia Hylton Former U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton, who retired in 2015, will return to Fort Smith, which she refers to as “sacred ground for the Marshals,” to wrap up the series with her experiences as a career marshal, including important cases she was involved in throughout her time with the USMS.

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YOUR CHOICE WANTED

2016 GRIT Award Call for Nominations Restaurant Partner Nominees show community involvement, positively promote Fort Smith, demonstrate pride in Fort Smith heritage, and deliver quality service to visitors, tourists and convention groups.

Lodging Partner Hotel, motel or bed and breakfast that is located in Fort Smith. Nominees positively promote and proactively draw people to Fort Smith through custom sales and outreach, show community involvement, demonstrate pride in Fort Smith heritage, and deliver quality service to visitors and convention groups.

The staff at the Fort Smith Convention & Visitors Bureau is rolling out the annual awards ceremony to recognize the brightest stars of Fort Smith's growing tourism industry. On April 21, the Fort Smith CVB will host the event at Fort Smith Convention Center, Hall C, where businesses, organizations and individuals who have been nominated for this year's “Giving Recognition In Tourism (GRIT) Awards” will gather to celebrate their accomplishments.

Before we can announce any winners, though, we need your help selecting nominees to become finalists. You are the people in our community who see the individuals, attractions, restaurants and lodging establishments that are going above and beyond to promote Fort Smith as a destination.

Scan this QR code

to use a new online nomination form.

(You may need to download the QR Reader app for your phone or tablet.)

Attraction Partner Must be located in or near Fort Smith; includes Eastern Oklahoma.

Nominees hold events to promote themselves and Fort Smith, demonstrate pride in Fort Smith heritage and continuously improve and refresh their facilities, programs or exhibits to create an exciting experience for visitors.

Business Partner of the Year Must be a business or corporation located in Fort Smith. Nominees should show vision and leadership within the community in regard to the future of Fort Smith tourism, demonstrate pride in Fort Smith's heritage, seek to engage and support the Fort Smith tourism community through positive promotion and representation of Fort Smith, and deliver/support quality service to visitors, tourists and convention groups.

Polly Crews Hospitality Person of the Year These nominees are known to go above and beyond the call of duty to promote Fort Smith and seek opportunities to engage and support the Fort Smith tourism community. Most importantly, these nominees demonstrate leadership and vision within the community in regards to the future of Fort Smith tourism.

The Not-So-Fine Print: How to Nominate Someone for a Fort Smith GRIT Award:

Or type in this url: bit.ly/FSGRIT

to access the online nomination form from your desktop or laptop computer.

• Nominations are due by March 20, 2016. Nominations can be submitted online, by e-mailing info@fortsmith.org, sending a fax to 479-784-2421 and by mail or hand at Miss Laura's Visitor Center on 2 North B Street. Nominations are not accepted verbally or by phone.

• To nominate finalists, simply write the GRIT Awards Selection Committee a description of why you believe this person or organization has earned recognition for their work supporting Fort Smith tourism. Supporting documentation/evidence of the nominee's work in tourism may be submitted, but is not required.

• Qualifying work must have taken place during the period from March 21, 2015, to March 20, 2016. Finalists will be announced in early April.

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DINING GUIDE PAIZI’S GYROS Fresh vegetables, freshly baked pita bread, seasoned meats sizzling on the grill – Paizi’s Gyros, a long-time favorite food truck, has gone indoors with a wide menu including kabobs, salads and other brightly flavored Mediterranean dishes. 4900 Rogers Ave.

SAKÉ SUSHI BAR

GEORGE’S

“Favorite” Sushi. Saké Sushi & Martini has unmatched creativity in sushi and seafood. The chefs also turn out stunning premium steaks and filets. The martini menu is amazing in its variety. Full bar.

823 Garrison Avenue.

Why do George’s burgers come on two stacked plates? Because you’re going to have to park those golden, hand-cut fries to find the all-time Readers’ Favorite burger under them! Which burger? All of them.

Save room for pie. 2120 Grand Avenue.

PAPA’S PUB & PIZZARIA This loaded pizza style, voted over and over as Fort Smith’s “Favorite,” is the signature of Papa’s Pub & Pizzaria, 508 Garrison Ave. It’s a gathering place to watch all the big games and has a patio for relaxing with a party of friends. Dine in or take out.

WEINKELLER RESTAURANT

JUAN’S

A pleasant drive east to Exit 41 on I-540 leads to Wiederkehr Village, home of a 135-year-old winery and the famous Wiederkehr Weinkeller Restaurant with Swiss, French and German cuisine. Wine tastings and vineyard tours are free!

Juan’s Mexican Restaurant is a Fort Smith classic at 3121 Towson Avenue known for its signature, tasty cheese dip and delicious combo platters. Fast service and lunch specials make it a business lunch favorite.

Fresh chili rellenos are a house specialty.

RIVER CITY BISTRO

Chosen by our readers as Favorite Restaurant Overall and Favorite Catering and Favorite Gourmet Deli, Chef Jason Haid and coowner Susan Tucker will captivate the palate of any new diner with a menu of fresh, exciting selections. 7320 Rogers, Ste. 7

LA HUERTA It’s getting to be patio weather at La Huerta Mexican Restaurant’s downtown location. But at any location, the fajitas will arrive sizzling hot and the margaritas will be icy cold. Dine at 400 Garrison Avenue, 5511 Towson Avenue and 3501 Old Greenwood Road.

WHOLE HOG CAFE Whole Hog can serve a family or crowd with pulled pork, ribs, brisket, sausage or chicken “Buddy Paks,” a full meal to go.

Or order their meats in custom weights and combinations. 4501 Burrough Road, Fort Smith. wholehogfortsmith.com

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DINING GUIDE

NICKEL & DIME DINER Dine in a railroad car near a Ferris wheel, carousel, a couple of giraffes, an elephant and a cowboy-hatted cow, only in Fort Smith! Classic breakfast plates, burgers and fries.

15 North 2nd Street.

March 2016

Entertainment Fort Smith

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DINING GUIDE

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Entertainment Fort Smith

March 2016

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