Mark your calendar

— Wednesday, Sept. 30 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bella Vista residents can bid farewell to Police Chief James Wozniak, who is retiring after working nearly 40 years in law enforcement.A reception will be held in the training room between the Police and Fire departments at Town Center. Cake will be served.

Friday, Oct. 2 4 p.m. AARP Bella Vista Chapter 109 will meet at the Presbyterian Church of BellaVista, 1880 Forest Hills Blvd. The program will feature a representative of the state AARP office who will discuss some of the issues related to health-care reform.

7:30 p.m. The Honey Creek Opry comes to the Shiloh Retreat Center in Sulphur Springs, at the corner of Griffin Avenue and Moffit Street, the first Friday of each month. Special guest will be Amanda O'Bryant. For information, send an e-mail to honey [email protected].

Saturday, Oct. 3 8:30 a.m. St. Theodore's Episcopal Church will have its annual pet blessing on St. Francis Day. The public is welcome to bring their pets to the upper parking lot at the church, 1001 Kingsland Road in Bella Vista. In addition, money and pet food will be collected for the Bella Vista Animal Shelter.

8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The First United Methodist Church of Bella Vista will present its 32nd annual Holiday Bazaar at the church, 20 Boyce Drive. Rolls and coffee will be served at 8:30 a.m., and lunch will be available starting at 10:30 a.m. The bazaar will offer Thanksgiving and Christmas items, plants and accessories, homemade clothing and much more.There will be a silent auction as well. Proceeds from the event will benefit local charities.

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Bella Vista Animal Shelter will sponsor its third annual Oscar Mayer "Wiener Takes All" dachshund races at the Glasgow Road softball field at Loch Lomond Park. Preregistered racers will start checking in at 9 a.m. Other festivities will begin at 10 a.m., and the races will start at 11 a.m. The public is invited to bring their "all breeds" dogs and lawn chairs and spend the day at this free event.

Lunches will be available for purchase.

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Bella Vista Garden Club will host its fall plant sale at the Village Wastewater plant on U.S. Highway 71 in Bella Vista. The Ozark Hills Daylily Club and Village Wastewater Co. will also have plants to sell. Call Geri Hoerner at 855-0203.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Concordia Nursing Home and Rehabilitation, 7 Professional Drive, will sponsor a classic car show. There will be food vendors and live music as well.There is no fee to enter a car. Vehicles will be judged and trophies awarded tothe winners.Call Michelle Brock at 855-3735.

Sunday, Oct. 4 2 p.m. The Hunt Family Fiddlers will be in concert at the Arend Arts Center in Bentonville as a part of the Live on Stage in NWA season. This family of nine will perform Celtic, bluegrass, inspirational and popular tunes.A pre-concert performance titled Students on Stage will showcase Andrea Samuel, a piano student at the University of Arkansas.

Tickets are $25 each for adults, $5 for students and $20 for groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling 855-9997 or online at www.liveonstagenwa.com.

3 p.m. The Bella Vista Community Concert Band will perform its final concert of the 2009 season in Becker Hall at the First United Methodist Church of Bella Vista, 20 Boyce Drive.The concert is free, but donations to support the band's summer series at Blowing Springs Parks will be accepted. Call George Alter at 855-7954 for details.

Tuesday, Oct. 6 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Candidate Bernie Skoch, a retired Air Force brigadier general, will lead a town-hall-style meeting at Bella Vista's Riordan Hall. Skoch is seeking the Republican nomination for the northwest Arkansas seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. He will outline his 12-point "Platform Promise" and his six-point "2010 Listening Plan." He will also detail his plan for combating illegal immigration, as well as his approach to health-care legislation.

Thursday, Oct. 8 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Bella Vista-Bentonville chapter of Altrusa International will serve up its annual spaghetti dinner at the First United Methodist Church of Bentonville, 201 N.W. Second St.

This is the club's main fundraiser for the year. Dinner will be available at the church from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Carry-out meals can be picked up between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets priced at $6 per person and $3.50 for children 5 and younger can be purchased from any chapter member or by calling Suzanne Miller at (479) 657-6310.

Friday, Oct. 9 10 a.m. Award-winning potter Jim Young will demonstrate some of his techniques from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Wishing Spring Art and Craft Gallery, located next to Walgreens in Bella Vista.The event is free.

7:30 p.m. The Village Players' production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" will be staged in White Auditorium at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.

Additional performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. Genera ladmission is $10 per person.

Students pay $7 each. Tickets may be purchased at www.bvvillageplayers.org.

Saturday, Oct. 10 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Care and Share in Gravette will celebrate its 25th anniversary with free food, drawings, balloons and other surprises for children. All of the founding board members, past and present board members, volunteers and customers are invited.

6 p.m. The USS Snook Base of U.S. Submarine Veterans in northwest Arkansas will host the formal decommissioning ceremony of the Diamond Chapter of Arkansas' World War II submarine veterans at the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center in Bentonville.

Friends and family of these World War II submariners are invited. For more information and a registration package, call Terry Fallatt at 986-9180 or Sharleen Rathmell at 644-4440.

Friday, Oct. 16 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. United Methodist Men of the First United Methodist Church of Bella Vista will have their semiannual pancake breakfast at the church, 20 Boyce Drive. Pancakes, ham or sausage, apple sauce and milk or coffee will be served for $5 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the door or by calling 855-1158. Proceeds from the event will be distributed to local charities.

Saturday, Oct. 24 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bella Vista American Legion Post 341 will host a ranch-style steak dinner at the post, 1889 Bella Vista Way, at the intersection of U.S.

Highway 71 and Kingsland Road.

The dinner will include steak, all the trimmings and coffee or tea for $10.Tickets are available from any Legion member. All proceeds will go to the post's building fund.

Call Doug at 899-3267.

Sunday, Oct. 25 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.The third annual Halloween Spooktacular will be presented at the Bella Vista Library, 11 Dickens Place.

The celebration will include games, drawings, crafts and storytelling. Costumes are encouraged but not required. The event is for children of all ages and is open to the public. Candy, light snacks and refreshments will be served.

Additional parking will be available in the Bella Vista Baptist Church's parking lot, located adjacent to the library. For more information, call 855-5073.

Saturday, Nov. 21 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Residents can kick off the 2009 holiday season by purchasing crafts and gifts at Bella Vista's Christmas Bazaar in Riordan Hall's auditorium. For more information, call Riordan Hall Manager Mindi Wilkins at 855-8170.

Community, Pages 20 on 09/30/2009

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