Club news: WCHS honors two 'distinguished citizens'

WCHS

The Washington County Historical Society will hold its annual general meeting at 1 p.m. Oct. 4 via Zoom and will announce this year's recipients of its Distinguished Citizen Awards. The annual meeting is usually held as a luncheon, but this year it will be presented remotely because of the pandemic.

This year's Distinguished Citizen Award winners are Margaret Clark of Fayetteville and Susan Parks-Spencer of Prairie Grove.

Clark began her teaching career at the University of Arkansas in 1969 after earning a master's degree in 1968. She earned her doctor of education degree in 1978. She became an associate professor of secondary education in 1994. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Alumni Association and the Washington County Historical Society since 2003 and was a member of the Arkansas Division of the American Association of University Women. She also served as the first president of the Phi Alpha Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Among other honors, she has received the Silas Hunt Legacy Award, the Outstanding Faculty Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award. She retired in 1998, taking emerita status but remaining active in community affairs. A residence hall is named after her on the UA campus. Since joining the Washington County Historical Society's Board of Directors in 2003 -- she is the longest current serving board member -- Clark has developed the Diverse Settlers Committee. Clark was one of the four living persons to be named as a 2020 Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame inductee.

Parks-Spencer has made exceptional contributions to the life of Washington County and its communities including serving on the Washington County Historical Society Board from 1995 to 1997 and again from 2007 to 2018. She was first vice president for membership from 2010 to 2013 and served as the chairman of the Community History and Heritage Committee -- (also called Out in the County Committee -- as well as chairman of the lecture series and a member of several other committees over the years. Her grandmother, Myrtle McCormick Parks, was a WCHS Distinguished Citizen in 1968. She has written several articles for the WCHS Flashback quarterly journal. Her book, "At War and on the Home Front," was recently released. The 406-page book chronicles the wartime experience of a close-knit family and their community through the eyes of her grandmother, Myrtle McCormick Parks.

Information: (479) 521-4681 or email [email protected].

Rotary

The Rotary Club of Fayetteville will meet at noon Sept. 24 via Zoom. The program will be Katherine Shoulders speaking on the Arkansas Incarcerated Women's Project.

Email the club for a link to the meeting.

Information: Email [email protected].

Barbershop

Perfect Harmony Women's Barbershop Chorus will meet from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Sept. 21 in the Fellowship Hall of the Highland Christian Church, 1500 Forest Hills Blvd. in Bella Vista. The group will meet each Monday going forward.

Social distancing and masks are required. No previous experience or tryouts are required to join.

Information: (479) 876-7204 or perfectharmonybv.com.

Gardeners

The Bella Vista Garden Club will hold its first meeting of the 2020-21 fiscal year at 10 a.m. Sept. 23 at the Kingsdale Pavilion, located in the Kingsdale Park at 69 Riordan Road in Bella Vista. (The pavilion is next to the swimming pool.) Members and guests may gather at 9:30 a.m.

Guest speakers include Trey Baucum, owner of Fat Top Farm, who will speak about growing mushrooms, and Master Gardener Tony LiCausi will discuss foliar feeding. Club members will honor the Circle of Roses recipients, a Penny Pines recipient, and all recent Garden Clubs of America award winners. Yearbooks will be available for pickup after the meeting for all club members. Guests are always welcome to attend and may join the club at any time throughout the year.

The Bella Vista Garden Club was organized in 1972 and is dedicated to maintaining and improving the beauty of Bella Vista. The club supports numerous beautification projects around the city, tends to the gardens at the Veterans Wall of Honor and the Bella Vista Cemetery, holds annual plant sales and card parties, and awards scholarships to students studying horticulture at Northwest Arkansas colleges and universities. All are invited to come.

Due to covid-19 concerns, tables will be arranged to support safe social distancing. Masks are required at all times.

Information: bellavistagardenclub.com.

Moose Riders

The Moose Riders of Mountain Home Moose Lodge No. 1953 will host their annual "Blessing of the Bikes" beginning at 9 a.m. Sept. 26 at the lodge, located on Arkansas 5, approximately 2 miles south of the bypass. The area event, now in its sixth year, normally coincides with a similar event held at Mooseheart, the organization's "child city" located near Aurora, Ill., 40 miles west of Chicago.

The poker run will begin at 9 a.m. A fundraising lunch will be available at 11 a.m., and horseshoe and pool tournaments will begin at 3 p.m.

All proceeds from this fundraising event will go to help children in need. This family-friendly event is open to the public with all encouraged to attend.

Information: (870) 491-5696.

Nurses

The Retired Nurses of Northwest Arkansas meeting scheduled for Sept. 29 has been canceled due to continued concerns regarding covid-19.

Information: (630) 659-6925 or (479) 715-6352.

Christian Women

The Bella Vista Christian Women's Connection will meet at 9 a.m. Oct. 14 at the New Life Christian Church, 103 Riordan Road in Bella Vista.

Attendance is limited to the first 50 people, and reservations are required. Seating will be placed for social distancing, and box lunches will be available for $10. Bring your own beverage.

The speaker will be Donna Hutchinson, and the feature will be a wildlife video. The program is sponsored by Stonecroft Ministries.

Information: (479) 876-5422 or [email protected].

Radio Club

The Bella Vista Area Radio Club is conducting virtual meetings on the first Thursday of each month via YouTube Live. In-person monthly license testing has resumed on the second Saturday of the month.

All amateur radio enthusiasts and prospective hams are invited.

Information: www.BellaVistaRadioClub.org or Ron Evans at (479) 270-5584.

Computers

Through the covid-19 pandemic, the Bella Vista Computer Club meets over the internet using Zoom. Visitors and guests are welcome; obtain the Zoom meeting connection information in advance of meetings from either the membership chairman at [email protected] or from a friend whom you know to be a BVCC member.

The yearly BVCC membership is $25 for the first member in a household and $10 for each additional member in the same household. Join or renew membership online on the BVCC website at https://bvcomputerclub.org. The benefits of club membership include remote help for members with their computerized devices and free classes on a variety of computer topics.

Scheduled online classes may be found on the website. Advance signup is required to attend classes. The website also contains the most current issue of the "Bits & Bytes" newsletter, minutes of the previous month's general meeting, membership forms, detailed directions to meeting rooms and updates to scheduled classes.

Information: bvcomputerclub.org.

Send club news to [email protected].