To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, several Northwest Arkansas museums and historical organizations are sponsoring a podcast contest for K-12 students in Benton , Boone, Carroll, Madison , Newton , and Washington counties. The contest is sanctioned by the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.

For the contest, students will create a short, non-fiction, audio podcast about the Civil War in the Arkansas Ozarks. Podcasts must be audio-only, no video or still images. Both individuals and groups may enter. Divisions are Elementary School—Grades K-5; Middle School—Grades 6-8; and High School—Grades 9-12. Cash prizes of $100 for first place and $50 for second place will be awarded in each category.

Contest entries may be submitted between October 15, 2011, and February 3, 2012. Winners will be announced during the Battle of Pea Ridge Sesquicentennial event at Pea Ridge National Military Park on Saturday, March 10, 2012. Cash prizes will be awarded, and winning podcasts will be posted on the Sesquicentennial Commission’s website.

Contest rules are available at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History website,http://www.shilohmuseum.org/education/podcast-contest.php, or by calling the museum at 479-750-8165 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-750-8165      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

The podcast contest is sponsored by Benton County Historical Society, Fayetteville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Northwest Arkansas Civil War Roundtable, Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society, Pea Ridge National Military Park Foundation, Rogers Historical Museum, Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, Washington County Arkansas Genealogical Society, and the Washington County Historical Society.

The Trike Theatre presents The Dramatic Book Club!  These 30-minute workshops engage preschoolers as they play in a particular story, try out new characters, find solutions to problems, explore environments, predict outcomes, build vocabulary and forge connections. Stories are told and retold through acting, movement, puppetry, prop play, visual art and music.  One book or story will be selected for each month. All of the activities are designed so that parents can continue the play activities at home.  Workshops start at 10:30am are held on Sept. 26, Oct. 12, Oct. 24, Nov. 9, Nov. 28, Dec. 13, Dec. 19. 

The Dramatic Book Club is free and open to the public.  No registration required.

WHAT: Dramatic Book Club with Trike Theatre at the Fayetteville Public Library

WHEN: Sept. 26, Oct. 12, Oct. 24, Nov. 9, Nov. 28, Dec. 13, Dec. 19 2011 at 10:30am

WHERE: Fayetteville Public Library, Walker Community Room, 401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville

To schedule an interview about this event, call Lolly Greenwood at 479-856-7120 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-856-7120      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

“Dress the Best” at the Malco Rogers town cinema theater as they celebrate the release of the new Universal Pictures film Cowboys and Aliens!

The daylong event is scheduled for Saturday, July 30, 2011 from 12:30pm until 10:30pm in the theatre lobby, with a costume contest for the best-dressed cowboy or alien held at 6:45pm. Prizes and giveaways will be awarded compliments of Dixie café and Vintage Stock.

Of course here at Malco we love to give back to the community, so the Malco Rogers Town Cinema will be hosting a fundraiser for the Arkansas Children Shelter. Guests are encouraged to bring spare change, or gold nuggets if they so desire, to help the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter in aiding children in need.

Cowboys and Aliens opens Friday, July 29, 2011 and advance tickets will be on sale at the box office or online at www.malco.com.

For additional information about this Rogers Town Cinema event, please contact Jeremy Nix, assistant theatre manager, at             (479) 613-5865     

The Fayetteville Public Library spotlights their online resources in August with Fayetteville Public Library Plus. Abbreviated as FPL+, this online version of the Fayetteville Public Library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Library members are able to download books, music and videos; learn a new language; get help with job searches from live job coaches; receive homework help from trained tutors; find business and investment information; practice for standardized tests, including civil service and academic tests; and use many authoritative and quality research resources.

“Fayetteville Public Library Plus puts the power of the library to inspire imagination and foster learning on people’s desktops and smartphones,” said Shawna Thorup, Executive Director. “An Internet connection and a library card gives 24/7 give access to authoritative information and entertainment resources.”

Free overviews highlighting FPL+ offereings will be held at 3 pm in the Library’s Ann Henry Board room on most Tuesdays and Wednesday in August & September.

Aug.  2: Library2Go & Naxos Music Library. Download ebooks, audiobooks and films and stream music 24/7

Aug. 10: BrainFuse. Trained tutors for K-12 students and real job coaches for adults.

Aug. 16: LearningExpressLibrary. Interactive learning platform of practice tests and tutorial course series.

Aug. 17: Universal Class. Over 500 self-paced enrichment and skill courses taught by trained instructors with Continuing Education Units available.

Aug. 23: BrainFuse. Trained tutors for K-12 students and real job coaches for adults.

Aug. 24: Mango Language & Little Pim. Interactive language-learning programs.

Aug. 30: Biography In Context. 600,000+ biographies covering more than 525,000 individuals for students and general interest.

Aug. 31: Morningstar Investment Research Center. Accurate, up-to-date data on 35,000 stocks and funds, along with industry and market data.

Sept. 6: Gale Virtual Reference Library. Full-text encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary /research.

Sept. 7: Factiva. Research the latest business and industry news, track global markets, or gather detailed company reports.

Sept. 13. Library2Go & Naxos Music Library. Download ebooks, audiobooks and films and stream music.

Sept. 14. Mango Language & Little Pim. Interactive language-learning programs.

Sept. 20. Mergent InvestorEdge. Research companies and access to important company documents and financial information.

Sept. 21. Universal Class. Over 500 self-paced enrichment and skill courses taught by trained instructors with Continuing Education Units available.

Sept. 27. Literature Resource Center. Research literary topics, authors, and their works.

Sept. 28: Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Information and opinions on hundreds of today’s hottest social issues with pros and cons explored.

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 856.7250.

WHAT: Go Digital with Fayetteville Public Library Plus orientation sessions

WHEN: multiple days in August and September 2011 at 3 pm.

WHERE: Fayetteville Public Library, Ann Henry Board Room, 401 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville

To schedule an interview about this event, call Shawna Thorup at  479-856-7100 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-856-7100      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

 Fayetteville Public Library. We inspire imagination and foster learning.

The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History has been chosen as one of the “Top 10 Things to See and Do in the Natural State ,” in a public poll conducted by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

In May, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism announced the list of 175 Top Places to Visit, as determined by activity and searches on Arkansas.com, and encouraged residents to visit www.arkansas.com/175 to vote for their favorite destinations in the state. More than 50,000 votes were cast during four weeks of voting. The Top 10 vote getters, in alphabetical order, are:

•         Arkansas Arts Center , Little Rock

•         Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs

•         Eureka Springs Downtown Historic District

•         Garvan Woodland Gardens , Hot Springs

•         MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Little Rock

•         Ozark Folk Center State Park , Mountain View

•         Ozark Medieval Fortress, Lead Hill

•         Petit Jean State Park , Morrilton

•         Shiloh Museum of Ozark History , Springdale

•         Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, Eureka Springs

“When voting closed on June 8, the Shiloh Museum was ranked Number 1,” noted museum director Allyn Lord.  “We’re grateful to the folks who voted for us, and we’re proud to represent Springdale as a Top 10 vacation destination in Arkansas .”

Located at the corner of Johnson and Main in downtown Springdale , the Shiloh Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.  For more information, call 750-8165.

Susan Young

Outreach Coordinator

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

118 W. Johnson Avenue

Springdale, AR  72764

479-750-8165 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            479-750-8165      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

www.springdalear.gov/shiloh

“

Take Off for Kids is a high-flying fund-raiser for the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter – no pun intended.
The aviation-based “poker run” will involve 30 pilots, testing their skills in a day of competitive fun that will include visits to five airports in two states.

On June 11, 2011, aviators will start with an 8 a.m. breakfast at the Rogers (AR) Municipal Airport and be in the air by 9:30 a.m., making stops in Monett, MO; Harrison, AR; Russellville, AR; and finally Springdale, AR, where they will be treated to lunch.

At each stop, pilots will receive five playing-cards sealed in envelopes (one from each airport). They won’t know what cards they have until after lunch, when the Best Hand Contest will be played. The pilot with the best hand overall will win the contest and be awarded bragging rights and a nice gift, rumored to be an iPad.

Other competitions and activities include:

• Precision Flight Planning Contest – Before beginning the journey, pilots will submit their estimated flight times (to the nearest minute) for the entire trip. The aviator who comes the closest to their total estimated flight time will win the contest.
• Spot Landing Contest – The pilot who touches down in Harrison closest to the spot marked on the runway will win.
• Plane Wash – Participants will be treated to a free plane wash before departure from Springdale to head home.
• Passenger participation – Passengers are welcome to register for the event. Passengers are not required to register, but each registered passenger is entitled to one hand in the Best Hand Contest and will be treated to breakfast and lunch with their pilot and receive a personalized cap, as thanks for participating.

The deadline for all registrations was May 27, 2011.  The registration fee is $100 per registered participant (pilots and passengers), and 100% of the registration proceeds will be given to the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter.

For more information, visit http://www.take-off-for-kids.com/airports/.

The 7th annual Red, White & Baby Blue fundraiser benefiting the Jackson L. Graves Foundation and presented by Everett Maxey Buick GMC will be held on Friday, June 24 from 7-10 pm at the Garden Room in Fayetteville.

The event will feature both a silent auction and lucky number auction as well as live music by local favorites, Jones ‘n Leah. Heavy hors d’eouvres and beverages will be served.

New this year is a raffle for a 7 night stay in Vegas* with a $300 Visa gift card to use towards airfare! Raffle tickets are $10 each or 3 for $20 and will go on sale soon - so keep an eye out for the announcement. The proceeds from the raffle will be used towards the purchase of recliners for the neonatal intensive care unit at Washington Regional Hospital. The recliners are used to encourage skin to skin contact between infants and parents, which has been proven to positively affect the health of newborns.

Tickets are $30 per person. Dress is Casual Chic.

We hope you can join us for this fun, casual, affordable event! Tickets may be purchased on our website at www.jacksongraves.org or by calling 479-466-6103. They may also be purchased at the door.

*Travel must be completed by 6/30/2012. Subject to availability.