L'audible Art May 20th

L'Audible Art at the Ouachita Activities Building, Ponce de Leon Center, 2 to 4 p.m., Monday, May 20. L’Audible Art presented by the Village Writers Club.

Listen to Village authors read original works. No reservation required. Free to the public. Complimentary Wine and Cheese. MC Diane Upchurch of KVRE radio, me.

For more information, go to www.villagewritersclub.com

Letter carriers' food drive

The U.S. Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will deliver for America in conducting the nation’s largest single-day food drive on Saturday, May 11.

“Together, we are continuing to make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans in need,” said District Manager, Kim Quayle. “The Postal Service is proud to play a major role with our carriers, corporate partners and local community organizations to help stamp out hunger.”

The Stamp Out Hunger food drive is a nationwide effort that provides food to local food banks and pantries that rely heavily on donations. With more than 50 million Americans living at risk of hunger, food banks across the country continue to experience record demand for emergency food assistance.

Local letter carriers will collect food donations left at the mailboxes of generous Americans in more than 10,000 communities and deliver them to food banks and other hunger relief organizations, such as pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.

Now in its 21st year, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, having collected more than one billion pounds of food since its inception in 1993. In 2012, generous Americans donated more than 70 million pounds of food, which marked the ninth consecutive year that at least 70 million pounds were collected.

Despite the generosity of millions of Americans who have supported the letter carriers' food drive in previous years, the need for food assistance still exists for millions of families. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, more than 50 million Americans, including nearly 17 million children, are food insecure, meaning they live at risk of hunger.

Make a splash at Lake Ouachita State Park

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is holding its annual Make a Splash with Project WET Festival at Lake Ouachita State Park, Mountain Pine from 9:45 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Thursday,

May 9. The event will encourage environmental awareness and promote water education through several interactive presentations. Some 250 4th to 6th grade students have signed up for the free event this year. Registration is closed.

Presenters from ADEQ, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Arkansas Geological Survey, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Garland County Library, Arkansas State Parks, and Ozarks Water Watch will all present interactive programs to rotating groups of students. Included in the presentations will be an interactive Enviroscape model, a popular tool that demonstrates how our individual choices about water use can affect our neighbors, environment and the landscape. Other events include “macroinvertebrate mayhem”, which demonstrates how small life forms can be a big indicator of a water body’s health. Students will be able to check out a mobile aquarium, compete in a water safety relay race and a new hands-on activity called Nautical Knots.

Project WET is a nonprofit organization dedicated to water education. It provides educational material, training workshops and organizes events such as Make a Splash. The program is an integral part of ADEQ’s watershed outreach. More information can be found at http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/poa/watershed_outreach_education/projectwet.htm.

Flower baskets going up in Hot Springs

The inside lanes from the 100 to the 300 block of Central Avenue in Hot Springs will be closed from 3 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 9 for the hanging of flower baskets. Motorists will need to use caution when traveling in this area.

Director Jones to host District 2 town meeting tonight

Director Elaine Jones will host a town meeting for residents of District 2 at 6 p.m. today, Monday, May 6 at the Webb Community Center, 127 Pleasant Street.  Guest speaker David Watkins, Hot Springs city manager, will give details about the city manager form of government at the meeting.

Hot Springs recycling glass

Green-minded residents now have an extra reason to visit the Hot Springs Sanitation Department’s 24-hour Recycling Drop-off Center:  glass.

The long-awaited addition of glass will help further reduce the waste stream of those who already recycle newsprint, plastic, aluminum cans, phone books and corrugated cardboard at the center. The department is working with a vendor that will now accept the glass.  Clear and colored glass are accepted in every form except plate glass. Residents should use care when disposing of glass to avoid injury.

The center, updated with new landscaping, asphalt and signage, is located at the corner of Valley and Runyon streets, off of West Grand Avenue.  For recycling information, call 321-6911.

NPCC commencement exercises

Commencement will be held for National Park Community College students who have successfully completed the requirements for graduation on Saturday, May 11, 10:30 a.m., at Summit Arena at Hot Springs.

Maintenance work on the MLK in Hot Springs

Maintenance work on portions of Highways 70 and 270 (Martin Luther King Expressway) will require lane closures this month in Hot Springs, according to Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) officials.

The work on the median wall will require portions of the westbound inside lane of the Martin Luther King Expressway to be closed. The work will progress from east to west along the expressway. The closures will begin Monday, May 6^th and continue through Friday, May 17^th, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays, weather permitting.  

Maintenance to the eastbound inside lane will begin Thursday, May 16^th and continue through the end of the month. Work will progress from west to east along the expressway and will only be performed between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays, weather permitting.

Crews will be doing routine maintenance including general cleaning, weed eating, and drain clearing along the median wall. This work can’t be accomplished under normal traffic conditions due to the lack of space between traffic lanes and the median wall. Traffic will be controlled using warning signs and cones/barrels.

Motorists should exercise caution when approaching and traveling through all highway work zones.  Additional travel related information can be found at ArkansasHighways.com. You can also follow us on Twitter @AHTD.

Hanamaki deadline coming up soon

The May 15 deadline is drawing near for those interested in being part of the Hot Springs Sister City Program's 20th anniversary citizen delegation to Hanamaki, Japan. 

“Have you ever thought about taking a trip to Japan?”  said Mary Neilson, Sister City Program Coordinator.  “Would you like the opportunity to experience the culture, not just as a tourist but as a special guest? Being a member of the Hot Springs Sister City 20th anniversary citizen delegation allows individuals to experience Hanamaki, its scenic countryside, the wonderful flavors of its cuisine, the incredible hospitality of the people of our sister city, and the beauty and diversity of the Japanese culture.”

This year’s special 20th anniversary delegation visit is tentatively scheduled for September 7-15. The group will spend the first two nights in Tokyo. While there, the delegates will spend a day visiting ancient temples, shrines and Tokyo City. The following day, the delegation will take the world-famous bullet train to Hanamaki. While in Hanamaki, guides take the group to visit shrines, museums, and onsen, or Japanese bathhouses. The accommodations are all western-style hotel rooms. The highlight of the trip will be taking part in the 20th anniversary celebration activities as well as the annual Hanamaki Festival, which will take place September 13-14. Delegation members are even invited to take part in the festival parades, if they wish.   The festival includes festival dancers, mikoshi, which are shrines that are carried on the shoulders of a group of Hanamaki citizens, and finally lighted floats that travel down the street to the sound of ancient rhythms.

The estimated travel cost of $4000 includes airfare, transportation, lodging, tours, guides and most meals. For more information, contact Sister City Program Coordinator Mary Neilson, 545-6960 or hotspringssistercity@yahoo.com .