What?!?!? It’s almost the weekend again? If you haven’t made plans yet, you might want to take a look at what’s happening This Weekend in the Arkansas River Valley! We have searched on line and off to bring you some of our favorite weekend activities! Please check ahead with the event venue to find out what precautions they are taking to maintain physical distancing.

NOTE: We do our best to bring you accurate information… however, we encourage you to reach out to event venues to confirm before you head out to an advertised event.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Cuéntame un Cuento: Tell Me a Story

Thursday, August 13, 2020 from 11 AM – 11:30 AM
Pope County Library System
Hosted by Pope County Library Youth Services and Pope County Library System

Ms. Melanie and Señora Carolina will read some of their favorite books in English and Spanish.

Seeking Out Scorpions

Thursday, August 13, 2020 from 7 PM – 8 PM
Hosted by Audubon Arkansas
Online Event

https://audubon.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMpc-yvrzsuE9afAZKft4a2uUQhAxJ2yxOk

This is Audubon Society of Central Arkansas's monthly meeting. This month's presentation is Seeking Out Scorpions, by Jenn Menge, Arkansas State Parks. She will talk about their biology, interactions with humans, and intriguing medical and scientific qualities.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://audubon.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMpc-yvrzsuE9afAZKft4a2uUQhAxJ2yxOk

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Jenn Menge is a park interpreter at Lake Ouachita State Park. As a park interpreter for over eight years, she has worked for national parks as well as state parks in Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. Jenn holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Tulane University.

Friday, August 14, 2020

Music with Mr. Travis

Friday, August 14, 2020 from 11 AM – 11:20 AM
Pope County Library System
Hosted by Pope County Library Youth Services and Pope County Library System

Mr. Travis will be playing story time songs and more in this children's music program.

Learn About Missouri's Bees Aug 14

Friday, August 14, 2020 from 2 PM – 2:30 PM
Hosted by Missouri Dept. of Conservation
Online with Facebook Live

More than 400 species of bees can be found in Missouri and the populations of a number of these species are in trouble. That’s concerning because these bees provide a number of benefits to humans.

People wanting to learn more about the variety of bees found in Missouri and how to attract these valuable insects to their yards can get information at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) free virtual program “Hotel for Bees.” This online program will be 2-2:30 p.m. on Aug. 14 and is being put on by the staff of MDC’s Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. This program is designed for all ages.

People can register for this program at mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/173938

Honeybees and bumblebees are the insects most people think of when they hear the word “bee,” but Missouri’s bee population is much more diverse than this. Miner bees, mason bees, and leafcutter bees are examples of the many types of bees that can be found in Missouri. Many of these bees don’t store honey or live in hives, but their pollinating activities play a critical role in the health and integrity of our natural habitats. MDC Naturalist Cameron Johnston will discuss what kinds of homes native bees prefer and will provide pointers on how people can build a “hotel” for bees. Creating these special habitats will help ensure that important pollination activities will continue to take place.

Though this program is free, registration is required to participate using the link above. Registrants must provide an e-mail, so a program link can be sent to them. This program will include a chat-based question-and-answer period where participants can interact with the presenters.

Sensory Story Time

Friday, August 14, 2020 from 4 PM – 4:30 PM
Pope County Library System
Hosted by Pope County Library Youth Services, AMOM and Pope County Library System

This is a unique story time for children with special needs. Pre-pandemic it was very hands on with sensory activities and socialization skills

Going forward we are meeting in Zoom and still able to socially interact. We will be adding a sensory activity that you can do at home at the end of the program. We will do our best to make it out of simple ingredients that you already have or can get on your supermarket run.

To register email kids@popelibrary.org with a brief description of your child's diagnosis and things that might trigger them. We want you and your kids to have the best possible experience.

Home Learning Helpers

Friday, August 14, 2020 from 7 PM – 8 PM
Hosted by Pope County Library System, Pope County Library Youth Services and 5 others

Online Event

Home Learning Helpers is a free online program for parents that are first time homeschoolers or have chosen a virtual or blended learning option for the upcoming school year. PCLS will coordinate meetings with special guests including experienced homeschooling parents, school administrators, local resources, and child psychologists. These online meetings will offer parents helpful tips and allow them to ask questions in real-time. You will need to register by emailing marketing@popelibrary.org or calling 479-968-4368.

Amanda Smoll is an experienced homeschooling parent and blogger for The Accelerated Homeschool. Join us for a zoom meeting on Friday, August 14th at 7:00PM to hear Amanda's advice and homeschooling experience! Email marketing@popelibrary.org to register and recieve the link to the meeting.

Interested in partnering with PCLS for a Home Learning Helpers event? Contact our Outreach Librarian, Tammy Montjoy at 968-4368 or email outreach@popelibrary.org.

Online Fall Gardening Class

Friday, August 14, 2020 from 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM
Hosted by Tulsa Vegetable Gardener
Online Event

Tickets: tulsavegetablegardener.com

The Fall Vegetable Gardening class is perfect for new gardeners or those who want to improve their fall gardening success. Whether you garden in the ground, in raised beds, or in containers, you can enjoy fresh produce throughout fall and into winter. Learn what types of vegetables can be planted for the fall season, when to plant, and how to care for them. Class is $12 and includes class, copies of materials, and an add to the Tulsa Vegetable Gardener Facebook Group.

Friday night Drytown on the outside stage

Friday, August 14, 2020 at 8 PM

Front Street Grill

Public · Hosted by Front Street Grill and Front Street Bar & Grill

Friday night Drytown is playing on the outside stage! Get there early for the best tables. Prime Rib Dinner specials starting at $20.95!

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Front porch breakfast/farm market

Saturday, August 15, 2020 from 7 AM – 12 PM
Drewry Farm & Orchards
Hosted by Drewry Farm & Orchards

Front porch breakfast featuring: breakfast special, breakfast burrito, biscuit sandwich, tater tot casserole, pancake sliders

Whole pies: peach, peach cherry,& buttermilk

Deserts : peach/lemon tart, peaches foster, peach bread, pumpkin bread, peach cobbler and perhaps a few other things!

Slushees: Peach or pineapple

The produce tent will be set up outside with freestone peaches, melons, gala apples, butternut, spaghetti squash, and other goodies!

For more information please email drewryfarm@gmail

Extended September hours TBA

Grand Opening

Saturday, August 15, 2020 at 11 AM – 2 PM

The Crooked Cow Restaurant
Hosted by The Crooked Cow Restaurant

Grand opening

Neighbors Table Free Meal

Saturday, August 15, 2020 from 11 AM – 12:30 PM
All Saints' Episcopal Church Russellville AR
Hosted by All Saints' Episcopal Church Russellville AR and Neighbors Table, Rusellville Ar

All are welcome to attend this no pressure, no questions asked free lunch.

Lunch is provided in a drive through from 11:00am to 12:30pm.

If your business, organization or ministry is interested in helping on Saturdays, please message us. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities throughout the year.

Saturday night The George Brothers on the outside stage

Saturday, August 15, 2020 at 8 PM

Front Street Grill
Hosted by Front Street Grill and Front Street Bar & Grill

Saturday night The George Brothers will be playing on the outside stage playing everyone’s favorite classic and new country music!

Filet Mignon Dinner special for $21.95!

Circle All Access
Hosted by Grand Ole Opry 2

Come together for a night of fun and music with the Saturday Night Grand Ole Opry as Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker step into the circle on Saturday, August 15th, with your host Bobby Bones.

A special Circle Sessions featuring Josh Turner at 7:30/6:30c pm, followed by the Opry Livestream at 8/7c pm. Click the Join Event button to be notified.

You can also watch the show live on Circle Television, Dish Network, and Sling TV. Check your local listings at www.CirclePlus.com.

Howl at the Moon

Saturday, August 15, 2020 from 7 PM – 8 PM
Hosted by Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Online Event

Tickets: houstonarboretum.org

Have a howlin’ good time online! Join Urban Wildlife Biologist Kelly Norrid for a discussion about one of our most misunderstood animals, the coyote. Coyotes are intelligent, adaptable, social, and nearly everywhere – if you live in Houston, you almost certainly have them nearby. Learn about these urban survivors and get tips on being a good coyote neighbor. We’ll provide all the party supplies you need: 3 cans of Saint Arnold Brewing Company beer, a personal meat and cheese plate, a sweet treat, and some fun coyote information. Then, on Saturday night at 7 PM, join us on Zoom for the presentation.

$20 member / $35 nonmember
Ages 16 and up

Come pick up your treats at the Nature Center on Friday, August 14 or Saturday, August 15 between 9 am and 4 pm. Beer will only be given to participants ages 21 and up; please be ready to show ID during the supply pickup.

Registrants will receive a class link on their receipt and will need to use this link to pre-register for the class on Zoom.

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Workshop | Inventing Worlds: The Poetics of Re-Naming

Sunday, August 16, 2020 from 2 PM – 3 PM
Hosted by Open Mouth Reading Series
Online Event

Join us for a generative workshop with featured readers Jenny Molberg and Kathryn Nuernberger.

This workshop will be conducted via Zoom. To register for the workshop, please do so by clicking on the following Zoom link and entering your name and email address: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYof-2qrDwoGNSdoBlwxvQ2BHi6sG7H1YCo

Registration is free; suggested donation of $5. Every donation to Open Mouth Reading Series supports our programming and feature poets. Donate at paypal.me/openmouthreadings

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You have to be free to play around with the notion that day might be night, love might be hate; nothing can be too sacred for the imagination to turn into its opposite or to call experimentally by another name. For writing is re-naming. –Adrienne Rich, “When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision,” 1972.

What can the world of a poem accomplish? Do a poem’s imagined places, personae, and gestures serve to create a voice in spaces where we might feel voiceless? In “When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision,” Adrienne Rich writes, “You have to be free to play around with the notion that day might be night, love might be hate; nothing can be too sacred for the imagination to turn into its opposite or to call experimentally by another name. For writing is re-naming.” What if the “place” of the poem you want to write does not exist on this physical earth? Or, what if the best setting for your poem exists in the past or in the voice of someone else? What if metaphor creates more room for truth? What if you try seeing from the vantage of a plant or bird or river? What if the best way to see our place in the world is by listening to the voices of those whose lives we touch and who touch us tenderly in return? Through a discussion of the work of poets Danez Smith, Monica Sok, Taneum Bambrick, and Rick Barot we will explore the invention of worlds, speakers, and extended metaphor in writing poetry. This workshop will feature writing exercises to help you generate new work or revise an existing poem. Please come with a poem you’d like to experiment with or some blank paper and a twinkle in your eye.

**ARTIST BIOS**

Kathryn Nuernberger’s "Rue" is a book of about prairies. A book about rural America. A book about the science and folklore surrounding plants historically used for birth control. It is a book about an affair, a breakdown, and also it is about love. Rue is a book about everything that might be possible between us once we have decided to tell the truth of our lives. Poems from this collection have appeared widely in journals including 32 Poems, Cincinnati Review, Copper Nickel, Crazyhorse, Field, The Florida Review, Gulf Coast, Indiana Review, Poetry International, West Branch, Willow Springs, Poetry Daily, and Verse Daily.

Kathryn Nuernberger is the author of two previous poetry collections, The End of Pink and Rag & Bone. She has also written a collection of lyric essays, Brief Interviews with the Romantic Past. A recipient of fellowships from the NEA, H. J. Andrews Research Forest, American Antiquarian Society and the Bakken Museum of Electricity in Life, she teaches Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota

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"Refusal," Jenny Molberg’s second collection of poetry, draws on elements of the surreal—invented hospitals, the Demogorgon of Dungeons and Dragons, an Ophelia character who refuses suicide—to investigate trauma, addiction, and patriarchal forces of oppression. A sequence of epistolary poems looks to friendship as a safe haven from violent romantic relationships, and a series of poems that address a mother’s struggle with addiction looks at the complicated nature of a parent-child relationship affected by alcoholism. "Refusal" seeks to break silences in the wake of the #metoo movement, and to interrogate a cultural misogyny that weighs on a woman’s position in the world.

Jenny Molberg is the author of two poetry collections: "Marvels of the Invisible" (winner of the Berkshire Prize, Tupelo Press) and "Refusal" (LSU Press). She has received fellowships and scholarships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Sewanee Writers Conference, Vermont Studio Center, and the Longleaf Writers Conference. Her work has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Ploughshares, Gulf Coast, Tupelo Quarterly, Boulevard, The Missouri Review, West Branch, Poetry Northwest, and other publications. She is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Central Missouri, where she directs Pleiades Press and co-edits Pleiades magazine. Find her online at jennymolberg.com

Back to School Drive Through Blessing

Sunday, August 16, 2020 from 4 PM – 5 PM
Russellville First United Methodist Church
Hosted by FUMC Children's Ministries and Christi Guyse Burris

Whether your children are going to school in person or meeting virtually, we want to share our love and prayers. We will meet in the South parking lot at the side of the Sanctuary. Drive through to receive a blessing, back pack tag and a bag of back to school treats.