Central Arkansas Development Council (CADC) will help Lonoke county residents learn how to save and budget with the free CADC Make Your Money Work class that involves the FDIC “Money Smart” curriculum. A class will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at the CADC Lonoke office, 117 S.E. Front Street. The class is open to the public free of charge. Information about the CADC IDA program will also be provided. IDA’s are matched savings accounts that can help individuals start a business, learn how to purchase a home, and attend a school of higher education. A certificate will be awarded after completion of class topics. Classes to be covered include Bank On It; Borrowing Basics; Check It Out; Money Matters; Pay Yourself First; Keep It Safe; To Your Credit; Charge It Right; Loan to Own, and Your Own Home. For more information, contact Angel Clingmon at 501-676-0019.
The Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Teen Council is sponsoring a food drive to benefit the Jacksonville Care Channel until Friday, Dec. 15. Drop off non-perishable food items at the Martin Street Youth Center or at the Jacksonville Community Center.
The Jacksonville Chapter of the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons (AARP) will meet at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8 at the Jacksonville Senior Center, 100 Victory Circle. There will be a potluck meal. Billy Ann Meyers, State AARP president, will install the new officers for 2007. Everyone 50 years of age and older is invited to attend and join.
The Lonoke County Retired Teachers Association meets at noon, Monday, Dec. 4 at Kentucky Fried Chicken in Cabot. The group will visit the nursing home at 1:30 p.m. to sing Christmas carols and hand out Christmas cards. All retired school personnel are invited to attend.
The Cross Point Quartet will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at Grace Chapel Church on Smyrna Road in Lonoke. For more information, call Willie Gold at 676-3572 or Tommy Austin at 804-0442.
There will be a free chili supper at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 at South Bend Fire and Rescue, 4414 Hwy. 294 between Jacksonville and Lonoke. Photos with Santa Claus will be taken for $5 each.
Bill Bufford, commander of the Arkansas State Police bomb squad will be the speaker at the Cabot Rotary Club meeting at noon, Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Colton’s Steakhouse.
The first annual Trail of Trees auction will be held at noon Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Rebsamen Medical Center’s Education Building. There will be 30 beautifully decorated 4.5-foot-tall Christmas trees to bid on. All funds go to support Rebsamen Medical Center’s volunteer auxiliary.
The 20th annual Christmas Road to Bethlehem will be open from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. tonight until New Year’s Eve. Homes along a four-mile stretch of Bethlehem Road in Lonoke County will feature lighted, life-size Biblical figures along with Bible verses to tell the story of the nativity. The road ends with the manger scene at Bethlehem United Methodist Church. There will be open house programs with music and fellowship from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 11 through Jan. 1.
There will be a silent auction for pre-decorated Christmas trees at the Harmon Recreation Center, 508 Sherwood Ave., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. The Sherwood Christmas parade will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday on Kiehl Avenue. The theme is “Let there be peace on Earth.”
Mayor-elect Danny Stedman will be the parade’s grand marshal.
A reception for all entrants will be held at the Sherwood Senior Center, 2301 Thornhill Dr.
For more information, contact the Sherwood Chamber of Commerce at 835-7600.
The Pulaski County Quroum Court Ways and Means Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 at the Quorum Court meeting room at the Pulaski County Administration Building.
First Baptist Church of Sherwood’s choir, orchestra and drama team will present “A Christmas Prayer” at 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10 at the church 701 Country Club Road. The 3 p.m. performance will be interpreted for the deaf. For more information contact 835-3154.
There will be a free breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at South Bend Fire and Rescue, 4414 Hwy. 294 between Jacksonville and Lonoke. Donations will be accepted.
The Sharon’s Parents Association Group at Sharon’s School of Dance, Gymnastics and Cheer will have a chili cook-off from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15 at 213 N. James St. in Jacksonville.
Tickets are $2.50 at the door or $2 in advance. There will be games, a used purse auction and food. For more information contact Joanna Craig at 628-4523