Category Archives: Holidays

Arkansas State Hosts Annual Thanksgiving Dinner

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Story and photos by DDNS Reporter Jerry Burton

Arkansas State University held the annual Thanksgiving dinner in the Acansa Dining Hall Wednesday.

Craig Johnson, assistant vice chancellor for auxiliary services and volunteer coordinator for the Thanksgiving dinner, said the event provides for faculty, staff and students alike.

“For faculty, this gives them interactions outside of the classroom or outside of the offices,” Johnson said. “For our students, it gives them an opportunity to meet with faculty and staff in a different environment. It provides for those folks who can’t be able to go home for Thanksgiving.”

Emily Martin, a first-year nursing major from Viola, Arkansas, attended the Thanksgiving dinner. She said her favorite food served at the event was the macaroni and cheese, while her least favorite was the stuffing. Martin said the food lines never felt slow and the servers were very hospitable.

“We probably got here at a good time, we got in right after the initial people,” Martin said. “I had to go back and get mac and cheese because they were out, though.”

Yurizzia Macias, a first-year nursing major from Little Rock, said the food was great overall. She also said the stuffing was her least favorite food served at the event. She said while the food for the Thanksgiving dinner was being served in the middle of the Acansa Dining Hall, the space never felt claustrophobic and the food lines were never congested.

Johnson said he has helped plan the annual Thanksgiving dinner for 27 years. He said it was harder to find volunteers in the early 2000s. This year, Johnson said he had to turn people away because so many wanted to help.

The volunteer coordinator said he sent an email at 9 a.m. asking faculty and staff to help with the event and by 9:19, the first shift of volunteers was already full.

43 volunteers comprising faculty and staff members helped serve food at the event. Johnson said volunteers receive no formal training other than guidance on giving equal food portion sizes to students.

“We really just put an apron on, put gloves on and say ‘serve’”, Johnson said.

The volunteer coordinator said 100 students were already through the line in only the first half hour of the event. He said he thinks the volunteers served about 600 to 650 students during the event.

Johnson said it was fun to see a full cafeteria again. He said A-State is still rebounding from COVID-19, which caused a drop in the on-campus student population

“I consider a place like this to be the heartbeat, where folks have the ability to engage and interact,” Johnson said.

Macias said she thinks the Thanksgiving dinner will have a positive impact on students, especially those who won’t be able to go home or see their family during Thanksgiving or Christmas break.

“If they see how it is all family-friendly, they will be more motivated to stay here,” Macias said.

Johnson said he hopes the Thanksgiving dinner provided a warm holiday experience for students who cannot travel home while on break.

“I don’t think you can ever replace what it means to go home, we just can’t match that,” Johnson said. “But it does give that holiday feeling that you have during Thanksgiving.”

Johnson said since Thanksgiving is a holiday based on American history, some international students may not celebrate it. He said this event still serves to give these students another taste of American culture and what the holiday is all about.

Martin said while she enjoyed the event, she did notice areas that could be improved. Martin and Macias said having another table for serving food would have helped students get more food. Five volunteers couldn’t attend the event to help because they had the flu. Johnson said their absence didn’t affect the event very much because he probably had more volunteers than he needed anyway.

Johnson said he would like to see more food options served next year when the event is held again. He said he told the head of operations for the event he would particularly like to have candied yams available for students next year.

Macias said she would be interested in coming to the same event next year and similar events in the future.

The 2nd annual “African-Americans and the Arts” planned for this weekend

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Fisher Street Community in Action, a nonprofit organization, is hosting the event for Black History Month

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

By Avery Jones | Editor

The theme of 2023’s Black History Month celebration.

JONESBORO, Ark. – Jonesboro nonprofit Fisher Street Community in Action will host the 2nd annual “African American and The Arts” event in recognition of Black History Month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 24. Last year, they had about 50 attendees and hope to have more this year. 

According to event organizer Ruby McKinley, event participants will portray various African-American actors, both alive and deceased as attendees guess which famous person is being portrayed. Refreshments will be provided.

“The purpose of the activity is to get the community involved in Black history and to inform them of Black history then and now as to how things have evolved from slavery to now,” McKinley said. 

“The purpose of the activity is to get the community involved in Black history and to inform them of Black history then and now as to how things have evolved from slavery to now,”

Ruby McKinley, event organizer

The event will also feature Dr. Lonnie Williams as its guest speaker. Williams, who is the vice-chancellor of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, will discuss the history and impact of African-Americans in the arts.

Alongside Williams, other guests will be in attendance including Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver, who plans to give a proclamation during the festivity. 

FSCIA was started by Rev. Dr. Charles Coleman, who operates as its CEO. The organization’s goal was to get the students from the Success Achievement Academy involved in gardening, an alternative learning program, in the organization’s community garden.

“The first year we did that, we had a group of students that was so excited about the garden…they chose the type of vegetables that they wanted to plant and they had their own space,” McKinley said.

“The first year we did that, we had a group of students that was so excited about the garden…they chose the type of vegetables that they wanted to plant and they had their own space,”

Ruby McKinley, event organizer

FSCIA is funded by donations and has been providing help in the community for 13 years. The organization participates in the Toys for Tots program, conducts its own toy giveaway, provide community clean-up services twice a year and hosts the “National Night Out” every year, where they inform and spread awareness about community programs and services, provide free food, games, and more.

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Avery Jones

Avery Jones is a junior in The Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She can be reached at avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

NOTE: Feature photo is of 2023’s Black History Month celebration from the FSCIA.

Constitution Day celebrated by local public schools

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Local public schools arrange activities for Constitution Day to teach students about the role of the Constitution in the development of the U.S.

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Dec. 1, 2023

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. – Constitution Day was on Sept. 17. The holiday celebrates the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. The day is especially important for public schools because they must recognize the day and use the opportunity to teach students about the Constitution according to a federal requirement. 

Local schools in Jonesboro are no different and had some activities planned for Constitution Day. According to Jon Newman, an Advanced Placement U.S. History and Government teacher from The Academies at Jonesboro High School, his school didn’t have a school-wide event planned but each teacher covered the topic in their classrooms.

Since Constitution Day was on a Sunday, Newman chose to recognize the day on Tuesday. He and his students were discussing the development of the Constitution. He also brought in Senator Dan Sullivan to talk about his role in the government and our state legislature’s role in the system that was created by the Constitution.

According to Newman, the goal of this day in schools is to “help students to see how the document that established our current government was created out of a need that arose with Shay’s Rebellion.” He makes sure that he stresses to students the importance of how the Constitution was created to adapt to the country as it grew and changed.

In past years, the high school used to invite the Arkansas National Guard to speak to all of the classes about the importance of the National Guard. However, because the requirements for what must be taught has increased, more teachers are unwilling to give up an entire day for such a presentation. Newman doesn’t mind occasionally using a day, though, to allow an elected official to come talk to his students.

Newman says that his students usually respond pretty well to the day. Because of his classes’ subject matter, it’s easy to fit in the lesson.

However, one problem that comes up for other classes not about history and government is that they have to pause their usual lessons to teach about the Constitution for only one day. This lesson can seem arbitrary to students since it doesn’t flow well with the usual subject matter.

At Valley View Schools, the teachers are all doing different activities in their classrooms as well. Matt Mink, a social studies teacher at the junior high school, recognized Constitution Day on Monday the 18th. 

He put together a “Constitution Day Escape Room” for his students. Each student works with a partner to decipher four clues which will provide a four-digit code. This code unlocks a lockbox that contains the “stolen” Constitution.

Mink’s goal of this activity is to allow the students to experience something different and to learn from it while having fun. He and his class discussed the Constitution prior to the activity. Mink has been doing this activity for four or five years.

“The students love this activity,” Mink said. “Once they figure out how to decipher each clue, it becomes real competitive. They all want to be the first ones done.”

 Melissa Mayfield, a history and government teacher at Valley View High School, also planned special activities for Constitution Day. The school rolled Constitution Day into Freedom Week, which is celebrated during the last week of September.

The purpose of Freedom Week is to emphasize teachings on the development of the U.S. and its founding documents, including the Constitution. It’s an official holiday only in Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. 

The social studies department at Valley View High School, which Mayfield is a part of, planned a recital of the Bill of Rights during lunch on Sept. 25. It was recited by students from the American History and Government classes on the balcony that overlooks the school cafeteria.

The students from Mayfield’s AP World History class made posters with the amendments on them to display in the hallways of the social studies department. Additionally, Mayfield taught about different constitutions from around the world and compared them to that of the U.S.

Mayfield does the constitution comparison each year, but this is the first time that the social studies department has collaborated for the Bill of Rights recital. Mayfield said that in general, some students are more engaged than others. 

The sophomores have a basic understanding of government structure, but haven’t extensively learned about the amendments. As a result, the teachings of Freedom Week focus on the individual rights that come from the Bill of Rights and comparing our government structure with that of other countries’.

“I want students to understand our Constitution, but I also want them to see how it influenced the creation of other constitutions and how other documents, like the English Bill of Rights, influenced the creation of our state,” Mayfield said.

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Avery Jones

Avery Jones is a junior in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

NOTE: Feature photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash

Local nonprofits and businesses offer free Thanksgiving meals

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Many free Thanksgiving meals offered around town for community gathering

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, December 1, 2023

By Avery Jones | Editor

JONESBORO, Ark. — This Thanksgiving, some local small businesses and nonprofit organizations offered free community Thanksgiving meals open to all in Jonesboro. These events are hosted for the homeless, those without family, those without the money for a Thanksgiving meal, or simply those who want to engage with the community.

The Hope House, a nonprofit organization that provides for the homeless and low-income population, hosted a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, November 16, from 11 AM to 1 PM and then 2 PM to 4 PM. The event was held at their location.

“Our goal is…to be able to be a blessing to those in the community who may be struggling at this time to just have a simple Thanksgiving meal, especially for those who are less fortunate,” said Terri James, the director of Hope House. “Sometimes those of us who are blessed, we kind of get [blind], and we just don’t realize how fortunate we are. To be able to give back to the community is also a way we can say thank you for supporting the Hope House.”

However, the event wasn’t intended just for those less fortunate, but for anyone who wanted to come and partake. They hoped to feed at least 200 to 250 people. They had at least twenty-five volunteers helping out, five of which were staff members at Hope House, but more were welcome to help.

This was the first time the Hope House was able to host a community Thanksgiving. The meal was entirely arranged by them and provided for by donations from the local community.

They planned to serve chicken, ham, dressing, green beans, corn, potato salad, macaroni salad, and desserts. Carry-out was offered for anyone who was unable to stay.

The city of Jonesboro arranged a community Thanksgiving at the St. Bernards Auditorium on Thanksgiving day starting at 10:30 “for the hungry, the homeless, and the lonely,” according to the event’s Facebook page. Home delivery within the city limits was offered for anyone who couldn’t come.

The food was provided by members of the community. Donations for non-refrigerated desserts were taken from 1 to 5:30 PM on the Wednesday before. Volunteers arrived at 9:30 the next morning, and anyone was welcome to help without former notice.

The Jonesboro community Thanksgiving has been hosted almost every year since at least 2014. They usually serve around 1,800 or more meals, with around 1,200 of those being home delivery. The amount of volunteers varies between 500 to 750.

The VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) in Jonesboro hosted a Thanksgiving at their location on Thanksgiving day from 12 to 2 PM. They have hosted community Thanksgivings for many years.

According to Kay Baker, who works at the VFW, the purpose of the meal was to offer to everyone who doesn’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving an opportunity for friendship and fellowship. The meal was not just for veterans, but for everyone who wanted to participate.

The food was provided for by donations from the community of food and funds, as well as from fundraisers. Most of the food was donated directly, and the food was prepared by volunteers at the location that day.

“There is a big turnout. There’s a lot of veterans that have no place to go and a lot of other people that don’t have a place to go, so they come here,” Baker said.

They served turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, and desserts. To-go plates were offered for anyone who was unable to stay.

Marie Turner, owner of Billie Marie’s Auction, hosted a community Thanksgiving at her store on Thanksgiving day from 3 to 5 PM. This was her first time hosting a meal, but she has given out Thanksgiving boxes before.

“I always wanted to serve hot meals to people on Thanksgiving, [but] was never able to until this year, and I am so excited,” Turner said.

According to Turner, the event was for anyone who needed a hot meal or was alone on Thanksgiving, and also for any police officers or EMTs that were on duty during Thanksgiving and in need of a meal. She arranged the event herself, using donations from family, friends, and customers.

They had at least fourteen volunteers helping with the meal, including some of her family members. Delivery in the Jonesboro area was offered for anyone who needed it; they already had fifty deliveries scheduled by November 15. They served turkey, dressing, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, rolls, and tea.

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Avery Jones

Avery Jones is a junior in the Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She can be reached at: avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Note: Feature photo by Ana Maltez on Unsplash.

NEA looks forward to Hispanic Heritage Month festivities

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Plenty of festivities are planned for Hispanic Heritage Month

Delta Digital News Service

Monday, Sept. 11, 2023

By Caroline Cherry Averitt | Contributor

JONESBORO, Ark. – At 6-months-old, Juanita Acosta moved with her family from Colombia to Arkansas. Growing up, people often mistook her for being Mexican. Since then, she embraced diversity and an understanding of different cultures and feels proud of her Hispanic heritage. 

Currently Acosta serves as the project manager and community navigator supervisor at El Centro Hispano, a nonprofit organization serving the Hispanic community of Northeast Arkansas. 

Acosta has been working with El Centro Hispano to organize events for recognition and celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. 

From Zumba classes and festivals, to parties and vaccination drives, residents of Jonesboro can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in a variety of different ways. These events not only honor Hispanic heritage, but will also provide a space for anyone to learn about Hispanic cultures. 

“Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and it’s interesting because it’s also around the time of independence for different Latin American countries,” Acosta said. 

“Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and it’s interesting because it’s also around the time of independence for different Latin American countries,” 

Juanita Acosta

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua celebrate independence Sept. 15. Mexico celebrates independence Sept. 16 and Chile celebrates independence Sept. 18. 

El Centro Hispano will begin offering Zumba classes Sept. 16 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Union Park Pavilion, next to United Way at 407 Union St. The classes will be open to the public. 

Acosta said El Centro Hispano saw a need for community and connection, as well as health issues, which sparked the idea for the classes. 

Salsa for Scholarships, an event under the NEA Professional Network Committee, will also be held Sept. 16 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Brickhouse. This event will be $20 per person and feature a live DJ and Latin dancing. 

“It’s a good opportunity to go meet other Hispanics in the area,” Acosta said, “and raise funds for scholarships for students in Northeast Arkansas.”

The Craighead County Jonesboro Library invited El Centro Hispano to do readings and participate in a festival honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Claudia Fuentes, the programs coordinator at El Centro Hispano, said each week they will choose a Spanish children’s book to read. 

Chrissy Holbrook, the public relations and marketing manager at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, said this will be the first time the library will be hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month Festival. 

Previously, the library held the Arts & Crafts fair twice a year, but they decided to focus on certain themes. 

“In May, we did it for the Asian Pacific (American Heritage Month). So, for September, we wanted to do the Hispanic Heritage Month,” Holbrook said. 

“In May, we did it for the Asian Pacific (American Heritage Month). So, for September, we wanted to do the Hispanic Heritage Month,” 

Chrissy Holbrook, PR and Marketing director for the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library

The festival will be Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local food and craft vendors will set up booths and there will be Hispanic storytime in English and Spanish. 

El Centro Hispano is partnering with Southern Pharmacy to provide COVID-19 vaccines at the festival. 

“We’ve seen that sometimes with minority communities, they can be kind of scared to go to a pharmacy and be unsure– like not knowing if they have health insurance or not sure if they’re going to be treated right– stuff like that. So, we always try to find ways to create accessibility,” Acosta said. 

El Centro Hispano will be posting more information and updates on their Facebook and Instagram pages. 

In addition to celebrations through El Centro Hispano, organizations on the campus of Arkansas State University also plan to host events to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. 

The Multicultural Center, Hermana y Hermano and Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Incorporada will be partnering together to host El Grito. The event will include food, games and dancing. 

Heidy Bulbarela-Hernandez, a junior graphic design major from Stuttgart, Arkansas, serves as the co-social and community service chair for SIA, the Latin-based sorority on A-State campus. 

“(El Grito) will be a sort of party in Centennial (Hall) and we’re going to do sort of like everything– some games, we plan to have some dancers and dance instructors and music,” Bulbarela-Hernandez said. 

The event will be Sept. 15 from 6-8 p.m. at Centennial Hall in the Reng Student Union. 

The sorority will also host SIA Week Sept. 25-29. 

“We’ll be having a bonfire Sept. 26 for Meeting the SIAs and then (Sept. 27) is Roses with Teacher Supplies, which is our community service. Then (Sept. 28) is Cantaritos which is an educational event where we will be painting plant pots. So, it’s just a part of a bonding activity,” Bulbarela-Hernandez said. 

SIA will host Spanish Around the World Oct. 12 to educate about the language and Spanish-speaking cultures. 

“We should be learning Spanish and about the Spanish language in different countries– Spain, Portugal, in Latin America– and how that’s changed over time and how each one is unique in its own,” Bulbarela-Hernandez said. 

SIA will be posting more information and updates on their Instagram page. 

The Multicultural Center will host a Hispanic Heritage Month party Oct. 12 on the first floor of the Reng Student Union from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a DJ, food and crafts. 

Natan Gomez, a senior biotechnology major from Irapuato, Mexico, serves as president of Hermana y Hermano on A-State campus. The organization provides mentorship for students from all backgrounds. 

Hermana y Hermano plans to organize more events for Hispanic Heritage Month. For updates, check out their Instagram page.

Trinity Haynes, the education program coordinator at the Multicultural Center, said she tried to make an effort to ensure the Hispanic population at A-State felt appreciated and celebrated during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

“ I know being on a campus where a lot of people don’t look like you. It may not always feel like you’re being appreciated or you’re not being celebrated correctly,” Haynes said. “I really hope from this month, they get out of it that we do appreciate them. We love having them here on campus.”

Carolina Elmore, assistant director of El Centro Hispano, said Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes what the Hispanic community contributes to the culture in the United States. 

“That’s what the month is, you know, the Hispanic families living here and how much they have contributed to culture,” Elmore said. 

Elmore mentioned sports, history and music as areas of influence from the Hispanic community. Fuentes added food as a major contribution. 

“So, I think what makes me proud being a Hispanic is that there are so many things we can bring. You know, we tend to be very happy people. We all were hard workers. We like to do our best,” Acosta said. 

Elmore said many people in Northeast Arkansas assume all Hispanics come from Mexico or immigrated illegally, but she wants people to know Hispanics come from diverse backgrounds and many work as professionals in the community. 

According to the 2020 US Census, Hispanics account for 8.5% of the population of Arkansas, a 38.1% increase since 2010. 

“We’re having more and more people arrive to rural areas like Jonesboro, or like maybe Wynne, areas where you wouldn’t even think of there being Hispanics. So, you have to find a way to incorporate those communities and see how we can all come together to be better people to be better as a whole,” Acosta said.

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Caroline Cherry Averitt

Caroline Cherry Averitt is a junior at Arkansas State University from Jonesboro, Arkansas. Her major is multimedia journalism with a minor in writing studies concentrating in creative writing. She can be reached at: caroline.averitt@smail.astate.edu

Trunk ‘r Treat event provides safe Halloween participation

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By Yoshika Shibata
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. – In the shadow of the upcoming Halloween holiday, coronavirus cases continue to surge in Northeast Arkansas.

According to the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s weekly report, Craighead and five other NEA counties remain in the “red zone” for COVID cases.

Craighead was third in the state, behind Pulaski and Washington, with the highest number of new cases over the last three weeks.

However, Halloween celebrations continued despite the rise.

Halloween this year looked a little different in order to keep everyone safe.

After much thought and consideration, organizers with Miracle Kids Success Academy decided to provide something fun for the Jonesboro community that also followed social distancing guidelines.

The event was a ‘Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat’ where participants experienced a Halloween trick or treating experience with a twist.

Samantha Goodwin of Miracle Kids Success Academy said, “This is actually the first year that we are doing the Trunk or Treat, and the reason we did it is because we wanted to provide a little bit normalcy for the Jonesboro Community during pandemic that we have.”

All volunteers wore costumes and masks and sanitized their hands after distributing candy and treats to each car.

“We asked businesses about it and to kind of see where they are at, where their heads were at and if they wanted to participate. The overwhelmingness of everybody wanting to have that normalcy… was really what drove us to this,” Goodwin said.

Several businesses and organizations such as NEA Baptist Clinic, Premiere Auto, Alpha Omicron Pi and Diego Ranch participated in the event along with Miracle Kids.

Volunteers decorated vehicles and provided candies for visitors.

Lynn Elliott of NEA Baptist Clinic said, “We are just wanting to support Miracle Kids and also to let people know about our clinic as well as about NEA Baptist Clinic Pediatrics, about doctors and providers there.”

Volunteers wore costumes while dancing to a music as carloads drove by.

Note: Feature photo by Yoshika Shibata

Halloweeners’ costume hunt amid pandemic

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By Yoshika Shibata
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. – Retail store Spirit Halloween filled with customers this weekend shopping for costumes for the Halloween season.

The store sells a wide variety of Halloween décor, animatronics, costumes and accessories for trick-or-treating or throwing a Halloween themed parties.

However, the coronavirus pandemic has interrupted traditional seasonal celebrations.

Like most businesses, Spirit Halloween has made adjustments in the way it does business to compensate during the pandemic.

The store limited its shopper capacity to encourage social distancing for customer’s safety.

Six-year veteran store Sales Clerk Jennifer Huggins has noticed certain challenges when shopping but says shoppers have adapted to the changes.

Huggins said, “It’s been a lot harder because we can’t open our fitting rooms and bathrooms, but it’s been pretty simple with the masks, and people are holding their masks and coming in with their masks, so that helps a lot.”

Huggins loves the themed environment she works in along with helping people.  “It’s fun to see all the kids pick out their new costumes. Adults get excited about little things–It’s a whole lot of fun,” she said.

Shopper Ashley Sellers of Jonesboro came to the store to get some last-minute costumes to celebrate. Sellers lost her job due to the pandemic but still plans to celebrate.

“I think it’s going to be different, but I’m excited that we are still doing it. I just don’t think its many people that are going to be into it like normal,” she said concerning celebrations.

Josh and Bliss Hickerson of Tennessee shopped for costumes for their daughters.

“This year is definitely different cause there is not much going on. We don’t know of many in our area that are celebrating. We are probably taking them to the Memphis Zoo,” Bliss said.

Even though this year’s Halloween celebrations is a particular challenge to enjoy, many people in northeast Arkansas still planned to participate in traditional trick-or-treating events dressing as their favorite characters.

Note: Featured photo by Yoshika Shibata

Christmas trees bring holiday fire hazards

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By Tristan Bennett
Delta Digital News Service

LONOKE – With the holiday season upon us, large fire hazards enter homes across America in the form of festive decorations.

The tradition of the Christmas tree dates back to the 16th century, and many still prefer a live tree over today’s artificial models. Truth is, both could be a hazard in homes. Jennifer Winchell, a Little Rock firefighter, experiences many fires each year due to holiday decorations.

She said, “Christmas tree fires are a huge issue because most people consider them to be safe and do not educate themselves about the dangers.”

Read on for some tips from the pros on how to stay safe this holiday season.

Hydrate your tree

   Live trees need near-constant watering. Patty Hibbs’ husband owns Schilling’s Family Christmas Tree Farm in Lonoke, and she works in their office. She said they work all year to ensure the freshness of each tree on the lot.

“It’s a year-round job. We have to water them, fertilize them; my husband has to sheer them three times a year,” Hibbs said.

After cutting the tree from its roots, the job becomes much harder. Hibbs said cutting causes the sap in trees to seal the trunk, making it more difficult to get water in.

Get your tree in water as soon as possible to keep it from sealing and drying out. The drier the branches become, the higher the chance of a fire. Most purchase tree stands that hold water to help with this, but the owner must remember to keep the stand filled with fresh water. Pets may also get into a tree’s water supply, so be sure to keep an eye on them.

Becky Smith and her family purchase a live tree each year from Schilling’s.

“We keep it watered. Sometimes I put Sprite in the water,” she said. “It gets dry by the end of the year, but we’ve never had any problems with it.”

The citric acid and sugar in Sprite may help preserve the tree longer, and it is not harmful to pets.

Be sure to dispose of the tree properly as soon as possible after the holidays.

Keep away from heat sources

The traditional picture of the Christmas tree next to a crackling fireplace may be the cause of many holiday fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association, one in four holiday fires occurs because of a heat source too close to a tree.

One stray ember could send the whole tree up in flames, so make sure to leave adequate room between any fire, including candles and the tree.

Hibbs recommends not placing your tree under a heating vent as well. Hot air dries out branches as it heats, making the chances of a fire increase.

Winchell said, “If you’re using a space heater, try to buy one with an automatic shut-off or tip over feature. Keep it at least three to four feet away from anything that could catch fire.”

She also said blowing out candles and unplugging lights when going to sleep or traveling helps to prevent overheating, which may cause fires.

Look for electrical hazards

The holidays often lead to crowded houses full of loved ones, but never crowd outlets. Circuits within those outlets only hold so much electricity, so plugging in one too many strings of lights may cause overheating in the wires. As the insulation on the wire melts, sparks may appear.

If the spark happens near a Christmas tree, whether live or artificial, it could ignite.

Winchell said, “It is very important to never overload a wall outlet or an outlet strip. Less is best!”

The NFPA recommends immediately replacing strings of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections and only connecting the number of strands recommended by the manufacturer of the lights.

Consider flocking

Flocking not only helps achieve the look of a snowy Christmas tree indoors, but it also protects against fires when done with the correct products.

Hibbs said, “It’s not like the spray can you get. It’s a commercial based flocking we use, and it does have a flame retardant in it.”

Schilling’s charges $9 per foot to flock a tree with their high-quality materials, but if someone wants to do it on their own, they should look for a product with a flame retardant included.

Be prepared

Christmas tree fires prove damaging nearly every time and sometimes even deadly. If something goes wrong, stay calm.

Winchell said, “If there is a fire, immediately remove anything you can (outside is best), and always have a charged fire extinguisher in reach.”

She also said look at batteries in remotes and light strings to check for corrosion.

The NFPA recommends regularly checking smoke detectors and sharing an escape plan with holiday guests. Ask guests who smoke to step outside and keep their materials on them and out of reach from children as well.

Note: Feature photo shows Schilling’s Family Christmas Tree Farm. The farm has been operated by the family for over 33 years. Photo by Tristan Bennett

Church Celebrates Lent under New Leadership

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by Christine Miyawa
Delta Digital News Service

POCAHONTAS, Ark. — A new priest is leading parishioners of the local Roman Catholic Church through Lent this year.

The Rev. Mariadas Vallapaneni said the congregation of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church reflects deeply on its faith during Lent in preparation for Easter. Preparation includes reciting the rosary as the faithful observe the Way of the Cross. It also includes not eating meat every Friday for seven weeks following Ash Wednesday to Good Friday just before Easter. This year’s Lent period continues through April 20.

Vallapaneni has served in the parish for more than a year after spending time as associate pastor at Jonesboro’s Blessed Sacrament Church. He served in India before Bishop Prakasam posted him to the United States for 10 years under the request of Bishop Anthony Basil Taylor of the Diocese of Little Rock.

Fr. Mariadas Vallapaneni St.Paul Catholic Pocahontas, Arkansas.

Fr. Mariadas Vallapaneni (photo by Christine Miyawa)

Born in Sidda ya palm, India, Vallapaneni grew up among nearly 150 families of mostly farmers. He said the villagers, who number close to 1,000 residents, do not allow any churches apart from Catholics to occupy the area.

“Growing up, I struggled with learning,” Vallapaneni said. “I strongly believed that God called me to service. I was a dull student; I struggled to study. One day my teacher encouraged me to pray, and when I started to pray more and more, I got better and did better than other students. Then I started cooperating more with God. I felt that God was calling me to the priesthood. I went to different seminaries, but the main was Hyderabad in India.”

Vallapaneni said he was happy to serve the church in the United States.

“I like being here; this is the top-most country,” he said. “I like the different atmosphere. I like working with different people. I want to do something new; I want to help the parishioners.”

When he arrived in 2015, he found it difficult to eat American food — he said it took five months to get used to it. Vallapaneni said he was lucky because the parish he served in Jonesboro as an associate pastor had a chief pastor of Indian origin who made Indian food.

However, his greatest struggle is knowing what to do.

“I have to stick to myself because I do not know the rules,” Vallapaneni said. “In India, I know if I do something it’s right or wrong; here, I don’t. I always feel my home place is the best place. Being an alien, you are not free; you don’t know something, you feel like you are outside. However, when I am in the parish, I feel good. People here love me. They understand that we sacrifice everything to come here — we leave family and friends — so they are good and friendly to me.”

Although his church in India does things a little differently, he does not want to make many changes to this church because the congregation is used to what they have.

“Coming from a different background is not easy for me to implement new things,” he said.

Vallapaneni added one mass at 12:15 p.m. on Thursdays so parishioners on lunch break can come to pray. He said people are cooperating with him and although his way of thinking may be different, he must fit in the local culture because he is the one coming into their community.

Jason Liebnaber, who has attended the church since childhood, was at the church reciting the rosary with other faithful observing the Way of the Cross — a prayer commemorating every tribulation Jesus went through right before Easter.

“I don’t know Father Vallapaneni well, but he’s nice,” Liebnaber said. “He’s doing pretty good with Lent schedules and lots of Station of the Cross. They are having it here in the church every Friday for the children and the school, and again in the evenings for the community. I have not seen any major changes implemented yet, but we love our new priest.”

A lifetime member of St. Paul’s, Karen James said it’s sometimes hard to hear what Vallapaneni says due to his accent, but she finds the sermons lively. She and her husband moved back to Arkansas recently. She said she missed going to church for sometime when she was in Texas. She said negative rhetoric about the church on social media has affected the younger generation of congregants most, including her sister, Sue, whom she said is doing a lot of internet research and is currently torn over which church to attend.

“Sue used to be a staunch Catholic,” she said. “We both were but now she goes back and forth, she is not decided. Sometimes she tries other churches. I’m older and I think we, the older generation, are pretty much settled in our ways. Before we didn’t hear of such scandals and now it’s all over, things have really changed.”

Liebnaber discussed the scandals over sexual misconduct by Catholic priests.

“These scandals have happened over the decades, and they go in circles,” he said. “They affect some people and it’s sad. The priests need to learn better standards of morality.”

Vallapaneni said Pocahontas has a majority of Catholics — about 400 families — so he is not worried about declining membership even with the scandals in other Catholic parishes.

“First, all those priests who were involved in these scandals are dead and the recent ones do not belong to our diocese,” he said. “Secondly, people need to pray and then see the priests who are culprits in the context of family, as if this was your brother or child or relative.”

Vallapaneni noted the diocese had held conferences to reach out to the community and find healing from the scandals.

Skate Through the New Year

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by Austin Hayslip
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — “Downtown is a very happening place to be in during the holidays,” Downtown Jonesboro Association Executive Director Hailey Knight said.

The holidays in downtown Jonesboro have always been full of activities. This year, Knight said they’re adding more to the holiday experience in downtown.

“This year in addition to our Winter Wonderland, we also have this wonderful new ice skating rink that was donated by First Community Bank,” she said.

Winter Wonderland is a building full of Christmas spirit. There are booths that are set up full of Christmas décor that the community can walk through and experience. Knight said the location is what makes it so great.

Residents skate

Residents skate at the Wonderland Rink sponsored by First Community Bank. The Downtown Jonesboro Association hopes the rink will become an annual tradition.

“There’s been a lot of people down here. It’s really neat because they can visit Winter Wonderland, which is right across the street, and see the different holiday-themed booths inside Winter Wonderland, and then come right across the street after that with their friends or family and ice skate.”

All you need is $5; that will buy you 45 minutes of skate time. Knight said the community response has been overwhelming.

“It’s really cool to see all the people coming downtown. Normally about 5 p.m. when we come out of the office, we’ll see all kinds of kids over here because they’re out of school and they’re ready to ice skate,” she said.

The ice skating rink is something that Knight hopes will be a staple in the holiday traditions downtown. It will be open through Jan. 1 Monday-Friday from 4 p.m.-10 p.m.; Saturdays from 1 p.m. – 10 p.m.; and Sundays from 1 p.m.-6 p.m. To schedule a group event, call 870-933-4604.

More information can be found online or on the Downtown Jonesboro Association Facebook page.

Sightings, Schools Slow Costume Sales

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — Halloween is just around the corner, but one scary figure has been getting a lot of attention for months: creepy clowns. ASU TV’s Kirsten May looked at how sightings reported across the nation might be impacting sales at a local costume shop.

“A few of them said, ‘No, I wouldn’t be a clown if my life depended on it, because I don’t want to get shot or arrested,'” Golden Grotto manager Anthony Eveland said.

Eveland said the increased attention to creepy clowns over the past few months has not been good for costume sales.

“Last year we sold all of them. This year we’ve sold a few. I don’t know if it’s because the ban of all the schools,” he said.

And it’s that ban on certain costumes — including clowns — that is frustrating to some parents. Amber Sales said buying costumes for her two sons who love scary movies is a little bit harder this year.

“He was kind of upset because he doesn’t get to do the clown. Because he can’t wear it to school, and there’s been messages put out all over Facebook and social media saying that if you’re dressed up like a clown, you’ll get arrested. So, we don’t know which parts are real and which ones aren’t, so we just aren’t going to test it,” she said.

Sales’ sons are in elementary and junior high in the Jonesboro School District.

She said a note sent home said masks and fake weapons were not allowed, which she understands. But Sales does not like the school restricting the type of costume a child can wear.

“It’s like a parent has to spend $100 per kid just to get them what they want for school and after school,” she said.

Sales also said she believes most of the reported clown sightings aren’t real, just something to get attention on social media.

In the end, Eveland said the store will do fine this Halloween regardless of how many clown costumes stay on the shelf.

“No, no, no. We don’t depend on just clowns,” he said.

Park Celebrates ‘Ghosts, Legends, and the Unexplained’

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by Marie Mitchell
Delta Digital News Service

GREENE COUNTY – While on a hunting trip, a man only identified as Mr. Hamilton and an acquaintance observed a drove of cattle in a state of alarm. As the cattle fled past, they also became alarmed at the sight of an animal that unmistakably resembled a giant human presence. Hamilton claimed the hairy creature resembled a “wildman,” which ran with great speed leaping 12-to-14 feet at a time. His foot prints measured around 13 inches each.

Farmers and ranchers in the Crowley’s Ridge area witnessed this creature from time-to-time, but did not come forth with any information until Hamilton’s story appeared in a Memphis newspaper on May 9, 1851. That “wildman” sighting marked the first actual “Bigfoot” sighting reported and documented east of the Rockies, according to Elizabeth Kimble, park interpreter for Crowley’s Ridge State Park.

Those hoping to catch a glimpse of the “wildman” can attend a haunted hayride on Friday, Oct. 28. This hayride has become a popular event over the past two years, Kimble said.

“What started out as a hundred or so visitors in the past few years, turned into around 1,000 guests last year,” she said. “This year we have extended the hayride even farther into the woods to possibly get a sight of a zombie or two and other ghostly visitors from the past.”

The park’s Halloween event — “Ghosts, Legends, and the Unexplained” — also features carnival-style games, a zombie photo booth, coloring contest, and a stroller and handicapped-accessible path on Lake Ponder Trail filled with free candy donated by local businesses. Kimble encouraged attendees to bring a flashlight and a bag for candy to share. The night will also feature costume contests.

Ages 2-4: Contest begins at 6:30 p.m. with registration opening at 6:15 p.m.
Ages 5-8: Contest begins at 7 p.m. with registration opening at 6:30 p.m.
Ages 9-12: Contest begins at 7:30 p.m. with registration opening at 7 p.m.
Ages 13-17: Contest begins at 8 p.m. with registration opening at 7:30 p.m.
Ages 18 and up: Contest begins at 8:30 p.m. with registration opening at 8 p.m.

Addie, pet of Erica Olney, was among winners of 2015's pet photo contests.

Addie, pet of Erica Olney, was among winners of 2015’s pet photo contests. (Photo courtesy of Crowley’s Ridge State Park)

All costumes must be age-appropriate; trophies and prizes will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners in each category. Winners will also be announced from a pet contest in which contestants submit photos of their pets dressed in costumes.

Nashville recording artist and Northeast Arkansas native Lauren Richmond will provide live entertainment to add to the excitement, Kimble said. Richmond will take the stage around 7 p.m. and perform until 9.

The haunted hayride costs $4 for ages 13 and up, and $2 for ages 4-12 at this cash-only event; those 3 and under ride for free. Although checks and credit cards will not be accepted, concessions and souvenirs will be available for purchase at the CCC Pavilion. Ticket sales for the zombie booth and haunted hayride will end at 8:30 p.m.

For more information, to donate or to volunteer for the event, please call the visitor center at (870) 573-6751. Located on Highway 168 N in Walcott, reach Crowley’s Ridge State Park by traveling west on Highway 412 from Paragould, or traveling north on Highway 141 from Jonesboro.