PBSD to present health fair
The Pine Bluff School District will host a health fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 13 in the Pine Bluff High School McFadden Gym.
The theme is Healthy, Wealth, and Wise. Local vendors will be focusing on healthy lifestyles, healthy eating, mental health, finance and community resources.
Preventative screenings will be offered along with free samples. Door prizes will be given away and entertainment will be provided by the students of district, according to a news release.
PB resident joins Phi Kappa Phi
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Tremekia Briggs of Pine Bluff was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at Arkansas State University.
Briggs is among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated annually into Phi Kappa Phi each year, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, according to a news release.
Pilgrim church to open pantry
Raven’s Nest Food Pantry at Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 2507 Hill St., will be open May 13 from 8 from 8-9:30 a.m. or until all the food has been given away. Food will be given away on a first come, first-served basis. Participants must bring a picture identification, according to a news release.
Antique/Classic Car Show set
Hardin Baptist Church will present its eighth annual Antique/Classic Car Show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 20 at Highway 270 and Todd Lynn Drive at White Hall.
“Come check out the rides of our past!,” a spokesman said in a news release.
There’s no entry fee to show a car but donations are appreciated. Festivities will include antique and classic cars and trucks on display; trophies awarded for “People’s Choice,” first, second, and third places; and concessions: baked goods, hot dogs, popcorn, drinks and more (benefiting the youth). Details: (870) 247-1258.
Remote produce safety training set
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will offer a remote produce safety training workshop for fruit and vegetable growers.
The training will take place via Zoom on May 24-25 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day. Participants can register at uada.formstack.com/forms/psa_2023. The workshop will include important information on best practices, worker health and hygiene, and risk management, according to the release.
Registration is $25 per person for Arkansas residents and $100 per person for out-of-state residents. The deadline to register is May 17. “The growing season started early this year, so we are happy to offer this remote training that allows our growers to stay close to their farms,” said Gaby Sanders, extension program associate for local, regional, and safe foods for the Division of Agriculture. “We hope this will also encourage some of the newer operations around the state to attend.”
Topics will include soil amendments, post-harvest handling, sanitation and developing a farm food safety plan.
Sanders said the Arkansas Produce Safety Team will also host an in-person training in northwest Arkansas in October.
Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture, said the workshop helps growers “learn the basics to set your farm apart in the marketplace.”
“This training opportunity teaches the basics of on-farm produce safety,” Philyaw Perez said. “It can help growers selling at farmers markets or those who would like to get a USDA Good Agriculture Practices audit to sell to wholesale, farm to school, grocers or other buyers that require a food safety program.”
The training, developed by the Produce Safety Alliance and presented by the Cooperative Extension Service’s Arkansas Produce Safety Team, teaches growers about regulatory requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. Details: Gaby Sanders at gsanders@uada.edu or (501) 671-2046.