Editor’s Note: At press time, the following events and meetings were known to be still scheduled. Organizers or appropriate officials are encouraged to contact Sandra Hope at shope@pbcommercial.com to make additions or changes.
Underway
Covid-19 testing sites available
Details for getting the covid-19 test are available at the Jefferson County Health Department — 870-535-2142; and Arkansas Department of Health’s website — https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/covid-19-guidance-for-getting-tested . Scroll down until you see the map and enlarge the map. Click on each star to see where each testing site is located.
Local agencies to close for Christmas
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Several local agencies will be closed in observance of Christmas: Jefferson County Courthouse — Closed today through Dec. 28; Pine Bluff City Hall — Closed today; White Hall City Hall — Closed today; Altheimer City Hall — Closed today; Liberty Utilities — Closed todayy; Waste Management — Closed today. Today’s garbage will be picked up Saturday. Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas will be closed today. Southeast Arkansas Transportation (SEAT) will pick up dialysis and cancer patients for appointments. The state Capitol offices and all state buildings will be closed today. The Capitol will be open to the public to view the holiday decorations or take self-guided tours from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
Friday, Dec. 25
Christmas Drive-Thru Dinner open
The city of Pine Bluff/Community Christmas Drive-Thru Dinner will be held from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Friday at 1221 W. Sixth Ave., across from the Department of Human Services office. The free dinner is open to anyone and toys will also be handed out, according to coordinator Mary Liddell. The menu is chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, bread, cake and a drink. Volunteers will carry the food containers to the vehicles and everyone is asked to remain in their cars. Health guidelines and social distancing will be followed. Drivers and volunteers must wear a mask. Masks will be made available for those that do not have one. Details: Mary Liddell, 870-643-2383 or marylddll@yahoo.
Sunday, Dec. 27
Boys & Girls Club giving away hats, gloves, toys, supplies
The Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County will give away hats, gloves, toys and other items Sunday, according to a news release. At Altheimer, from noon to 2 p.m., the event will be held on Front Street (Chestnut and Edline next to the railroad track.) At Pine Bluff, from 3-5 p.m., the event will occur at First United Methodist Church, 200 W. Sixth Ave. The Boys & Girls Club will give away hats, gloves, socks, Lysol wipes, hand sanitizer, toiletries (toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, etc.) blankets, laundry detergent, toys and other items. Details: Nyeshia Aldridge, chief executive officer, Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County, (870) 850-7500, ext. 102, or info@boysgirlsclubjc.org.
Tuesday, Dec. 29
Pine Bluff Commercial sets church news deadline
Church news is printed in The Commercial on Friday and the deadine for the next edition is noon Tuesday because of the holiday. The normal deadline to submit church news is noon Wednesday. Articles may be submitted by email to shope@adgnewsroom.com. Pastors, ministers or other writers interested in writing a religion column may submit articles for consideration by email. Please include your phone number, the name and location of your ministry or city where you reside, and your photo. Photos may also accompany church news by email.
Through Thursday, Dec. 31
Enchanted Land of Lights and Legends display open
The Enchanted Land of Lights and Legends is open from 6-9 p.m. every day through Dec. 31 at Pine Bluff’s Regional Park. The drive-through exhibit features more than 260 individual lighting displays, each one sponsored by an area business, family or individual. The light display stretches out for approximately 1.3 miles alongside the Arkansas River and includes exhibits such as Santa Claus and his reindeer, Nativity scenes, toy soldiers, ice skaters, carolers, sleigh rides and local landmarks, according to a spokesman.
Friday, Jan. 1, 2021
NAACP plans virtual Emancipation Proclamation Program
The Pine Bluff Branch of the NAACP will host its annual Emancipation Proclamation Program virtually at noon Friday, Jan. 1. Due to the coronavirus, this event will take place by Zoom video conferencing, according to a news release. The theme will be “We Are Done Dying: Unified to Stand Strong.” Judge Waymond Brown will be the guest speaker. The Zoom link for the Emancipation Proclamation program is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83951308086?pwd=OTAyVkhUZjR6eWZwWXB4THYybFpoZz09. Use Meeting ID: 839 5130 8086 and Passcode: 767503.
Through Saturday, Jan. 2
ASC hosts ‘Brothers by One’ display
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., will display “Brothers by One: The Black Athlete and Social Justice” through Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. An exhibit by Rex DeLoney, it is sponsored by Simmons Bank. This exhibition highlights the many ways that Black athletes used their celebrity status and media coverage to give attention to social justice issues; from boxer Muhammad Ali and his stance against the Vietnam War to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem as a statement against police brutality.
Thursday, Jan. 7
ASC reschedules Arkansas Political Cartoonist discussion
The Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas rescheduled the “Meet the Curator: Livestream Discussion of Arkansas Political Cartoonist George Fisher.” The event will be held Thursday, Jan. 7, at 5 p.m. on Instagram and Facebook. Adam D. Heien, processing archivist of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville’s Special Collections, and ASC Curator Chaney Jewell plan to discuss the importance of Fisher’s political cartoons.
Saturday, Jan. 16
Pine Bluff sets community cleanup for MLK Service Day
In honor of the 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, the city of Pine Bluff will host a community cleanup Saturday, Jan. 16, from 8 a.m. to noon. Volunteers should meet at 8 a.m. at Good Faith Carr United Methodist, 3703 Ryburn Road, according to a news release. Supplies and clean-up assignments will be given out at Good Faith, however, volunteers should provide their own transportation to clean-up sites, which will be located throughout the community. To protect against Covid-19, public health measures will be implemented, including social distancing and mask wearing. Details: Mayor Shirley Washington’s office, 870-730-2004.
Through Saturday, Jan. 23
Arts center hosts Ballots & Laughs
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas 701 S. Main St., will host the “Ballots & Laughs: Political Cartoons of Ray Walters” exhibit. It will be on display and online through Jan. 23, 2021, featuring a light-hearted perspective of the 1930s and ’40s political and social climate.
Events underway
Weekdays
New library offering curbside service
The Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System is offering curbside service at the new main library, Sixth Avenue and Main Street. The library is checking out materials with curbside service from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Library staff and patrons will follow social distancing and public health recommendations during pickup. Patrons may use their library cards to access the online catalog or call the main library at 870-534-4802 for curbside service. A staff member will contact the patron to arrange a curbside pickup time.
Neighbor to Neighbor open 5 days a week
Neighbor to Neighbor, 1419 S. Pine St., has reopened five days a week. The agency will be open Monday through Friday from 9-11:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m. For the sake of safety, Neighbor to Neighbor will continue serving to-go lunches at the door from noon to 1 p.m. and are available to anyone who is hungry. Masks are required to enter the building and hand sanitizer will be available at the door, according to a news release. New clients or those seeking assistance with bills or medications should call 870-534-2883 for an appointment.
Fathers & Sons collects clothes for Neighbor to Neighbor
Fathers & Sons Clothier in Jefferson Square is partnering with Neighbor to Neighbor to assist people in the community who need winter clothes, according to a news release. The store management is asking for the community to donate new socks, gently worn used coats, blankets, knit hats, scarves, gloves or other winter items. For anyone living outside the community who can’t bring in donations but want to contribute, they can send an email to Fathersandsons@att.net or call the store. Details: David Maddox, owner of Fathers & Sons, or Brandon Maddox or (870) 536-7848.
Tuesdays
Unity Christian Fellowship offers free financial classes
Unity Christian Fellowship Church (UCFC), 2712 S. Bay St., invites the community to its free Small Business and Personal Financial Education classes at 7 p.m. Tuesdays. Recent subjects included “The Importance of Having a Financial Plan” and “Financial Literacy,” according to Stuff in the Bluff website. “You cannot afford to miss out on these life-changing classes. We are practicing social distancing and will have hand sanitizer wipes available,” according to the site. Anthony Armstrong is the senior pastor. Details: unitychristianfellowship@live.com or 870-329-1182.
Fridays
St. John hosts weekly prayer calls
St. John AME Church at Pine Bluff invites the community to join them in a weekly conference call prayer for deliverance from the coronavirus crisis. The conference call will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to the pastor, Cecil L. Williams Jr. Participants must call in by 6:25 p.m. at 1-720-650-3030. The access code is 144-0205# . Details: www.facebook.com/St.JohnPineBluff.
Saturdays
St. Peter’s reopens Saturday Soup Kitchen
St. Peter Catholic Church, 15th Avenue and Alabama Street, reopened its Saturday Soup Kitchen for carry out meals only. The kitchen will be open every Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to the program held in the cafeteria, the red brick building, according to a news release.