Churches announce Easter carnival
New St. Hurricane Missionary Baptist Church and Old St. James Missionary Baptist Church will host an Easter Carnival at Hurricane Fitness Park, 3319 S. Ohio St., on April 4 from 12:30-2:30 p.m.
There will be an Easter Egg Hunt, carnival games, candy and other treats, family fellowship and prizes, according to a flyer.
A Golden Egg raffle will be held for golden members ages 65 and older.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Double Wells plans event
Double Wells Assembly of God, 12924 Sulphur Springs Road, will host a Palm Sunday Egg Hunt egg hunt on Sunday following morning service. There will be free hamburgers and hot dogs, according to a flyer.
Area Agency announces menu
Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas offers lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays at the senior centers. Here’s next week’s menu:
March 30 — Ravioli with sauce, peas and carrots, lettuce salad, garlic bread, hot cinnamon applesauce and milk.
March 31 — Cheesy chicken and potato casserole, Brussels sprouts, dinner roll, winter fruit and milk.
April 1 — Taco soup, tortilla chips, salsa, lettuce salad, fruit and milk.
April 2 — Smothered pork cutlet, pickled beets, broccoli, roll, cobbler and milk.
April 3 — On Good Friday, the senior centers will be closed, however Area Agency offices and SEAT (Southeast Arkansas Transportation) will be open, according to a spokesman.
Ivy Center plans educational events
The Ivy Center for Education will present several events in April.
April 2 from 6-8 p.m. — A free ACT boot camp will be held to review English and Math. The facilitator will be Charity Smith-Allen with Fetterman & Associates. The workshop is on Zoom only. Use Meeting ID: 856 8296 4187 and Passcode: 351061.
April 7 from 6-7 p.m. — Future Medical Professionals “Club Scrub Workshop” will be held at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) South Central Medical Center, 1601 W. 40th Ave. The topic will be Health Care in Action: Who Takes Care of Me? Students will rotate through interactive stations to experience how doctors, nurses, and pharmacists work together to care for patients. Scholars in seventh through 12th grades and parents are encouraged to attend in person or on Zoom using Meeting ID: 856 8296 4187 and Passcode: 351061.
April 9 from 6-8 p.m. — A free ACT boot camp will be held to review Science and Reading. The facilitator will be Charity Smith-Allen with Fetterman & Associates. The workshop is on Zoom only. Use Meeting ID: 856 8296 4187 and Passcode: 351061.
April 19 from 6-6:30 p.m. — Ivy Center College Tour meeting will be held for parents, scholars and chaperones on Zoom using Meeting ID: 856 8296 4187 and Passcode: 351061.
April 30 from 6-8 p.m. — Ivy Center Future Medical Professionals “Club Scrub” White, Green and Black Coat Ceremony will be held. The club’s graduating high school seniors will also be recognized. The speaker will be Dr. Brandi Wright, a local nephrologist. The community is invited to join the Ivy Center for Education on Facebook Live and the Heat Magazine.
Details: Mattie Collins at kencol1@msn.com or mattie1908@gmail.com.
‘Pints & Plants’ workshop set
Throughout 2026, Zeb Gattis, Sebastian County horticulture agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is using a shared love of brew and camaraderie to draw gardeners to public discussions on horticulture.
Gattis’ “Pints & Plants” workshop series has been offered monthly since December 2025, typically drawing 30-35 attendees to each gathering at Fort Smith Brewing Co. He said he originally got the idea from an ongoing project at a brewery in Fayetteville, which introduces home brewing enthusiasts to the horticultural underpinnings of their beloved beverages.
“It’s a cool little thing that gets people in to learn something new in a community atmosphere,” Gattis said. “As a horticulture agent, I’m primarily trying to teach people about lawns, trees and gardens. But I also want to do things that bring people together.
“A lot of the people who show up are pretty good friends with one another, but they don’t always have an excuse to hang out, so that’s what I’m trying to give them,” he said.
Gattis said that while the goals of the series aren’t specifically to promote brewing, most of his attendees have been gardeners with at least a peripheral interest in beer. “Our first session was all about growing hops, mostly in the garden for anyone who wanted to start home brewing,” he said. “It was a novel idea to a lot of the people who showed up. At the end, the brewery owner brought out hops that he uses in brewing and let people smell and taste them.”
The next Pints & Plants workshop is scheduled for April 25 at 12:30 p.m. and will discuss aspects of landscape, fruit and bonsai trees. Future events will discuss flower arrangements, small berries, pumpkins and more. Each event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Gattis at zgattis@uada.edu.