UAM recital to feature Young Artist winner
A piano recital featuring Anna Han, the 2023 National Federation of Music Clubs’ Young Artist winner, will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Harris Recital Hall in the Music Building at University of Arkansas at Monticello.
The recital will last approximately one hour. This event is free and open to the public.
The UAM Division of Music, in collaboration with the Monticello Music Club and Pine Bluff Musical Coterie, will host the event.
“American pianist Anna Han, described by The Washington Post as ‘prodigiously gifted,’ is celebrated for her heartfelt performances across a diverse classical piano repertoire,” according to a news release. “As the first prize winner of the 2023 NFMC Young Artist Auditions and the second prize winner of the 2023 Naumburg International Piano Competition, Han’s impressive career includes 11 concertos with orchestras, over 70 solo concerts and more than 100 chamber music recitals. Her recent performances have taken her to prestigious venues such as the Pierre Boulez Saal in Germany, the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland and the National Concert Hall of Taipei.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Currently, Han is the pianist-in-residence at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Nova Scotia. There, her performances include nearly five hours of Beethoven’s music for his 250th birthday celebration and two solo Schumann programs.
Details: Justin Anders, chair and associate professor of music at UAM, at anders@uamont.edu or (870) 460-1860.
Drew County sets voter registration event
Drew County NAACP Branch 6042 invites the community to the Southeast Regional Library at Monticello to register to vote and be educated about the voting process. The event will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 17.
Drew County NAACP joins a coalition of thousands of partners across the country that will celebrate National Voter Registration Day with a coordinated democracy blitz aimed at getting every eligible American registered to vote in advance of the general election Nov. 5, according to a news release.
“Making sure that we exercise our rights as voters is a part of our mission as an NAACP branch,” said Clarissa Pace, president of the Drew County NAACP Branch 6042. “We are just doing our part to help America from down below.”
The website NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org lists National Voter Registration Day events across the country and includes comprehensive and state-specific resources on voter registration and voting more generally.
At the Monticello event, there will be $25 drawings for newly registered voters.
For details, contact Lou Lambert, event coordinator and branch membership committee chair, at (870) 723-4590, email naacp6042@gmail.com or visit dcnaacp6042.org.
AGFC: No hunting fatals in 2023-24
Hunters pursuing their passions on private and public land throughout the 2023-24 hunting seasons reported only 19 incidents, and, for the first time since 2018, had no fatalities as a result of hunting accidents in the woods and waters of Arkansas.
In addition to the lack of fatalities, the report indicates only two hunting incidents involving a firearm from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission reported last week.
“That is the lowest number of accidents involving firearms I have seen since I’ve been at the AGFC,” said Joe Huggins, AGFC Hunter Education Program coordinator. “We had one incident involving a crossbow, but really only two were the result of a firearm discharge.”
The record is far from perfect as Arkansas actually saw a small increase in hunting incidents requiring hospitalization from 16 the previous year.
As usual, the number one cause of hunting incidents involving a visit to the hospital was falling from a treestand. Fourteen of the 19 incidents involved falls, and in each of those cases a safety harness was not being used at the time of the fall.
“It’s just like life jackets with boating,” Huggins said. “It’s not going to help you if you’re not wearing it and connecting it to the tree. Take a minute to learn how to put it on before you leave the ground. Even falls from a few feet can cause major damage or death if you land wrong.”
Huggins says the peak time for treestand falls is when hunters are climbing into or exiting the stand, and this is also a time when many are not wearing their harness.
“There are lifeline devices available to attach your harness that will keep you secure during the climb,” Huggins said. “With these devices, there’s really no excuse not to be attached from the time you leave the ground until the time you get back down.”