Grand Prairie Quilt Society to meet
Grand Prairie Quilt Society will meet at 10 a.m. April 14 at First Christian Church, 10th and Main streets at Stuttgart. The group meets the second Wednesday of the month, according to a news release.
Church to dedicate community garden
Barraque Street Missionary Baptist Church invites the public to the dedication of its community garden, 1811 W. Pullen Ave. (across the street from the church campus) at 9 a.m. Saturday.
“The church/community garden is a partnership designed to encourage members and residents in the Pine Bluff Northside/University Park Community to eat home-grown nutritious fruits and vegetables, and promote healthy living through gardening,” according to a news release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Scholarship sign-up deadline extended
The Unified Christian Alliance Scholarship application deadline has been extended until April 9 for high school seniors from the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County area. The scholarship is for students to attend the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, according to a news release.
Applications are available at high school counselors’ offices or from Jennifer Lee, president and founder of Unified Christian Alliance.
Applications are easy to apply for without the usual grade point averages or any administrative cost requirements. Donations for these scholarships are tax exempt and still being accepted for the 2021-22 school year awards.
For additional scholarship opportunities, to obtain applications, make donations or for details, people may contact Jennifer Lee at jenniferlee1321@sbcglobal or (870) 692-0257.
Farm conference set for April 29
The 11th annual Bi-States Cooperative Extension Program Small Scale Producer Conference will be held virtually April 29 beginning at 9:25 a.m. The conference is sponsored by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Small Farm Program and Prairie View A&M University Agriculture and Natural Resources Program.
Topics will include the Natural Resources Conservation Service EQIP cost-share program, silviculture, timber management, beef herd health, best practices for co-grazing goats and cattle, virtual farm tourism and timber exemption, according to a news release.
To register, interested producers should visit https://pvpanther.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqc-qqqjIvGdAqXFllZa-n0rgYquuRgk05. Details: Kandi Williams, UAPB Extension program aide, at (870) 571-9428 or williamska@uapb.edu, or Brandon Hawkins, Prairie View Extension agent, at (903) 628-6702 or brhawkins@pvamu.edu.
Preservation program awards grants
The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program announced eight recipients of the 2021 Certified Local Government Grants, including southeast Arkansas communities.
The grants are funded through the program’s annual Historic Preservation Fund, a grant administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service, according to a news release.
Grants totaling $222,927.55 were awarded to the following: Pine Bluff: $1,500; Texarkana: $2,286; El Dorado: $22,648.80; Conway: $19,223.75; Eureka Springs: $43,570; Fayetteville: $65,000; Fort Smith: $19,600; and Little Rock: $50,599.
The grants can be used for various historic preservation projects, including architectural surveys of sites or districts, preparation of nominations for the National Register of Historic Places, development of educational materials for property owners and rehabilitation of local structures. The grants also can be used for training and support to local historic district commissions.