American Legion
The American Legion Post 341 has suspended the collection of old flags. This policy will be in effect until further notice.
Bella Vista Historical Museum
The Bella Vista Historical Museum remains closed for now. The monthly Bella Vista Civil War Round Table meetings will resume after the museum reopens.
Bella Vista Library
While waiting to reopen the doors, Bella Vista librarians are offering curbside pickup. Patrons can call the library or access the card catalog online and reserve a book. The books are checked out, bagged, labeled with a portion of the borrower's name and left on a table in front of the entrance for pickup. There is a whiteboard behind the table which lists the procedures and rules. The library website contains current information at bvpl.org. Hoopla is a good way to access many things digitally. With just your library card, you can access music, movies, TV shows, ebooks and graphic novels online for free. Find it on the website under DISCOVER -- DIGITAL SERVICES.
City of Bella Vista
City Appliance Pickup -- Republic Services will offer a rescheduled appliance pickup, free of charge to Bella Vista residents with accounts in good standing during the week of Aug. 17. The 2020 spring pickup was canceled due to covid-19 concerns.
Residents should call City Hall during business hours to sign up. Signups will be accepted starting Monday, Aug. 3, through Friday, Aug. 14, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. City Hall is closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.
Items should be placed at the curb by 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17, regardless of individual pickup days. Depending on the number of participants, the pickup could take a few days.
Refrigerators or other items that use freon will be accepted if the freon has been professionally evacuated and tagged. Call 479-876-1255, opt. 4, to sign up or with any questions.
Christian Women's Connection
The Christian Women's Connection will not meet during the month of August. This includes the brunch and the Prayer Connection.
Courtesy Van
To ensure the safety of customers and drivers, the Courtesy Van has suspended all service until it is deemed safe to operate by health officials. Stay tuned for the time it is able to restart service.
Property Owners Association
The Bella Vista POA is following the Governor's Executive Order as it relates to requiring face (nose and mouth) covering/mask indoors and outdoors. Effective immediately, everyone must be wearing a mask to enter ANY POA facility. This now includes outdoor facilities such as the pool and beach. Examples include buying concessions, visiting bathroom/changing areas, check-in and exiting.
This mandate will be followed by POA Staff, both indoor and outdoor employees, following the six foot distancing guidelines in the Executive Order.
We have detailed instructions on our COVID-19 web page. PLEASE be considerate of the heavy volume of calls into Member Services and do not call them with mask questions. They will not be able to tell you anything different than what you can read on the web page or within the Executive Order. Thank you.
For more specific information on the order, please see Governor Hutchinson's EO 20-43 https://governor.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/executiveOrders/EO_20-43.pdf
Charity applications needed -- The board of directors of the POA receives many requests for funds each year. In order to establish a fair and equitable procedure for considering these requests, the Charitable Giving Committee handles accepting, evaluating, and awarding these requests. The Charitable Giving Committee is inviting applications for the POA Charitable Giving 2020 Project. The submission deadline is 4 p.m., Friday, July 31. For all criteria and applications go to https://bellavistapoa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020Committees_Charitable-Giving-POA-Grant-Application. Please submit all applications to [email protected].
Kids Fishing Derby -- is rescheduled to Aug. 7 at the pond behind the Metfield Clubhouse. Local children between the ages of 3 and 15 are welcome to participate. POA membership is not necessary. Parents do not need a license but must not aid children in reeling in fish. Participants must provide their own bait and tackle. The event starts at 8 a.m. and runs until noon. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. at the pond. Call the lakes department at 479-855-5068 with any questions.
Surrounding Area
Walton Arts Center has postponed Broadway shows and performances with audiences of more than 200 until January 2021 and launched the Ghost Light Recovery Fund to help cover the revenue shortfall created by the loss of programming due to health and safety restrictions to reduce the spread of covid-19.
The 2020-21 season lineup, scheduled to start in September, had been finalized but only shows in the P&G Broadway Series had been announced and on sale for subscribers.
Of those Broadway shows, My Fair Lady has rescheduled from this September to next summer -- Wednesday, July 28, through Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021. An Officer and a Gentleman is also shifting by a few weeks next spring to Tuesday, March 30, to Sunday, April 4, 2021.
Staff is working now to finalize changes to "Mean Girls", originally scheduled for November, and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", originally scheduled for December. The remainder in the series will proceed as scheduled: "Fiddler on the Roof" in April, "Come From Away" in May, and "Freestyle Love Supreme" in June.
Patrons with tickets to large shows or events previously rescheduled to this fall including Arlo Guthrie, Heather McMahan, Art of Wine and Hasan Minhaj will be contacted directly as soon as scheduling changes are finalized.
Honoring its commitment to bring arts experiences to Northwest Arkansas, Walton Arts Center will focus this fall on performances for smaller audiences with appropriate safety measures. Staff will also focus on arts integration training for teachers and creating online content for teachers and parents to use during the upcoming school year.
With this announcement, Walton Arts Center and the Walmart AMP face the loss of a year's worth of programming and its largest source of revenue -- ticket sales. Even though steps have been taken to reduce expenditures, there is still a deficit of more than $1 million to keep the organization operational.
Community support is more important now than ever before, and the community has responded. Donations during the last few months, including ticket donations and one-time gifts, total more than $534,000 and have become the inspiration for the Ghost Light Recovery Fund.
A ghost light is a long-held theatrical tradition. When theaters are unoccupied, a single light is left on to light the way for a safe return to the stage. A ghost light has been on our stage since the programming suspension in March.
Walton Arts Center has added ghost lights in Walker Atrium, the Walmart Lobby and Sudduth Garden Room. These lights will be on from dawn until dusk starting July 7.
The Ghost Light Recovery Fund will help enable Walton Arts Center to offset lost revenue from canceled performances, continue education and intermission programming, maintain facilities and support staff until full-scale performances can resume. Play a part in Walton Arts Center and the Walmart AMP's second act by donating today at www.waltonartscenter.org/ghostlight.