The Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Conway, and the Arkansas Highway & Transportation Department (AHTD) for a dedication and ribbon cutting on the new Interstate 40 Interchange on Friday, May 2 at 10:00 am.

The dedication will take place near the east bound on ramp and parking will be north off of Hwy 64 between the highway and the new on-ramps. Officials from AHTD will be on hand to help with parking.

Ozark Foothills FilmFest is currently accepting submissions for the 8th annual festival, set for March 26-29, 2009 in Batesville, Arkansas.  The festival is non-competitive.  Entries are accepted in two categories:

OFFICIAL SELECTION.  Narrative or documentary films an hour or longer in length.  Films are accepted in any format.  Six to eight Official Selections are screened during the festival.

INDIE FILM SHOWCASE.  Narrative, documentary, animated, or experimental films less than an hour in length.  Showcase films are screened in groups organized by subject.  A minimum of four showcases are scheduled during the festival, including approximately 24 short films. 

Filmmakers whose work is chosen as an OFFICIAL SELECTION will be invited to attend the festival to present and discuss their work; lodging and travel expenses will be provided.  Special consideration is given to filmmakers from Arkansas and neighboring states.  Filmmakers age 18 and under are urged to submit their work to the organization’s annual T Tauri Film Festival, www.ttauri.org.

Submissions must be accompanied by a non-refundable $10 entry fee.  Films will not be returned unless sufficient return postage is provided.  A complete entry form is available at www.ozarkfoothillsfilmfest.org. All entries must be received by December 1, 2008.  Mail entries to Ozark Foothills FilmFest, 195 Peel Road, Locust Grove, AR 72550.  Filmmakers will be notified of selection by January 1, 2009. For additional information call 870-251-1189, or email filmfest@hughes.net.

Send us a photo of yourself or friends with a KFFB Shirt, KFFB Coffee Mug, KFFB Notepad, KFFB Balloon, etc., anything with a KFFB Logo on it, and you could win lots of cool prizes including Free Branson Show Tickets, Gift certificates from The Dixie Cafe. To send in your photo, please email it to kffb@kffb.com or send it to KFFB 106.1 FM P.O. Box 1050, Fairfield Bay, Ar 72088. We reserve the right to reject or not use any photos that we receive, by sending in photos you are agreeing that your photos can be posted online by our webmaster.

The two rows of Arkansas counties near the border with Missouri could see some frost in the late night hours of tonight and towards sunrise on Tuesday (4/29). Another cold front came through the state today (Monday) and brought more cold air. Yes, this is unusual for so late in April…

By Wednesday we’ll have highs in the upper 70s–more like normal.

The Springfest Car Show

The Floyds (left) Rachel, DeSonya, Ara Grace, and Kathreen

Kathryn Floyd and Shaun Connell Enjoy Rosted Peanuts

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark., April 28 – The Army Corps of Engineers is reminding interested persons that maintenance work will begin May 5 on the Arkansas Highway 25 Bridge across Greers Ferry Dam.  In the interest of safety, this will cause traffic to be restricted to one lane from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day for about 30 days.  

Corps officials ask motorists to be patient when traveling this route because delays can be expected as the flow of traffic alternates across the dam.  Drive slowly, and keep a watchful eye out for workers and machinery.

For more information about the bridge work or other Greers Ferry Lake issues, call the Greers Ferry Lake Project Office at (501) 362-2416, or stop by the office located near the dam on Arkansas Highway 25, three miles north of Heber Springs.

Pioneer Days is an annual celebration where past and present residents come together. Featured activities include a parade, rodeo, and musical entertainment. Food and other vendors attend.

Admission: Free parade and musical entertainment. Fee for rodeo. For more information call Mike Cone P.O. Box 278 Melbourne, AR 72556 (870) 368-4215 cityofmelbourne@centurytel.net www.melbournear.com

Well, The answer is quite simple…
Long ago, steamboats traveled the Arkansas River when the water was at the right depth. When it wasn’t, the captains and their crew tied up to wait where the Toad Suck Lock and Dam now spans the river. While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern there, to the dismay of the folks living nearby, who said: “They suck on the bottle ’til they swell up like toads.” Hence, the name Toad Suck. The tavern is long gone, but the legend and fun live on at Toad Suck Daze. For more Information go to Toad Suck Daze

Toad Suck Daze is a 3-day festival of Food, Family and Fun held on the downtown streets of Conway, Arkansas. This ’Laid Back Weekend’ occurs annually the first weekend in May and has something for the entire family; arts & crafts, ‘Toadal Kids Zone’, a carnival, local and national entertainment, food, rock wall, petting zoo, ‘Stuck on a Truck’, 5K/10K, a golf tournament, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, magicians, and so much more! Toad Suck Daze is also home to ‘The World Championship Toad Races’; “on your mark, get set, Toad”! The festival is run almost exclusively by volunteers from Conway and around Faulkner County, including the local police and fire departments. It has free admission and proceeds go to support higher education in Faulkner County. During the last 26 years, over $500,000 has been given to close to 165 students. Get out and experience this award winning festival in person!

Tom Fisher of Fairfield Bay was either skillful enough or lucky enough to make the first Hole-in-One in the Annual Chamber of Commerce Golf Scramble on Saturday, April, 19th.  He used a 5-iron on the challenging 165-yard, uphill hole.  The shot was worth $10,000 through the National Hole-in-One Association insurance company.  Tom is a civil engineer for the Arkansas Highway Transportation Department in Conway.  His partners in the scramble were Mike Howard, Barry Gunn, and Clint Gunn, playing for the team sponsored by First Service Bank of Clinton.  The Hole-in-One insurance package was sponsored by Heber Springs State Bank.  Story from the Fairfield Bay News