Stormy Start For The Week

KAIT8 posted a scary looking weather map on Facebook this morning. Looks like we are in for some storms this afternoon. This is what we get for having warmer than usual temperatures. Stay alert today and stay safe. We are just weeks away from the first day of spring. We know this can be a turbulent time for weather in these parts.

Clay County Arts Council treated the community to the annual Night of Chocolate dinner theater on Saturday. Always a good time, it did not disappoint this year. The play, “Daddy’s Dyin’ Who’s Got the Will” provided laughter and some emotional moments after a great meal provided by the Traveling Wisk. There was, of course, a plethora of chocolate desserts and the pre-requisite chocolate fountain which flowed from beginning to end. Thank you CCAC and the RHS Thespian troupe for a splendid evening.

The Thespian troupe was busy last weekend too, as they participated in events and competitions at the annual State Thespian Festival. They came home with a bunch of awards. Congratulations to Laura Johnson who received a Superior rating for costume design and a $3,000.00 annual scholarship for 4 years to Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. She has also been invited to compete in the 2020 International Thespian Festival. I think that deserves a “WOW!”

Paige Butler, also a winner, received an Excellent Rating for Makeup Design. Good job. Zane Holloway earned an Excellent Rating for Solo Musical and was elected a State Thespian Officer for the 2020-2021 year. Congratulations to you all. You make Rector proud. We do love our entertainers.

More Rector pride go out to Fifth Grader, Adam Holmes, who recently launched a new school newspaper. Adam does all the writing and reporting himself and has the help of his teacher, Lauren Dorman when it is time to print. The weekly paper is then distributed with a special copy going to Elementary School Principal, Mark Manchester. Adam was interviewed for the Arkansas Press Association Publisher Weekly. I think that’s pretty impressive. A budding journalist is something to encourage. Keep it up, Adam.

And more school news. Yancey Bailey, Lastin Lindsey, and Dillon Mobley finished 1^st in the annual Weld-A-Thon at ASU, Jonesboro. Congratulations to these gentlemen and to Mr. Hollis their instructor. The trades are a foundation of our nation. Welding certainly comes in handy.

Last week was Random Acts of Kindness Week and Rector students excelled in their kind acts. From decorating their classrooms and catching others in random acts of kindness to awarding the most outstanding, they exhibited the strong thread of kindness toward others that gives us all strength and comfort. Thank you. Kindness is one of those things that makes the giver and the recipient both feel better.

Along those same lines, I want to give a huge shout out to our Bucket Brigades that manned the buckets for the annual Make a Wish Drive. They are out there every year rain or shine and the community is always generous. Thank you all.

Early voting is happening now at the courthouse. Who is your favorite candidate? Now is the time to make your wishes known.

Next weekend is the annual Ryan Rogers Chili, Soup, Cook-off. at the Rector Community Center. They are still taking reservations for cooks, so contact Linda Robinson at the Rector Water Office 870 595-3035 for entry forms and registration information, if you are interested. If you don’t want to cook, come for dinner at 6:00 pm. You can sample the entries and have a good meal of chili, soup or jambalaya for a modest fee of $5.00. It includes a drink and desert. That’s February 29^th. See you there. Cooks should be there by 4:30.

Do not forget that Cory Jackson will be the entertainment at the Rector Community Museum, Third Thursday mini concert on April 16. Ticket prices are $10.00 - $25.00. Contact Joey Pruett for tickets: 870 595-4053.

Another reminder that the Census Bureau is looking for census takers for the Rector area. If you are looking for some extra money and working your own hours and getting paid while you are in training, you might do well to look into this temporary part time job. It pays $17.00 per hour plus .58 cents per mile. You can set your own hours and paid training is provided. There are several different positions open. You can view the job descriptions at www.2020census.gov/jobs and can submit an application online. I will post information frequently between now and April 1.

There is more posted on the www.Rectorarkansas.com website and on the Rector, Arkansas Facebook page. Check it out. And be sure to complete your census when it arrives.

That’s it for this week. I am always updating the Rector website. Please take a look at the web page and let me know if there are updates or changes that need to be made. I do take suggestions and criticism fairly well. www.rectorarkansas.com . It’s your page for your town, so give me your input.

What else is going on that you would like to see in this column? Give me a heads up and I will share it with everyone else. Email: porchswing@newwavecomm.net . Phone number (870) 595-4997.

God bless our troops.