Emergency personnel from numerous area departments in Benton and Washington Counties will be training at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Saturday morning, and what could appear to passers-by as a major emergency because of all the people and equipment is only a training exercise to handle such an emergency should it occur. The training will begin about 9 a.m.
A green heron catches a minnow in the shallows of SWEPCO Lake near the Eagle Watch Viewing platform. The trail and viewing area provided by SWEPCO are a popular spot for watching birds and other native wildlife. Photo by Terry Stanfill.
A women’s self-defense class will be held from 10 a.m. until 12 noon, Saturday, Oct. 17, at the family activity center of the First Baptist Church in Gentry.
The classes are for women of any age and will not require strenuous physical activity. Basic and easy skills will be taught and demonstrated. Women attending should wear sweats or casual clothing.
Classes will be taught by Sterling Pollard and Becky Glass — both experienced in Taekwondo.
A $20 fee will be charged, but all proceeds will go to support Gentry’s junior high cheerleaders.
The Highfill Fire Department is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary with a special catered dinner on Saturday, Dec. 5.
All Highfill fire department personnel, past and present, along with their families, are invited to the event. Those planning to attend are asked to R.S.V.P. by Nov. 25 so that arrangements for the dinner can be made.
For more information, call Gary Holland at 601-3329 or Heather Holland at 619-8020.
The Courier-Journal is asking fire fighters to share any stories and photos of historical significance for an upcoming article on the department and its 30-year history. Stories and photos may be shared directly with the newspaper or by giving them to Gary Holland.
Kyla Horton will entertain the crowds with her country-western singing. Photo by Randy Moll
People in the Gentry area will have no excuse on Saturday to say, “I’ve nothing to do,” because the annual Fall Festival plans include a multitude of activities.
Options for the special day in Gentry include everything from watching a football game, eating hot wings, watching sky divers jump from planes and glide into the park under canopy chutes, checking out a car show, watching a burn-out contest, riding camels and even participating in pageants for girls and boys of all ages.
Music lovers can’t complain about options either. There’s a Meagan White concert, a Kyla Horton concert, a worship and praise concert and a concert that will feature entertainers playing and singing the part of Conway Twitty, Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison.
“We have just added a couple of new events,” said Bev Saunders, Gentry Chamber of Commerce director. “One will be showing the Razorback football game on a TV in the park. Thanks to Cox Cable providing the hookup for us, those die-hard Razorback fans will be able to come to the park, enjoy the activities and still cheer for the Hogs.”
“Another fun event will be the hot wing eating contest hosted and sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings. In addition to the contest, they will also be passing out hot wing samples as long as their supply lasts,” Saunders added. The Hot wing eating contest will be held sometime between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
“We’re working it into our schedule, so we’re not sure, but this time frame should give those interested a good idea,” she said.
Other events on the long list of activities include the following:
Sky divers from Skydive Skyranch will be dropping in twice on Saturday afternoon.
• Noon — Tug-a-fire truck contest for youth, 14-20, with the winner getting $250 in cash to donate to a local charity, plus T-shirts sponsored by Decatur State Bank / Gentry Bank;
• 1 p.m. — Car burn-out contest and Buffalo Wild Wings hot wing eating contest;
• 2 p.m. — Turning Point Fellowship praise and worship concert;
• 3 p.m. — Sky divers will be dropping in from above;
• 3 p.m. — Talent show with $200 for the winner and $100 for the runner up, sponsored by Arvest Bank;
• 4 p.m. — Tug-a-fire truck finals and car show winners announced;
• 4:30 p.m. – Meagan White concert;
• 5 p.m. Sky divers dropping in again;
• 5:30 p.m. Kyla Horton concert (don’t forget to tell her “Happy Birthday”);
• 7 p.m. Blast From the Past Concert.
All-day events will include a softball tournament (call 479-233-0074); the car show (479-957-3176 or 479-957-3415); inflatables for the children, with a $10 all-day arm band; lots of games hosted by Gentry United Way agencies; arts and craft booths; a pumpkin painting patch hosted by Bloomfield 4-H; wagon rides and camel rides.
The Quilt Fair, sponsored by McKee Foods, will be open Saturday and others days from Oct. 9 through Oct.16 at the Gentry City Library, with hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day except Sunday.
Miss and Mister Oktoberfest Pageants will be held in the Gentry High School Auditorium all day Saturday. Pageant information is available by calling Darla Wilson at 479-736-8919 or Kay Cripps at 479-736-8585.
By city ordinance, no dogs are allowed in the park during the Fall Festival.
“There are so many fun things to do this year, I hope everyone will come to the park and enjoy the activities and stay for the evening concert,” Saunders said. “Be sure to bring your lawn chair and jacket,” she added.
Cars lined the walk in Gentry's city park for the fall car show last year. Even more cars are expected at the Gentry-Fire-Department-sponsored Show Your Ride Car Show this year at Gentry's Fall Festival
The Gentry Courier-Journal online edition, including this week’s print edition content is now available at www.nwanews.com/gentry.
The ninth annual Octoberfest Pageants will be held in conjunction with Gentry’s Octoberfest activities scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10.
Gentry Middle School Future Business Leaders of America and Gentry Middle School Parent Involvement will be sponsoring the annual Miss Octoberfest Pageants in the Gentry High School Auditorium.
Age divisions are from 0 months to 18 years old, with some of the younger divisions including boys.
Applications are online at the www.gentrypioneers.com website. The deadline for applications is Monday, Oct. 5.
For more information, contact Kaye Cripps at 736-8585 or Darla Wilson at 736-8919. Late applications will be accepted by contacting Darla Wilson at dwilson@gentrypioneers.com or calling 238-5887.
By Randy Moll, Managing Editor
Three juveniles were arrested today in connection with yesterday’s threats of a bomb at a Gentry school, and a fourth juvenile is being called “a person of interest.”
According to a late afternoon press release from Gentry Police Chief Keith Smith, his department arrested three teen-age boys who dialed Benton County’s 911 system at least three times yesterday afternoon, threatening that a bomb would be at the Gentry schools. In the last call, the threat was more specific, with the caller saying the bomb would be at the Gentry Middle School.
Through investigation by police and school officials and tips called in to the police, three Gentry students were identified, according to the release. Used in making identification were Gentry school bus camera systems, 911 recordings and other evidence, the release states. A cell phone used in the crimes was also recovered and has been identified as belonging to a relative of one of the accused boys.
Through multiple interviews, police learned that the boys made the plan while at school on Wednesday. One of the boys brought the cell phone to school yesterday so they could carry out the plan.
Evidence indicates all three juveniles were involved in the crimes, the release states. Police believe a fourth student was also involved and are calling the student a person of interest.
The three boys arrested were transported to the Benton County Juvenile Detention Center today, according to the release. They were being held on charges of terrorist threatening and tampering with physical evidence, both Class D felonies, according to the release.
Schools remained open in Gentry today, in spite of the threats. Police and school officials took extra safety precautions, including the use of bomb-sniffing dogs, to ensure the safety of students and staff.
A number of 911 calls were received Thursday which included threats of a possible bomb at the Gentry Middle School on Friday.
According to Gentry Police Chief Keith Smith, four to five 911 calls from cell phones came in Thursday afternoon saying a bomb would go off at a Gentry school. The last caller, according to Smith, said he saw a note indicating a bomb would go off on Friday at the Gentry Middle School. The callers, according to Smith, were said to have sounded like teenage boys.
Though schools will remain open, police and school officials are taking every precaution to ensure the safety of students and staff at the schools. In addition to police presence and extra precautions by faculty and staff at the schools, bomb-sniffing dogs will be brought to the schools for a search in the morning.
“We regard this as a low-level threat,” Smith said. “There is no corroborating evidence to verify what the caller said.”
Yet Smith emphasized that his department and the schools were not taking the threat lightly, but were taking every precaution for the safety of all involved.
Crime-scene tape closed off the front doors at Smith Drug Thursday afternoon following an attempted robbery at the store.
Police are looking for a man who attempted to rob the Smith Drug Store in Gentry shortly before 4 p.m. today. Police quickly set up a perimeter and were searching in nearby fields and buildings and watching roads in the area shortly after they received the call, but ended the search as darkness approached.
According to police, a man entered Smith Drug store Thursday afternoon with a note, demanding all the store’s oxycodone of prescription strength. He claimed he had a gun and would use it if store employees did not comply with his request.
Gentry police said they are looking for a man in his mid to late 20s, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, of a thin build, with light-colored hair and clean shaven. He was wearing a green-colored stocking or skull cap – not pulled over his face – and a green-colored army-type jacket during the robbery attempt.
No one was injured in the robbery attempt, and the man fled the store empty-handed and on foot. Police say he may have had a vehicle nearby.
Police did recover the note, demanding the drugs.
Anyone with information about the robbery attempt is urged to call the Gentry Police Department at 736-8400. Callers can remain anonymous.