Public Invited To Joint Town Hall Meeting

There will be a Joint Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at the Indian Hills Country Club at 1 p.m. Both the City of Fairfield Bay and the Fairfield Bay Community Club will participate. Everyone is welcome to attend. The board will meet for their regular scheduled meeting on Tuesday, December 6 at 9:30 a.m. in the conference room in the Bay City Complex, the public is invted to attend.

Lighting of Ed Leamon Park…Saturday, Nov 26 family and friends gathered at the Senior Center in Fairfield Bay to sing Christmas carols, enjoy delicious snacks and partake in the annual Christmas Lighting of Ed Leamon Park. The employees of the Comunity Club Public Works and Utilities Department spent 30 days decorating the park. Pictured top, Buster Westmoreland leads the group in Christmas carols and the picture above bottom is of the manger scene.

A New York City’s New Year’s Eve

Event Committee Carlene Barra, chair The Events Committee is hosting a fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration at the Indian Hills Country Club on December 31, 2011. You don’t want to miss this event. We have a great DJ coming with music from any era that you may choose. We will start the evening with the Big Band sound but will certainly experience the sounds of the 60’s, disco, country, and probably some rap. Get your New Year’s Eve attire (top hats, canes, party dresses, tuxedos, etc.) out of storage and plan to have a great time. We will have hors d’oeuvres throughout the evening and champagne at 11:00 while we watch the dropping of the ball in New York City. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Recreation office 884-6008 or from any Event Committee member. Mary Baker 884-3785 is in charge of ticket sales. Ticket sales are limited due to space. So, get them early.

“Winter Rose”…The Fairfield Bay United Methodist Church Choir here is rehearsing for their Christmas program titled “Winter Rose”, to be presented on Dec 4, 2011 at 3 p.m. The general public is invited to come and enjoy this wonderful Christmas musical program. The choir will be directed by Vincent Biondi.  Refreshments will be available following the program in Fellowship Hall. For more information, call the church office at 501-884-3373 or reference our website at www.fairfieldbayumc.org

FFB Baptist Church Christmas Concert Scheduled

The Fairfield Bay Baptist Church family invites their friends and neighbors to join them as they celebrate Christmas through music at their annual Christmas concert on Sunday, December 11 and Monday,  December 12 at 7 p.m. Choral numbers, ensembles, and solos will blend together in honor of the birth of the Christ child. There is no charge for the concert, however, a free will offering will be taken to benefit foreign missions.

Constable Announces Reelection Run

Ingram Philips, the Fairfield Bay/Indian Rock Township Constable, announced today he is standing for 2012 reelection. Now in his second term, Constable Philips is running as a Republican candidate in the May primary. If successful, his name will be on the November General Election ballot. “Serving the residents and guests of our community is a privilege,” Ingram states. “I cannot tell you all how grateful I am for this opportunity. Hopefully, the voters want me to continue for a third term.” Further, he said, “If reelected, my primary focus is much the same: to provide residential and business patrol, assistance to travelers and vacationers, community education and traffic safety. I seek to provide a positive benefit to the township. My sworn obligation is enforcement of Arkansas law. I try to be even-handed: warning rather than writing, being where security and safety are needed and supporting the Fairfield Bay Police, Fire and Rescue. In my first three years, I obtained mandatory and optional training, experienced many situations faced by officers at patrol level and participated in local activities—parades, festivals, public meetings and weather emergencies. This is my home and this is my service contribution.” Of Arkansas’ 700 constables, Constable Philips is one of 100 certified by the state. He also met standards as a part time police officer, court security officer (bailiff), speed radar officer, DWI detection and testing, drug investigation, interrogation techniques and crime prevention. He serves as secretary of the Arkansas Constable Association. In March, he served the Arkansas House of Representatives as chaplain. Ingram is the husband of Care Cap Connections founder, Mary Philips. He is president and “the shipping department” for over 38,000 garments made by volunteers and donated to chemotherapy patients all over the nation. He is a retired Army officer. In 30 years military service, he received many awards to include the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal six times and, for combat duty in Iraq, two campaign stars. Arkansas constables are elected for two-year terms. They are required by law to purchase all uniforms and equipment, drive a properly-marked vehicle and pass State-mandated training courses and firearms qualifications. They are, generally, unpaid and not reimbursed for expenses.

VFW Ladies Auxiliary December Meal

Are you tired of Turkey & Ham?  Please join your Fairfield Bay VFW Ladies Auxiliary December meal.  Saturday, December 3, 5-7 p.m.  ALL YOU CAN EAT- Spaghetti-Cheese Garlic Bread-Salad-all the trimmings and our Homemade Desserts for only $8 -Children under 10 years $5-NO TAX or GRATUITY.  The VFW is located on Hwy. 330 South.  All meals are Non-Smoking-PUBLIC WELCOME and Carry Outs available.  ALL proceeds go to our MANY Veteran and Community Programs.  Hope to see you at the V.

IHCC Golf News 11-30

Brady Fennel /Golf Professional

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I want to remind you about the upcoming events at the club… Today, I will be teaching a SeeMore Putting Clinic from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Come out and learn the SeeMore Putting System and try out different SeeMore Putters for FREE! I also want to remind you about our Holiday Sale next Tuesday, December 6^th from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. We will have complimentary drinks and snacks and all items in the Golf Shop will be on SALE! Come out and start/continue/finish your holiday shopping with us! Finally, as a reminder, all golf shop credits must be redeemed by December 31^st.

 As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me! I hope to see you soon at the club! Happy Holidays!

Manage Your Money Carefully This Holiday Season

As you know, the holiday season can be joyous, hectic, celebratory — and expensive. And while you certainly enjoy hosting family gatherings and giving presents to your loved ones, you’ll find these things even more pleasurable if they don’t add a lot more weight to your debt load. And that’s why you’ll want to follow some smart money-management techniques over the next few weeks. To begin with, try to establish realistic budgets for both your entertaining and your gift giving. When you host family and friends, don’t go overboard on your expenditures. Your guests will still appreciate your efforts, which, with a little creativity, can create a welcoming and fun experience for everyone. As a guiding principal, keep in mind these words attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the famous German poet and philosopher: “What you can do without, do without.” Set a budget and stick to it. And the same rule applies to your gifting. You don’t need to find the most expensive presents, or overwhelm recipients with the sheer volume of your gifts. This is especially true if you, like so many people, have been affected by the tough economy. Everyone you know will understand that gifts don’t have to be lavish to be meaningful. Furthermore, by sticking to a budget, you won’t be tempted to dip into your long-term investments to pay for fabulous parties or mountains of gifts. It’s never a good idea to tap long-term investments for short-term needs, but can be especially bad when your investment prices are down, as they may well be this year. So, if you want to stick to a budget but you don’t want to raid your investments, how can you pay for your holiday season expenses? If you can spread out your purchases, you may be able to pay for them from your normal cash flow. But if that’s not possible, you might want to consider “plastic” — your credit card. Using your credit card does not, by itself, need to amount to a financial setback, especially if you’ve chosen a card that offers favorable terms and you’ve already shown the discipline not to over-use that card. Just try to minimize your credit card usage over the holidays and pay off your card as soon as you can. Of course, you can make your holiday season much easier, financially speaking, if you’ve set up a holiday fund to cover your various expenses. While it’s too late to set up such a fund this year, why not get an early start on the 2012 holiday season? All you need to do is put away some money each month into an easily accessible account, separate from your everyday accounts. You don’t have to put in a great deal, but you do need to be consistent, which is why you may want to have the money moved automatically, once a month, from your checking or savings account to your holiday fund. When next year’s holiday season rolls around, you might be pleasantly surprised by how much you’ve accumulated. But for now, following some common-sense money management practices can help you get through the holiday season in financial shape — and that type of result can get your new year off to a positive start.

Rotary Club Of Fairfield Bay

by Fred Hilsenrath /Rotarian

Tim Shaw is the General Manager of our Community Water System in Greers Ferry Arkansas. Tim became general manager in 2003. In addition to Tim’s duties with the Community Water System, he serves several other organizations. He is currently President of the Arkansas Water and Wastewater Manager’ Association. Tim lives in the wild woods of Shirley with his wife Amy and their 5 children. He spoke to us about the gas well hydraulic fracturing process and concerns about the potential impact it might have on the total public water supply. A brief synopsis of the fracturing process was explained and then the potential impacts the industry can place on a water system. Mr. Shaw also explained CWS’s efforts, in cooperation with the US Geological Survey, to monitor surface water quality over the past several years and obtain baseline data. Should a contamination event occur from any source, data will be available to help determine the potential cause. The best and most effective way to ensure safe drinking water is to keep the source water clean. That can be done in part by the careful handling and disposal of pesticides, petroleum or industrial products and medications. Environmental protection is everyone’s responsibility.

Oil Painting Classes Continue At Education Center

One of the most popular classes continues to bring excitement to the students as Doris Sexon teaches that they too can be artists by developing their inner artistic talents. The Fairfield Bay Community Education Center will be holding Oil Painting Classes December 1-15 on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. “I am so pleased to be able to share and develop new ideas with the students and to bring joy into their lives, said Doris.” Pictured above is just one of many paintings that Doris has created. To find out more information contact the school at 884-4440.

Holiday Giving

By Jim & Phyllis Wilkins

With Thanksgiving Dinner and leftovers still settling we move on toward our Christmas parties and New Year’s celebrations. During this time there are many opportunities to help our friends, neighbors and other area residents. The FFB Library food drive goes thru the end of November and many area churches and other organizations will be distributing food baskets. The FFB Fire Department is collecting toys for Toys-for-Tots and several area locations have Angel Trees. Maybe a neighbor needs a ride to the grocery, or to do their Christmas shopping, there are many ways to give at this time of year or all during the year for that matter. Lions try to live up to their motto of “We Serve” thru many activities such as: •Sight conservation and work with the visually impaired. •Hearing conservation and work with the hearing impaired. •Citizenship, educational, health and social services. •Youth programs including drug education and prevention, community outreach and volunteer programs. •Diabetes detection and research. •Work for international cooperation and understanding, including international youth camps, youth exchange programs and Lions International Peace Poster contest. If these activities and programs sound like your cup of tea please contact our membership chair – Lion Mary Meadows @ 884-6388 or any FFB Lion. The FFB Lions Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, December 3 at the Lions Den with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and dinner by Marilyn and Gary McDonald at 6:30 p.m. Entertainment by the Van Buren County Community Band will follow immediately. Correction regarding BINGO. Bingo will continue during the first 3 weeks of December. On Monday December the 5, 12 and 19, doors will open for BINGO at 6:30 p.m. and the first game at 7 p.m.

West Side Homecoming Week Schedule

Monday, November 28: Carnation Sales begin. Presentation of Candidate Maids and Student voting . Wednesday, November 30: Favorite Team Day and Canned Food Drive with donations being sent to local food pantry. 3:15 – 4:15 Full Practice in gym. All maids, escorts, crown bearers and flower girls must attend. Thursday, December 1: Super Hero Day. Presentation of Carnations day. Friday, December 2 : Green & White Day with pep rally. 5 p.m.- Homecoming. Note: $1 off admission price with donation of two canned goods.

Help Local Children Have A Wonderful Christmas

The holidays are quickly approaching and the Optimist Club of Greers Ferry is once again requesting the community to help provide Christmas for deserving children. These children are special to us and we want to provide them with the most glorious of holidays as possible. Try to remember the excitement of your own children or grandchildren as they open their presents on Christmas morning, and then help us with a contribution to assist with our project. Contributions can be sent to 335 Bondair Rd., Higden, AR 72067 or dropped off at Heber Springs State Bank in Greers Ferry. Make checks payable to Toys for Optimist. Any questions, call 501/825-7591.

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