The annual Kiwanis Teacher Appreciation Luncheon honoring local teachers on their first day back to school will be Thursday, August 13.
Teachers eat for free but the public can purchase tickets for $12. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church Activity Center in Stuttgart.
This year’s theme is Gilligan’s Island: Let’s Sale Back to School.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce at (870) 673-1602.

The Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the 2^nd annual Mallard Classic Golf Tournament on Friday, June 19, at the Stuttgart Country Club.

All proceeds from the golf tournament will benefit the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.

The 3-person scramble is open to any business person in Stuttgart. Registration fee for a team is $150. Lunch will be provided courtesy of Delta Plastics of the South.

“This is a great opportunity for business people to network and enjoy the day playing golf,” said Tammy Bracewell, president of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.

Sponsorships are also available. A business can sponsor any of the 18 holes. Their corporate logo will appear on a sign at the hole. Sponsorship fee for a hole is $150. If a company sponsors a hole, they receive a $50 discount on their team registration.

“You can sponsor a hole and have a team in the tournament for only $250,” said Charlie Holt, chairman of the Mallard Classic Golf Tournament Committee. “We hope a lot of companies will take advantage of this deal and not only play in the tournament, but sponsor a hole as well.”

Prizes will also be awarded to the top three teams in the tournament and there will be a prize for closest to the hole.

To register a team or sponsor a hole, contact the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce at (870) 673-1602.

The 2009 Fun “N Fishin’ will be held Saturday, June 13, at the Riceland Foods pond. The event is sponsored by the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas County Bank, BancorpSouth, Wal-Mart and Riceland Foods.

The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission will stock the Riceland pond with 700 pounds of catfish. Fun ‘N Fishin’ is for children 12 years of age and younger. Each child must be accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older.

Fun ‘N Fishin’ is free and open to the public. Registration will be held the morning of the event at the Riceland Foods pond at 7 a.m.

YARD OF THE MONTH – Jeremy and Sunny Beauker of Stuttgart received the Yard of the Month for May from the Beautification Committee of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce. The Yard of the Month is sponsored by Stuttgart Flower & Gift and recognizes local residents for working in their yards.

PROMOTING HEALTH — Shannon Finley (left) and Adelyn Carter were at the Grand Prairie Health & Wellness Expo providing information to vendors and the public. This year marked the 10th year of the health expo, which provides free health screenings to the public.

AMBULANCE TOUR — Children and the public were able to view the inside of an ambulance from Southern Paramedic Service during the Grand Prairie Health & Wellness Expo.

Jennifer Smith of Edward Jones speaks during a Women’s Business Series seminar sponsored by the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce and BancorpSouth. It was held at the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie. The topic of the seminar was “A Woman’s Journey Toward Financial Independence.” It was the first of three seminars that will be held this year whose focus will be on business women and their needs.

It was spring cleaning for Stuttgart as local volunteers fanned out across town to pick up litter during the Rid Litter Day sponsored by the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.
Local businesses, organizations and individuals were encouraged to pick up litter during Rid Litter Day.
“Turnout for this Rid Litter Day was fantastic” said Cindy Eldridge, chairman of the Chamber’s Beautification Committee. “I want to thank everyone who helped.”
Mike Crum of Crum Insurance cooked hot dogs for all the volunteers at the Stuttgart Stage.

NEW THEATER — A ribbon cutting was held at Stuttgart Twin Cinema, located at 806-F West 22nd St., to celebrate the newly-remodeled theater, which reopened earlier this year. Manager Terry Swan cut the ribbon to mark the occasion. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies are sponsored by the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce and held to promote local business success stories.

A plant swap will be one of the highlights of Springfest ’09, an event planned for Saturday, May 2, in downtown Stuttgart.
Springfest is being sponsored by the Downtown Business Committee of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce.
The public is invited to bring bags of seeds, bulbs, cuttings and extra plants they dig up to the Plant Swap, which will take place at 10 a.m. on the 2nd Street Parking Lot next to Freemyer’s Best Brands Plus.
“Everyone who brings an item to the Plant Swap will be able to take an item home. No one will leave empty-handed,” said Chamber President Tammy Bracewell. “For example, if you set 5 plants on the table, you will get 5 plants to take home. Each participant gets a ticket and tickets are drawn one at a time.”
Several other activities are planned for Springfest.
FFA students from Stuttgart High School will be selling plants from their greenhouse starting at 9 a.m. at the 2nd Street Parking Lot. SHS teacher Patricia Adcock said money raised from the sale of plants will benefit the local FFA program.
Downtown merchants will also be holding Sidewalk Sales that day. To coincide with the Sildewalk Sales, shoppers will have a chance to try their luck at one of the most popular games sweeping the country, Baggo, the official bag toss game.
Cuppy’s Coffee will set up downtown during Springfest. The Stuttgart Animal Shelter will also be downtown on Saturday offering an Adopt-A-Pet program.
Stuttgart Animal Control Officer Darren Findley said he hopes all the animals currently at the animal shelter will find homes at Springfest.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission, along with Smokey the Bear, will be at Springfest giving away tree seedlings to the public.
Mal R Duck, the official mascot of the Wings Over the Prairie Festival, is also expected to be a Springfest.