Downtown Conway will be pulsing with activity in the coming months with plenty of special events, annual favorites and celebrations.
Kim Williams, executive director of the Conway Downtown Partnership, said, “We have a very strong merchant and restaurant core. We have people wanting to start new retail, and I’m very excited about those.

Oak Street Weddings will hold its first-ever bridal fair from 1-4 p.m., Jan. 8, in downtown Conway.
The group of vendors known as Oak Street Weddings aims to establish itself in the minds of shoppers as a one-stop for all wedding needs in three blocks.
Jessica Zimmerman of A Southern Tradition said, “It’s free. Brides and their moms can come in and see everything we have, and we will have staff to take orders.”

The annual Chocoholics Dream Night Out benefiting the Humane Society of Faulkner County will be Saturday, Feb. 11.
Jennifer Bickers of the Humane Society said moving the event from Friday night to Saturday afternoon last year worked out so well, this year it is being planned for Saturday afternoon.

Like most people I love the holiday season most especially because it represents the gathering of family and the lasting traditions that we enjoy. I remember a story from Zig Ziglar that I heard about the traditional holiday ham:
The bride in a newly-married couple cut off the end of the ham before baking it. Her husband asked why. The wife responded that her mother always cut of the end of the ham and that was the way it was supposed to be.

We celebrate the holidays in a variety of ways and with various traditions, but one constant is food, and plenty of it. Traditional holiday fare includes such delectable dishes as corn bread dressing, stuffed turkey, ham, yams, potatoes and casseroles, along with a mouthwatering assortment of cakes, pies, and favorite desserts. Not surprisingly, in areas where hunting is a favorite pastime, wild game is claiming a spot on the table, reminiscent of the days of the pilgrims.

Kick off your holiday season with “A Conway Christmas,” presented by the Conway Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m., at Reynolds Performance Hall in Conway.
This year’s performance features the return of special guests Arkansas Festival Ballet and Central Arkansas Children’s Choir. The performance is underwritten by Conway Corporation, with guest artist sponsorship from Smith Ford, Inc. and Morgan Keegan and Co.

The 2012 class of the Faulkner County Leadership Institute has been named. Members include: Sunny Boudreaux, Chris Capehart, Chris Coffman, Wes Dyson, Shay Carolina, John Fincher, Jamie Fotioo, Lisa Garner, Brittani Garrett, Amanda Irby, John Kelley
Josh Linden, Thomas McNutt, James Reed, James Ryken, Andy Shock, Henry Smiley, Courtney Spradlin, BJ Sullivan, Rhea Williams, William Wofford and Lance Wright.

Habitat for Humanity has arrived at a new means of putting families in homes — refurbishing older houses.
Patricia Hoskins, executive director, said Habitat for Humanity is continuing its mission of helping low-income families earn their own homes through “recycling” or rehabilitating structures that need extra help. The nonprofit’s first recycled home is in the Conway Historical District.

You just got out of class, or soccer practice just ended, and you want something different for lunch. So where can you grab a quick meal, not break your budget, and get healthy cuisine? Conway’s new Pitza 42!
Pitza 42, which opened on September 20th, is owned by local couple Austin and Ashton Samuelson. Austin is a Faulkner County native who attended Vilonia
High School, and Ashton is from Arkadelphia. The couple met while attending Ouachita Baptist University, where Austin earned a degree in business finance and Ashton in early childhood education.

“Homelessness is on the rise according to the National Alliance
to End Homelessness report in January 2009, with an expected additional 1.5 million Americans homeless over the next two years. In Faulkner County alone, we have over 200 homeless individuals.”