Wrapping Up Local Christmas Festivities

Whether it’s local churches hosting special services, charity programs throughout the area, or the new Elkins Community Network Christmas Lights tour, the Christmas spirit is alive in the Elkins-area community! 
 
We asked community, civic, city, school, and church leaders what they had going on for the holiday season in December and we got quite a few responses! We know there are more events out there in the works and will share them on social media as soon as we find out the details. We have placed all that we know about so far on our calendar of events and where available, written details in this newsletter. 
 
Just a few examples include: various churches hosting special programs, Elkins Police Department going on their annual Shop with a Cop event, the Elkins Public Library hosting an ornament decoration fundraiser, Elkins Public Schools Christmas Treasures drive ending mid-month (they still needs donations!), two major public light shows happening most of December, and we are hosting our first Christmas Lights Tour of Elkins! 
 
Are you having an event, fundraiser, or charity drive for the holiday season? Let us know at info@elkinsar.org. 

December Calendar of Events
 

• Special Meeting of the Elkins School Board - 6pm in the Elkins District Office

• ‘Tis the Season Self Care Pop Up - 9am to 4pm at White River Nursery
• First Southern Baptist Church of Goshen Christmas Ornament Exchange at 5:30pm

• Planning Commission Meeting - 7 pm at Elkins City Hall

• Elkins 4H Meeting. Email 4h@elkinsar.org for more info.

• Elkins Public Schools PTO’s Parent Night Out & Kid’s Night in - 6pm to 9pm at the Elkins Primary School for K-5th Grade. $20 per child and limited spots available. More info in newsletter

• First Southern Baptist Church of Goshen Children and Youth Christmas Program During 11am Service

• Christmas Treasures Donation Deadline

• Lions Club Meeting at Noon at Rio Grande Restaurant

• Christmas Party at the SAWC - After Lunch. Music by Bill Dollar.
• Elkins City Council Meeting - 7pm at Elkins City Hall

• First Southern Baptist Church of Goshen Candlelight Christmas Service at 5:30pm

• Cut-off Date for PTO January Birthday Grams
• Planning Commission Meeting - 7pm at Elkins City Hall

• Elkins Community Church Christmas Eve Communion/Candlelight Service at 3:30pm

Tour the Lights of Elkins! 

One of the best parts of the Christmas season is all the gorgeous decorations, especially the lights! We are hosting the first Elkins Holiday Lights Tour starting now and going through the end of the year. Whether you have a few strands up or you have an elaborate display, we want to share it! We created a page on our website where you can submit your address and display description and that info will appear on the map on that page. People can tour the “lights of Elkins” based on information from the map! We hope to make this an annual event that we can make bigger and better in the future! Businesses and private homes alike are all eligible and you don’t have to live in the city limits to participate! Visit https://elkinsar.org/holidaylights/ to learn more.

Many Ways to Support ECN

Ornament Decorating Fundraiser at EPL 

Come enjoy a fundraiser for the Elkins Public Library! The open-house-style event is 10am-2pm, Saturday, December 10. You'll get to decorate your own ornament and display it on the EPL tree until December 21, when you can take it home to place on your own tree. Ornaments are $2-$5 to purchase. Live music and craft kits from Crystal Bridges will be available! 
 
Questions? Contact elkinspubliclibrary@gmail.com, message them on Facebook, or call (479) 643-2904

Special Primary Election December 14

There will be a Special Primary Election on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, for all eligible political parties for filling the vacancy in the office of State Senator for District 7, which includes Elkins. The filing period has closed and there are two Democrats running for that party and four on the Republican ticket. Early voting starts December 7 and ends December 13. The voting location in Elkins will be at the First Baptist Church (instead of the Elkins Community Center). If there is a run-off, that election will be on January 11. The general election for this race is on Feb. 8. For more information, including to verify your voter status and to view a sample ballot, contact the Washington County Election Commission. 

Elkins School Board Elections

The entire Elkins School Board is up for re-election in May 2022 due to a state law that requires school districts with at least a 10% minority population to redistrict with each Census. Petitions can be picked up and distributed now and the filing period is noon Feb. 22 through noon on March 1. More information is available through the County Clerk’s office.

Elkins Schools Win Grant for New Programs

The Elkins Public Schools earned a $150,228 grant to fund an afterschool program and summer learning program. More information about both programs, including the eligibility requirements, will be available soon from the district. The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, along with Arkansas State University's Arkansas Out of School Network initiative, recently announced the recipients of the funding that comes from the federal American Rescue Plan/Elementary and Secondary Education Relief money.

City Services by the Numbers 

We plan to start including an overview of the city services numbers each month in our newsletter with more detailed information on our blog. This information is provided during the monthly City Council meetings. 
 
October numbers (most recent available)
Elkins Police Department (only calls that went through dispatch): 322 calls
Elkins Fire Department: 42 incidents
Elkins Public Library (figure is cumulative since reopening): 11,911 visitors 

Christmas Treasures Donations Still Accepted

Donations for the Elkins Public Schools Christmas Treasures program will be accepted at the schools until December 13. Here are some examples of needed donations: 

• Money for purchasing items 
• New coats of all sizes 
• New clothes and new socks 
• Food Drive- canned food and non-perishable goods for families during the holidays
• Donations of new toys and items for boys and girls of all ages. 

 
No used items will be accepted. Contact each school’s counselor for more information. 

PTO Hosting Elf-Night

The Elkins PTO is hosting Elf-Night, which is a  “Parent night out & Kid’s night in” From 6pm-9pm, Saturday, December 11 you can drop off your K - 5th-grade child at Elkins Primary School to enjoy a night of kid-free Christmas shopping or a date night. Spots are limited, so interested parents should apply soon.
 
Students are encouraged to wear their school-appropriate Christmas pajamas and bring a blanket to spread out picnic-style for dinner and a show. The cost will include three kid-free hours, each student receiving two slices of pizza, popcorn, a drink, and  a piece of candy along with three movies (Prep and Landing, Arthur Christmas, &  Prep and Landing Naughty or Nice), and crafts!!
 
Cost is $20 per child with each additional sibling $15. The first 75 Google Forms filled out with payment will be accepted. Google Forms that are completed without payment will be voided.
 
The Google Form for sign-up will be posted on the Elkins Primary-Elementary PTO Facebook page.  The link will be activated at 9:30am, Friday, December 3. If you have more than one student you would like to attend you will need to fill out a form for each student.
 
And don’t forget that the deadline for January Birthday Grams is Dec. 20. The form is available on the PTO Facebook page.
 

New Pastor, Christmas Program at FBCE 

The First Baptist Church of Elkins is excited to welcome its new pastor, Dr. Ryan Johnson. Dr. Johnson is a native of Quitman, Arkansas, and received his Doctorate of Philosophy from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. The church will begin its celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth starting with its annual Christmas program at 6pm, Sunday, December 12, followed by a Christmas Potluck Dinner.  Everyone is welcome December 12 and every Sunday.
 

Community Insight:

Evolution of Leadership

There’s a popular book titled You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader. The book, written by Mark Sanborn, suggests we can all be leaders in our daily lives, and we can make a positive difference and affect a positive influence, no matter who we are.
 
As a senior citizen myself, and the director of Elkins Senior Activity and Wellness Center, I’ve had the opportunity to witness the evolution of leadership within the senior community.

Whereas once that schoolteacher was a leader in helping to change policy for an entire district, now she sees a need to lead a group to help them exercise their minds. And once that city official was a leader in officiating over an entire city, now sees a need to lead in helping to bring nutrition to the elderly, ensuring the community needs are still cared for, just in another way.  Or that corporate executive who led an organization in sales now leads by ensuring any senior who’s hungry receives a meal.  The examples go on and on.
 
The everyday leader is a valuable jewel often hidden or so low key you can’t even tell the mastery of their leadership. I know a person in her 90s who quietly leads an entire Meals on Wheels route, while at one time she helped lead the entire program, now she continues to lead on a different level, passing the food to the driver from her view in the back seat and ensuring each delivery is handled with care. 
 
I know another person who was a leader of her home, ensuring her family was cared for every day, but she’s alone now. She realized she needed to lead an effort to help other people who are alone and in doing that she helped create new friendships and helped people through some difficult days.
 
The definition of a leader is simply “something that leads.” Well, that’s the definition according to Webster anyway, but a true leader doesn’t just enforce the rules of an organization or assign tasks as a means to an end but a true leader also inspires others to perform. And the examples I’ve spoken of above all hold this wonderful quality that inspires others to act.

Mark Sanborn sums it all up with this quote “Genuine, authentic leadership infuses meaning into your life, because you know that your efforts count and that you are serving the needs of others as well as your own.”