Food, drink and Halloween fun fill local calendar

Late October brings beer, the talking dead and a plethora of purses to the Fort Smith region.

Fest of Ale
Brew lovers will delight at the chance to sample more than 100 ale and beer varieties at the third annual “Fest of Ale” on Oct. 18. Benefiting Girls, Inc. of Fort Smith, this year’s event will be held at the downtown Holiday Inn City Center.

In addition to the beer sampling, guests will get to enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres from a number of local restaurants and eateries. A silent auction, featuring wine baskets and golf rounds at Hardscrabble Country Club, will also be held. The group “Sweet and Lowdown” will return this year to perform for the crowd.

Doors will open at 6 p.m.

Special VIP tickets are available and will include access to specialty wine tastings in a reserved seating area, as well as a souvenir event t-shirt. VIP tickets holders will also have the chance to sample an exclusive VIP appetizer provided by 21 West End. Tickets for VIPs are $75.

General tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. VIP and general tickets may be purchased online or by calling Girls, Inc. at 782-0375.

Survivor’s Challenge
Survivors, supporters, walkers, and runners alike are all invited to take part in the 22nd annual Reynolds Cancer Support House’s “Survivor’s Challenge.” Events will include a 5K, a 10K and a “Celebration Walk,” followed by a “Finish Line Festival” in the park.

The challenge is the area's largest footrace, with the 10K being a part of the 2013 Arkansas Grand Prix Circuit. Runners from across the state will be on-hand to compete. Both the 5K and the 10K are chip-timed races.

Registration for the timed 5K is $20 and $25 for the timed 10K. Cost is $15 to participate in either the untimed 5K run/walk or in the one-mile celebration walk. T-shirts may be purchased separately upon registration.

The 5K and 10K will have a combo start at 8 a.m., with the one mile and untimed 5K to follow at 8:05 a.m. All runs and walks begin and end at the Reynolds Cancer Support House, located at 3324 South M Street in Fort Smith.

The Finish Line Festival will begin after the races at Creekmore Park and will include refreshments, vendor give-aways, health screenings, kids activities and live music from the Boxfoot Blues Band. The awards ceremony will also be held in the park.

Participants must pre-register online or complete the paper registration and return to the Reynolds Cancer Support House prior to the event. There will be no race-day registration offered.

For more information, contact the Reynolds Cancer Support House at 782-6302.

Tales of the Crypt
The dead will get the chance to tell their story on Oct. 19-20, as Van Buren’s Fairview Cemetery hosts the eighth annual “Tales of the Crypt.” Volunteers actors from the UAFS Historic Interpretation Program will portray six individuals, all buried in the centuries-old cemetery, and share about their lives.

Portrayals will include some of the area’s most notable figures, including Judge Jonathan B. Ogden, who served as a Federal Judge for the Western District of Arkansas and the Indian Territory, and Joseph P.H. Houck, former Sheriff Crawford County Sheriff and a Civil War and Mexican American War veteran.

Tours will run continuously from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 and from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20. Offsite parking will be available at the northeast corner of 12th and Poplar Streets, with a shuttle to and from Fairview Cemetery.

Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children ages 12 and under. All proceeds from Tales of the Crypt will support the preservation and of historic monuments within the cemetery.

For more information visit the Van Buren Advertising and Promotion Commission website, call 479-474-2426.

Portraits of Hope Auction
The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum (RAM) and the Ozark Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation will team up for a night of inspiration with its “Portraits of Hope” Reception and Auction on Oct. 24.

Works from local artists depicting their “vision of hope” will be on display and up for bid at Fort Smith’s RAM. Pieces will include all types of media from artists of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels.

All proceeds from the sale will benefit the Komen Foundation, which supports breast cancer research and education, and provides cancer care services for underprivileged women.

The reception will and auction will begin at 5 p.m. and conclude at 7 p.m. The “portraits of hope” will remain on display at RAM through the month of November.

For more information, contact RAM at 479-784-2787.

Mall-o-Ween
Kids can get a jump-start on their trick-or-treating at Central Mall’s “Mall-o-Ween” event on Oct. 26. For only $5, children can purchase armbands to give them all-access to carnival games and candy.

Local organizations will be on-hand passing out candy, doing face painting and helping with games such as a bean bag toss, Plinko and pumpkin bowling. All proceeds will benefit the thirteen participating non-profit organizations.

Mall-o-Ween will last from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit Central Mall’s website or call 479-452-4706.

Halloween on Main Street
The Van Buren Old Town Merchants Association invites families for an evening of trick-or-treating with its annual Halloween on Main Street on Oct. 26. Festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with shop owners handing out candy to visitors.

Kiddie train rides will also be offered and a children’s costume contest will be held in the King Opera House. For more information, call 479-410-3026.

Taste of Fort Smith
Visitors should come hungry to the 26th annual Taste of Fort Smith on Oct. 29. Ticket holders will have the chance to fill their plates with fine food and drink, including dips, entrées, and desserts from nearly 50 area vendors.

Two sessions will be offered, with lunch, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 7 p.m.  Both will be held at the Fort Smith Convention Center.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door and are good for either session. Advanced tickets can be purchased at any Simmons First National Bank location or at the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce until noon the day of the event.

Sponsored by Altrusa International, proceeds from the event benefit area non-profits including the Literacy Council of Western Arkansas and Crawford County Volunteers for Literacy. Donations will also be made to the Fort Smith Public Library, Hamilton House Child and Family Safety Center, Community Clearinghouse of Fort Smith, CASA of Crawford County and Project Compassion.

For more information visit Altrusa’s Facebook page or contact Barbara Oswald at 479-629-8852

United Way hosts Power of the Purse
United Way of Fort Smith will host the eighth annual Power of the Purse lunch and auction on Oct. 30 at the Holiday Inn City Center in Fort Smith.

Women will have the opportunity to bid on more than 45 different bags in this year’s auction. Items will include Coach, Dooney & Bourke and Michael Kors purses, as well as fun theme bags such as a “Wine Sampler” tote and a “Duck Dynasty” bag.

This year's event will also feature comedian, writer and motivational speaker, Kelly Swanson. She is the author of the book, “Who Hijacked My Fairytale?”

Proceeds from the event will benefit United Way’s early childhood literacy initiative, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The program provides books, free-of-charge, to children ages birth to five.

Doors will open at 11:30 am.

Tickets are $35 and may be purchased by calling Angie at 479-782-1311. Corporate tables are also available.