ENTERTAINERS, COLUMBUS, JAZZ HOLD SWAY OVER PINE BLUFF DURING WEEK

BY THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

The Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame will welcome eight new members, a replica of one of the ships used by Christopher Columbus will sail into Pine Bluff for a five-day visit and the first Clark Terry Institute of Jazz will be conducted this week.

Eight people in the entertainment industry with ties to Arkansas will be inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame during a ceremony 7 p.m. Friday at the Pine Bluff Convention Center, where the Hall is located.

Honorees are Gail Davis, Jack Mitchell, Beth Brickell, B.J. Sams, Sonny Burgess, Sarah Tackett, Gil Gerard and Laurence Luckinbill.

Activities will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a reception with music by Sonny Burgess and The Pacers. The induction ceremony will be followed by the unveiling of the display for this year’s inductees.

A dessert reception will conclude the evening with music by the Jack Mitchell Big Band.

Seating for the black-tie optional event is limited. Tickets are $50 per person or $350 for a reserved table.

Details: Call Susie Madsen at 536-7600, Extension 2145, or toll free at (800) 536-7660, Extension 2145.

This week will take visitors on a tour of the Nina, a replica of a ship used by Christopher Columbus.

The ship, built completely by hand and without power tools, was called by Archaeology magazine “the most historically correct Columbus replica ship ever built.”

The Nina will dock at Regional Park on Wednesday and will remain until Nov. 18. The ship was used in the production of the film “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” starring Gerald Depardieu and directed by Ridley Scott.

Tour hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Admission is $5 for adults; $4 for senior citizens over 60; $3 for students 5 to 16; and free for children 4 and under.

The first Clark Terry Institute of Jazz will be held at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff through Thursday.

Ron Carter, nationally recognized jazz educator, musician, conductor and clinician, will be the artist in residence.

The All-Star rehearsal is scheduled from 4-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. today, followed by jazz theory and the art of improvisation in the UAPB bandroom from 12:30-2 p.m. Tuesday.

Wednesday’s schedule calls for an All-Star rehearsal from 4-6 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

A jam session will be held Thursday at YNOT Charlie’s restaurant, 124 Main St., from noon until 2 p.m.

All events, with exception of Thursday’s jam session, will be held in the Hathaway-Howard Fine Arts Auditorium at UAPB. All events are free and the public is invited.

The Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas will be filled with the sights and sounds of the holidays with a new exhibit and a nostalgic production of a classic holiday story. A gallery reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday will start the festivities in celebration of “Norman Rockwell’s Home for the Holidays” exhibit, on display in the center’s Kennedy Gallery through Jan. 27.

At 7:30 p.m., the Arts and Science Center’s Radio Players will present Frank Capra’s classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” adapted for radio by Philip Grecian. The radio drama will be staged in the Catherine M. Bellamy Theatre.

Performances, directed by Martin Carty, are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Details: Call the Arts and Science Center, 701 S. Main St., at 536-3375 or visit online at www.artsscience.org.

Also this week:

n The regular Jefferson County Quorum Court meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday because Jefferson County will observe Monday as Veterans Day and offices will be closed. The meeting will be held at the quorum courtroom of the County Courthouse.

n Trinity Village Retirement Community will host a Veterans Remembrance event today at 3 p.m. at the Great Hall at Trinity Village Lodge. An annual program will be held and veterans will be honored. The public is invited to attend.

n People may begin making comments on the Jefferson County Transportation Coordination Plan. The Southeast Arkansas Regional Planning Commission is seeking comments about the plan which aims to provide a process to better serve the transportation needs of people with disabilities, senior citizens and low-income residents. Written comments will be accepted at the regional planning office, 1300 Ohio St., until 5 p.m. Nov. 26.

n Pine Bluff Rotary Club will meet at noon Tuesday at the Pine Bluff Country Club. The speaker will be Cary Young of the Rotary Foundation. The West Pine Bluff Rotary Club will meet at noon Thursday at the country club and the speakers will be Rob and Kayla Cheatwood discussing A-Team and Snelling & Snelling.

n The Kiwanis Club of Pine Bluff will meet at noon Wednesday at The Spot restaurant. The speaker will be Brenda Goode, director of the Children’s Advocacy Center.