LITTLE ROCK — Eight residents of Bryant will be among the 100 cast and crew members involved in an adaption of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” entitled “The Gospel According to Scrooge” a musical theater production at Agape Church, 701 Napa Valley Dr., Dec. 11-13.

Directed by Stephen and Sherri Brack of Bryant, the presentation brings to life the familiar Dickens’ story but adds a spiritual confrontation to the life of Ebenezer Scrooge.

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BENTON – The Saline County Health Unit at 1612 Edison Ave., will be holding its second mass flu clinic early next week.

MEMPHIS — Sophomore Jake Jackson of Bryant has been named second-team all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference at wide receiver playing for the Rhodes College Lynx in 2009.

Jackson was the team’s second leading receiver with 34 receptions for 436 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games. He also led the team with 40 kickoff returns for an average of 22.1 yards.

“Jake did a great job both as a kick returner and at wide receiver all season,” said Lynx coach Joe White. “He’s a team leader for the Lynx.”

Jackson starred in football and baseball at Bryant from 2005 to 2007.

Basketball gets going in earnest this week as the Bryant High School teams join the fray. Tonight, the Hornets make their official debut at 5:30 against Beebe in the first round of a tournament in Searcy. Later this week, on Thursday, the Lady Hornets open their season at the Crabtree Invitational in Bentonville. A 5 p.m., the Lady Hornets will take on Duchesne, Mo.The Searcy tournament will be played on Monday, Thursday and Saturday while the Bentonville tourney will be completed over three consecutive days.

The Hornets return four players that contributed considerably last season, seniors K-Ron Lairy at the point, senior Kendall Butzlaff at center, senior Dontay Renuard at forward and senior Brandon Parish at guard.

The Lady Hornets welcome back all but a pair of graduating seniors including starters Alana Morris, Hannah Goshien, and Kenzee Calley along with seniors Haley Montgomery, Shanika Johnson, Brooke Parish and junior Abbi Stearns who contributed off the bench last season.

In addition, the Bryant freshman teams will continue their season with the opening games in the South Division of the Central Arkansas Conference. Tonight, the freshman teams along with the Bryant White eighth grade boys team travel to Conway Blue. On Thursday, the freshman teams along with the Bryant White eighth grade girls host Sheridan.

In between, on Tuesday, it’ll be the first match-up involving Bryant White and Bryant Blue in seventh and eighth grade action. At Bethel Middle School, the evening will begin with a seventh-grade girls game at 4:30 followed by the seventh grade boys, the eighth grade girls game then the eighth-grade boys game.

By LANA CLIFTON

The Old Navy store in the Alcoa Exchange shopping center was scheduled to open at 3 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, traditionally known as Black Friday. Shoppers were lined up well before that, hoping to get into the store early enough to get the bargains before they were all gone. Wrapped in blankets or shivering in jackets or t-shirts, bargain hunters did not allow temperatures in the 30’s to deter them.

CABOT — Hunter Holder hit two free throws with :04 left and the Bryant White Hornets eighth grade team of Bryant Middle School captured the championship of the Cabot North Tournament with a 35-31 victory over Sheridan on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Holder’s tosses came after a Sheridan technical foul which followed a shooting foul that sent Mitch Scoggins to the line. Though Scoggins, who was the Hornets’ top scorer with 17 points, couldn’t get his free throws to fall and the score remained tied at 31, Holder connected and, on the subsequent inbounds play, the Hornets beat the buzzer with a bucket to set the final score.

In a food drive sponsored by high school organizations Junior Civitan, National Honor Society, and Air Force Junior ROTC, Bryant School District students and staff collected over 1,473 pounds (23,561 ounces) of food and over $500 to purchase turkeys for those less fortunate this holiday season. The ROTC students were able to assemble 60 boxes of food in all, with 50 being Boxes of Love that were delivered to families here in Saline County. The remaining food donations were donated to the Arkansas Rice Depot.

The Bryant Rotary now has a permanent home for the Children’s Closet that was established in November of 2008. The area has been graciously donated by First Security Bank just in time to start its second year of operation.  

“First Security Bank is proud to be a participant of the Bryant Rotary’s Children’s Closet as it is a great value to our community,” stated Jack Carney, First Security Bank.

The Bryant Rotary Club has also received a District Simplified Grant from the Rotary Foundation District 6170 for its Children's Closet to purchase shoes. With this $1,500 grant the closet was able to acquire over 100 pairs of shoes to benefit school age children in our community in crisis situations. This closet provides clothing, hygiene products and basic school supplies, free of charge, to children between the ages of 6 and 16.

GREENBRIER — With a couple of starters out, the Bryant Blue Hornets eighth grade team of Bethel Middle School found a way to improve to 6-0 on the season with a 37-31 win on the road over their counterparts at Greenbrier on Monday.

“I was obviously worried,” admitted Hornets coach Derek McGrew. “But several boys stepped up in their place and got the job done.”