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Winter homecoming for Neelyville was held Jan. 13. The theme of this year's event was “Stars of Neelyville." Neelyville battled the Holcomb Hornets. JV fell short of a win in overtime but the varsity team achieved victory. The Neelyville Homecoming Queen was Ryleigh Moore, a senior, and her escort was senior Jayedon Creach.

The Poplar Bluff Mules hosted Kennett for basketball homecoming Tuesday, Jan. 24. However, the game was suspended with the Mules leading 24-13 because of snow.

Athletic Director Kent Keith reports Poplar Bluff High School Cheerleaders finished 14th out of 28 teams in the in Intermediate Small Varsity Crowd Performance. They NCA High School Nationals were held over the weekend.

Hundreds turned out Friday and Saturday for the annual Ag Connect event held at the Black River Coliseum. Families got to experience both tradition and innovation with farm equipment (top) on display that ranged from tractors to virtual reality gear (middle, left). Classes for adults and games for families were also offered. Vendors also spoke with attendees (above) Three Rivers College and the University of Missouri Butler County Extension Office hosted the event. Proceeds from Saturday’s admission fees will benefit the Butler County 4-H program. As of press time, final information on attendance was not available.

The classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast has been brought to life by students at Poplar Bluff High School.

New Butler County Clerk Donna Hillis was sworn in on Dec. 30 by Judge Michael Pritchett, as were other county and circuit officials. Hillis’s position was the only contested local seat in the 2022 election.

The annual Wreaths Across America ceremony was held Saturday Morning at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery. During the ceremony a Christmas Wreath is for each branch of the military, Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines and for those listed as POW/MIA. A Christmas Wreath is placed at each headstone and along the Columbarium Walls in honor of the service the veteran provided to the country.

Area residents gathered at multiple events Saturday aimed at making the holidays brighter for their friends and neighbors. First responders gathered at 6:30 a.m. Saturday at Walmart Supercenter for the annual Shop With A Hero event for local children. A pancake breakfast at Northside Community Center followed to raise funds for the upkeep and renovations at the center. And finally thousands of winter coats were given away Saturday afternoon at an event at Mt. Calvary Powerhouse Church. The event was held in partnership with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Santa Claus made a visit to Poplar Bluff for the 19th annual Santa Land celebration at the Black River Coliseum Tuesday evening. Thanks to the generosity of local businesses the event offers an abundance of booths for children to visit with crafts, prizes and snacks. This year the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library and Altrusa made a call to all bookworms to help them collect 1,000 children’s books to give out during the event.

The Polar Bear Gala, which took place on Dec. 3, included a catered dinner and dessert, auction, music and a video message from students of the Boys & Girls Club.

The downtown Lighted Christmas Parade was held Friday night in Poplar Bluff

Students at the Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center observed the Thanksgiving holiday last week with classroom festivities. The children were excited to show off turkey hats they constructed themselves. They also created edible turkeys made of donuts and fruit loops. Both students and staff we're celebrating the last day of school before the holiday vacation.

Students of Poplar Bluff Middle School celebrated a parade of service members past and present with signs, flags and cheering on Veteran's Day. Veterans were escorted through the PBMS circuit by the junior high Sho-Me Band and high school JROTC, as well as firefighters and law enforcement. The parade is an annual event at PBMS.

The Animal Welfare Alliance and No Kill Shelter held it’s 13th annual Howling at the Moon event at the Westwood Event Center last weekend. During the event the Millstones performed, Wil Fischer Distributing Co. of Poplar Bluff provided beverages and the event was catered by Esquivel Family Restaurants. Attendees took the opportunity to buy t- shirts, raffle tickets and sign up to howl at the moon all in the name of supporting the no kill shelter. The event was a huge success according to Charlotte Craig who said that the event center has a cpacity of 250 people and there wasn’t an empty seat in the house.”

Students from The Dance Studio of Poplar Bluff delivered a moving performance during a benefit for the Historic Rodgers Theater at the Black River Coliseum.

It’s that time of year again — the 69th Annual Poplar Bluff Artists’ Guild Regional Juried Art Exhibit is opening once more. The Margaret Harwell Art Museum invites the public to an opening reception 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Works will remain on display until Dec. 31, and the People’s Choice winner will be announced at the closing reception, 6-8 p.m. Dec. 30. The works on display include paintings, sculptures, fiber arts and more by members of the Poplar Bluff Artists’ Guild.