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Santa Land brought the North Pole to Black River Coliseum on Tuesday evening. The annual event is includes family Christmas activities, booths from local organizations and photo ops with Santa himself.

The Boys & Girls Club of the Heartland held its fifth annual Polar Bear Gala on Saturday at the Westwood Event Center in Poplar Bluff. The event gathers and thanks BGC supporters with a dinner and charity auction, which raised approximately $17,000 according to Director of Development and Finance Terri McCormick. BGC HEART serves school districts in Butler County, and is expanding into Dunklin and New Madrid counties. More information can be found at bgcpb.org.

The River Radio Christmas Parade brought festive feelings downtown on Friday, Dec. 1. Crowds gathered to watch floats, catch candy and see the SHO-ME Marching Band perform along a route from Whiteley Park to the courthouse square. For the first time, the city also held a Christmas tree lighting at the Black River Coliseum.

Lake Wappapello’s annual Festival of Lights auto tour kicked off Friday. This event will run from 5-9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 10, then 5-9 p.m. nightly from Dec. 14-25 at Redman Creek West Campground (the East Campground is closed this year). The auto tour is free but donations are accepted by the Wappapello Lake Area Association, a volunteer group which organizes the event. Vehicles are given candy canes and have the chance to vote for their favorite display. Awards will be given for first, second and third places. Santa is also expected to make appearances at the light tour on Dec. 8 and Dec. 16. Donations help fund future celebrations, according to members. The group also helps with the annual Fourth of July fireworks and the Greenville Jack O Lantern Jubilee.

Students at the Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center shared what they were thankful for, made construction paper turkeys and decorated a snack of Charlie Brown Thanksgiving-style treats, including toast and popcorn, before the start of the holiday break.

Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor was sworn in Friday as the new presiding judge for the 36th Judicial Circuit, which includes Butler and Ripley counties. Outgoing Presiding Judge Mike Pritchett retired this month.

Qulin Middle School held its annual Veterans Day ceremony on Friday morning, Nov. 3. Local veterans were treated with a complimentary breakfast before the event, followed by performances by students and special thanks from Superintendent Robert Brown, himself an Air Force veteran.

Poplar Bluff High School distributed hundreds of free meals Nov. 3 during their Thanksgiving Day Feast. Members of the JRTOC program assisted those by providing refills for drinks or by carrying trays of food. Chartwells, the school's food vendor, crafted a menu including turkey, stuffing, vegetables and dessert.

The Poplar Bluff Veterans’ council and the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center hosted their annual program to honor all veterans Saturday. The formal ceremony was held at the Veterans Wall outside of Black River Coliseum. The ceremony featured many community members and local veterans.

The Neelyville R-IV School district hosted a Veterans Day ceremony Friday morning at the Neelyville High School gymnasium. The theme of the ceremony was "From Sea to Shining Sea."

Three Rivers College hosted the second of eight Patrons of the Arts events Tuesday. Haunted Illusions offered a Halloween evening full of magic, tricks and treats with one of the top touring illusionists in the country, according to organizers. David Caserta brought audience members on stage at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center for tricks that had people disappearing, being cut in half, pierced by spears and helping levitate objects. Caserta has performed his illusions for NBC’s, “America’s Got Talent,” as well as CW’s “Penn and Teller Fool Us,” as well as international audiences. The event was sponsored by First Midwest Bank. Other upcoming Patrons of the Arts events include: Dec. 4, “A Christmas Carol”; Jan. 15, “Stayin’ Alive”; Feb. 9, “Jubilation Jazz”; Feb. 14, Valentine’s dinner and show; March 7, an evening of classical music; and April 15, an evening with Mark Twain. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance.

The Daily American Republic wants to thank all those who came out Saturday to support the small business owners who participated in our first Bou-tiques and Fleas Fall Market. “We look forward to hosting this event again next year, and making this an annual tradition,” said Heather Deering, DAR advertising director. “We hope to grow and extend the selection of goods and variety of vendors.” It included vendors like Espey Isle (page 1, far left) offering holiday children’s clothing, and Jerome and Antoinette Edmonds (page 1, left) with a wide array of Mary Kay products. The day included giveaways, more than 60 vendors and a variety of food trucks, all set up at the Black River Coliseum. Everything from handmade holiday decor to clothing and kitchen ware was on display.

The Herd Street Festival brought entertainment and zombies to downtown Poplar Bluff Saturday afternoon. The Poplar Bluff Parks and Recreation Department hosted a pumpkin decorating booth while two bounce inflatables were also available to children. Food vendors were present along with live music by the southern rock band 'Just Enough'.

The film “Herd” was screened to audience members Saturday evening at the Rodgers Theatre. Steven Pierce, directed and co-wrote the zombie thriller alongside James Allerdyce. The evening event started with a red carpet kickoff with filmmakers and members of the cast.

Neelyville R-IV School offered a day full of family activities and contests at Tiger Fest, Oct. 14. Festivities included talent and pet shows. Vendors and school organizations such as FFA lent their resources to the event.

Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center hosted a new program for bereavement and pregnancy infant loss created to spread awareness, as well as to give families the opportunity to come together, share their stories and know they are not alone. Families gathered on Sunday, Oct. 15 and released lanterns and released lanterns in the pond behind the hospital.

The annual Community Outreach Event held Sept. 29 featured dozens of businesses and charities, connecting Poplar Bluff community members with resources. Organizers noted the unseasonable heat may have reduced attendance compared to previous years.

Tha annual Haven House Trail Ride fundraiser was held Saturday. It raised approximately $19,000.

The ninth annual SEMO Con brought fans of comics, pop culture, games, anime and art to the Black River Coliseum Sept. 15-16. The festivities included contests, vendors and an auction to benefit UCAN in Poplar Bluff.

Students from Sears Youth Center made flags for area first responders in honor of 9/11.