Two campgrounds closed
Campgrounds at Prairie Creek Park and Horseshoe Bend Park on Beaver Lake remain closed due to storm damage and will not be open over Labor Day weekend. Boat launches at both parks are open.
Landon Thurman, chief ranger for the Army Corps of Engineers' Beaver Lake office, said the day-use picnic area and swimming beach at Prairie Creek will be closed through Labor Day weekend. The two pavilions at Prairie Creek are open and available for reservations.
Steele Creek is closed due to construction
The National Park Service has closed the Steele Creek area of the Buffalo National River due to continuing work on constructing a water main into the area. This closure includes Steele Creek Road, Steele Creek Campground, and access to the Steele Creek River. Trails leading to the Steele Creek area, including the Buffalo River Trail, remain open.
Buffalo National River has also begun rehabilitation of the downstream access point at Tyler Bend. The downstream access point serves as the primary river access point for the Tyler Bend area. The downstream access point will be closed for the duration of the project.
Get Hunter Education
Arkansas Game & Fish hunting education classes are held Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the JB and Jonelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center in Springdale.
Anyone born after 1968 must complete a hunter education course and carry a hunter education card in order to hunt in Arkansas. Participants must attend both nights. Registration is required. Call the Center at (877) 486-9870 for registration information.
Trekking in two cities
Ozark Hill Hikers invites all hikers to participate in Wednesday's walk in Fort Smith and Van Buren. Registration is from 8:30 to 9 a.m. at the Wyndham Fort Smith, 700 Rogers Ave. in Fort Smith. Participation fee for all hikers is $4.
Wyndham Fort Smith is the starting point for the Fort Smith Walks, where participants choose between a 5km or 10km walk. To join the walk, it's a short drive to Van Buren. You can participate in either walk, or both.
Membership with Ozark Hill Hikers is $12 per year, prorated at $1 for each month remaining in the calendar year. For more information, email bvvohh@gmail.com or call (479-) 381-9366.
Brewers win at Table Rock
Jeremy and Amber Brewer won the Guys and Girls Bass Tournament on Table Rock Lake on the evening of August 17. Their tournament limit of four fish weighed 11.7 pounds. They also caught a large bass that weighed 4.33 pounds.
David and Pam Rose took second place with four bass weighing 10.65 pounds. Mike and Kaitlyn Rose took third place with four bass weighing 9.8 pounds.
Camping at the Jones Center
The Jones Center will host a community camp out Sept. 6-7 on the Jones Center grounds in Springdale. Camp sites cost $50. Registration includes dinner, s'mores and breakfast. There will be live music and games around the campfire. To register, visit www.thejonescenter.net/summer-city.
Cleaning up Lee Creek
Devil's Den State Park will host its annual Lee Creek Cleanup from 9am-1pm on September 7. Meet at the park's equestrian camp along Arkansas 220. The cleanup will run from the park to the Arkansas 220 bridge.
Lunch for volunteers will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the prize drawing will be from noon to 1 p.m.
Volunteers can enter their phone number for a chance to win a two-night stay in a park cabin and a float trip for four at Gracie's Canoe Camp on the Elk River in Pineville, Mo. If you have any questions, please call the park at (479) 761-3325.
Off-road triathlon
The Xterra Branson Mountain Man Off Road Triathlon will be held at Table Rock State Park on Table Rock Lake on September 21st. Competitors will swim in the lake, mountain bike and trail run. There will be a sprint triathlon and a full distance triathlon.
The sprint triathlon is a 750-meter lake swim, 15-kilometer mountain bike ride and a 5-kilometer trail run. The full triathlon is a 1,500-meter lake swim, 30-kilometer mountain bike ride and a 10-kilometer trail run. All races start and finish at Table Rock State Park. Individual and three-person relay options are available. For more information, visit www.xterraplanet.com.
Koller hosts trail runners
Registration is now open for the second annual Here's Johnny 10K Trail Run, which will be held at Koller Mountain Bike Preserve in Bentonville on Oct. 5. The course will follow the forested Here's Johnny Trail all the way to Homestead within the preserve.
Cost to attend is $40. To register, visit www.peelcompton.org/events .
Hootenanny Welfare Center
The annual Ozark Natural Science Center Bear Hollow Hootenanny fundraiser will be held Oct. 19-20 at the Ozark Natural Science Center in Madison County. The family-friendly music weekend will feature several bands, campfire jams, astronomy, guided hikes, outdoor yoga, free parking, an optional shuttle to the site, and free food and drinks.
Prices range from $100 for a weekend pass to $35 for a youth pass. Proceeds benefit the center's many nonprofit environmental education programs. For tickets, visit www.onsc.us/hootenanny.