Saturday, January 28th, the City of Bryant Parks and Recreation Department is hosting the Saline County Flag Football Classic 5 on 5 Tournament. Activities will start at 8am at the Bryant High School turf field.

$20 per person
5 on 5, minimum 5 people per team
Round robin tournament
Field goal contest at intermission
Free agency available

Register before January 15th and get a free shirt.

For more info, contact Brandon Griffin at the Bryant Parks & Recreation at 501.847.7275.

LITTLE ROCK — With the game exactly three weeks away, Salt Bowl officials outlined plans for the events Friday afternoon leading up to the annual backyard rivalry between Benton and Bryant played at War Memorial Stadium.

What used to be a game has turned into a series of events and vehicle for fans from both schools to help charitable causes.

This year, Panthers and Hornets fans lend aid to the Rice Depot, American Cancer Society and American Red Cross.

Fans can help the Rice Depot with monetary donations as well as jars of peanut butter. Officials hope to raise $6,000 and collect 5,000 pounds of peanut butter. Auto Body of America plans to donate a vehicle to the Rice Depot during pre-game ceremonies.

Officials will ask fans attending the game to donate money via text message to the American Cancer society. The goal is to raise $2,500.

The Red Cross plans blood drives at Benton High School on Tuesday Aug. 29 from 8 a.m to 6 p.m. and at Bryant High School on Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. All blood donors receive a rally rag of the team of their choice. Officials hope to collect 500 units of blood.

There are also plenty of other plenty of events leading up to the game and spilling into game day. At 5:30 p.m. Monday Everett Buick GMC plays host to a Benton Pep Rally.

At 5:30 Tuesday, the Saline County Car Dealer plays host to a Bryant pep rally. The Cajun Eatery provides hot dogs for both events.

Game day festivities kick off with “Arkansas’ Largest Tailgate Party.” Fans can enjoy free hot dogs and sodas, complements of Saline County banks and credit unions and Coca-Cola. The party begins at 5 p.m. and continues until 7. The stadium gates open at 6.

Just prior to kickoff, the youth football teams from Benton and Bryant are introduced and cheerleaders from each school perform. The coin flip precedes the game and the coin used is provided by Everett’s. Each senior football player, cheerleader and band member will receive a gold commemorative coin with a Salt Bowl logo and Everett logo.

At halftime both dance teams perform and two different contests are held. One lucky Chick-fil-A customer, who signs up at the Bryant location prior to the game, will kick a field goal for a chance to win a year’s supply of chicken.

Everett holds its annual “Toss for a Truck” contest.

Three contestants will be picked from those who entered at the tailgate party and will try to throw three passes into a truck. Female contestants must throw balls in the tuck bed from the 10-yard left hash, the 15-yard middle and 10-yard right has in 24 seconds. Male contestants must land passes form the 15-yard left hash, 20-yard middle and 15-yard right hash with the same time limit.

For $10 fans can buy tickets, with an official T-shirt included, at Central Arkansas Big Red locations. Children 5-and-under are free. Officials suggest buying tickets prior to game day to avoid lines. Tickets at the gate sell for $8 and T-shirts sell for $15.

The committee is working HARD to raise the $7000 needed to put our event in the Top 10 Relays in the State of Arkansas.

Here are the specifics for the Celebrity Waiter Fundraiser:

What: Celebrity Waiter Fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
How: Celebrity Waiters serve up donations and tips to American Cancer Society – Relay for Life of Saline County
How #2: Donate online to the Celebrity Team or join our team!
Why: To raise money that will put us in the top 10 relays in the state!!!!
Where: Larry’s Pizza on Hwy 5 in Bryant
When: Tuesday, August 2, 5:00-8:00pm  (celebs check in at 4:30pm)
Who: State and local celebrities, local mayors, radio personalities, former Razorback Players (not yet confirmed), and more.

Donations made payable to:  American Cancer Society

If anyone knows of a celebrity who would like to donate some time & raise lots of money to benefit the American Cancer Society, please send an email to relay4lifesalinecounty@gmail.com

There will be a plaque placed in Larry’s Pizza that will have the winning Celebrities name on it for 2011, along with the top fundraiser for 2010, Tom Farmer. For those who don’t know Mr. Farmer is a former coach for Bryant. Will Benton be able to take the title for this year??

If you are an avid sports fan and love writing about Benton or Bryant sports (school sports and city sports) and want to gain recognition as a writer, this is your opportunity to shine.

If you are an avid fan of Benton and Bryant politics and want a platform to share your opinions and report on political events in Benton and Bryant, this is your opportunity to shine.

If you are a writer and need a platform to publish your stories about Benton and /or Bryant, this is your opportunity to shine.

If you attend Bryant High School or Benton High School and write for your school paper and want another platform to publish your stories, this is your opportunity to shine.

If you are a photographer (amateur or professional) and want to contribute to the Benton Vs. Bryant website, this is your opportunity to show off your creative photography skills on a popular platform.

Please click here and send your information via the contact form on this Benton Vs. Bryant website.

As the election results rolled in, interesting onlookers kept a close eye on the Bryant mayoral race. Republican Jill Dabbs defeated current Mayor Larry Mitchell and will become Bryant’s first female mayor.

Dabbs defeated Mitchell 2,586 to 2,199.

Tickets are now on sale for the 10th Salt Bowl football game pitting Saline County rivals Bryant and Benton at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Friday, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m.

TICKET OUTLETS

Big Red Valero Stores

Bryant Schools Athletic Director’s Office

Benton Schools Athletic Director’s Office

Tickets are $5 for all ages and available at all Big Red Valero locations across central Arkansas as well as the athletic directors’ offices at both schools. Tickets will be available at the gate.

This will be the 38th gridiron meeting between the two schools. Benton leads the series 24-12-1 but Bryant, with last-year’s win, has won ten of the last 12 meetings.

Dick Van Dyke & The Vantastix will be performing on July 10th at the Hot Springs Convention Center.  The show will be benefiting the American Cancer Society.

This is the only show that Dick has performed outside of California, so it is a huge opportunity for people in Arkansas to be able to see him.  Jerry Van Dyke will be there that night as well.

Annual Fish Fry

There are twenty towns you can choose for your family’s new home. One invests in its schools, has a focus on inquiry, AP courses and community, while the others are muddling through, arguing about their future.

Which one commands a higher premium for its houses?

Where would you rather live?