The Arvest Christmas Float started its voyage through the region on Saturday, November 20th in the Lights of the Ozarks parade in Fayetteville, AR.   Terry Hendrix, an Arvest Fayetteville associate and his family construct a float each year and take it to numerous parades throughout the region.

This year's float is called, "The Joys of Christmas Toys" and features Tigger's plane.

The float can be seen at the following Christmas parades:

Eureka Springs, AR              Dec 3 @ 6pm
Noel, MO                            Dec 4 @ 2pm
Neosho, MO                        Dec 4 @ 5pm
Branson, MO                       Dec 5 @ 5pm
Rogers, AR                          Dec 6 @ 6:45
Joplin, MO                           Dec 7 @ 6:00
Tulsa, OK                            Dec 11 @ 6pm (Televised on KTUL)

Arvest and Habitat for Humanity have been working together for several months to complete their build in Pea Ridge. Yesterday they came together with the Sutherland family to celebrate the house dedication.

Tammy Sutherland and her two daughters worked alongside Arvest associates and volunteers to complete the 60th home for Habitat for Humanity in Benton County and the first home for Habitat in Pea Ridge.

Area churches, vendors and community clubs, sponsors and volunteers came together to present the Sutherland family with donations, house warming gifts and furniture to help the family get off to a great start.

Take a look at a few photos from yesterday’s house dedication. Congrats to Tammy and her daughters on their new home!

If you would like more information about Habitat’s home ownership program or to find out more about how you can get involved, contact Habitat for Humanity Benton County at www.bentoncountyhabitat.org. Or to get involved with Habitat for Humanity in your area, call their national toll-free number at (800) 422-4828.

Arvest Bank branches will be CLOSED on Thanksgiving Day, November 25.  We will be taking this day to celebrate the holiday with our families, friends and loved ones.  And, one of the things we are thankful for is you, our customers!  We hope you have a wonderful holiday, and that you get to spend time with your families, friends and loved ones, too!

All of our branches, except the Conoco-Phillips service station in Bartlesville, will be OPEN for their normal business hours on Friday and Saturday, November 26-27.  Come in to any of our branches and let us help you with your banking needs, and don’t forget about our Arvest Visa Gift Card!  It is the gift that is always in style!

Of course, don’t forget that we are always available online at Arvest.com.  You can login to Arvest Online Banking 24 hours a day.  Or if you are on the road for the holiday, make sure you have the Arvest Mobile Banking app installed on your mobile device.

Happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at Arvest Bank!

"Arvest Bank in Tulsa has enjoyed working with SMG to offer this fun filled event to Tulsa; the broad appeal of Winterfest as Tulsa’s biggest winter party continues to attract strong community support. We consider this our Holiday gift to the area and look forward to an even larger festival this year." – Don Walker, President of ARVEST Bank in Tulsa

Winterfest, the area’s largest outdoor holiday celebration, is now guaranteed to be a reality through 2012 thanks to a unique public/private partnership between Arvest and the Lobeck Taylor Family Foudation. The 38-day event, open daily from November 26, 2010 through January 2, 2011 (weather permitting), will feature outdoor ice skating beneath the skyline, delicious seasonal concessions, horse and carriage rides and free holiday entertainment on the ONEOK Outdoor Stage. This year’s celebration will feature several new enhancements including a nostalgic Ferris wheel and carousel and a Holiday Market in the BOK Center Grand Lobby.

Thanks to a multi-year agreement which will help pay a portion of the massive operating costs associated with the festival, Arvest Winterfest presented with the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation will include several more opportunities for charity nights to benefit local non-profits. The sponsorship provides for complimentary skating vouchers for at-risk youth, non-profits and charity groups along with more charity nights to feature include half-price skating and discounted ride tickets for the public.

This year, Winterfest will expand its activities onto Frisco Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Street to include four amusement rides. An iconic Ferris Wheel, carousel, Windjammer and Gravitron will anchor the west end of the celebration while the 60’ x 150’ skating rink will remain the focal point on 3rd Street between Denver and Frisco Avenues. A climate-controlled warming tent and delicious sea¬sonal concessions will be available for visitors looking to keep warm. Free entertainment on the ONEOK Outdoor Stage will take place adjacent to the rink beside the glass icon wall of the BOK Center. Both the ice rink and amusement rides are open to the public daily. Prices for skating are $8.00 (with skate rental), $5.00 (with your own skates), and $5.00 for children three and under. Amusement rides will cost $2.00-$4.00 each with a $10 armband available for unlimited rides for a day. Group and corporate rates are available.

Show your Arvest CheckCard or Arvest Credit Card for 1/2 price skate rentals!

Just steps from the rink will be Oklahoma’s tallest Christmas Tree. The massive 44’ tree will feature 35,700 glowing lights, 109,534 individual tips and a diameter at the base of nearly 30 feet. The beautiful lights throughout the festival and around the tree will provide an ideal backdrop for perfect holiday photographs.

Winterfest promises something for the entire family. Whether it’s delicious holiday concessions like gingerbread lattes, eggnog, or an old-fashioned horse and carriage ride through the streets of downtown, everyone is sure to find a favorite. This year, visitors can enjoy an even larger lineup of live outdoor entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays on the ONEOK Stage. Local nonprofit groups, school choirs and bands, and musicians from area churches will all share the stage.

A full Winterfest calendar with prices and daily hours of operation is available online at bokcenter.com. For more information or for group ice skating rates, please contact Jill Duvall, Special Events Coordinator at (918) 894-4267 or jduvall@smgtulsa.com.

For the last several years, KLRC, a local Northwest Arkansas radio station, has sponsored a program called “Pay It Forward” in the month of November.  The premise of the program is to encourage their listeners to make a difference in lives of others through small, unexpected actions.  Listeners have called-in and told stories from paying for the person behind them in the Starbucks line to helping an elderly neighbor purchase their prescriptions.  Some tales have simply made a strangers day while others have truly impacted their life in a meaningful way.

Here are just some of those stories from the 2010 "Pay It Forward" campaign…

A “Pay It Forward” story from West Fork—

“The girls went to the City Of West Fork and offered to pay $5 toward someone's water bill.  That person said they didn't need it and handed it to the clerk and asked that she apply it to the next person that came in.  One of the City workers was there and heard what was going on, he suggested that the $5 be applied to a customer that had recently lost his wife.  The City Employees then decided to pitch in themselves and pay the balance of his bill.” – Amy S

A “Pay It Forward” story from Gentry—

“We chose to take our funds to the Gentry Medical Center.  We called to see if they might have someone coming in today that would not be able to pay their bill.   It just so happened that a family member of the young man that was burnt at EZ Mart last week over 80% of his body and died last Friday was coming in.  We were not there, but we gave the medical center the note to give to them when they were told the bill was paid.   Mona called and said they were in shock and could say very little at the time.    The employees were so overwhelmed and were so grateful that we allowed them to be a small part.” – Wanda M.

A “Pay It Forward” story from Bentonville—

“One young lady came into Murphy’s while Emily and I were handing out the $5.00 Pay It Forward promo.  Her eyes got huge when I handed her the money and explained that we want to put gas in her car.  After Emily told her about the Pay It Forward promo and asked her to pay it forward, I thought she was going to cry when she said, ‘my mother is broke right now and sure could use the $5.00 in groceries.’” – Judy L.

How can you “Pay It Forward” today?

Special Olympics is the world's largest program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. For these individuals, sports and physical activities are the quickest road to good health, personal growth, and self-confidence.

Arvest Bank in Little Rock has been a proud supporter of Special Olympics Arkansas for many years.  Our 2010 Duck Pluck fundraiser was a great success, and we helped raise $14,775.64 for Special Olympics Arkansas.

In an effort to raise awareness and money, all our central Arkansas branches were encouraged to decorate their branch lobbies during September and October. Cabot, our winning branch, received a Golden Corral catered breakfast on Thursday, November 4, and to help celebrate, Tom Brannon from Today’s THV aired his morning show on location. We would like to thank everyone for all their hard work!

For more information about the Special Olympics Arkansas, you can visit www.specialolympicsarkansas.org.

November 9, 2010 marked the 1st Anniversary of Arvest Bank in the Greater Kansas City market!  Arvest first entered the market with the purchase of three Harrington Bank locations and started with approximately 20 associates.  The next month, Arvest expanded its presence with an FDIC-assisted acquisition of six SolutionsBank branch locations, which brought the total number of locations to 9 in the Kansas City area.

In 2010, Arvest partnered with Hen House Grocery Stores to provide 8 additional service-free ATMs for its customers to use, expanding its ATM footprint to 16 across Kansas City.  November 12th, Arvest continued its expansion with the addition of a second Lee’s Summit, Missouri branch location and ATM.

Over the last year, Arvest in Greater Kansas City has grown from 20 associates to 135 and from three locations to ten.  Arvest has contributed over $50,000 to local non-profit organizations in the Kansas City area, and their associates have donated hundreds of hours through their participation in walks, galas, and other charity events.

Mark Larrabee, President and CEO of Arvest Bank – Greater Kansas City, had this to say about the milestone.  “It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year already since we started in Kansas City. It’s been a great year, with our proudest accomplishment being the hiring of approximately 50 new associates into the organization. This has not only been good for us, but good for the Kansas City economy. This is a great market for Arvest and we look forward to continuing to exceed our customers’ expectations with great service, long hours and hometown friendliness.”

For many, the holidays can be the most stressful time of the year.  Shopping for the perfect gifts, planning a trip home to see family, helping your children shop for friends and family, and keeping track of your holiday spending can be quite overwhelming and can put added pressures on your family, as well as your wallet.

Fortunately, Arvest has some great solutions to help you stay within your holiday budget, keep your identity and account information safe while you shop, eliminate the everyday burdens of paying bills, and find the perfect gift for that hard to shop for loved one on your list!

Below are just a few of the products and services that could help put the jingle back in your holiday step!

ID Theft Block- Monitors your credit reports on a daily basis and notifies you if new accounts are opened or inquires are made.  Provides you with the support of a Recovery Unit should your identity be stolen or information compromised. 

Gift Cards-  Helps you stay within your holiday shopping budget, easier to carry than cash, not linked to any personal accounts or information, used anywhere Visa is accepted, can be shared by multiple family members or shoppers, allows you to shop online safely and easily and makes a great gift!

Mobile Banking- complete balance inquiries or transfers while you're on the go.  Instantly transfer funds from one account to another so that you can make that special holiday purchase with ease.  Safe and easy way to monitor transactions and spending habits. 

Arvest Rewards- earn points on all your debit and credit card holiday purchases so that you can get a little after the holiday reward for yourself!

Verified by Visa- register your Visa debit or Credit card online to avoid fraudulent online purchases.

While there may not be enough time this holiday season to take advantage of these products, they may help you work towards achieving those financial New Year’s Resolutions!

Spending Card- a reloadable debit card that helps you to monitor spending, and is great for online purchases.  Great option for young children in the home to help them practice setting a budget and spending wisely.

Visa Family Card- allows you to give portions of your credit card limit to trusted family members and friends.  Great way to teach teens how to live on a budget and how to use credit responsibly.

If you’d like more information about any of these products, please stop by any Arvest location to speak to one of our holiday budgeting professionals!