Bentonville, AR March 27, 2009,   On April 3rd from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, the Downtown Bentonville Square will be swinging with live music, great food and family activities.  Friday street closures for the event will include N. Main Street in front of the Walton 5&10, NE 2nd in front of Arvest Bank and
NE A Street in front of the County Courthouse.  

Themed "Swing Into Spring," programming will include the 16 piece Bella Vista Big Band, which will start play from 6:00 pm 8:00 pm, along with swing dancing lessons from Dance&Swing starting at 6:30 pm.

The Square will be packed with artwork from R.E. Baker Elementary School students generated from the school's exploration of world cultures.  The artwork from over 400 students will be for sale, with a majority of the proceeds from the artwork will be delivered to Heifer Project International.

This First Friday also includes something for the golf enthusiasts - from the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship volunteer recruitment booth for the 2009 event, to the NWA Golf Channel Amateur Tour information booth. Love to play the greens? Come on down for information on what's available around Northwest Arkansas. The Cottage of Bentonville on W. Central will be handing
out free golf balls and B La Rue will have specialty golf gifts that evening

What would a Swing Into Spring event be without a little baseball? First Friday will also be hosting the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, which will be bringing down their Street Team: Strike, the Naturals Mascot and their Speed Pitch game with great giveaways. Batters Up Indoor Batting Cages will also be on hand with pitch clocks and batting opportunities to practice those mad
skills!

If you're a dog person, swing on down with your favorite furry friend and participate in Camp Bow Wow's Easter Bunny photo booth and contests. Great prizes will be available.

Tricycle Theatre for Youth will be providing a sneak peak of their future season with a pay-what-you can staged reading of Laura Ingall Wilder's Christmas at 120 S. Main Street. Crystal Bridges at The Massey will be offering a First Friday Feature for Teens: Prints & Poems All Rapped Up: an
exploration of the exhibition Proof Positive through rap and slam poetry in their space at 125 W. Central Ave.

Along with all the music and family activities, the event will also be offering a variety of foods. From World Garden salads and baked goods, Java on the Squares nod to the Masters Tournament with their special pimento cheese sandwiches, Hot Dog Alley, Table Mesa Bistro and The Station Café
there will be something for everyone at the April 3rd First Friday Swing Into Spring.

The First Friday event series is produced by Downtown Bentonville, Inc. and is sponsored by Pepsico, Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tate&Haney, Harrison French Architects, Merchant Flats and Arvest Bank.

Like many of you out there, this year I made a pledge to myself to get healthier, make wiser food choices and exercise on a regular basis. I’m 24 years old and although I’ve never battled with weight, an immediate family member’s health scare last year inspired me to “get moving.” 

Arvest supports living a healthy, active lifestyle and that’s why we’re walking across America!  Four months ago, our Southwest Oklahoma associates kicked off the Walk Across America Challenge to encourage our associates to lead healthy, physically-fit lives.  Walk Across America is a worksite wellness program that demonstrates the benefits of daily physical activity. Each quarter, associates across the United States from will walk a separate region of the U.S., to complete a total of 8,760 miles each year per walking team!  Teams of 10 have been formed and our associates are well on their way to physical fitness.

The Walk Across America Challenge will last until the end of the year and will include fun competitions like a Dancing with the Stars Challenge and Health Food Cook-off. *Although this program is open only to Southwest Oklahoma Arvest associates, you could easily use these same ideas within your own homes and communities to make getting in shape fun! Even better, check with your employer to start a similar program at your office and inspire others to make the same health-conscious decision.

In addition to weight loss, walking lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, lowers cholesterol and requires no fancy equipment or gym memberships! For more information on beginning your journey to health and wellness, visit here and here .

*Please check with your doctor before beginning any diet or fitness regime.

P.S. - If you have any great healthy living tips or yummy good-for-you recipes, don’t hesitate to share here!

Arvest Bank in Little Rock is once again participating in this year’s Pulaski County Corporate Trivia Challenge benefiting Economics Arkansas. The event will be held on Thursday, April 16 from 6:00 pm-8:45 pm at the Jack Stephens Center on the UALR campus. This event will include a reception, complete with heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages. The entry fee is $1,500 per 4-person team, or sponsorships are available for $250, $500, $1000 or $1500. If you host or sponsor an entire team, you will receive 20 additional tickets for your associates and guests to attend. Tickets are also provided for partial sponsorships.

The Trivia Challenge is a fun-filled evening where teams of community leaders compete to match one another’s wit and trivia knowledge. The format combines the elements of the game show “Jeopardy”, the board game “Trivial Pursuit” and the high school competition “Quiz Bowl.” The teams will demonstrate their expertise in the following categories:

Arts & Entertainment      People & Places    Science & Nature
History            Wild Card        Business & Economics
Sports & Leisure        Local Community Facts

For more information on the event or to participate, please call (501) 682-4230 and visit economicsarkansas.org.

This is a great question and the answer could differ depending on several factors. Listed below are just a few of the main variables that would affect your decision of whether to use the funds from a money market account to pay off a HELOC. They are as follows:

1. Income- Is there a household cashflow shortage or excess now? Would paying off the HELOC free up money for basic living expenses?

2. Rate- What is the interest rate being paid on the HELOC? What about the Money Market? Although we would recommend consulting a qualified tax advisor, interest paid on most HELOCs secured by a person's primary residence is a qualified tax deduction (please consult your tax advisor for details.) 

3. Financial Structure- Are there other bills that could be paid off at higher rates? Is the $12,000 the only savings in the household?

The bottom line is that there would be many factors that could influence this decision. Ultimate financial success should be considered, as well as your current financial situation and your short and long-term financial goals. This will determine whether or not you should pay off your HELOC. 

If you want a more personalized answer specific to this situation or a similar situation, visit a local Arvest Bank location and meet with a consumer lender to discuss your options in person.

Remote Deposit Capture can help you save time handling your checks by sending your check deposits to the bank remotely—allowing you to focus on your business and submit deposits on your schedule. With Remote Deposit Capture you can:

•    Convert paper checks into electronic images, which have the same legal standing as the physical checks
•    Deposit scanned checks online, enabling funds to more quickly move from the check originator’s account to the depositor’s account
•    Scan checks received for deposit to your business account, using a check scanner available at setup
•    Ensure image quality with the system’s courtesy/legal recognition software that automatically prefills dollar amounts and reduces key entry
•    Verify and approve the deposit, and submit to Arvest Bank for processing at or before the daily cutoff time. Deposits are then credited to your account.

Arvest Remote Deposit Capture is ideal for your business if you deposit large dollar checks, make frequent deposits, cannot leave during the business day, are not physically located near an Arvest Bank location or if you have trouble meeting deposit deadlines.  A common misconception is that only large businesses can use Remote Deposit Capture, but in fact even small businesses can benefit from this time-saving tool.

View an online demo for Remote Deposit here for a visual presentation.

Visit our website to learn more about Remote Deposit, or contact your local Treasury Management sales associate to sign up today!

Arvest is happy to announce that we have yet another ATM to add to our ever-growing list of over 300 ATM locations!  A new Arvest ATM is up and running at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, AR.  Baum Stadium is home to the Arkansas Razorback baseball team. The ATM is located behind home plate and nearby 3rd base. This new addition will enhance service to our customers and add another convenient location to access funds.

To locate an Arvest branch or ATM wherever you might be, click here!
 

Arvest in central Arkansas has been given the opportunity to help out at Miracle League of Arkansas’ opening day!  Disable children in our community have expressed the desire to play baseball just like their typical peers, including dressing in uniform, making plays in the field, and rounding the bases.  The Miracle League of Arkansas makes this dream a reality for these children.

Opening day will be held on Saturday, April 4 from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Junior Deputy fields on Cantrell Road in Little Rock.  Miracle League volunteers are called “buddies,” and they are mostly needed to support and cheer on the players, as well as help them bat and get around the bases.  Several Arvest associates have decided to volunteer their time on Saturday, April 4 to this great and rewarding cause.

If you would like more information about the Miracle League or other volunteer opportunities, please visit the Miracle League of Arkansas website.

If you have questions about life or long-term care insurance, don’t miss one of our informational workshops. We will hold two workshops on April 14 at 11:30 am and on April 30 at 2:00 pm and 4:30 pm in which we will help you to make sure you have the right amount of insurance coverage for your individual situation. Our Client Advisors can provide you with the most innovative insurance product lines from some of the highest rated insurance companies in the industry. These workshops are open to the general public and lunch will be served to those who RSVP.

Our two workshops will be held at:

Arvest Bank’s East Side Branch - 4225 SE Adams Road, Bartlesville, OK