This is the time of the year when, if you complain about there being nothing to do in Blytheville, you're just not paying attention.

Indeed, for the next several weekends, the community events are lined up, ripe for the picking for anyone who wants to take advantage of what their community has to offer.

A few of the highlights:

THIS WEEKEND

— "The Velveteen Rabbit," will be performed at 7 p.m. this Friday and Saturday nights and at at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Ritz Theater. The Act 2! community theater production features an all-local cast. Admission is $5, with those under 5 are free. (As a matter of disclaimer, I should note that both of my children are among the cast.)

— The Fifth Annual Air Base Reunion will be held all weekend long. Anyone who worked on the air base at any time is invited. For more, call 870-762-6319.

— Fall Litter Pickups are being coordinated for this Saturday by Mississippi County and the city of Gosnell. The county landfill will be open from 7 a.m.-3 p.m., and the city of Gosnell will have two dumpsters on the Community Center parking lot.

— The Miss Northeast Arkansas Pageant and the Northeast Arkansas’ Outstanding Teen pageants will be held Saturday at Blytheville High School. The pageants are open to the public.

OCT. 2

— The K-9 Kapers Dog Show will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Blytheville, beginning at 10:30 a.m. There will be categories for small, medium and large dogs, as well as a bake sale and other food items. Proceeds benefit community needs and local and global mission work.

— "Fowl Play At The Gilded Cage Lounge," a murder-mystery event, will be presented from 6-10 p.m. that night at the Holiday Inn in Blytheville. The Fourth Annual Murder Mystery Gala will benefit the Northeast Arkansas Chapter of the American Red Cross. For more, call 763-4481.

— "Tales of Terror!," a radio play by Sarah Jackson, based on the short stories of Edgar Allen Poe, will be presented at 7 p.m. that night at the Ritz Civic Center. The play is a production of the Act 2! community theater group.

OCT. 7-9

— The 20th Annual Cotton Festival will be held in Gosnell. The festivities kick off Thursday, Oct. 7, with the Little Mr. and Miss Cotton Festival Pageant at 7 p.m. in the Gosnell High School Auditorium. Registration is $30, and fees must be in by Oct. 5. Participants should dress like they're going to the cotton field. Events for Friday, Oct. 8 will begin at 6 p.m., and will include live entertainment, food and crafts. Saturday, Oct. 9 will feature live entertainment, food, crafts, rides for kids, a car show and a tractor pull, with events kicking off at 10 a.m. For more, call Gosnell City Hall at 870-532-8544.

OCT. 16

— The 30th Annual Championship Chili Cook-Off will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. that day in downtown Blytheville. The cook-off is sponsored by the United Way of Greater Blytheville. This event will include chili booths — $30; info booths — $30; craft booths — $30; and food booths — $75. There will also be the United Way Chili Cook-Off 5K Run/Walk, beginning at 8 a.m. at the Youth Sportsplex. For more, contact Mary Helen Moody at 870-763-7522 or P.O. Box 866, Blytheville, AR 72316 to reserve a booth space.

OCT. 17

— "What Dreams May Come ...," a choral concert, will be presented at 3:30 p.m. that day in the Adams/Vines Recital Hall on the campus of Arkansas Northeastern College. Admission is free. The event will include performances by the college's Concert Singers, Women's Choir, Chamber Singers and Community Choir.

Events like these are the type of things that make you feel good about where you live. I urge everyone to make a point of taking in at least one or two of them.