‘Artfully Aging’ with music and crafts

A lap dulcimer workshop led by Fawn Cockrum was held Thursday afternoon at the West Plains Senior Center on East Main Street as part of a free “Artfully Aging” event for anyone 50 and older. From left, participants Stacy Benesh and Janet Weilbrenner, both of rural West Plains, and Nancy Linn, of Dallas, listen attentively for instructions. Hosted by the West Plains Council on the Arts, the Howell County Health Department and West Plains Senior Center, the event featured several workshops for all skill levels taught by local artists. Classes included crochet, monoprints, cross-stitch and a finger “tap-dancing” activity designed to maintain hand flexibility. Refreshments were provided, a fire truck from Howell Rural Fire District No. 1 was on display and representatives from the Howell County Health Department were on hand to distribute health information, prove medication lock boxes and administer vaccinations.