The June “Celebrating summer” edition of 501 LIFE will be featured during the 12:30 p.m. news show Tuesday, May 21, on KARK Channel 4. 

Each month, 501 LIFE co-publisher and editor Sonja Keith presents information about the current edition as it hits the streets.

“Central Arkansas will soon welcome summer with picnics and family reunions, swimming and vacations,” said Sonja. “We are excited to feature Eddie Calvert and his love of boating in this month’s cover story.

“As we kick off the summer celebration, we are also mindful that safety is of the utmost importance around water. In this edition, Melanie Brindley shares her very personal story of how drowning has touched her family and the steps that she has taken to promote water safety in our state.”

According to Melanie, drowning is a world health epidemic that doesn’t discriminate for age, race or economics.

In 2003, the Brindley Family — Ken and Melanie and their two children, Madeline and Blake — was on vacation at Grayton Beach, Fla. A 12-year-old boy and his boogie board were taken seaward by rough water conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, and his father, 60, experienced difficulty during a rescue attempt. Ken, 36, an Acxiom account executive, and others swam out for the victims. The boy was saved and the rescuers attempted to remove the boy’s father, who had been overcome in the water, but conditions were too rough. Ken, too, was overcome. The father drowned, and Ken was taken to the hospital, where he died two days later, also of drowning.

Melanie will be joining Sonja for this month’s 501 LIFE segment on Channel 4.

The June edition of 501 LIFE also features the Conway High School Mock Trial Team and the Conway High Culinary Team, which both won state championships. “We also want to congratulate our friends at the Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center for completion of the center’s $1.2 million renovation, which is also highlighted in this edition.”

Other features:

Couple of the month – Katie and Patrick Hartman and Megan and Dustin Voss, co-chairs for this year’s Sacred Heart School Bazaar in Downtown Morrilton.

Pet – Karen Tangen and her pup, Zoie, from the Fairfield Bay Library.

Person of the month – Wilba Thompson, director of the Fairfield Bay Conference Center.

In addition to the live KARK broadcast, the 501 LIFE segment can be seen on the station’s website – arkansasmatters.com.

501 LIFE is distributed at nearly 700 locations throughout Central Arkansas. Visit 501lifemag.com for more information and to see other stories in the current issue, where to pick up a copy and how to subscribe. You can also find 501 LIFE on Facebook and Twitter.