Conway’s annual holiday shopping extravaganza will open its doors on Thursday night during a Girls Nite Out event, from 6 to 9 pm, and continue through Saturday. The annual Dazzle Daze draws about 80 statewide and regional holiday vendors. Dazzle Daze supports health care projects at Conway Regional Health System.
“What we are doing is vitally important for the health of our community,” said 2018 Dazzle Daze Co-Chair Amy Reed. Reed and Co-Chair Shelia Isby expect several thousand shoppers this year. “That is a big indicator of how the community feels about Dazzle Daze as well as the kind of support we receive from this strong, committed group of volunteers,” said Isby. In all—-about250 volunteers support Dazzle Daze each year.
Dazzle Daze will include a raffle for a new Ford Mustang convertible, a Louis Vuitton satchel, diamond pendant, a Traeger wood-fired grill with a $250 meat gift certificate and a $1,000 furniture gift certificate. Raffle tickets are $100 each a maximum of 500 tickets to be sold. Other attractions include Girls’ Nite Out early bird shopping, a Teddy Bear Clinic, reindeer games, appearances and photos with Santa, food and shopping with more than 80 merchants from throughout the region.
Part of the proceeds from the 17th annual Dazzle Daze will help improve access to the latest technology for detection of breast cancer in Faulkner County. Sometimes called 3D mammography, digital breast tomosynthesis (tomo) was made available for the first time in Faulkner County by Conway Regional Health System in 2016. That year, part of the proceeds from Dazzle Daze helped purchase the first 3D mammography device.
This year’s proceeds will help purchase a second tomo device which has become necessary due to the demand for the screening. “We have been trending upward for the last six months,” said Lori Haley, supervisor of Mammography Services at Conway Regional.
The number of scans performed by the Conway Regional’s Mammography Department has increased over the number performed in 2017. The department averaged 1,575 exams per month from July through September of this year. Of the patients being screened, Haley says, almost 80 percent prefer 3D mammography over the traditional screening device. Tomosynthesis can increase the detection of invasive breast cancer by 41 percent, according to studies reported by WebMD and the American Journal of Medicine.
“This is the most advanced breast cancer screening technology in Faulkner County. Tomo is particularly effective in detection of breast cancer in women with dense breasts,” said Daniel Clark, MD, a radiologist and medical director of Mammography at Conway Regional.
Dense breasts can sometimes hide masses and distortions from traditional, digital mammograms, he said. Dr. Clark estimates that 40 to 50 percent of women receiving mammograms at Conway Regional will benefit from 3D mammography.
Since 2001, Dazzle Daze has provided over $700,000 to help fund such projects as a new surgery and obstetrics addition, mammograms for underserved women, the Fabulous You Boutique that supports women going through cancer, academic scholarships for health care students and medically necessary scholarships to the Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center, along with equipment for the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Nursery and the Critical Care Unit.
Dazzle Daze in Brief
Girls Nite Out: Early bird shopping from 6 to 9 pm, Thursday, Nov. 15, includes goodie bags filled with gifts for the first 500 shoppers. Girls Nite Out will also offer shoppers the opportunity to win prizes through raffles. Shopping hours are 10 am to 9 pm Friday and 10 am to 4 pm Saturday at the Conway Expo Center, located 2505 E. Oak St. in Conway, off the Vilonia highway.
Teddy Bear Clinic for young children: Parents can either bring their child’s favorite stuffed animal or purchase one for $5 for check-ups from 10 am to noon and 4 to 7 pm Friday, Nov. 16, 10 am to noon, Saturday, Nov. 17.
Hours for pictures with Santa are 10 to noon and 4 to 8 pm Friday, Nov. 16 and 10 am to 3 pm, Saturday, Nov. 17.