ASU-Newport Announces 2010-2011 Concert~Lecture Series
The 2010-2011 season of the Arkansas State University-Newport Concert~Lecture Series will begin on Thursday, Sept. 23 in the Center for the Arts with a concert by violin soloist Oksana Pavilionis.
Oksana is a premier concert violinist who will perform music by Rachmaninoff, waltzes by Strauss, then switch to down home fiddling. Her performances showcase the beauty of string music and demonstrate the variety of music that can be performed with a string instrument. Oksana began playing at age five in Russia and now lives in Mountain Home.
In a performance in partnership with the Iron Mountain Regional Arts Council (IMRAC), a Tell-A-Tale by the Arkansas Arts Center will be presented on Thursday, Oct. 26. There will be two special performances of Alice in Wonderland: one at 1p.m. for area school children, and one at 7p.m. for children and their families. In Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll blends fantasy, curiosity and wonder in the most enchanting way to create the adventure of a lifetime for his young heroine, Alice. As the story begins, the brave little wonder-seeker slips away from her boring older sister to follow a curious White Rabbit into a rabbit hole, but it is more than just a rabbit hole; it is gateway to a strange and wonderful upside-down world filled with topsy-turvy characters.
On Tuesday, Nov. 9, Tuckerman native William T. Phillips, CEO of Phillips Service Industries and author of the book An American Entrepreneur, will speak. Phillips will share his story of how an Arkansas farm boy went from working in his grandfather’s fields to building a major corporation that is considered a world leader in aerospace technology and national defense. A book signing will follow the lecture.
February is Black History Month and ASU-Newport and IMRAC will host a special presentation Feb. 14 in celebration. Of Ebony Embers is a music theatre work with a solo actor and chamber music trio. The performance explores the life and times of African-Americans who helped shape the Harlem Renaissance. Of Ebony Embers examines the lives of three African-American poets: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Claude McKay. The Core Ensemble, a nationally acclaimed trio of cello, piano and percussion, will perform music by African-American com-
posers such as jazz greats Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonius Monk and Charles Mingus to concert music composers Jeffrey Mumford and George Walker.
On Sunday, March 6, pianist Scott Carrell will perform at 2 p.m. Carrell has performed at ASUN twice before, and his shows are always a big hit with the audience. His newest program features classical, ragtime and jazz standards plus a parody of serious pianists.
To wrap up the season, ASUN and IMRAC will partner again to present Jazz Xtreme, an 18-piece big band led by jazz trombonist Craig A. Grubbs. The instrumentalists perform many big band standards, be-bop arrangements, as well as some modern jazz compositions. The band was formed by Craig to keep jazz alive and is made up of musicians from all over central Arkansas who love to play and create music. Jazz Xtreme will perform at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 10.
The Noon Concert~Lecture series performances are held in the ASU-Newport Center for the Arts. The Arkansas Steel Associates Charitable Foundation sponsors the series. The series is free and open to the public.
First Community Promotes Animal Adoptions
First Community Bank partnered with the Independence County Humane Society to host an adoption showcase during a recent customer appreciation event at the bank’s Southside location. The bank also committed to paying the adoption fees and matching up to $500 in community donations to the humane society.
The two hour event netted ten pet adoptions plus over $1,500 in donations from the community.
“The response to our call for community support of the humane society was remarkable,” said Boris Dover, President and COO of First Community Bank. “We were so touched by the number of adoptions and the generosity of the community that it prompted us to revisit our initial pledge. It seemed only appropriate to increase the bank’s monetary donation to match the entire $1,545 community gift.”
“We were truly amazed by the success of this event,” said Jo Spinks, board member and volunteer of the humane society. “It was a beautiful day in more ways than one. We were able to find loving homes for ten pets in addition to receiving monetary donations for the shelter. It’s hard to express the amount of appreciation that we have for First Community Bank and the great people of this community.”
In addition to the adoption showcase, customers were treated to bank giveaways, bank specials and grilled hot dogs. Customer appreciations are hosted annually at each First Community Bank location.
An area child enjoys the love of a dog at the recent First Community Bank adoption drive. Photo submitted
Arts Council Announces “Red, White, and Jazz” on a Sunday Afternoon
The Batesville Area Arts Council (BAAC) along with corporate sponsor, Citizens Bank, will present an afternoon of jazz at Elizabeth’s Restaurant on Sept. 19, at 4:30 p.m.
The Happy Tymes Jazz Band will perform sweet songs to lively melodies and recreate the kaleidoscopic tonal colors and moods of this truly American art form. The band is a favorite attraction every where they perform and has been called one of “Arkansas’s true treasures.”
Tickets are $20 per person and are available at Citizens Bank, Carlees Hallmark, Elizabeth’s Restaurant, and the BAAC Art Gallery at 246 E. Main St. Refreshments are included in the price of the ticket.
“Red, White, and Jazz” is an Arts on Tour event sponsored in part by the Batesville Area Arts Council, the Arkansas Arts Council, which is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the National Endowment for the Arts, First Community Bank, and corporate sponsorship by Citizens Bank.
For more information, please contact Colleen Jackson, executive director of BAAC at (870) 793-3382.
Happy Tymes Jazz Band
Ozark Gateway Pursuing Scenic Byway Designation
Group Hopes to Advance Scenic Heritage Tourism Initiative
The Ozark Gateway Tourism Council is pursuing Arkansas Scenic Byway designation for its Scenic Heritage Tourism routes. The non-profit group promotes tourism in an eight county region that includes Independence, Stone, Sharp, Izard, Fulton, Jackson, Randolph, and Lawrence counties. It launched its Heritage Tourism initiative at the beginning of the year to call attention to the natural beauty and historic assets that char-
acterize the region; poster-size maps indicating the routes and identifying the major historic attractions along the routes are posted in every state tourist center. A smaller version of the map and information about the initiative is contained in the Ozark Gateway Tourist Guide.
The vision of the Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byways Program is “To create a distinctive collection of American roads, their stories and treasured places.” The Federal Highway Administration oversees, but does not regulate, the States’ Scenic Byways Programs.
Their mission is to provide resources to the byway community in creating a unique travel experience and enhanced local quality of life through efforts to preserve, pro-
tect, interpret, and promote the intrinsic qualities of designated byways.
This program is founded upon the strength of the leaders for individual Byways. It is a voluntary, grassroots program. It recognizes and supports outstanding roads. It provides resources to help manage the intrinsic qualities within the broader Byway corridor to be treasured and shared. Perhaps one of the underlying principles for the program has been articulated best by the Byway leader who said, “The program is about recognition, not regulation.”
The Arkansas Scenic Byway Program, administered by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, “recognizes outstanding routes across the state. These routes are meant to serve as destinations for travelers by providing a wide range of recreational, cultural, historic, natural, archaeological, or scenic resources. Designation is the result of a dedicated partnership involving the residents, business people and elected officials along the route.”
In order for highways to be included in a Scenic Byway, they must first be designated as “Scenic Highways” by the State Legislature. Most of the routes in the Heritage Tourism initiative are already designated Scenic Highways. In addition, the counties and incorporated cities along the proposed byway must pass a non-binding, non-regulatory, resolution in support of the designation in order to be included as part of the byway. Participation is optional; communities which decide not to participate may be exempted from the designation, but will be welcome to join the byway at a later date.
In Arkansas, the designation of a Scenic Highway as a Scenic Byway means that no new off-premise advertising (billboard) may be erected and no new unscreened salvage yards may be established. Salvage yard owners already are required to comply with screening requirements on Primary or Scenic highways. Byway designation will not add to the salvage yard regulation on existing Scenic Highways. The State of Arkansas does not have any ordinances requiring scenic easements, regulating view shed or use of property (except billboards and salvage yards, as identified above), or any other use of private property adjacent to a Scenic Byway. Regulations for permitting of existing signs may be found at http://www.arkansashighways.com/evironmental/beautification/beautification.aspx.
On-premise signs, located on the property that is maintained as part of the business or activity that is displaying the sign, are not regulated by the State. If there are city or county ordinances, such as height restrictions, those will be enforced by the jurisdiction that established the ordinance. Examples of allowed signs include signs marking a turn at a private drive to a business that is not visible from the highway, signs on farm or ranch property indicating the name or products of the farm or type of livestock raised, and signs advertising the sale of the property on which they are located. Church signs and city welcome signs are allowed, but do have a size limit. Welcome signs for cities can include identification of civic organizations with chapters or clubs in the city.
Ozark Gateway executive director Cathy Drew and board president Bob Pest are visiting communities in the region to explain the initiative and the potential positive impact on the tourism economy. According to Pest, “Our byways programs will recognize and showcase the proposed byway. It will also reap rewards by protecting the unique character of our communities while providing economic opportunities in tourism and recreation.” Drew and Pest are also available to meet with community groups to discuss the initiative. Interested individuals can download the Ozark Gateway Tourist Guide at www.ozarkgateway.com for information about the Heritage Tourism initiative and the scenic drives map. For additional information, call 870-793-9316. For information about the Arkansas Scenic Byway Program email scenicbyways@arkansashighways.com.
Dollar General Foundation Awards Grant to Southside Schools
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded Southside School District in Batesville with a $4,000 Back-to-School grant. The grant will fund programs, equipment, materials or software for the school’s library or literacy program.
“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is delighted to support Southside School District’s literacy initiatives,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “We commend their efforts to prepare students for a fulfilling education by helping them gain literacy skills and discover the joy of reading.”
Since its founding, Dollar General has been committed to supporting literacy and education. To further this support, the company founded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation in 1993 to improve the functional literacy of adults and families by providing grants to non-profit organizations dedicated to the advancement of literacy. To learn more about Dollar General’s literacy initiatives and available grants, visit www.dollargeneral.com.
For more information on the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or for a complete list of grant recipients, visit www.dollargeneral.com.
The Hunt Family Heading to UACCB October 1
What do you get when you mix world ranked step dancing, champion fiddling and an amazingly talented family? A high powered, energetic and refreshing experience with The Hunt Family.
The Hunt Family will kick off the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville’s Performing Arts Series presented by First Community Bank on Oct. 1, 2010 at 7 p.m.
The Hunt Family performs Celtic, bluegrass, inspirational and original music, offering a unique blend of diversity to each show. In addition to fiddling and step dancing, this amazing family of nine also plays guitar, bass, keys, drums and mandolin.
The performance is the first of four performances scheduled for this academic year. Other acts will include hypnotist Brad Clark on Nov. 2, 2010; the Kenya Safari Acrobats on Jan. 14, 2011; and the Masters of Motown on March 7, 2011. Individual show tickets are $10 each. Those who wish to attend all four events can purchase a season ticket for $25. Tickets are now available at First Community Bank and UACCB. Profits from the performances will assist in bringing future acts to town.
Performances will be held in Independence Hall. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. each evening and performances will begin at 7 p.m. For questions, contact (870) 612-2040.
Historical Society and Museum Offer Map-Reading Workshop
The Independence County Historical Society and the Old Independence Regional Museum are joining forces to provide a two-hour workshop to teach people those map-reading skills.
“If you ever want to deal with buying or selling land outside of town, you need to know about land calls and maps,” said George Lankford, the president of the society.
“Reading a topo map is not hard,” he said, “but good luck trying to figure it out on your own.” Lankford and Twyla Wright, curator of the museum, will lead a workshop on map-reading at the museum from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Sept. 11. It is open to the public.
“Anybody who wants to know how to read these maps, create a land call for a location on the map, and find the spot of a specified piece of land will find this workshop a big help,” he said. Participants need to be of junior high age or older. “From the eighth grade to 80,” said Lankford.
Advance registration is requested in order to make sure enough materials are available. A fee of $5 will cover the cost of a map and other materials that the participants will take home with them. To register for the workshop or find out more information, people should call the museum at (870) 793-212 any time from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
The workshop is the final one in a series of three offered by the society and the museum in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Independence County Historical Society. The first two dealt with how to read public documents, such as census records and deeds, and how to preserve historical documents, cloth, and wood.
It will be held at the museum, which is located at the corner of 9th and Vine in Batesville.
Dockins Named Realtor of the Year
Julia Dockins, principal broker at Blue Jean Realty, was recently named Realtor of the Year by the Batesville Board of Realtors.
Julia has served on the Board for the past three years and is an active participant in the Realtors’ annual Coats for Kids drive as well as a supporter of the local National Guard unit and the Independence County Humane Society.
