By Joe David Rice | Photography by Meredith Mashburn Students of the Bible may recall a reference to the Pool of Siloam, an ancient water source near Old Jerusalem. Some 2,700 years after its construction and about 6,725 miles to the west, American pioneers establishing a townsite along an attractive, spring-fed creek in northwestern Arkansas…
Batesville is more than just the oldest incorporated city in Arkansas and gateway to the Ozarks. The city, which sits along the White River with a population of more than 10,700 is among the safest communities in Arkansas, according to Mayor Rick Elumbaugh. He said Batesville is among the top five safest cities in Arkansas.…
In about 1840, Colonel Sanford Faulkner supposedly got lost in rural Arkansas and had to ask for directions to a log house. Once there, a squatter was playing the tune the “Arkansas Traveler” on the fiddle. Variations of the Traveler legend became part of the state’s treasured lore. Today, the Gen-X and Baby Boomer Arkansan…
By Joe David Rice Over in East Arkansas, about halfway between Helena and Stuttgart, is a community known as Turkey Scratch. Straddling the Phillips-Lee county line, the unincorporated settlement is what my father would charitably call “a wide spot in the road.” Turkey Scratch has no post office, but visitors will spot a church, a…
By Mel White | Photography by James Smith Readers of the El Dorado Sunday News on Sept. 29, 1929, couldn’t miss the double-page announcement for the opening of the $250,000 Rialto Theatre, a vaudeville venue with 1,400 seats, the latest in fireproof construction and the “Most Expensive and Perfect Sound Equipment in the World.” The Rialto’s owners…
by Joe David Rice With summer now in full swing, families across Arkansas are eagerly looking for options for close-to-home getaways. The good news is that the Natural State has dozens and dozens of wonderful choices, many of which aren’t on everyone’s radar. Following last month’s example, we’ll take a look at five more high-quality…
The best trips are usually in your own backyard, and fortunately for Arkansans our backyard is stunning, and full of adventure and wild wonder. There are always places to discover – and rediscover. We rounded up our top trips in the state and did our best to include something for everyone. Make memories with the…
East Arkansas Community College, in Forrest City, announced on Monday their 2018-19 performance season schedule of events, which will feature Country Music Hall of Famer Ronnie Milsap. The season at the EACC Fine Arts Center will begin on Aug. 25 with a performance by Milsap, a six-time Grammy Award-winning, platinum recording artist. Over the decades,…
by Curtis Lanning Bentonville, home of Walmart, has been growing steadily for years, from just over 12,000 in 1990 to nearly 50,000 as of 2016. And with a rapid influx of new people and cultures comes a desire for amenities like the arts and good food. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art falls into the…
Jill Rohrbach, travel writer Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism Sugarloaf Mountain, a 690-foot erosional remnant near the Little Red River, is a popular spot in Heber Springs. The earliest white settlers called it Sugarloaf because it looked like the shape of the loaves of unrefined sugar in use at that time. That also became…
