Yearly Archives: 2012

Cheetahs in Little Rock!

Posted on by

Zazi and her daughter Maggie moved into the new Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost Monday night and became the first two cheetahs to reside at the new exhibit.

The exhibit is set for a grand opening on July 7, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.

Maggie and Zazi come to the Little Rock Zoo from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va. The institute facilitates and promotes conservation biology programs at the National Zoo in Washington,D.C. Zazi is 11-years-old, and her daughter, Maggie, is 18-months-old.

Maggie

The grand opening of the new exhibit on July 7 will include a special address by Anne Schmidt-Kuentzel, Research Geneticist and Assistant Director for Animal Health and Research at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, a worldwide non-profit dedicated to saving the wild cheetah and its habitat.  Schmidt-Kuentzel will give a special presentation on her work with CCF later that day.

The new exhibit is a long, linear exhibit that develops a large portion of the Zoo’s new African Savannah area.  It features two yards for the cheetahs and two new observatory decks for viewing the cheetahs in their habitat.  The African Outpost exhibit was also renovated as part of the new exhibit and features new habitats for the naked mole rats and some African reptiles.  This air-conditioned indoor space also features interactive educational displays about the plight of the wild cheetah and the work of CCF to save the cheetah.

Although the exhibit will open with two cheetahs, the exhibit is fit to hold up to five and is designed to allow for breeding.  The Zoo is currently working with the Species Survival Plan for the cheetah to develop a breeding program.

The grand opening of the new Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost marks the second major exhibit opening for the Zoo in the past year.  The Laura P. Nichols Penguin Pointe exhibit opened in the spring of 2011.

Both the cheetah and penguin exhibits are sponsored by the Laura P. Nichols Foundation inArkansaswho provided funding for both exhibits.  The cheetah exhibit is also partially funded through private donations collected through the Arkansas Zoological Foundation and through the 2009 refinancing of park bonds by the City ofLittle Rock.

About the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a key role in the Smithsonian’s global efforts to understand and conserve species and train future generations of conservationists.  Headquartered in Front Royal,Va., SCBI facilitates and promotes research programs based at Front Royal, the National Zoo in Washington D.C. and the at field research stations and training sites worldwide.

About the Little Rock Zoo and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The Little Rock Zoo provides engaging experiences that inspire people to value and conserve our natural world.  The Zoo was founded in 1926 with a timber wolf and a circus trained bear.  Today the Zoo boasts more than 700 animals representing 200 species, many of which are endangered.   Located in the heart of Little Rock at War Memorial Park, the Zoo consists of 33 acres of manicured land and animal exhibits.  The Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things.  With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.  For more information, visit http://www.aza.org.

Improv Little Rock Season Finale This Weekend

Posted on by

Fri 7/6 at 10pm: ReQuest 20/90
ILR kicks off it’s Season VII finale weekend with ReQuest 20/90. Watch as ILR attempts the unthinkable–performing 20 short-form scenes and games in only 90 minutes. And the best part, you the audience, picks out which scenes we perform from beginning to end.

Sat 7/7 at 10pm: Oregon Trail
ILR rings out Season VII with a bang as we present Oregon Trail. That’s right. We’re bringing the classic computer game to life in this new long-form show. Watch our improvisers hit the Oregon Trail in our Conestoga Wagon train, as we hunt, get snake-bit, and face the real, and not so real, plights of pioneer life. Just don’t die of dysentery.

Both shows 7/6 & 7/7 take place at the PUBLIC Theatre. Admission is $8 at the door.

Birthday of first Little Rock Mayor

Posted on by

Dr. Matthew Cunningham was born on July 5, 1782 in Pennsylvania. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, he ended up in New York City. It was there he met and married a young widow, Eliza Wilson Bertrand. After a brief stint in St. Louis, Dr. Cunningham was one of the first settlers of Little Rock in February 1820. He became the first physician in Little Rock.

In September 1820, Mrs. Cunningham and her children joined him. She became the first female in the Little Rock settlement. Dr. and Mrs. Cunningham had a son, Chester, who was the first baby born in Little Rock. They also had a daughter, Matilda, who would later marry Peter Hanger.

In 1831, Dr. Cunningham was elected the first Mayor of Little Rock. He won the race 23 to 15 over Rev. W. W. Stevenson. The first City Council meeting took place at the Cunningham house at the southwest corner of what is now 3rd and Main Streets (where Bennett’s Military Surplus is located).

Dr. Cunningham served one year as Mayor. He lived until June 15, 1851 and is buried at Mt. Holly Cemetery. His wife, son, daughter and her family are buried next to him.

Pops on the River

Posted on by

20120704-101018.jpg

Pops on the River, presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, is the state’s largest Fourth of July celebration and takes place this year on Wednesday July 4th in downtown Little Rock.

Bale Chevrolet, Honda and Kia of Little Rock sponsor the event.

Pops on the River, in it’s 29th year, is FREE to the public and will begin at noon outside the main gates of the Riverfest Amphitheater in the River Market Pavilions with a Kid’s Pavilion and Car Pavilion.

The event will also have a marketplace with shopping, food trucks, a classic car show and other activities below the River Market Pavilions.

Pops on the River activities inside the Riverfest Amphitheater gates will begin at 5:30. The Oh Say! Can You Sing? Top 5 finalists will perform in addition to the Happy Tymes Jazz Band. The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will close out the night with a beautiful performance. Fireworks will be finale at 9:30 p.m.

Please remember:
-No Coolers
-No Pets
-No Outside Food or Drink
-No Fireworks
-No Smoking

Arkansas Arts Center open on July 4

Posted on by
Celebrate Independence Day at the Arkansas Arts Center! Visit the AAC on Wednesday, July 4 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visitors to the Arts Center can enjoy the cool air conditioning and hot exhibits that are on display.
View the exhibitions Tattoo Witness:Photographs by Mark Perrott, 11th National Drawing Invitational: New York, Singular Drawings, The New Materiality: Digital Dialogues at the Boundaries of Contemporary Craft, Doodle 4 Google and The Rockefeller Influence. Shop in the Museum Shop.
Then leave your car parked at the AAC free of charge and hop on the Rivermarket trolley for Pops on the River. The AAC will be a stop on the trolley route, which will circle continuously throughout the day stopping at the AAC Atrium Entrance, River Market, Clinton Presidential Center and the US Post Office.
The Trolley will run from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Remember, admission to the Arts Center is free everyday. Happy July 4th!
Best Impressions Restaurant will not be open on July 4.

Tales from the South tomorrow

Posted on by

Starving Artist Café

Dinner 5pm-6:30pm
Show starts at 7pm
Admission is $5

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show

This week’s program is “ The Last Time I…” featuring Nathan McKinney II, Marcia Williams and Donna Dillahunty. Bonnie Montgomery and blues guitarist Mark Simpson will provide musical entertainment.

Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live on Tuesday. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.

Tales from the South airs on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.

Sculpture Vulture: Beginning Life

Posted on by

20120701-140849.jpg

Today’s Sculpture Vulture is Kathleen Caricof’s Beginning Life. This abstract sculpture was purchased in 2009 for the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden. Caricof has shown at the Sculpture at the River Market invitational.

Kathleen Caricof has gained many accolades for her stone sculpture and reliefs over the years including a ‘Purchase Award’ and ‘Best of Show’ at the 2007 Sculpture at the River Market Invitational in Little Rock, AR. Her interest in sculpture developed from a background in designing for space. Caricof earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from the Art Center College of Design emphasizing in graphic design, packaging, environmental planning and transportation.

Past professional experience has included being an Associate Designer for Schorer & Associates and owner of Caricof-Burns Designs, primarily in the areas of Graphic/Packaging and Interior Design. Specific projects included working with Buckminister Fuller in product design and with PPG Glass in developing a next generation of products.

Caricof works in a variety of materials specific to each artwork and site; including steel, natural stone, composite stone, wood, and glass. Most recent public placements are ‘Stars and Stripes’ a 30ftx40ft intertwining stainless steel sculpture as the Veteran’s Memorial for the War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, AR.

For more than 20 years, Caricof has carved with sculptors from around the world as an instructor at the MARBLE/marble Institute of Colorado. She also teaches at the Art Students League in Denver. Since 1996 she has been a member of the National Sculptors’ Guild