Monthly Archives: July 2013

Ark Arts Center – Military Appreciation Day; BBQ for the 4th

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arkartsMilitary Appreciation Day

In observance of Independence Day, the Arkansas Arts Center will show its appreciation to the dedicated United States men and women in uniform, both current service members and veterans, by offering complimentary admission to the Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: Treasures of Kenwood House, London exhibit on the fourth of July holiday.

11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Arkansas Arts Center Patio
4th of July Cookout
Join us for Burgers, Bratwurst and Beer at our Independence Day celebration! Four legged friends are welcome on the patio! Food will be grilled to order, and will include your choice of burger, brats, hot dog or chicken breast. The buffet will include a variety of condiments, baked beans, potato salad, dessert and choice of tea or lemonade. Admission for adults is $12 and $7 for children age seven and under.

Frontier Fourth at Historic Arkansas Museum

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FrontierFourthBy George! This year’s Historic Arkansas Museum Frontier Fourth of July is all about George Washington, in honor of his signed family bible featured in the exhibit, Treasures of Arkansas Freemasons.

Amid all the frontier fun and pioneer games, there will be a traveling sideshow barker displaying his amazing, “authentic” relics from the great George Washington, including his powdered wig, wooden teeth and the “actual” axe he used to cut down his father’s cherry tree.

Others will regale visitors with stories of Washington, his Inauguration in New York and his involvement with Freemasons. As always, there will be crafts, music, games, a parade and refreshing watermelon and lemonade. During a reading of the Declaration of Independence, watch out for Red Coats who have nothing good to say about it.
Thursday, July 4 from 2pm to 4pm.  There is no charge.

Movies in the Park tonight: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

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Movies in the Park continues tonight.  As the night gets dark, this week’s feature will be 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.  This follow up to the 2008 film was again directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he wrote with his brother Jonathan.

Christian Bale resumes the tip-eared mantle and is ably assisted by Michael Caine as butler/father confessor Alfred.

Other leading roles are played by Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Modine. (This may possibly be the largest number of Oscar winners and nominees ever in a superhero film.)

Movies in the Park is a free outdoor movie series in Little Rock’s River Market. They take place at the First Security Amphitheatre. The mission of Movies in the Park is help foster a sense of community and enjoyment in downtown Little Rock and throughout Central Arkansas by bringing people together to enjoy a movie in a unique setting along the scenic banks of the Arkansas River.

Movies start at dark. Visitors are welcome to bring picnics but please no glass containers and pick up afterwards. Those choosing not to bring their own picnic, the park does have concessions available for sale.

Bring bug spray, picnic and family and have a good time!

The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau Technical Services department provides all the equipment for the movies.

Jazz in the Park tonight: The Johnny Burnette Group

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jazzinparkThe Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau continues Jazz in the Park tonight.  The featured musicians are The Johnny Burnette Group.

Jazz in the Park takes place Wednesday night in June and July from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. They will take place in the History Pavilion in Riverfront Park (between the Junction Bridge and Peabody Park).

Beer & Wine will be available for sale – to benefit Sculpture at the River Market…so no coolers, please. Free to attend!

CALS Legacies & Lunch today at noon explores early banking

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cals_int_sponsor_butlerStereotypes hold that rural people in early Arkansas kept their money under their mattresses. Maybe they had the right idea back then. The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies will host “The High Costs of Arkansas’s Early Banks,” a free talk by Dr. Scott Lien, as part of its monthly Legacies & Lunch lecture series, Wednesday, July 3, at noon in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.

Lien will discuss Arkansas’s experiences with the state’s first two chartered banks, from the days before the Civil War. The banks offered help to some while foreclosing opportunities for others. Lien is a history professor at Lyon College in Batesville. His research focuses on how democracy has affected opportunities of all Americans.

The Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch program is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). It was founded in 1997 to promote the study and appreciation of Arkansas history and culture. The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 President Clinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library.

For more information, call 918-3086.

Tin Roof Project: John Hornor Jacobs

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JHJ_ABOUT_ME_PHOTOThe first week of each month, Tales from the South features one person sharing their life story. They call it Tin Roof Project.  July features novelist John Hornor Jacobs.

Music is by Bonnie Montgomery and blues guitarist Mark Simpson.

John Hornor Jacobs has worked in advertising for the last fifteen years, played in bands, and pursued art in various forms. He is also, in his copious spare time, a novelist. His first novel, Southern Gods, was shortlisted for the Bram Stoker Award. He has also written   This Dark Earth and a young adult series, The Incarcerado Trilogy comprised of The Twelve Fingered Boy, The Shibboleth, and The Conformity.  His first fantasy series, The Incorruptibles will be published in Spring 2014.

John is the co-founder of Needle: A Magazine of Noir and was the active creative director until fall 2012. He has a quartet of horror stories, Fierce As The Grave, available through Amazon.com.  John has played guitar semi-professionally and worked as an animator, videographer and designer.

“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.

The program takes place at Starving Artist Café.  Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $7.50, not including dinner.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.

Washington Tribute at Clinton Center

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Washington's Copy of the Acts of Congress.

Washington’s Copy of the Acts of Congress.

The library focusing on the 42nd President now has an exhibit honoring the the 1st President.  The William J. Clinton Presidential Center has a “Tribute to George Washington” on display through July 12.

It features:
George Washington’s Copy of the Acts of Congress
The volume contains the Constitution and draft Bill of Rights with Washington’s personal written notes as well as an original signature. The volume, dating back to 1789, is on loan from Mount Vernon.

George Washington Correspondence
On loan from the National Archives in Washington, DC, the Clinton Center will showcase two rare documents that helped shape American history during Washington’s administration. One includes a handwritten letter by President Washington regarding the the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. The second document is a letter to President Washington signed by Chief Justice John Jay.

George Washington [The Constable-Hamilton Portrait]
The portrait of George Washington was painted in Philadelphia in 1797 by artist Gilbert Stuart. New York merchant William Kerin Constable commissioned the portrait for Alexander Hamilton. The portrait is on loan from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.

The Clinton Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.