Monthly Archives: November 2013

Beethoven, Blue Jeans, Beer, Brats all with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra this weekend

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mw3_largeThis weekend: Maestro Philip Mann and the ASO are joined by talented cellist Inbal Segev for the ASO’s most popular Masterworks concert, featuring Strauss’s Die Fledermaus: Overture, Gulda’s rollicking Cello Concerto, and, of course, the mighty Beethoven with his Symphony No. 4. Wear jeans to this casual concert and be sure to come early for the 3rd Annual Beer and Brats Street Party!

Beethoven and Blue Jeans presents a thoroughly Viennese affair with sounds of court, nature, and even the city’s downtown clubs. Opening the performance in quintessential fashion is Johann Strauss’s Overture to Die Fledermaus, which is infused with the excitement of nighttime Vienna and its grand waltzes and intoxicating flair. A personal favorite, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 is one of the most perfect works of the classical Viennese symphony genre. His brilliance and wit is particularly sharp is one of his finest and most joyful works, whose only shortcoming is that it was a middle child -falling between Eroica and the mighty 5th Symphony.

Outrageous personality Friedrich Gulda crossed genres between jazz and classical as a pianist, but as a composer he left all labels behind. His Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra is an altogether Viennese work citing everything from Haydn to rock and roll as inspiration. It could easily have been kitsch, but Gulda’s genius engenders a work of style, fun, and panache. Bringing the unforgettable concerto to the Robinson stage is critically acclaimed cellist, Inbal Segev, making her ASO debut.

This casual concert kicks off with the Beer & Brats Street Party at 6 pm on Saturday and 1 pm on Sunday. Concert ticket holders can enjoy free brats, $2 Diamond Bear beer, the sounds of the Episcopal Collegiate School Steel Drum Band, and maybe a few surprises! Concert goers can follow @ARsymphony and the hashtag #BeethovenAndBlueJeans via Twitter to get the inside scoop about the Street Party and to learn insights about the concert in progress.

Tickets for this casual concert and street party start at $14 – click here to get your tickets now!

Beethoven & Blue Jeans attendees can also support the Arkansas Foodbank by dropping off a frozen turkey or other bird at the BBJ Street Party. And as a thank you, turkey donors will receive a pair of free tickets to any concert from the ASO’s 2013-2014 Season.

2nd Friday Art Night Tonight

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http://www.littlerock.com/!UserFiles/calendar/Events/2ndFriday.jpgThe monthly 2nd Friday Art Night is tonight at various locations in downtown Little Rock.

Among the participating sites are Historic Arkansas Museum, the Old State House Museum, Christ Episcopal Church, studioMain, Hearne Fine Art, and the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

Art, music, food, drinks and its all free from 5pm to 8pm.  Transportation from the various sites is provided by a free shuttle as well.

182 Years of Incorporated Little Rock

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CLR 182Though last week marked the 178th year of Little Rock being a City (November 2), today marks Little Rock’s official birthday as a chartered, officially recognized municipality.

On November 7, 1831, the Arkansas Territory officially recognized the Town of Little Rock and authorized a government to be formed and a Mayor and Aldermen to be elected.

There are several earlier and later days which could be used to mark Little Rock’s official birth (LaHarpe sighting in 1722, first settler in 1812, permanent settlement in 1820, selection of trustees in 1825, City of First Class in 1875) — but it is November 7, 1831, which has been the officially recognized and accepted date.  In 1931, Little Rock celebrated her centennial.

Little Rock Look Back: Mayor W H Walters

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On November 6, 1912, future Little Rock Mayor William H. Walters was born in Clearfield, Pennsylvania.

He ran for the City Board of Directors in 1970 and was unopposed.  Walters took office on January 1, 1971 and served one term on the City Board.  He chose not to run for a second term and left office on December 31, 1974.

In January 1973, he was selected by his colleagues to serve a two year term as Mayor of the City of Little Rock.

Throughout his life, Mayor Walters enjoyed traveling and visiting over 100 countries throughout the world. Mr. Walters had a keen interest in the circus and collected circus memorabilia from many countries.

He was employed by 3M Company. He was Superintendent and Acting Plant Manager beginning January 1, 1951 and 3M Plant Manager beginning February 1, 1972. He retired in 1977.

In addition to serving on the City Board, he had been active in the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce (he served as Chamber President in 1969), Kiwanis Club, Associated Industries of Arkansas and the YMCA among other activities.

Mayor Walters died on February 14, 2005 at the age of 94.

Wilbur Mills Focus of Legacies & Lunch Today

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native arkansas exhibitionKay C. Goss, will discuss the complicated life and times of Congressman Wilbur D. Mills.   Goss is an educator and long-time aide to President Clinton in the Governor’s Office and at the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, will discuss her biography of Arkansas’s longest-serving congressman, Mr. Chairman: The Life and Legacy of Wilbur D. Mills.

The book covers the entirety of Mills’s life (1909-1992), including his work on fiscal issues and his relationships with the eight presidents under whom he worked. Goss’s work also delves into Mills’s personal battle with alcoholism, his successful recovery, and his legacy of supporting substance abuse treatment.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. The program is held from noon-1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the Main Library’s Darragh Center. 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.

Evenings with History Continues Tonight: Moira Maguire

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moiraThe Evenings with History series, sponsored by the UALR History Institute kicks off the 2013-2014 series tonight.  This year’s series will focus on how the study and writing of history is done.

The six sessions of the 2013-2014 Evenings with History series will be on the first Tuesday of October, November, and December of 2013 and February, March, and April of 2014.

They are held at the Ottenheimer Auditorium in the Historic Arkansas Museum at 200 E. Third Street in Little Rock. Historic Arkansas’s downtown location and the museum’s adjacent parking lot at Third and Cumberland make the sessions convenient and pleasant to attend.

Refreshments are served at 7:00 p.m., and the talk begins at 7:30 p.m.

An individual subscription to the series, at $50 annually, includes admission to all six lectures.

Tonight, Moira Maguire discusses “From Kerry Babies to Precarious Childhood:  The Evolution of Research Agenda”

Dr. Maguire’s presentation traces the evolution of one research agenda, from the graduate student essay that formed the basis of a doctoral dissertation to the commissioned research project that led ultimately to the publication of her new book, Precarious Childhood in Post-Independence Ireland. Focusing on issues such as unwed motherhood, neglected and abused children, adoption, and family dysfunction and pointing up the gap between the rhetoric of government and the Catholic church and their policies, her study addresses questions at the forefront of public discourse in Ireland. Producing such a relevant work means that “doing” history also may inform public policy. Her talk will show how her research has figured in the work of two Irish commissions examining the treatment of women and children in state-run institutions in the first half of the twentieth century.

Dr. Maguire came to UALR in 2003. After receiving her Ph.D. from American University in Washing, D.C., she spent six years engaged in teaching and research at the National University of Ireland at Maynooth. She is in charge of the department’s assessment program. Her book, Cherished Equally? Precarious Childhood in Independent Ireland, is under contract with Manchester University Press.

Corporate sponsors for the 2013-2014 season include Friday, Eldredge, & Clark; Union Pacific Railroad; Wright, Lindsey, and Jennings; and the Teaching American History Program of the Little Rock School District.

Support and gifts in kind are provided by the UALR Ottenheimer Library; Historic Arkansas Museum, a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; UALR Public Radio—KUAR-KLRE; UALR public television; and Grapevine Spirits.

Tales from the South Tomorrow: Kat Robinson

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The first Tuesday of each month, Tales from the South features one person sharing their life story. They call it Tin Roof Project.  November features Kat Robinson. The program will be Tuesday, November 5.

Music is by the Salty Dogs and blues guitarist Mark Simpson.

Kat Robinson is a food and travel writer based in Little Rock.  She travels Arkansas and the South searching for good stories, tall tales and the next great little restaurant.

In addition to Tie Dye Travels, Kat writes and blogs all about pie in the state of Arkansas — at ArkansasPie.com.  Her first book, Arkansas Pie, was released in November 2012 via History Press.

Kat previously wrote  Eat Arkansas, the blog for food loversfor the Arkansas Times.   She has written for Arkansas Wild, Serious Eats,  Sync Weekly, 2njoy Magazine, Deep South Magazine, GreenZine, Savvy Kids, Lonely Planet, Little Rock Family Magazine, Living in Arkansas, the Arkansas Times, Forbes Travel Guide, USA Today and Cat Fancy and appeared on KARN Newsradio’s The Dave Elswick’s Show.

Before starting her writing career in 2007, Kat produced and wrote for several Arkansas-based television and radio outlets, including an eight year stint producing Today’s THV This Morning.
Kat lives with her daughter Hunter in her hometown of Little Rock, AR.

“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.