Monthly Archives: May 2015

Little Rock Look Back: Mayor J. V. Satterfield

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SatterfieldOn May 14, 1902, future Little Rock Mayor John Vines Satterfield, Jr. was born in Marion.   He grew up in Little Rock and Earle. J.V. was a star quarterback for the Earle football team and is featured in a painting of that team by respected painter Carroll Cloar.

Following high school, J.V. taught (including, much to his family’s amusement, a course in penmanship) and coached and sold Fords.  He then moved to Little Rock and sold insurance and later securities.  In 1931 he opened his own business; that same year he built a house at 40 Beverly Place in Little Rock, which would serve as his home until his death.

J. V. Satterfield was elected to serve as Mayor of Little Rock in 1939 and served one term, until 1941.  He was credited with saving the City from bankruptcy because of his fiscal policies. Among his efficiencies were the creation of a central purchasing office and using grass moved from the airport to feed the Zoo animals.  Though as a private citizen he had voted against the creation of a municipal auditorium in 1937, Mayor Satterfield fought valiantly to ensure that Robinson Auditorium opened to the public once he took office.  Shortly after he became Mayor, it was discovered that there were not sufficient funds to finish the construction. After the federal government refused to put in more money, he was able to negotiate with some of the contractors to arrange for the building to be completed. He also oversaw a successful special election to raise the money to finish the project.

Satterfield was a staunch supporter of the airport and worked to expand it.  He would serve as the chair of the first Municipal Airport Commission.  He also established the Little Rock Housing Authority (on which he would later serve on the board).  Mayor Satterfield also served as President of the Arkansas Municipal League in 1941.

Following the outbreak of World War II, Satterfield enlisted in the Army and was given the rank of a Major. He later was promoted to a Colonel and worked in the Pentagon during its early days.

In the late 1940s Satterfield became president of a small Little Rock bank called People’s Bank.  The bank changed its named to First National Bank when it moved into new offices at 3rd and Louisiana in 1953.  By focusing on smaller customers and courting corporate customers, Satterfield grew the bank into one of the state’s largest banks.  He maintained his desk in the lobby of the bank so he could interact with the customers and ensure they were having a positive experience.

Due to chronic health issues, Satterfield retired from the bank in 1964. He died in March 1966.

Go for Baroque with the ASO Neighborhood season finale

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TASO_revhe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the finale of the 2014-2015 Intimate Neighborhood Concerts series with Baroque by Candlelight on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 7:00 PM at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 321 310 W 17th St, Little Rock. The candlelit concert features masterpieces of the baroque era by Handel, Bach and Vivaldi with piccolo soloist Gabriel Vega. The Intimate Neighborhood Concerts series is sponsored by the Stella Boyle Smith Foundation.

Originally written for “small flute” and probably performed on the high-pitched sopranino recorder, Vivaldi’s concerto is a perfect fit for the modern piccolo. Vivaldi puts the instrument through paces of extreme virtuosity in the outer movements and features a lyrical central largo.

Tickets are $25; active duty military and student tickets are $10 are can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral beginning 60 minutes prior to the concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 100.

The Stella Boyle Smith Intimate Neighborhood Concerts Series is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy fantastic music in gorgeous, acoustically unique venues around Little Rock. The concerts offer a special, intimate performance where patrons can get up-close and personal with musicians in chamber orchestra ensembles performing pieces in the settings intended by the composers. In addition to hearing these beautiful works, concertgoers are invited to mingle with the musicians after the concerts.

PROGRAM:
HANDEL: Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon, HWV 67
BACH: Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
VIVALDI: Concerto for Piccolo in C Major, Op. 44, No. 11, RV 443
Gabriel Vega, piccolo
HANDEL: Water Music: Suite No. 2 in D Major, HWV 349

Originally written for “small flute” and probably performed on the high-pitched sopranino recorder, Vivaldi’s concerto is a perfect fit for the modern piccolo. Vivaldi puts the instrument through paces of extreme virtuosity in the outer movements and features a lyrical central largo. Piccolo soloist, Gabriel Vega, hails from Los Angeles and graduated from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Gabriel joined the ASO in 2009, and performed movements from Vivaldi’s piccolo concerto on the ASO’s Children’s Concerts in the 2013-2014 season.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 49th season in 2014-2015, under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than sixty concerts each year for more than 165,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series, Landers FIAT River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series, and numerous concerts performed around the state of Arkansas, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 26,000 school children and over 200 schools.

Local Live tonight at South on Main featuring Rodney Block & The Love Supreme

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llsom rblockTonight at 7:30pm, this week’s installment of the South on Main Local Live concert series features Rodney Block & The Love Supreme!

Presented by the Oxford American magazine, Local Live showcases the best of local and regional music talent and is always free and open to the public. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservations and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660. Local Live is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Ben and Jane Hunt Meade.

Rodney Block is a native of Dumas, Arkansas, where he began studying trumpet in the school band at a young age. Block has shared the stage with such artists as Earth, Wind, & Fire, Joe, Algebra, Whodini, Johnny Gill, Dwele, Johnathon Butler, Dave Hollister, Wynton Marsalis, and Eric Roberson. He has backed for artists such as Liv Warfield, Conya Doss, Dwele, Sy Smith, Carol Riddick, and Anthony David.

Heritage Month – Hotze House

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Hotze hosueThe Hotze House, located at 1619 Louisiana in Little Rock’s historic Quapaw Quarter district, was built by one of Arkansas’ most successful and prominent businessmen.  Designed by Charles L. Thompson, Little Rock’s most prominent architect and constructed in 1900, the house reflects the Beaux Arts tradition combined with Georgian influence.  The interior was reputed to have been designed by Tiffany Studios of New York.  The house has been remarkably well preserved and remains practically unaltered.

Peter Hotze was born in Innsbruck, Austria, on October 12, 1836.  He was young at the time of his father’s death, but Mrs. Hotze’s inheritance made it possible for her three sons to attend the University of Innsbruck.  In 1857 Peter Hotze moved to Little Rock and went into the general merchandise business.

Returning to Little Rock after service and imprisonment in the Civil War, Hotze went into a business as a merchant in partnership with Capt. John G. Fletcher, who had been his company commander.  Each man put $2,500 into the business.  After a while, they limited their business exclusively to the cotton trade.  In 1873 it was decided that Hotze should move to New York to handle that end of the firm’s business.  He lived there for 27 years, in a fashionable neighborhood near Central Park.

In 1900, Hotze retired and returned to Little Rock.  Upon his return in 1900 he built the large house in which he lived with his daughter Clara and son Frederick until his death on April 12, 1901.  He chose to build his home directly behind the small frame house he had built about l869 and lived in during his previous residence in Little Rock.

The Hotze House is one of the finer homes remaining in the state which expresses the opulence of the period in which it was constructed, particularly in the interiors, which are extraordinarily rich in quality. Resting on three and one-half lots, the Hotze House is remarkably well preserved and appears practically the same as when it was first constructed.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 1975.

 

Shorts and Features everywhere in Day 3 of 2015 Little Rock Film Festival

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LRFF2015 longThe 2015 Little Rock Film Festival kicks into high gear today.  At 10am at the Ron Robinson Theatre there is an LRFFYOUTH! Screening of the film “Three Wishes Once Choice” and “Flowers in Concrete.”

Tired Moonlight will be shown at 11:15 at the Ron Robinson Theater. At 1pm, at the Butler Center, the documentary Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey looks at Hal Holbrook’s sixty year career of portraying Mark Twain. Also at 1, the film I Am the People will be shown at the Ron Robinson Theater.

At 3pm the Made in Arkansas Shorts (Block 2) will be shown at The Joint .  The films being shown are “MatchMaker” by Robin Sparks, “Hush” by Kenn Woodard, “Dim the Lights” by Dwight Chalmers, “The Pop N’ Lock” by Jadon Barnes, “Rapture Us” by Levi Agee, “The Ask” by Edmund Lowry and “Contact” by Alexander Jeffery.

“One, Two” World Shorts Block will also screen at 3pm.  It features “Biscayne World,” “one hitta quitta,” “Boxeadora,” “Day One,” “Hunter’s Fall,” and “Bookin’.”  It will be shown in the Bill and Margaret Clark Room on the 3rd floor of the River Market.

The Chinese Mayor will be screened at 3:30 in the Ron Robinson Theater. Also at 3:30, How to Dance in Ohio will be shown at the Butler Center.

At 4:45, the panel “Made in Arkansas: Can I Make a Living Doing This?” will take place in the Filmmakers Lounge.  Local working Filmmakers Bryan Stafford, Daniel Campbell, Brent Bailey, and UCA Professor Bruce Hutchinson discuss the current professional environment for filmmaking in the state of Arkansas. The panelists will share their secrets for making a living in the Industry without moving to the coasts. From producing your own work, to freelancing for the advertising community, to getting work on Hollywood productions in the surrounding states, this panel will help get you on your way to a career in film production right here at home.

At 5:30, Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead will be shown at the Clinton School.  This film looks at three Harvard graduates who started the first national humor magazine for adults, launching the careers of some of Hollywood’s most legendary talent. Also at 5:30, Krisha will be shown in the Butler Center.  And at 5:30 as well, “Made in Arkansas” Shorts Block 1 will be shown.  It includes “Loser” by Andrew Lisle, “Forsaken” by Krisha Mason, “Monotony Broken” by J. C. Cocker, “Stranger Than Paradise” by Johnnie Brannon, “Rites” by Cody Harris, and “The Dealer’s Tale” by Justin Nickels.  These will be shown at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple.

Another round of “Made in Arkansas” Shorts will also be shown at 5:30.  Block 3 consists of “Undefeated” by Nathan Willis, “Little Brother” by Eric White, “Spoonin’ the Devil” by Michael Carpenter, “Meredith” by Scott Eggleston, and “The Town Where Nobody Lives” by Al Topich.  It will be shown at the Ron Robinson Theater.  Another “Made in Arkansas” film, this time the feature length The Grace of Jack will be shown at The Joint at 5:30.

Finally, the last 5:30 slot goes to “Quirks” World Shorts.  It features “The Department of Signs and Magical Intervention,” “Woman of the World,” “reConception,” “Happy Hour,” “Miss Famous,” “Love in the Time of March Madness,” and “Jake Plays First Base.”  This will be shown at the Bill and Margaret Clark Room on the third floor of the River Market.

At 8:00pm:

  • Uncertain – Ron Robinson Theater
  • King Jack – Butler Center
  • Made in Arkansas The Phone in the Attic – The Joint
  • “Made in Arkansas” Shorts Block 4 – Albert Pike Memorial Temple
    • “The Tricycle”-David Bogard, “What Was Lost”-Romello Williams, “Overgrown”-Bruce Hutchinson, “Pyro”-Cole Borgstadt, and “The Space Station”-Michael Sutterfield
  • “Explore” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “Swimming in Your Skin Again,” “Beach Week,” “The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano,” “Displacements,” “Pequeño bloque de cemento con pelo alborotado conteniendo el mar” and “When I Write.”

At 10pm, the “Made in Arkansas” Blow Out at South on Main.  The party will feature food from the kitchen of executive chef Matthew Bell and feature cocktails from Mixologist David Burnette. Music performed by Isaac Alexander and band. This party is open to following pass holders: Sponsor, Filmmaker, Press, Gold, Silver, and Student.

MOVIES IN THE PARK announces 2015 movies

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MIP LRIf the Little Rock Film Festival is putting you in the mood for movies in downtown Little Rock, that feeling can continue this summer with the 11th annual Movies in the Park.

The schedule has just been released.

June 3: Divergent (PG-13)

June 10: Ghostbusters (PG)

June 17: The Proposal (PG-13)

June 24: Oz the Great & Powerful (PG)

July 1: Sherlock Holmes (PG-13)

July 8: Despicable Me (PG)

July 15: Mamma Mia (PG)

July 22: The Goonies (PG)

July 29: Iron Man 3 (PG-13)

 

Movies in the Park is a free outdoor movie series in Little Rock’s River Market. 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 in the Park is a free outdoor film series shown at First Security Amphitheatre in Riverfront Park. Movies start at dark. You’re welcome to bring picnics but please no glass containers and pick up afterwards. Alcohol is allowed during the movie but, you remain subject to all local, state and federal laws and ordinances. Uniformed security is on site for everyone’s safety. If you choose not to bring your own picnic we do have concessions available for sale. Bring your bug spray, picnic and family and have a good time!

Security will absolutely NOT tolerate groups disturbing the movie. Please find a seat and be respectful of your neighbors’ movie watching experience. If you are there to socialize and not watch the movie, please do so outside of the Amphitheater.

Smoking — it is the policy of the City of Little Rock Parks and Recreation that smoking is not allowed in public parks. Please refrain from smoking inside the Amphitheater. If you must smoke please exit the amphitheater to do so.

 

Heritage Month – Fordyce House

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FordyceThe Fordyce House was built in 1904 for Mr. and Mrs John R. Fordyce.  The house was designed architect Charles L. Thompson in an Egyptian Revival style.  The Egyptian Revival style is rarely seen in houses in the United States,  major features of the style include the porch columns resembling bundles of stalks tied together and flared at the top and the “battered” walls that slant inward as they rise.

The Fordyce ‘s lived in the house until 1920 when it was sold to James Shipton who lived in the house until 1950.  The house has remained a single family home through the years.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 9, 1975.