Monthly Archives: July 2015

Today at the Zoo, Hiland Dairy Dollar Day!

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Zoo Hiland Dairy 2015Today is the annual Hiland Dairy Dollar Day at the Little Rock Zoo. Admissions will be $1 all day long.

Guests can enjoy several special keeper chats and other activities that will go on throughout the day.  The Zoo’s Animal Ambassador Show at the Civitan Amphitheater will happen at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The Zoo will also add additional food vendors, security officers, and emergency medical technicians to ensure everyone has a fun and safe day.

Hiland Dairy is an annual sponsor of the Zoo and over the last five years has committed more than $250,000 to the Zoo in the form of cash sponsorships and in-kind product donations.  Formerly Coleman Dairy, Hiland Dairy is proud to sponsor the annual Dollar Day at the Zoo to bring family fun to all Arkansas families.

The Last admission to the Zoo is 4:00 p.m. and the Zoo will close at 5:00 p.m.  The Zoo will also sell Hiland products for only $1 including cold tea and other beverages.

“Hiland Dairy is excited to support one of the state’s largest family attractions, the Little Rock Zoo, and provide a fun day for the families of Arkansas,” said Walt Coleman of Hiland Dairy.

Little Rock Zoo Director Mike Blakely added that the Zoo is excited to host another Hiland Dairy Dollar Day and is looking forward to offering this special discount.

“It is only through the generous financial contribution of Hiland Dairy that the Little Rock Zoo is able to offer this special discount day to the public, and for that, we are very thankful. Hiland Dairy has a strong commitment to the Zoo and wants every Arkansan to experience this family attraction that provides engaging experiences to inspire people to value and conserve our natural world,” said Zoo Director Mike Blakely.

In addition to providing a sponsorship for the discount day, Hiland Dairy has also provide the Zoo with in-kind product donations for Café Africa and for special events at the Zoo, and has also provided free advertising opportunities for the Zoo on its milk cartons.  The annual sponsorship totals more than $50,000 and 2015 marks the sixth year in a row that Hiland Dairy has made this commitment.

Hiland Dairy Dollar Day will run all day on Saturday.  Gates will open at 9:00 a.m. and last admission will be at 4:00 p.m. with the Zoo closing to the public at 5:00 p.m.  The Animal Ambassador Stage will have two shows at 11:00 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m. at the Civitan Amphitheater and other special programs are scheduled throughout the Zoo during the day.

The Little Rock 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 www.aza.org.

XANADU skates into Studio Theatre

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xanaduThe 1980 movie musical FLOP Xanadu was reimagined as a stage musical in 2007 and became a surprise smash on Broadway.  It has now skated into the Studio Theatre for a summer run.

The bubblegum pop score of Jeff Lynne and John Farrar has been augmented by a book by Douglas Carter Beane. He combined the original movie story with a touch of Clash of the Titans (another early 1980s movie disappointment) and added a great deal of humor and campy fun.

Directed by Justin A. Pike, the musical features a cast of Courtney Speyer, Kevin Crumpler, Greg Blacklaw, Gabi Baltzley, Amy Young, Tye Davis, Adriana Napolitano, Bridget Davis and Brian Earles.

The creative team team features choreographer Sara Adams, musical director Bob Bidewell, costume designer Hannah M. Sawyer and stage manager Danette Scott Perry.  In addition to directing, Pike designed the sets and co-designed the lighting with Michael Goodbar.

Performances began on July 9 and continue through July 19.  Curtain time is 7pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2pm on Sunday.

Tonight at Ron Robinson Theater – THE ROAD WARRIOR

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RRT road warriorTime magazine called this film “Apocolypse…POW.”  The Road Warrior (sometimes called: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior) will screen tonight at 10pm at the Ron Robinson Theater.

Mel Gibson returns for this film (after having created the role in 1979’s Mad Max).  In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.  George Miller directed it based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Terry Hayes.

It was released in Australia in late 1981 and hit US screens in time for Memorial Day 1982.  Budgeted for $2 million, it grossed over $23 million in the US alone in 1982.

Admission to tonight’s screening, which is part of the “Re:Wind Series,” is $5 with concessions available for purchase.

Celebrate the Arts Council’s Arkansas Living Treasures tonight at Historic Arkansas Museum

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2fan ham 0715Tonight’s 2nd Friday Art Night at Historic Arkansas Museum is a special event! In collaboration with the Arkansas Arts Council, a sister agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, it celebrates the work of those who have been designated Arkansas Living Treasures.

“Art. Function. Craft. The Life and Work of Arkansas Living Treasures” – See the works of Arkansas’s finest and most fascinating artists and artisans practicing, preserving and progressing traditional craft. Hear about their personal artistic journeys in a series of documentary shorts. This exhibition, and corresponding film series, is a collaboration of Historic Arkansas Museum and the Arkansas Arts Council, which gives the Arkansas Living Treasure Award to those who excel in the practice of a traditional craft.

Since 2002, the Arkansas Arts Council has recognized Arkansas Living Treasures, Arkansas artisans who excel in the practice of a traditional craft and who have passed the tradition on to the next generation. For the past four decades, Historic Arkansas Museum’s Arkansas Made has systematically documented, collected and preserved the work of Arkansas artisans who lived and worked in the state from the early 19th century to present day. In 2013, the Arkansas Arts Council and Historic Arkansas Museum collaborated to produce a series of short films that celebrate the lives and work of each Arkansas Living Treasure.

In addition, the evening will feature award-winning Arkansas fiddler,Clancey Ferguson. Historic Arkansas Museum’s Year of Arkansas Beer continues with Saddlebock Brewery of Springdale.

The festivities run from 5pm to 8pm.

Shark Week Special: Mack the Knife at Arkansas Rep

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1976 Gazette photo by Steve Keesee

1976 Gazette photo of Cliff Baker by Steve Keesee

In honor of Shark Week and the upcoming 40th anniversary season at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, a quick look back at the Rep’s first production.

In November 1976, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s debut production was the Kurt Weill-Bertolt Brecht musical The Threepenny Opera.  In the Marc Blitzstein translation, the opening song begins with these appropriate-for-Shark Week lyrics:

Oh, the shark has pretty teeth, dear,
And he shows them pearly white;
Just a jack-knife has Macheath, dear,
And he keeps it out of sight!

When the shark bites with his teeth, dear,
Scarlet billows start to spread;
Fancy gloves, though, wears Macheath, dear,
So there’s not a trace of red!

Often called “Mack the Knife” the song’s title is officially “Moritat” which translates to “Deadly Deed.”  In the original Arkansas Rep production, the song was sung about the Rep’s founder and artistic director Cliff Baker who played Macheath.  He also directed this production.  Others in the cast included Herb Rule, Jean Lind, Theresa Quick, Connie Gordon and Guy Couch.

In his review in the Arkansas Gazette, Bill Lewis called the production “memorable” and that it achieved the intentions of the authors.  He praised the cast, the designers and orchestra as well as Baker’s directing.   All in all, it was an auspicious beginning which has prepared the Rep well.

Interestingly, the Rep’s 40th season starts with another blood-thirsty Mack. This one, Mackers or the Thane of Cawdor, headlines Shakespeare’s Scottish Play. This Mac spends a lot of time on the heath, so it seems a very appropriate way to pay homage to the inaugural Rep production. The Rep’s 40th season kicks off on September 11.

Little Rock Look Back: Miss City Beautiful

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Miss City Beautiful 1964 Rita Fern Yoder with two of her princesses

Miss City Beautiful 1964 Rita Fern Yoder with two of her princesses

In the 1950s and 1960s, the City of Little Rock’s City Beautiful Commission sponsored a beauty pageant – Miss City Beautiful.

The commission was created in 1947. In 1950, they started the pageant.  The contest was linked to the annual beautification drive with the winner presiding over a series of events.

Though most of the appearances centered around the beautification drive, they would also appear at other City-related events throughout the year.  One summer, West Point cadet Wesley Clark was greeted at the Little Rock airport by city dignitaries and Miss City Beautiful when returned to make some appearances.

Contestants were usually high school seniors or recent graduates.  There was a preliminary round in which contestants would meet with judges, who would pick finalists. The young women were judged on “attractiveness, poise, personality, and effective speech.”

Usually there would be around eight judges, who would be from other cities in Arkansas or neighboring states.  Sometimes the final day of the pageant would be televised on local TV.

The winners and the finalists would receive prizes.  On at least one occasion the five finalists were given a trip to Washington D.C.  A comprehensive list of the finalists and winners does not currently exist.  But perhaps the most notorious winner was 1952’s Charlotte Moorman, who would later gain national notice as the Topless Cellist.

By the late 1960s, interest in the pageant waned from potential contestants. At the same time, the City Beautiful Commission was undergoing some organizational shifts of its own.  Therefore the pageant was discontinued.

Little Rock Look Back: New City Hall approved in 1906

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The 1906 plans for City Hall with the Municipal Auditorium on the left portion.

The 1906 plans for City Hall with the Municipal Auditorium on the left portion.

On July 9, 1906, the Little Rock City Council approved Resolution 281 and Ordinance 1,295. These actions approved the plans for a new City Hall complex to be constructed on land at the northwest corner of Markham and Broadway Streets.  A few days later, the contract was awarded for the construction of the new building.

Mayor Warren E. Lenon had first called for a new city hall complex in his annual address in April 1904. He repeated his request in April 1905.   The City Council took up Mayor Lenon’s quest for a new city hall in December of 1905.  The Council appropriated money for the purchase of land for a city hall, jail and auditorium.

In response to this, the Arkansas Gazette daily newspaper ran a story featuring the viewpoints of a few civic leaders weighing in on the need for a new city hall complex which would also include a new jail and a city auditorium.  Two of the respondents, L. B. Leigh and P. Raleigh, stressed the need for paved streets and better sewers instead of a new city hall and auditorium.

The other three businessmen interviewed were more favorable to Mayor Lenon’s proposal.  Morris M. Cohn, a former Little Rock City Attorney, stated “I do not think we can make a better investment than in a fine city hall and auditorium.”  (Mr. Cohn, though an M. M. Cohn, was not related the M. M. Cohn who was the namesake for the longtime Little Rock department store.) County Judge William Marmaduke Kavanaugh offered his satisfaction with the action of the City Council on that matter.  R. E. Walt, a banker, opined that he thought $150,000 was not enough; he suggested $200,000 should be spent.

Later that month the Gazette reported that a site had been selected for the city hall and auditorium complex.  The proposed location was most of a city block located at the corner of Markham and Broadway Streets.  Mayor Lenon was vague as to the details of the deal because negotiations were still underway with the property owners

As 1906 dawned, Mayor Lenon and other city leaders continued to take steps to build the new city hall and auditorium.  They invited three local architects to make presentations for the chance to design the new complex.  The three were Charles L. Thompson, Frank W. Gibb and George R. Mann.  Mr. Thompson was chosen to receive the assignment.

On February 5, 1906, Mayor Lenon announced the creation of a special committee to work on the planning for a future city hall complex.  This committee consisted of Aldermen Louis Walther, A. B. Poe, L. N. Whitcomb, Christopher Ledwidge, and John A. Adams.

Mayor Lenon further stated that the new city hall complex and several private developments would “put us in that march of progress with which nothing can prevent us from having a 100,000 population in a few years.”

The saga to get the building built was just starting.