The City of Little Rock and War Memorial Stadium invite the public to watch Team USA take on the Netherlands in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final, today, July 7.
This is a free watch party, and the public is asked to bring blankets and/or lawn chairs to view the game from the field.
No cleats; shoes must be worn.
Concessions will be sold. Gates open at 9:30. The match begins at 10.
The Little Rock Zoo invites persons to stop by the Zoo for lunch and to see the exhibits there following the match.
The Clinton Center’s popular Super Summer Saturdays are back – and this year they have penguins!
Join them tonight for a showing of Happy Feet (and make plans to come back in two weeks for Happy Feet Two on July 20).
The Little Rock Zoo is bringing hands-on activities designed to raise awareness about how plastic pollution affects animals and our environment. Movie screenings will begin at 4:30 p.m. and the activities will end by 7:30 p.m. In conjunction with our current temporary exhibit, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea, these two FREE family programs will encourage environmental stewardship in a fun way.
Super Summer Saturday programming is FREE and open to the public, but admission fees are required to tour the museum. Click here to plan your visit to the Clinton Center.
On July 6, 1902, future Little Rock Mayor Haco O. Boyd was born in Leslie, Arkansas. At the age of four, his family moved to Little Rock; he graduated from the Little Rock public schools. He attended and graduated from Hendrix College.
In World War II, he was in the Army Air Corps. He was a very decorated soldier earning two Purple Hearts, a Legion of Merit, and a Bronze star among other designations from the United States. He also received high military honors from numerous European governments. Boyd would remain in the Air National Guard and retired with the rank of Colonel in 1964.
As a businessman, he was a founder of Rebsamen Ford and then state manager of Benjamin Moore for Arkansas. In 1952, he joined Union Life Insurance. Throughout his career, he received most any recognition and honor and designation that the field of life insurance offered.
In November 1968, he won a three-candidate race for the Little Rock City Board of Directors. One of the candidates he defeated was former (and future) Director and Mayor Byron Morse. In January 1969, he was selected to serve as Mayor of Little Rock.
One week later, Mayor Boyd and 70 others were on an Eastern Airlines plane headed for a life insurance convention in Nassau, departing from Miami. A passenger hijacked it and the plane was diverted to Cuba. The next morning the passengers were returned to Miami and then sent to Nassau without incident. Once the media found out that one of the passengers was the Mayor of Little Rock, he was interviewed by numerous newspapers. Mayor Boyd expressed that they had been treated well by the Cuban government, but that all in all he had rather not made that leg of the trip.
In other civic involvement, Boyd served on the Little Rock Airport Commission, including a term as chair. He was also honored for his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America and Easter Seals.
In September 1923, Boyd married Mary Josephine “Polly” Goodrum. They were married until her death in February 1977. Haco Boyd died on March 27, 1988. The couple are buried at Roselawn Cemetery. They had two children and four grandchildren.
On Saturday, July 6th at 3 p.m., Mosaic Templars Cultural Center will host a free showing of David D. Dawson’s film “Swingin’ Timber.” David will be in attendance at the screening.
“Swingin’ Timber” is the story of the Claybrook Tigers, a Negro leagues team formed by John C. Claybrook in Claybrook, Arkansas (a town which no longer exists today).
Entrepreneur John C. Claybrook was a farmer and lumberman who built the town of Claybrook around his businesses. He founded the Claybrook Tigers and built their stadium on his farm to try to stop his son from leaving their family businesses. The documentary tells the story of Mr. Claybrook’s town and his team.
Famous Negro Leagues players such as: Theolic “Fireball” Smith , Dan Wilson, Walter Calhoun, John “The Brute” Lyles, Logan “Eggie” Hensley, Alfred “Greyhound” Saylor, Roosevelt “Bill” Tate, W. H. “Big Train” Summerall, and Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe all played for Claybrook.
The Trap Jazz Giants are bringing the fireworks to the South on Main stage on Friday, July 5!
Future Little Rock Mayor James Weldon “Buddy” Benafield was born on July 5, 1927 in Coy, Arkansas. As a child he spent part of his time chopping cotton. He graduated from England High School and then served in the U.S. Navy. Following his stint in the military, he enrolled in Arkansas State Teachers College (now the University of Central Arkansas).
After college he returned to England. From 1967 to 1974 he served as Mayor of England. While in England, he also worked to establish a hospital there. While he was Mayor, Benafield also served as a legislative aide to Governor Dale Bumpers.
After moving to Little Rock, Benafield served as legislative aide to Governor Frank White. He had been a donor to former Governor Bill Clinton, who had been defeated by White. Though a staunch Democrat, he remarked to the media at the time that he had been a friend of White’s and never declined a Governor’s request for help.
Long active in Democratic politics, he had served as Secretary of the State Democratic Party. (One of his daughters, Dawne Benafield Vandiver has carried on the family tradition serving in several leadership positions in the State Democratic Party.)
In January 1982, Benafield was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Little Rock City Board of Directors. He ran for election to a full term in November 1982 and was reelected in November 1986. From January 1983 to December 1984, Benafield served as Mayor of Little Rock.
After leaving the Little Rock City Board in January 1991, he has remained engaged in civic matters. He served a term on the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Commission. He was first appointed in January 1993 by Gov. Jim Guy Tucker to fill out the remainder of Rodney Slater’s term. Slater had resigned to to take a job in the Clinton Administration in Washington DC. In 1995, he was reappointed, this time to a full ten year term. This was only the second time a member of the Highway Commission had been reappointed.
Buddy Benafield is the only Little Rock Mayor to have also been a mayor of another Arkansas city. He continues to be involved in farming and a variety of business ventures and has maintained his interest in politics.
Future Little Rock Mayor 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. He also served in the Army during the War of 1812.
It was in New York, 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. With his arrival, 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 white baby born in Little Rock. (Though not supported by any public records, there is some unsubstantiated thought that one of the African-American slaves they had gave birth to a child before Chester was born.) The Cunninghams had several other children. One daughter, Matilda, would marry Little Rock businessman Peter Hanger. (The Hanger Hill neighborhood is named after Peter Hanger.)
In 1831, Dr. Cunningham was elected the first Mayor of Little Rock. He won the race with 23 vote to 15 votes over Rev. W. W. Stevenson. The first City Council meeting took place at the Cunningham house on the block which is the southwest corner of what is now 3rd and Main Streets. Records are incomplete as to where on the block the Cunningham house was located, but a plaque is on 3rd Street near Main on the side of the Fulk Building which CJRW now calls home.
Dr. Cunningham served one year as Mayor. He lived until June 15, 1851, and is buried at Mount Holly Cemetery. His wife, son Chester, and the Hanger family are buried next to him. Because he lived for two decades after serving as mayor, he was able to see Little Rock continue to grow.
His stepson – Charles P. Bertrand – also served as Mayor of Little Rock. While there have not been any Little Rock father-son combinations serve as mayor, Dr. Cunningham and Mr. Bertrand certainly shared a kinship.
Descendants of Dr. Cunningham still reside in Little Rock.
Little Rock Culture Vulture 