Author Archives: Scott

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About Scott

A cultural thinker with a life long interest in the arts and humanities: theatre, music, architecture, photography, history, urban planning, etc.

Archetypes and Troubadours headed to South on Main as part of Oxford American music series

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OA archetypes 15162e6b4_1320267846-oxa_logoTickets are now on sale for the 2015-2016 Oxford American Music Series at South on Main. There are three different series offered throughout the year. Today looks at the Archetypes and Troubadours.

Archetypes and Troubadours

AUGUST 27, 2015 – POKEY LAFARGE

8:00 PM—The Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Pokey LaFarge to the South on Main stage! Pokey is kicking off our 2015 – 2016 Concert Series as part of the Archetypes & Troubadours sub-series. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This series is made possible in part by the generosity of The Summer Foundation.

OCTOBER 22, 2015 – LEO BUD WELCH WITH GUEST JIMBO MATHUS

7:30 PM—The Oxford American magazine is excited to bring Leo Bud Welch to the South on Main stage as part of our Archetypes & Troubadours Series! Welch is welcomed by the Esse Pure Museum. Doors open at 5:30 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This series is made possible in part by the generosity of The Summer Foundation.

MARCH 10, 2016 – THE FAIRFIELD FOUR

8:00 PM—The Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome The Fairfield Four to the Little Rock! These guys are the third show in our 2015 – 2016 Archetypes & Troubadours Series. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This series is made possible in part by the generosity of The Summer Foundation.

APRIL 7, 2016 – RUTHIE FOSTER

8:00 PM—The Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Ruthie Foster to the South on Main stage! Foster is the fourth and final show in our 2015 – 2016 Archetypes & Troubadours Series. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This series is made possible in part by the generosity of The Summer Foundation.

Tickets for the series range from $71 to $114. Single tickets (available June 15) tickets will range from $12 to $35.

Heritage Month – Van Frank Cottages

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Van FrankToday’s historic property is actually four separate structures that are linked by the design and builder.  The Van Frank cottages are significant architecturally. Located between the MacArthur Park Historic District, to the immediate north, and the Marshall Square Historic District, a few blocks to the southeast, the Van Frank cottages represent a transition between the two.

While typical of the scale and speculative nature that characterizes the Marshall Square Historic District, the Van Frank cottages are reflective of the MacArthur Park Historic District in stylistic detail and in the ancestry and occupations of their owners and occupants.

Built in 1908, the cottages were the rental property of Philip R. Van Frank. They are the only existing historic houses associated with this civil engineer, who was instrumental in the improvement of Arkansas’ rivers.

Each of the four cottages is simply,  yet finely crafted with Colonial Revival details. In their unaltered state they are typical examples of the period. The cottages have been the residences of many individuals of diverse backgrounds.

The four cottages were added to the National Register of Historic Places in October 1985.

Tonight it is the Tales from the South Annual Fathers Show at Stickyz

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talesfromsouthDoes Father know best?  Tonight, Tales from the South offers stories which may prove or disprove that old adage with their annual Fathers Show at the Stickyz Rock N’ Roll Chicken Shack. The storytellers for this edition are Lee Lyle, Marjorie Lacey and Brad Pierce.

Music is by the Salty Dogs as well as blues guitarist Mark Simpson.

“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.

Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $15 in advance.  Dinner can be purchased separately.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show. Any tickets available at the door will be $20.

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  This program will air on June 18.

Heritage Month – Mount Holly Cemetery

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Mount Holly greyMount Holly Cemetery is an area equal to four city blocks of the City of Little Rock.  The main entrance on Broadway is marked by an imposing structure of stone and iron, and the four block square area is enclosed in a stone and iron fence which dates from 1881.

The cemetery has a park-like appearance, generously shaded with tall and stately trees. Many of these trees are so old as to have trunk diameters in excess of 33 inches.  Mount Holly is quaint, imposing, and inspiring. It provides examples of over 170 years of funerary sculptures which range from the simple, traditional, chiseled stones of the middle 19th century to the ornate and grandiose monuments of the 1880-1890 period.  While Mount Holly may be notable for the many dignitaries who reside there, over the years persons of all economic backgrounds and races have been buried there.

After planning for a larger cemetery started in 1839, the first burial took place in 1843.  The land for the cemetery was donated by Chester Ashley and Roswell Beebe, both of whom are buried there.  Veterans of all U.S. wars dating from the War of 1812 are buried in Mount Holly Cemetery.

While today there are no more plots available for burial, there are spots available in the columbarium. A City cemetery, it has been governed by the Mount Holly Cemetery Association since 1915. Later this summer, that organization will celebrate its 100th birthday.

On March 5, 1970, Mount Holly Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

On Memorial Day pay tribute to Veterans who paid the ultimate price at Mount Holly or other cemeteries

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MountHolly Memorial DayToday is Memorial Day – a time to pay tribute to the men and women in uniform who died in service to their country.

As a way to give this recognition, today would be a good day to visit a cemetery. One of Little Rock’s most storied cemeteries is Mount Holly Cemetery. There are veterans from all wars: Revolutionary, War of 1812, Mexican, Civil War, Spanish-American, World War I and II, Korean, Vietnam and Desert Storm.

Founded in 1843, Mount Holly has been called “The Westminster Abbey of Arkansas.” Thousands of visitors come each year. Those interested in history come to see the resting places of the territorial citizens of the state, including governors, senators, generals, black artisans, and even a Cherokee princess. For others the cemetery is an open air museum of artistic eras: Classical, Victorian, Art Deco, Modern––expressed in gravestone styles from simple to elaborate. Some come to read the epitaphs that range from heartbreaking to humorous to mysterious.

Though a City of Little Rock facility, the cemetery is maintained by the Mount Holly Cemetery Association, a non-profit organization with a volunteer Board of Directors. The cemetery is located at 1200 South Broadway in Little Rock. Gates are open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the summer and from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the winter.

Interred within the rock walls of Mount Holly are 11 state governors, 15 state Supreme Court justices, four Confederate generals, seven United States senators and 22 Little Rock mayors, two Pulitzer Prize recipients, as well as doctors, attorneys, prominent families and military heroes.  Proving that death is the great equalizer (and the J. N. Heiskell lived a very long time) longtime Gazette owner and publisher J. N. Heiskell is buried near two different nemeses: Senator, Governor and demagogue Jeff Davis; and segregationist Congressman Dr. Dale Alford.

Heritage Month – Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery

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LR National Cemetery portion of Oakland Fraternal Cemetery

LR National Cemetery portion of Oakland Fraternal Cemetery

Since the focus of Memorial Day is to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, today’s feature is the Oakland & Fraternal Historic Cemetery Park. It was established in 1862 when the City of  Little Rock purchased a 160-acre estate in order to accommodate the Civil War dead. Through the years, this 160-acre estate has been carved into seven distinct cemeteries: Oakland, National, an eleven-acre Confederate, a one-acre Confederate, Fraternal, Jewish Oakland, and Agudath Achim. Today, 108 acres of the original 160 remain as burial grounds. The cemeteries have seen more than 62,000 burials since the first in 1863.

Oakland-Fraternal now includes over 10,000 monuments and sculptures on its 92 acres. As the public cemetery for over one hundred years, the cemetery is representative of Little Rock’s social fabric. United States Senators and Congressmen, Governors, Mayors, merchants, doctors, and educators are all interred in Oakland-Fraternal.  The cemetery is actually comprised of seven different cemeteries which are collectively known by the name “Oakland-Fraternal.”

The National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The remaining cemeteries were listed on the National Register in 2010.

Fireworks, Fun, and Fantastic Music wrap up 2015 Riverfest today

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Riverfest fireworksRiverfest goes out with a bang today featuring the First Security Bank Fireworks at 9:00 p.m. prior to the headline entertainment. Music will be simulcast throughout Riverfront Park and broadcast on The Point 94.1.

The Miller Light/AFCU Stage starts with the First Baptist Church Vessels of Praise at 1:15.  Life Skills for Youth goes on stage at 2, while the Arkansas All Star Cloggers take the stage at 2:45.  The afternoon session also includes Charlotte Leigh (3:30), The Roosevelts (4:30), and Backroad Anthem (6:00).  Sam Hunt will play from 7:30 to 9:00, followed by the fireworks.  At 9:30, Jake Owen will close out the festival on this stage.

On the Bud Light Stage, the afternoon session includes Weakness for Blondes (1:45), The Irie Lions (3:15) and House of Shem (4:45).  The evening kicks off with Galactic featuring Macy Gray at 6:15.  Big K.R.I.T. plays at 8pm.  Following the fireworks, Girl Talk takes the stage at 9:45pm.

The Stickyz Stage gets started at 1:30 with Big Still River.  Dead Soldiers follow at 2:45, and John Paul Keith is on at 4:00.  Adam Faucett & The Tall Grass go on at 5:15.  The evening music starts with Leopold & His Fiction at 6:30.  Hot Buttered Rum plays at 7:45.  Following the Fireworks, George Porter Jr. & His Runnin’ Pardners are the final act on this stage for Riverfest 2015.

The Yarnell’s Kidzone Stage lineup includes:

  • 1:15 pm    The Kazoobie Kazoo Show w/Rick Hubbard
  • 2:15 p.m.    Break Shop Bump’n
  • 3:00 p.m.    FreezeFest Ice Cream Eating Competition
  • 3:15 p.m.   Kenya Safari Acrobats
  • 4:00 pm    The Kazoobie Kazoo Show w/Rick Hubbard
  • 5:00 p.m.  FreezeFest Ice Cream Eating Competition
  • 5:15 pm    Break Shop Bump’n
  • 6:00 pm    Kenya Safari Acrobats
  • 6:45 pm    The Kazoobie Kazoo Show w/Rick Hubbard
  • 7:45 p.m.  FreezeFest Ice Cream Eating Competition
  • 8:00 p.m    Break Shop Bump’n
  • 9:00 p.m.    Fireworks
  • 9:30 p.m.    DJ Dev