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.

McKuin Receives National Certification in Historic Real Estate Development

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Vanessa_McKuinEarlier this month, Vanessa Norton McKuin, executive director of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas (HPAA) received certification as a Historic Real Estate Development Finance Professional (HHDFP) from the National Development Council (NDC).

HPAA is Arkansas’s only statewide historic preservation organization.

HHDFP Certification is a professional credential given to individuals who successfully complete the NDC’s intensive historic real estate development finance training series. The training provides individuals working in the field of community development with instruction in housing development finance, rental housing development finance including problem solving and deal structuring, and the creation and implementation of development programs.

The National Development Council was established in 1969 and is a non-profit organization specializing in economic and housing development training and technical assistance for community development.

Vanessa McKuin is an Arkansas native with family ties in South Arkansas and in the Ozark Mountains. As the Executive Director of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas, Mrs. McKuin promotes historic preservation as a community development and revitalization too. Ms. McKuin oversees operations, development, advocacy and outreach for the organization. As the director of the Alliance, Mrs. McKuin served as the lead advocate for the Arkansas Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit (Act 498 of 2009), which created a 25% credit for the rehabilitation of historic structures, providing an incentive that leverages private investment for preservation. Mrs. McKuin also serves as the Arkansas Coordinator for Preservation Action, a national non-profit that promotes preservation legislation.

Before joining the Alliance in 2008, Mrs. McKuin managed programs and operations at the New York Preservation Archive Project, a non-profit historic preservation group in New York City. Mrs. McKuin holds a B.A. degree in Art from Hendrix College in Conway and a M.S. degree in Historic Preservation from Pratt Institute in New York City.

The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas is the statewide non-profit organization dedicated to promoting preservation and continued use of historic and culturally significant places in Arkansas. Through public programs, advocacy and education, the Alliance works to assist owners of historic properties with the means and expertise to preserve and restore important structures. More than just saving old buildings, historic preservation creates and maintains vital, sustainable communities and offers unique quality of life benefits.

For more information about the Alliance visit PreserveArkansas.org.

Art Porter Music Education’s 2013 Jazz Week this week

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artporterThe 2013 Art Porter Music Education Jazz Week runs from Monday, July 29 through Saturday August 3 at various locations in Little Rock.

The week kicks off at Little Rock City Hall on Monday.  The City of Little Rock will host the first concert as young musicians will take center stage in the City Hall Rotunda on Monday, July 29 at noon.  This is a free event.

Other events this week include

Jazz on the Plaza at the Metropolitan BankPlaza – Tuesday, July 30 at noon – FREE

Walter Beasley and Eric Struthers at Cajun’s Wharf – Wednesday, July 31 at 7:00 pm – ticketed event

Martha Burks at Club Sway – Thursday, August 1 at 7:30pm – ticketed event

Porter Players at The Afterthought – Friday, August 2 – FREE

Pieces of A Dream at the Metroplex Event Center – August 3 at 8pm – ticketed event

All proceeds benefit the Art Porter Music Education (APME) scholarship program. Ticket information is available at www.ArtPorter.org or call (501) 492-9120.

The APME was created by friends and family of Little Rock natives – Art Porter Sr and Art Porter Jr – both amazingly talented musicians. The purpose of the APME is two-fold:

  • To provide scholarships to talented Arkansas music students in need of financial assistance to pursue higher education from an accredited college or university.
  • To provide musical enhancement opportunities through workshops and seminars.

Hogs Broadcasters focus of new book from Butler Center Books

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bc-purvisRazorback football season is just a few short weeks away.  As thoughts start turning to the gridiron, it is time to think about the legacy of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Established more than sixty years ago, the Razorback broadcasting network was a pioneering effort in collegiate sports. With announcers such as Bud Campbell and Paul Eells at the microphone, it has become an enduring feature of life in Arkansas. The Razorback network, from its modest beginning to its growth into a major force in sports broadcasting, is the basis of Voices of the Razorbacks, by Hoyt Purvis and Stanley Sharp, which has just been released by Butler Center Books.

The Razorback broadcasting network helped build interest in the Razorbacks and a loyal following for them but also forged strong links among Razorback fans and the broadcasters who became “voices” of the Razorbacks. A sense of kinship developed within the audience, and the broadcasts of Razorback sports became an essential part of the state’s culture.

Although an announcer today may say, “This is the Razorback Sports Network from IMG College,” the Arkansas broadcast network is a direct descendant of the Razorback network Bob Cheyne assembled in the early 1950s at the direction of Athletic Director John Barnhill. There had been earlier broadcasts of Razorback sports, including games announced by Bob Fulton in the 1940s, but the Razorback network Cheyne developed help turn broadcasters into cultural icons.

Voices of the Razorbacks traces the history of the broadcasters and the memorable events and highlights over the decades, and it features interviews with many of the key figures in that history. It is hard to find anyone in Arkansas, or Razorback fans anywhere, without special memories of listening to or watching broadcasts of Razorback games. Voices of the Razorbacks brings all those memories back.

Co-author Hoyt Purvis has taught journalism, international relations, and political science at the University of Arkansas since 1982. He established the first sports journalism course at UA and taught it for twenty-five years. Co-author Stanley Sharp of Booneville, Arkansas, has followed Razorback sports all his life and has a master’s degree in journalism from UA.

            Voices of the Razorbacks is available from River Market Books & Gifts, 120 River Market Ave., and from the University of Arkansas Press, Butler Center Books’ distributor. Butler Center Books is a division of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 PresidentClinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library. For more information, contact Rod Lorenzen at (501) 320-5716 or rlorenzen@cals.org.

DOWNTON ABBEY marathon this weekend at Ark Arts Center

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arkartsWhile Kenwood House may have better art than Downton Abbey, the latter certainly has the former beat in the drama department.  This weekend, in conjunction with the Treasures of Kenwood House exhibit, the Arkansas Arts Center is showing a marathon of the first three seasons of “Downton Abbey.”

Though the Dowager Countess Grantham may not know what a weekend is, the Arts Center does.  The staff realizes it will take an entire weekend to screen the episodes of this Emmy winning series.

The marathon kicks off on Friday night at 6pm with season one.  It will pick up on Saturday at 6pm with the second season.  The third season will start showing on Sunday morning at 11am.

The programs will be screened in the lecture hall, which features a large screen covering most of a wall.  The screenings are free of charge.

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LR Zoo Offers Saturday Breakfast with Anteaters

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Little-Rock-zoo-logo-4-c-with-tagYou can breakfast with anteaters this Saturday at the Little Rock Zoo – but you don’t have to eat ants.

This Saturday, July 27, from 8am to 9:30am, the Little Rock Zoo will features a breakfast buffet in Cafe Africa.  In addition, a keeper will discuss anteaters.

The event will start at 8am sharp. Seating is limited and advance reservations are required.  The cost is $12.95 for a member child, $16.95 for a member adult, $16.95 for a non-member child and $21.95 for a non-member adult.  The cost includes admission to the Zoo for the entire day.

For more information or to make reservations, please call 501.661.7218.  Reservations require a Visa, Discover or Master Card.

 

Movies in the Park: FINDING NEMO

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People trying to find a good and inexpensive time tonight, can go to Movies in the Park.  The feature is the 2003 film Finding Nemo.

This animated classic features the vocal talents of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Austin Pendleton, Stephen Root, Vicki Lewis, Geoffrey Rush and Elizabeth Perkins (featured in last week’s Big).

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards; it won the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

Movies in the Park is a free outdoor movie series in Little Rock’s River Market. They take place at the First Security Amphitheatre. 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 start at dark. Visitors are welcome to bring picnics but please no glass containers and pick up afterwards. Those choosing not to bring their own picnic, the park does have concessions available for sale.

Bring bug spray, picnic and family and have a good time!

The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau Technical Services department provides all the equipment for the movies.

Jazz in the Park: The Happy Tymes Jazz Band

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jazzinparkThe Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau continues Jazz in the Park tonight. The featured musicians are The Happy Tymes Jazz Band.

The Happy Tymes Jazz Band was formed in 1982 and has been entertaining audiences ever since. Based in Little Rock, this New Orleans style Dixieland jazz band has played at jazz festivals all over the country – from Sacramento Calif., to Tampa, Fla. They also play in private clubs, corporate conventions and for private parties throughout the country.

Jazz in the Park takes place Wednesday night in June and July from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. They will take place in the History Pavilion in Riverfront Park (between the Junction Bridge and Peabody Park).

Beer & Wine will be available for sale – to benefit Sculpture at the River Market…so no coolers, please. Free to attend!

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