“Territorial Arkansas: The Wild Western Frontier” will open at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History August 1st, 2019.
The exhibit will have a month long run and will end on August 26th.
The traveling exhibit consists of 15 panels that explore the history of Arkansas Territory though the collections of the Arkansas State Archives and their branch archives, the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives in Powhatan and the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives in Washington.
For six weeks this summer, the Central Arkansas Library System is showing the first six episodes of the STAR WARS saga on Thursday evenings at the Ron Robinson Theater. They are being shown in episode order, not release order, or any of the other orders dreamed up by fans.
Tonight is Episode 4 – A New Hope. When it was released in 1977, it was known simply as Star Wars.
Nineteen years after the formation of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is thrust into the struggle of the Rebel Alliance when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived for years in seclusion on the desert planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan begins Luke’s Jedi training as Luke joins him on a daring mission to rescue the beautiful Rebel leader Princess Leia from the clutches of the evil Empire. And after Obi-Wan sacrifices himself in a lightsaber duel with his former apprentice, Darth Vader, Luke proves that the Force is with him by destroying the Empire’s dreaded Death Star.
The cast includes Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Peter Cushing, Kenny Baker, David Prowse, and the uncredited voice of James Earl Jones.
Directed by George Lucas, the film won six Oscars: Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound, Editing, Visual Effects, and Score (for John Williams’ iconic masterpiece). It also won a Special Oscar for Sound Effects. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Supporting Actor (Guinness).
The screening starts tonight, August 1, at 7pm. Admission is $5.00.
The Little Rock Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a baby female Northwest Bornean orangutan born to mother Berani and father Bandar on July 28. This is the first infant born to Berani and the fifth born to Bandar.
The baby can be seen at the great ape habitat with Berani. She carries the baby with her while she’s outside but does often shield the baby from public view by turning her back.
The birth comes at the recommendation of the Orangutan Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a program that cooperatively manages orangutan species in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to further conservation goals. Developed in 1988, this SSP Program coordinates species conservation, research, husbandry, management and educational initiatives. The Little Rock Zoo also participates in the AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program for orangutans. AZA SAFE programs combine the collective strength of AZA organizations to help save species in the wild.
Native to the Borneo, Northwest Bornean orangutans are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning there is a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future. Their vulnerability is mainly caused by habitat loss and fragmentation of their home. It is estimated that between forty-five and sixty-nine thousand (45,000 and 69,000) Northwest Bornean orangutans remain in the wild.
On July 31, 1942, Dalton James “Jim” Dailey, Jr. was born to Dalton and Ellen Dailey. He would serve fourteen years as Little Rock’s 71st mayor and is now continuing his public service as the Director of Tourism for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
After graduating from Little Rock Catholic High School, he attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He joined his father in the family business, Dailey’s Office Furniture.
In 1974, Dailey was elected to the City of Little Rock Board of Directors. He served one four-year term. The last two years of that term, he was the Vice Mayor of Little Rock.
Following that term, he remained engaged in civic activities including serving in leadership capacities in community campaigns. He also served as president of the National Office Products Association – the first Arkansan to do so. Dailey also served as the founding chair of Leadership Greater Little Rock.
In 1988, Dailey was elected to return to the City Board. He was reelected in 1992. Dailey served as Vice Mayor in 1991 and 1992. In January 1993, he was chosen by his fellow City Directors to serve a two year term as Mayor. Under his leadership, the Future-Little Rock goal-setting process took place.
Following a voter-approved change to the City structure, the position of Mayor was changed to be elected by the people while maintaining the City Manager form of government. On January 1, 1995, Jim Dailey was sworn in as the first popularly-elected Mayor of the City of Little Rock in over 38 years.
As Mayor, he served as Chair of the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee of the Federal Communications Commission. He was also a member of the United States Conference of Mayor’s Communications Task Force. He also served as president of the Arkansas Municipal League in 2002 and 2003.
While he was Mayor of Little Rock, he was a strong proponent of the development of the River Market and worked to locate the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. He also worked to increase public safety support. He also oversaw the establishment of Central Arkansas Water, the development of downtown headquarters for Acxiom Corporation and Heifer International, and the creation of Prevention, Intervention and Treatment programs. In addition, he was instrumental in leading the efforts for the 40th anniversary of the integration of Little Rock Central High in 1997.
Mayor Dailey was re-elected in 1998 and 2002. His fourteen years as Mayor of Little Rock set a longevity record. Upon his retirement the City’s fitness center was renamed the Jim Dailey Fitness and Aquatic Center. This was in recognition of his lifelong interest in wellness activities.
Since 1965, he has been married to the former Patti Murphy. They have four children and six grandchildren.
Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) President and CEO Gretchen Hall has been named Secretary/Treasurer for the 2019-2020 Board of Directors of Destinations International (DI), according to Craig Davis, DI Chair. Hall was installed on the organization’s Board of Directors at the 2018 DI convention. She has spent the major part of her career in the hospitality industry, serving the LRCVB in multiple roles for nearly 18 years. She has been the LRCVB’s President and CEO since May 2011.
Jim Keet, Chairman of the Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission, the governing body for the LRCVB, said, “We are fortunate to have Gretchen as our president and CEO. She has done an outstanding job for our city and, as a result, our state. Now her talent, hard work and vision are being recognized at the national level. The commission members and her staff congratulate her on this national honor.”
Hall, a Sheridan native, commented, “I’m honored to take on this new role with the DI Board. DI is the industry leader for education, advocacy and professional development. It has been a great resource for our LRCVB team, and I look forward to giving back to the organization that is such a positive ally for destination marketing organizations (DMOs) all over the world.”
Hall earned her Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) from DI in 2009. CDME is the tourism industry’s highest individual educational achievement.
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush With The Future, is a feature length documentary about the life, work, and influence of “The Father of Space Art.” It will be shown tonight (July 26) at 7pm at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater.
The film is sponsored by the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society, the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, and the Central Arkansas Library System.
Long before spacecraft would journey to the planets or deep-space telescopes photographed distant galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, there was an artist whose dazzling visions of space would capture the imaginations of all who beheld them. With his art, he helped inspire America’s space program, NASA, and many of the scientists, engineers, technicians, and astronauts who would one day put us on the Moon. Before that, he was an architect working on projects like the Chrysler Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. He would later be recruited by Hollywood to create matte paintings for films such as Citizen Kane and Destination Moon.
Who was this man? His name was Chesley Bonestell.
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future is the first-ever documentary to focus on the amazing life and works of “The Father of Space Art.” Bonestell’s paintings of worlds beyond our own helped create America’s space program. On the eve of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the lunar landing, it can be said thatChesley was a man who helped get us to the moon, not with technology, but with a paintbrush.
“More than three decades after his death in 1986, Bonestell remains one of the most important and influential astronomical artists ever to put paint to canvas.” – Don Vaughan, Filmfax Magazine, Jan. – Mar. Issue 2019
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future features rare interviews with Bonestell himself, along with Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451), Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey) and veterans Ben Burtt, Craig Barron and Richard Edlund. Additional perspectives come from space artists David Aguilar, Don Davis, astronomer Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz and numerous others who knew him or were influenced by his art. This multi-award-winning film compellingly combines art, science fiction and science fact to engagingly tell the story of Bonestell’s life and his uncanny predictive ability to create visions of distant worlds that still resonate deeply within us.
For six weeks this summer, the Central Arkansas Library System is showing the first six episodes of the STAR WARS saga on Thursday evenings at the Ron Robinson Theater. They are being shown in episode order, not release order, or any of the other orders dreamed up by fans.
Tonight is Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith
In this 2005 film, three years after the onset of the Clone Wars, the noble Jedi Knights have been leading a massive clone army into a galaxy-wide battle against the Separatists. When the sinister Sith unveil a thousand-year-old plot to rule the galaxy, the Republic crumbles and from its ashes rises the evil Galactic Empire. Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker is seduced by the dark side of the Force to become the Emperor’s new apprentice – Darth Vader.
The Jedi are decimated, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Master Yoda are forced into hiding. The only hope for the galaxy are Anakin’s own offspring – the twin children born in secrecy who will grow up to become Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa.
The cast includes Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Jimmy Smits, Anthony Daniels, and Hayden Christensen. It was again directed by George Lucas. The film was nominated for one Oscar: Best Makeup.
The screening starts tonight, July 25, at 7pm. Admission is $5.00.
Little Rock Culture Vulture 