National Balloon Race starts in Little Rock on April 29, 1926

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On April 29, 1926, nine hot air balloons took off from Little Rock’s airport (which was actually just an airfield at the time) in a national race to win the Litchfield Trophy.  In addition to the trophy, the winner would be on the American team in an international balloon race in Belgium.

The New York Times coverage noted that the weather conditions were ideal as the balloons took off in five minute intervals between 5:00pm and 5:30pm.  The test balloon (akin to a pace car in a car race) was the Arkansas Gazette‘s Skylark.  It took off at 4:25 and headed in the direction of the northeast, which was the desired direction.

The nine balloons, in order of liftoff were: the US Army from Phillips Field in Maryland; the US Army from McCook Field in Ohio; the Goodyear Southern California; the Detroit; the Goodyear IV (whose pilot Ward T. Van Orman had won the 1924 and 1925 contests); US Army from Scott Field; a balloon piloted by a Danish pilot Svend A. U. Rasmussen; US Army balloon from Langley Field in Virginia; and the Akron National Aeronautic Association balloon.

The pilots carried provisions for 48 hours and were equipped for sea flying.  Each had a radio and loud speaker.  KTHS radio of Hot Springs (a forerunner to today’s KTHV TV station) was broadcasting the location of each balloon.  As they left the Arkansas radio station’s range, there was a network of other stations which would do the same.

It was expected that the race would last between eighteen and thirty-six hours.  The last balloon aloft was Van Orman for the third year.  He lasted approximately 31 hours and landed near Chesapeake Bay.

Though no headcount was given, the New York Times called the viewing audience “the largest crowd ever assembled in Little Rock.”

Many thanks to Brian Lang of the Arkansas Arts Center for giving me the tip on this.

Little Rock Look Back: Mayor Sam M. Wassell

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Wassell

On April 28, 1883, future Little Rock Mayor Sam M. Wassell was born.  His grandfather John W. Wassell had been appointed Mayor of Little Rock in 1868.  He is the only Little Rock Mayor to be a grandson of another Little Rock Mayor.

Sam Wassell served on the Little Rock City Council from 1928 through 1934 and again from 1940 through 1946.  He is one of the few 20th Century Little Rock Mayors who previously served on the City Council.

Wassell was an attorney; he practiced law privately and also served as an Assistant US Attorney.  In 1930, he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the US Congress representing the 5th Congressional District, which at the time included Little Rock.

Wassell ran for Mayor in 1947 and was unopposed in the general election.  (Though the Democratic primary was heated as he took on the incumbent Dan Sprick.)   He was unopposed in his bid for re-election in 1949.  During his second term, President Harry S. Truman visited Little Rock.  In 1951, he sought a third term as Mayor.  No Little Rock Mayor had been successful in achieving a third consecutive term since 1923.  Though he received the Democratic nomination, the Republican party nominated Pratt Remmel who defeated Wassell by a 2 to 1 margin.

With a new USS Little Rock recently put into naval service, it is interesting to note that Wassell’s wife, Ruth Wassell christened the previous USS Little Rock in 1944.

Mayor Wassell died on December 23, 1954 and is buried at Roselawn Cemetery in Little Rock.

On final day of 2019 Arkansas Literary Festival, see the film GABO about Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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Gabo: The Creation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez PosterA law-school dropout and political journalist who grew up in the poverty and violence of northern Colombia, Gabriel García Márquez became the (Nobel prizewinning) writer of globally celebrated, critically-acclaimed books…

Known as “Gabo” to all of Latin America, Gabriel García Márquez’s sensual, “magical” sensibility leads him to the forefront of the political struggles of the 1970s and 1980s including a pivotal and previously unknown role in negotiations between Cuban leader Fidel Castro and American President Bill Clinton and into the hearts of readers across the world.

This 2015 documentary was directed by Justin Webster.

The screening at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater today (April 28) starts at 2pm.

The annual Mount Holly Cemetery RIP picnic is tonight

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Mount Holly’s Annual Spring Picnic will be held April 28, 2019!

On the last Sunday of every April the supporters and friends of Mount Holly gather in the cemetery from 5-7 p.m. for a picnic, silent auction, and entertainment. Funds raised at the picnic help maintain the cemetery as a beautiful historic landmark.

Festivities include:

  • Appetizers
  • Dinner
  • Wine
  • Turn of the century picnic “delicacies”
  • Live music
  • Performances by several Parkview students reprising their roles from Tales of the Crypt
  • Silent auction of items, experiences, elegant dinner parties, and opportunities for exclusive events at Mount Holly Cemetery.

Guests will have the opportunity to join in a tour of the cemetery.  Enjoy either a history tour featuring famous and infamous residents of Mount Holly or a naturalist’s tour of the flora of Mount Holly.

Tickets are $75.00 for adults, $25.00 for children under 18. Purchase tickets online through Eventbrite.com

Curbside Couture tonight at the Clinton Center

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The eighth annual Curbside Couture, Arkansas’s largest “green” fashion show, will feature recycled and up cycled designs.  Doors open at the Clinton Center tonight (April 28) at 5:30pm, the show begins at 7pm.

Third through Twelfth grade students are invited to apply their creativity and technical skills to create wearable designs made of recycled material.

Students will have the opportunity to attend a mentoring session with acclaimed fashion designers, including Korto Momolu, who was first runner-up in Project Runway’s fifth season, and the Clinton Center’s own Connie Fails.

A reception with complimentary cheese and crackers and a cash bar will follow the fashion show. Clinton Center members at the Friend Level and above receive complimentary beverages.

Tickets can be purchased here.

New exhibit: WASHED ASHORE opens at Clinton Center

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The Clinton Presidential Center’s upcoming temporary exhibit, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea, will debut on April 27, 2019. Washed Ashore is a family-friendly exhibit that will feature more than 20 giant sea life sculptures – made entirely of trash and debris collected from beaches. This exhibit poignantly illustrates the toll trash takes
on our oceans and waterways.

The incredible marine life sculptures will be accompanied by educational signage allowing visitors to learn about the fascinating species, environmental stewardship, responsible consumer habits, and how “every action counts” to help save our waterways.

Washed Ashore is a visual reminder of the disposable products that end up in our waters, and that each of us can take action to prevent further pollution. “Hope, creativity, [and] imagination will be required to meet the challenges that we face with our oceans,” said President Bill Clinton to the National Oceans Conference in June 1998. “But they are the traits that first enabled and inspired explorers to take to the sea. They are traits that allowed us to look at our inextricable ties to our environment and invent new ways to protect our natural wonders from harm in the last three decades. In the 21st century, these traits – hope, creativity, imagination – they must lead us to preserve our living oceans as a sacred legacy for all time to come.”

The Washed Ashore exhibit will be primarily displayed inside two of the Clinton Center’s
galleries. Visitors will see Eli the Eel, walk through the Reef at Risk, and be able to play the Styrofoam Drum Set. The exhibit will open to the public on April 27; a second phase featuring additional sculptures will open in June, when Priscilla the Parrot Fish, a 16-foot-long, 1,500-pound brightly-colored sculpture will greet visitors from the water fountains located outside the front doors.

“The sculptures are beautiful, truly works of art, but they are a poignant reminder that our oceans and waterways are precious resources that need our attention now more than ever,” said Stephanie S. Streett, executive director of the Clinton Foundation.

“From the student visitor to the grand parent, we hope that everyone who has the opportunity to enjoy Washed Ashore walks away with a renewed sense of awe and responsibility.”

Washed Ashore presents an opportunity to reflect on the Clinton administration’s efforts to safeguard essential bodies of water and promote environmental stewardship. “President Bill Clinton’s administration took strong action to protect our coasts and waterways,” said Terri Garner, director of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library. “He signed crucial legislation and issued key executive orders designed to improve water quality, protect wetlands and coasts, and reduce waste while increasing the use of recycled products.”