Arkansas Heritage Month – On Armed Forces Day visit the City of Little Rock’s MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History

MacPark ArsenalToday is Armed Forces Day.  It is a good day to visit Little Rock’s museum devoted to Arkansas’ military heritage.  Located in the historic Arsenal Tower in MacArthur Park, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History honors the Arkansans who have served in the armed forces.  Exhibits feature artifacts, photographs, weapons, documents, uniforms and other military items that vividly portray Arkansas’s military history at home and abroad.

The exhibits include:

  • From Turbulence to Tranquility: The Little Rock Arsenal
  • Capital In Crisis and Celebration: Little Rock and the Civil War
  • Alger Cadet Gun
  • Camden Expedition
  • David Owen Dodd
  • Through the Camera’s Eye: The Allison Collection of World War II Photographs
  • By the President in the Name of Congress: Arkansas’ Medal of Honor Recipients
  • Conflict and Crisis: The MacArthur- Truman Controversy
  • Duty, Honor and Country: General Douglas MacArthur
  • The Sun Never Sets on the Mighty Jeep: The Jeep During World War II
  • War and Remembrance: The 1911 United Confederate Veterans Reunion
  • First Call – American Posters of World War I
  • Undaunted Courage, Proven Loyalty: Japanese American Soldiers in World War II
  • Vietnam, America’s Conflict

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History is a museum of the City of Little Rock.  It is led by executive director Stephan McAteer who works with the MacArthur Military History Museum Commission.  The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, Saturday from 10am to 4pm and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm.

Documentary on David O. Dodd and play about him to be shown at MacArthur Museum tonight

Hanging of DODTonight, January 7, at 6:30 pm, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will host a screening of the film The Hanging of David O. Dodd.

The 2015 documentary The Hanging of David O. Dodd tells the story of 17 yr old confederate spy David Dodd who is remembered as a martyr of the confederacy. In cooperation with the Weekend Theater, a play written for the stage by playwright Phillip H. McMath. The film blends the two and looks at how he is remembered 150 years after his death.

The movie was directed by Xuixa Lu and Will Scott.  The cast features Johnnie Brannon, Will Koberg, Jason Willey, Alan Rackley, Michael Pere, Hannah Lackoff, Tracy Tolbert, Jeff Lewellen, Aron Long, William Moon, Ryan Hoyle, Jerry Rice and Libby Smith.

The event is free and open to the public.

Tales of the Crypt tonight at Mount Holly Cemetery

talescryptThe ghosts of Little Rock past will arise tonight at Mt. Holly Cemetery for the 21st Annual Tales of the Crypt.

Held the second Tuesday of October, Tales of the Crypt is an annual Mount Holly event.  Founded by Fred Boosey and Judy Goss, it is now under the direction of Tamara Zinck.  Drama students from Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School are each given a person buried in the cemetery to research. They then prepare short monologues or dialogues, complete with period costumes, to be performed in front of the researched person’s grave.

Award-winning local costumer Debi Manire will once again provide the wonderful historical characters’ costumes.  Audiences are led through the cemetery from grave to grave by guides with candles. Although it takes place around the same time as the American holiday Halloween, the event is meant to be historic rather than spooky.  Many local teachers award extra credit to students who attend.

Student tour guides will escort groups of approximately 15 from grave site to grave site to learn more about those who shaped central Arkansas in to what it is today.

The Mount Holly residents will greet you are:

  • Dr. Isaac Folsom (Peyton Hooks)
  • Mrs. Sallie Folsom (Rahlea Zinck)
  • David O. Dodd (Cameron Minor)
  • Mary Dodge (Delaney Robertson)
  • Dovenia (Dovie) Kirby (Emily Gardner)
  • Samuel B. Kirby (Brock Tittle)
  • Captain Benjamin Shattuck (Micah Patterson)
  • Anne Warren (Isha Horton)
  • Quatie Ross (Michelle Mora Dominguez)
  • Katherine Eller Henderson (Mikala Hicks)
  • Juliet Neill Peay  (Emorie Mansur)
  • Mary E. Gaines Belding (Abigail Mansur)
  • Albert Stocking (Tre’Vaughn Whitley)
  • Mollie Stocking (Taylar Hasberry)
  • George Borland (Harrison Wyrick)
  • Eleanor Counts (Stephanie Schoonmaker)
  • Edward Payson Washburn (Will Frueauff)
  • Lillian Scott (Sidney Kelly)
  • James Robbins (George Patterson)
  • Maria Rebecca Craigen (Angelique Camper)

(The names of the Parkview students portraying the residents are in parentheses.)

The Twenty-first Annual “Tales of the Crypt” is sponsored by Mount Holly Cemetery Association and Parkview Arts-Science Magnet High School.

The event will be held  at Mount Holly Cemetery, 1200 South Broadway, Little Rock, from 5:30 pm until 8:30 pm.  Admission is free to the public, however donations to Mount Holly Cemetery are appreciated and aid in the maintenance of the cemetery.

Heritage Month – Ten Mile House

Ten_Mile_fDeriving its common name from its distance from Little Rock at the time, the Federal-style Ten Mile House,  is a rare example of a largely intact rural home of the early nineteenth century.  In addition to the house, there are four nineteenth-century outbuildings surrounded by a large parcel of wooded property.

It was built by Archibald McHenry, and is sometimes known as the McHenry House or Stagecoach House (due to its presence on the Southwest Trail stagecoach line).  During the Civil War it served as a military outpost for Union troops.  David O. Dodd was held a prisoner in the smokehouse prior to his trial and execution.

Ten Mile House exhibits Early Georgian or Federal influence through the use of bridging between paired chimneys situated at each end of the house. Traits of the Federal style include simple, symmetrical proportions and large multi-paned windows. Ornamentation is minimal and is usually found around entries, windows, and cornice lines. A brick smokehouse, dairy house, well house, and kitchen house—all dating from the nineteenth century—remain on the property.

The Ten Mile House was listed on the National Register in June of 1970. Several families have owned the home since its early nineteenth century construction. It has served as a combination tea room/antiques store, a venue for public dinner parties and weddings, and a residence.

Over 60 films shown at LR Film Festival today PLUS the Awards Gala tonight!

LRFF2015 longThe Little Rock Film Festival has another jam-packed day today.

At 10am the films are:

  • H. – Butler Center
  • “Made in Arkansas” Shorts Block 6 – The Joint
    • “Go to the Ball with Me, Jenny” (Cole Borgstadt), “Simple” (Scott McEntire), “Stay a While” (Michael Kelley), “Sassy & the Private Eye” (Tanner Smith), “The Whisperers” (Jason Miller) and “Perfect Machine” (Jarrod Paul Beck)
  • “This Life” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “The Suburbs Go On Forever” (Mark Day), “The Way Things Are” (Guy Nemesh), “Stella Walsh” (Rob Lucas), “The Youth” (Dehanza Rogers) and “Unmappable” (Diane Hodson, Jasmine Luoma)

Barge starts at 10:30 in the Ron Robinson Theater.

 

The 12:30 lineup includes:

  • Uncle Kent 2 – Ron Robinson Theater
  • The Hunting of the President – Clinton School. Filmmaker Harry Thomason will be present and lead a discussion.
  • Sweaty Betty – Stickyz
  • “Made in Arkansas” Shorts Block 5 – The Joint
    • “Not Interested” (Matt Foss), “The Making of ‘Sensitivity Training’” (Tanner Smith), “’Twas the Night of the Krampus” (Donovan Thompson), “Vampire-Killing Prostitute” (Jordan Mears), “Southern Pride” (Nick Lane), “The Paper Boy” (Thien Ngo) and “I Hate Alphaman” (Hunter West)
  • “Adventure” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “Twelve Traditions” (Jonathan Cuartas), “Dust” (Mike Grier), “The Answers” (Michael Goode), “Spearhunter” (Adam Roffman), “The Other Side” (Scott Brown), “Big Boy” (Bryan Campbell) and “September Sketch Book” (Ronnie Cramer)

“Made in Arkansas” The Hanging of David O. Dodd will show at the Butler Center starting at 1pm.

At 2:30 there will be a filmmaker panel on Cinematic Non-fiction in the Filmmakers Lounge.

 

The films at 3:00pm are:

  • Western – Ron Robinson Theater
  • God Bless The Child – Butler Center
  • Cartel Land – Clinton School
  • “Made in Arkansas” Shorts Block 1 – Stickyz
    • “Loser” (Andrew Lisle), “Forsaken” (Krisha Mason), “Monotony Broken” (J. C. Cocker), “Stranger Than Paradise” (Johnnie Brannon), “Rites” (Cody Harris), and “The Dealer’s Tale” (Justin Nickels).
  • “Made in Arkansas” Block 4 – The Joint
    • “The Tricycle” (David Bogard, “What Was Lost” (Romello Williams, “Overgrown” (Bruce Hutchinson, “Pyro” (Cole Borgstadt, and “The Space Station” (Michael Sutterfield)
  • “Explore” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “Swimming in Your Skin Again,” “Beach Week,” “The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano,” “Displacements,” “Pequeño bloque de cemento con pelo alborotado conteniendo el mar” and “When I Write.”

 

The last batch of films today are at 5:30:

  • (T)ERROR – Ron Robinson Theater
  • Funny Bunny – Butler Center
  • How to Change the World – Clinton School
  • Applesauce – Stickyz
  • “Made in Arkansas” Block 3 – The Joint
    • “Undefeated” (Nathan Willis), “Little Brother” (Eric White), “Spoonin’ the Devil” (Michael Carpenter), “Meredith” (Scott Eggleston), and “The Town Where Nobody Lives” (Al Topich)
  • “Quirks” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “The Department of Signs and Magical Intervention,” “Woman of the World,” “reConception,” “Happy Hour,” “Miss Famous,” “Love in the Time of March Madness,” and “Jake Plays First Base.

 

At 8pm tonight the Little Rock Film Festival Awards Gala will take place at the Old State House Museum.  Winners will be announced for several awards including:

  • Golden Rock Narrative Feature Grand Prize
  • Golden Rock Documentary Feature Grand Prize
  • Made in Arkansas Grand Prize
  • Cinematic Non-Fiction Grand Prize
  • Arkansas Times Best Southern Film

On Armed Forces Day – Visit the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History

Today is Armed Forces Day.  It is a good day to visit Little Rock’s museum devoted to Arkansas’ military heritage.  Located in the historic Arsenal Tower in MacArthur Park, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History honors the Arkansans who have served in the armed forces.  Exhibits feature artifacts, photographs, weapons, documents, uniforms and other military items that vividly portray Arkansas’s military history at home and abroad.

The exhibits include:

  • From Turbulence to Tranquility: The Little Rock Arsenal
  • Capital In Crisis and Celebration: Little Rock and the Civil War
  • Alger Cadet Gun
  • Camden Expedition
  • David Owen Dodd
  • Through the Camera’s Eye: The Allison Collection of World War II Photographs
  • By the President in the Name of Congress: Arkansas’ Medal of Honor Recipients
  • Conflict and Crisis: The MacArthur- Truman Controversy
  • Duty, Honor and Country: General Douglas MacArthur
  • The Sun Never Sets on the Mighty Jeep: The Jeep During World War II
  • War and Remembrance: The 1911 United Confederate Veterans Reunion
  • First Call – American Posters of World War I
  • Undaunted Courage, Proven Loyalty: Japanese American Soldiers in World War II
  • Vietnam, America’s Conflict

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History is a museum of the City of Little Rock.  It is led by executive director Stephan McAteer who works with the MacArthur Military History Museum Commission.  The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, Saturday from 10am to 4pm and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm.

Twelve Hours of Film Viewing Possible in Day 5 of Little Rock Film Festival

LRFF2015posterIf you have the stamina, you can watch films from 10 in the morning until 10:30 tonight today with the Little Rock Film Festival.

At 10am at The Joint – Made in Arkansas” Shorts Block 6 with “Go to the Ball with Me, Jenny” (Cole Borgstadt), “Simple” (Scott McEntire), “Stay a While” (Michael Kelley), “Sassy & the Private Eye” (Tanner Smith), “The Whisperers” (Jason Miller) and “Perfect Machine” (Jarrod Paul Beck).  At 10:30am – 7 Chinese Brothers (Ron Robinson Theater), I Am the People (Butler Center) and “Made in Arkansas: The Hanging of David O. Dodd – Bill and Margaret Clark Room.

Those four locations will again be busy at 12:30 with:

  • Western – Ron Robinson Theater
  • Tired Moonlight – Butler Center
  • “Made in Arkansas” Block 3 – The Joint
    • “Undefeated” (Nathan Willis), “Little Brother” (Eric White), “Spoonin’ the Devil” (Michael Carpenter), “Meredith” (Scott Eggleston), and “The Town Where Nobody Lives” (Al Topich)
  • “Adventure” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “Twelve Traditions” (Jonathan Cuartas), “Dust” (Mike Grier), “The Answers” (Michael Goode), “Spearhunter” (Adam Roffman), “The Other Side” (Scott Brown), “Big Boy” (Bryan Campbell) and “September Sketch Book” (Ronnie Cramer)

There will be a panel at 2:15 “Making Million Dollar Films for Thousands” in the Filmmakers Lounge.

At 3pm the films are:

  • God Bless the Child – Ron Robinson Theater
  • Sweaty Betty – Butler Center
  • “Made in Arkansas” Shorts Block 5 – The Joint
    • “Not Interested” (Matt Foss), “The Making of ‘Sensitivity Training’” (Tanner Smith), “’Twas the Night of the Krampus” (Donovan Thompson), “Vampire-Killing Prostitute” (Jordan Mears), “Southern Pride” (Nick Lane), “The Paper Boy” (Thien Ngo) and “I Hate Alphaman” (Hunter West)
  • “Some Lives” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “The Resort (Shadae Lamar Smith), “Tom in America” (Flavio Alves), “Elgin Park” (Danny Yourd), “Write with Me…” (Hannah Leshaw), “Chute Fighter” (Laurel Parmet), “Lay in Wait” (Jonathan Ade), “The Murder Ballad of James Jones” (Jesse Kreitzer)

The 5:30 screenings are:

  • Applesauce – Ron Robinson Theater
  • Crocodile Gennadiy – Butler Center
  • “Made in Arkansas” The Grace of Jake – The Joint
  • “One, Two” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “Biscayne World” (Ahol Sniffs Glue, Michael Arcos, Ellen Hertzler), “one hitta quitta” (Ya’Ke Smith), “Boxeadora” (Meg Smaker), “Day One” (Henry Hughes), “Hunter’s Fall” (Peter J. McCarthey) and “Bookin’” (John Kirkscey)
  • (T)ERROR – Clinton School

 

The final round of films tonight start at 8.  They are:

  • Breaking a Monster which will also feature a performance by Unlocking the Truth – Ron Robinson Theater
  • Uncle Kent 2 – Butler Center
  • “Made in Arkansas” The Phone in the Attic – The Joint
  • “Comes and Goes” World Shorts Block – Bill and Margaret Clark Room
    • “Tough” (Alfonso Johnson), “Marathon” (Lauren Smitelli), “The Art of Richard Thompson” (Bob Burnett), “Papa Machete” (Jonathan David Kane), “How to Stand Up for Yourself” (Sarah Hanssen), “La Reina” (Manual Abramovich) and “Mr. Gold” (Brian Carlson).
  • Peace Officer – Clinton School

At 9pm, the Tale of Two Cities Party takes place on the Junction Bridge.