“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.
On July 4, 1893, Arsenal Park opened in Little Rock. This was the City’s first municipal public park. Though it predated the establishment of a formal Parks and Recreation Department by several decades, it is the oldest part of that department.
The land now known as MacArthur Park had originally served as a horse racetrack in the early days of Little Rock. By 1836, the federal government purchased the land for construction of a military arsenal. The flagship building, the Arsenal Tower building, is the only remaining structure from that time period.
The land served as a military outpost until 1892. On April 23, 1892, a land swap took place where in the City of Little Rock was given the property with the stipulation that it would be “forever exclusively devoted to the uses and purposes of a public park.” (Never mind that the federal government took part of the land back for the construction of the Wilbur Mills Freeway.) Congressman William L. Terry was active in negotiating the land swap. (His son David would also serve in Congress.)
In return for giving the City this land, the federal government took possession of land on the north side of the Arkansas River (then part of Little Rock) – that 1,000 acres became Fort Logan H. Roots.
The park officially opened on July 4, 1893, with the name Arsenal Park. Since it was the City’s first and only park at the time, residents started referring to it as City Park. In time, the designation Arsenal Park fell from use. In fact, it is referred to as City Park exclusively and officially in City documents throughout the first 42 years of the 20th Century.
On March 9, 1942, Little Rock’s first public park was renamed by the Little Rock City Council. By a vote of fourteen ayes, zero nays and four absent, the alderman approved Ordinance 6,388 which renamed the park in honor of General Douglas MacArthur.
In 1952, General MacArthur (contemplating a run for the GOP nomination for President) visited Little Rock in March. Later that year, the eventual GOP nominee (and 34th US President) General Dwight Eisenhower visited the park.
Today, MacArthur Park is the anchor of the burgeoning MacPark district as well as the MacArthur Park Historic Distric.
The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) is a recipient of a $14,900 grant to host the NEA Big Read: CALS. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.
CALS is one of 78 nonprofit organizations to receive an NEA Big Read grant to host a community reading. The NEA Big Read: CALS events will take place between March 16 and April 26, 2020.
“We are very excited to host Tim O’Brien and to explore his classic The Things They Carried throughout the library system and beyond,” said Mark Christ, CALS adult programming coordinator. “As an institution, we strive to improve literacy and encourage the exchange of ideas, social engagement, and cultural expression. We hope that additional partners will join with us before the NEA Big Read begins next March.”
The NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery. The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, managed by Arts Midwest, which annually supports dynamic community reading programs, each designed around a single National Endowment for the Arts Big Read selection.
“It is inspiring to see both large and small communities across the nation come together around a book,” said National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “We always look forward to the unique ways cities, towns, and organizations, like Central Arkansas Library System, explore these stories and encourage community participation in a wide variety of events.”
Planned events for the NEA Big Read: CALS include a lecture by Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried; book clubs, readings and exhibits at CALS branch libraries; an Operation Song event at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in Little Rock; a film and documentary series, panel discussions and dramatic readings at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater; readings and discussions of The Things They Carried by private book clubs in the area; Vietnam veteran oral history recordings by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies staff in the CALS Bobby L. Roberts Library of Arkansas History & Art; performances by the Writeous Poets from Little Rock Central High School; special displays and discussions during the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans event at the Jacksonville Museum of Military History, and other events.
Partners include the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs, Arkansas State Library, MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Little Rock Central High School, public radio station KUAR, the Jacksonville Museum of Military History, the Arkansas Educational Television Network, Central Arkansas Literacy Council, professors from Hendrix College, Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and others.
Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,400 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $20 million to organizations nationwide. In addition, Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past twelve years, grantees have leveraged more than $50 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 5.7 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 91,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and 39,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. For more information about the NEA Big Read, please visit arts.gov/neabigread.
For more information about NEA Big Read: CALS, contact Mark Christ at (501) 918-3069 or mchrist@cals.org.
The Little Rock Winds’ annual Flag Day concert will take place this evening in MacArthur Park at 7pm.
Sponsored, in part by the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, the concert is the Winds’ annual salute to the red, white, and blue.
Picnics are encouraged. There will also be free ice cream and free bottled water.
The Little Rock Winds, under the baton of Izzy Getzov, will play marches, patriotic songs, and Broadway show tunes. We’ll have your hands clapping and toes tapping in no time! This free performance is fun for the whole family!
Today is Armed Forces Day.
The third Saturday of May is designated each year as a day to celebrate the men and women who serve in the various branches of the United States armed forces.
On Saturday, May 19, 2001 (which was Armed Services Day that year), the City of Little Rock opened the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. Tomorrow, the museum celebrates its 18th birthday.
Though the museum is only 18 years old, the building in which it is located, is 171 years old. Last year, the building was closed for several months as it received a much needed refurbishment.
Today, the Museum’s exhibits include
Visitors to MacArthur Park today can also interact with the various outdoor memorials and monuments which pay tribute to various phases of Arkansas’ military history.
This weekend, Join the QQA for the 55th Spring Tour of Homes in MacArthur Park, Little Rock’s oldest historic district. Visit the Mills-Davis House and the Bracy-Manning House on sixth street, the Holtzman-Vinsonhaler house on 9th street, and others.
Tickets
Candlelight Tour, Dinner & Silent Auction ($150.00)
Mother’s Day Brunch ($60.00)
Dates & Times
May 11, 2019
Tour starts at 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Candlelight Tour, Dinner & Silent Auction starts 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm (located at the Arkansas Arts Center)
May 12, 2019
Mother’s Day Brunch 11:00 am — 1:00 pm (located at Curran Hall, 615 E. Capitol)
Tour 1:00 pm — 5:00 pm
Check-in Sites
Curran Hall, 615 E Capitol Ave, Little Rock, AR 72202.
MacArthur Park, outside the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E 9th St, Little Rock, AR 72202.
The Patrick Powers House, 1402 Commerce, Little Rock, AR 72202.
-Fighting Arena Demos with Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) local branch The Barony of Small Gray Bear at 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.
-Dragon-like animals
-“Did your Family Battle for the Throne?” (or maybe just over cattle) Genealogy with Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) – Butler Center
-Archery with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
-Thrones with Baron & Barroness
-“Winter is Coming” (Destroying things with Liquid Nitrogen)
-Pelts and Furs with Old State House Museum
-Sinking ships with fire Crossbows (Whoa.)
-Weapon Throwing
– Arkansas Poison and Drug Information Center
– MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
And much, much more!!
Tickets are $5 or free for members and may be purchased at the door or online at https://museumofdiscovery.org/event/april2019/. Each Science After Dark, we will support a local charity and this month we are accepting donations for Arkansas Foodbank. You can also sign up to volunteer with us at the Foodbank on Tuesday, June 11 from 6-8 p.m. at http://cerv.is/m?0334gpyrxNj!
Presenting sponsors are Fassler Hall Little Rock and Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge Little Rock and sponsors are Rock Town Distillery and Stone’s Throw Brewing
Little Rock Culture Vulture 