Tag Archives: MacArthur Park

Little Rock Look Back: Sharon Priest, LR’s 70th Mayor

Posted on by

Photo courtesy of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership

On September 12, 1947, future Little Rock Mayor Sharon Priest was born in Montreal, Canada. After marrying Bill Priest, she came to Little Rock. She began her public service at the grassroots level when she led the effort to bring flood relief to Southwest Little Rock and Pulaski County following the devastating flood of 1978 that killed 13 people in central Arkansas.

She was appointed to the Little Rock City Beautiful Commission.  Following that, she challenged an incumbent City Director and won her first elective office in 1986. In January 1989, she was named Vice Mayor of Little Rock by her colleagues on the City Board.  Two years later, she was selected Mayor becoming only the second female to serve as Mayor of Little Rock.  During her service to the City of Little Rock, she spearheaded the effort to create a Little Rock flag.  At the conclusion of her second four year term on the City Board, she decided to run for Secretary of State.
In November 1994, she elected Secretary of State, becoming the first woman to be elected to that position in Arkansas.  She was reelected in 1998.   In the summer of 2000, she becamePresident of the National Association of Secretaries of State. After the 2000 presidential election, she was thrust into the forefront of the movement towardelection reform. Ms. Priest testified before U.S. House and Senate Committees on election reform. As Secretary of State, restoring the Governor’s Reception Room and the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the State Capitol to their original splendor and restoring the rotunda marble are a few of her proudest achievements.
In January 2003, Ms.Priest was selected to serve as Executive Director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership. Priest reorganized the Partnership during that first year. The Partnership is spearheading the revitalization of Main Street in collaboration with stakeholders and the City of Little Rock, focusing on the redevelopment of existing structures, streetscape and safety. She has also been a leading champion for the redevelopment of MacArthur Park, the City’s oldest park.

Prior to her work as an elected official, she worked as Director of Membership for Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and was founder and owner of the Delvin Company, a property management firm. She was a Toll Fellow in 1995, and has won numerous distinctions including the Excellence in Leadership Fellowship, Women Executives in State Government, 1997 and TIME/NASBE Award for Outstanding Leadership in Voter Education, 1996.  In 2013, she was the featured honoree at the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Roast and Toast, becoming the first (and to date only) female to be so honored.

Little Rock Look Back: Drawing the Quapaw Line

Posted on by

quapawlineOn August 24, 1818, the Quapaw Line was drawn.  Starting at La Petite Roche and heading due south, this line formed the boundary between the Quapaw tribe lands and public lands available for settlement.  Though by 1824, the Quapaw were forced to give up all of their lands, the line continued serve as an important marker.  In the ensuing six years, the first permanent settlement of Little Rock took place and streets were planned.

It is interesting to note that the 1818 treaty referred to La Petite Roche as the Little Rock.  Some have speculated that this is the first official use of “Little Rock” to designate the outcropping.  When the Post Office was established in March 1820, it was given the name Little Rock.

There is a marker commemorating the beginning of the Quapaw Line located at La Petite Roche in Riverfront Park.  The first segment of the line is also noted in the park.  There are also sunken markers (such as the one to the left) place along the line at various points.  In MacArthur Park, at the corner of 9th and Commerce Streets, there is a marker noting that the line passed through at that location.

A good account of walking the Quapaw Line through downtown Little Rock can be found on this website.

Most of what is now called the Quapaw Quarter was located to the west of the Quapaw Line.  However, it did take its name from the fact that the tribe had once lived in that area and was later sequestered to lands near it.  The name for the area was chosen by a committee composed of David D. Terry, Peg Newton Smith, Mrs. Walter Riddick Sr., Dr. John L. Ferguson, and James Hatcher. They had been appointed to a Significant Structures Technical Advisory Committee to advocate for preservation of important structures as a component of the City of Little Rock’s urban renewal efforts.

Vintage Military Vehicles on display by MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History

Posted on by

vintagevehicleThe MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History is hosting its 2nd annual vintage military vehicle show on the museum’s front lawn in MacArthur Park.

The event will feature Jeeps and other vehicles from members of the Arkansas Military Vehicle Preservation Association.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, Brian Irby, Archival Assistant at the Arkansas History Commission, will present a program on Camp Pike at 1:00 p.m. inside the museum.

The vehicles will be on display from 9am to 3pm.

 

MacArthur Military Museum to host Air National Guard Band of the Southwest tonight

Posted on by

macmusThe MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will host the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest, also known as the 531st Air Force Band, for an outdoor concert on Wednesday, July 2.  The band is part of the Texas Air National Guard and is attached to the 136th Airlift Wing, a C-130 unit based in Fort Worth, Texas.  The free concert will occur behind the museum, located at 503 E. 9th St., and will start at 7:00 p.m.  In case of inclement weather, it will be moved to the Children’s Theater at the Arkansas Arts Center, also in MacArthur Park.

The concert will feature the band’s most popular ensemble, its 40-member concert band, which performs a variety of Americana selections including Sousa marches, Broadway show tunes, big band jazz, and patriotic favorites.  The band performs for military ceremonies, music festivals, state fairs, military balls, and community events across the country, promoting Air National Guard units from Arizona to Arkansas.  In recent years the Air National Guard Band of the Southwest has given overseas concerts in Barbados, Bolivia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Nicaragua, Trinidad, Vanuatu and stateside concerts in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin.

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History relates the military heritage of Arkansas and its citizens to a diverse and widespread audience. Located in the historic Arsenal Building in MacArthur Park – one of Central Arkansas’s oldest surviving structures and the birthplace of one of the country’s foremost military heroes – the museum collects, preserves, and interprets the state’s rich military past from its territorial period to the present.   For more information call 501-376-4602 or visit the museum website at www.ArkMilitaryHeritage.com. The museum is a program of Little Rock Parks and Recreation.

Wave the Flag – Annual LR Wind Symphony Flag Day concert in MacArthur Park

Posted on by

The Little Rock Wind Symphony’s 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 LRWS’s annual salute to the red, white, and blue.  Picnics are encouraged. There will also be free ice cream and free American flags to wave throughout the concert.

Featuring Jim Munns, baritone, the musicians of the Little Rock Wind Symphony will perform the following selections:

Morton Gould: American Salute
Leroy Anderson: Bugler’s Holiday
George Gates: Sol y Sombra
John Philip Sousa: Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
John Philip Sousa: The Glory of the Yankee Navy
Meacham / Norris: American Patrol
Rodgers and Hart: Blue Moon
Rodgers and Hammerstein: Some Enchanted Evening
Irving Berlin: God Bless America
Bob Lowden: Armed Forces Salute
Samuel Ward / Carmen Dragon: America the Beautiful
John Philip Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever

In case of rain, the concert will be played tomorrow evening.

MacPark 5K set for this Friday

Posted on by

macpark 5kThe 7th annual MacArthur Park 5k race is set for Friday, May 9, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. The race is for people of all ages and fitness levels… and it’s great for dogs and kids too! The race is hosted by the
MacArthur Park Group.

100% of proceeds benefit MacArthur Park and its affiliated programs. Race registration includes a t-shirt (while supplies last), Lawn Party with food and drink and a goody bag.

The lawn party will immediately follow the race, featuring The Steve Giles Band. Food and beverages will be provided by local vendors.

The race is for individuals, or your business can enter a “Corporate Cup” team of four individuals.

The MacArthur Park Group of public and private stakeholders stay focused on enhancements to the park, many recommended in the award-winning Connections: MacArthur Park Master Plan. The park keeps getting better and better!

The park features the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, the Arkansas Arts Center, and MacArthur Park “Unleashed” dog park.

Registrations may be dropped off at the Downtown Little Rock Partnership (523 South Louisiana, Suite 305) or mailed to P.O. Box 1937, Little Rock, AR 72203. Entries may also be emailed to
downtownpartnership@downtownlr.com.

For more information, please call the Downtown Little Rock Partnership at 501-375-0121. Deadline for registration is Wednesday, May 7. There will be no corporate cup registration on race day.

Starlifter – US Air Force Band of Mid-America in free concert tonight in MacArthur Park

Posted on by

Starlifter“The best music I’ve ever heard” is how one young listener described the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America’s group, Starlifter.

This seven-piece group of talented musicians performs in virtually every musical idiom, from Rock and Pop to Jazz and Country, to great contemporary and traditional patriotic songs. They feature the best in popular music from the 1970’s to the most current sounds at the top of today’s charts.

Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, picnic dinner and beverages and join us for the free concert behind the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History on Tuesday, April 1, at 6:30 p.m.

In case of inclement weather, the concert will take place in the Children’s Theater of the Arkansas Arts Center.