Tag Archives: Riverfront Park

Wednesday Night Movie is FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS at Movies in the Park

Posted on by

MitP10 FriNightLightThe weather in July has had some nights that have seemed apt for football.  And let’s face it, players from middle school up to the pros will be reporting soon for practice. To get everyone in the mood, Movies in the Park is screening the 2004 film FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.

Central Arkansas native Billy Bob Thornton heads the cast which also features Connie Britton, Lucas Black, Jay Hernandez, Garrett Hedlund, Derek Luke, Lee Jackson, Lee Thompson Young, Grover Coulson, Connie Cooper, Kasey Stevens, Ryanne Duzich and Amber Heard. Award winning singer Tim McGraw also stars in the film.

The movie was directed by Peter Berg from a screen play he and David Aaron Cohen wrote.  It is based upon Buzz Bissinger’s non-fiction book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream.  The movie was adapted into a TV series which ran from 2006 to 2011.  Britton starred in that series too, but it was more fictionalized and her her character had a different name.

Now in its 10th season, Movies in the Park is a free outdoor film series at the First Security Amphitheater in Riverfront Park.  The move starts at dark (around 8:30).

Movies in the Park has grown to a season of eight films per year, on average, reaching audiences of up to 7,000 people. It’s a staple event in Central Arkansas. Communities from across the state, and the country, have reached out for guidance as they have tried to implement similar programs in the own communities.

Since 2008, the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau has been managing Movies in the Park.

Fun and Games – HUNGER GAMES at Movies in the Park tonight

Posted on by

MitP10 HungerGamesThe 2012 movie The Hunger Games is next up at Movies in the Park.

Oscar winner (though not for this role) Jennifer Lawrence leads the cast.  Other major roles are played by Stanley Tucci, Willow Shields, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Toby Jones and Lenny Kravitz.  Central Arkansas native Wes Bentley also stars in the movie.

The film is directed by Gary Ross, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray. It is based on the novel by Ms. Collins.

Now in its 10th season, Movies in the Park is a free outdoor film series at the First Security Amphitheater in Riverfront Park.  The move starts at dark (around 8:30).

Movies in the Park has grown to a season of eight films per year, on average, reaching audiences of up to 4,000 people. It’s a staple event in Central Arkansas. Communities from across the state, and the country, have reached out for guidance as they have tried to implement similar programs in the own communities.

Since 2008, the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau has been managing Movies in the Park.

Picnic at Movies in the Park with EAT PRAY LOVE

Posted on by

The 2010 film Eat Pray Love MitP10 EatPrayLoveis tonight’s film at Movies in the Park.

Directed by Ryan Murphy of “Glee” fame, it stars Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem.  Others in the cast include Billy Crudup, Viola Davis, James Franco, Mike O’Malley, Welker White, and Michael Cumpsty.  Arkansan Ashlie Atkinson is also featured.

Now in its 10th season, Movies in the Park is a free outdoor film series at the First Security Amphitheater in Riverfront Park.  The move starts at dark (around 8:30).

Movies in the Park has grown to a season of eight films per year, on average, reaching audiences of up to 4,000 people. It’s a staple event in Central Arkansas. Communities from across the state, and the country, have reached out for guidance as they have tried to implement similar programs in the own communities.

Since 2008, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau has been managing Movies in the Park.

 

 

 

After the office, go see OFFICE SPACE tonight at Movies in the Park

Posted on by

MitP10 OfficeSpacePut on your flair, fill out your TPS reports, and hop on your “Jump to Conclusions” mat. Office Space is tonight’s film at Movies in the Park.

Mike Judge’s workplace masterpiece is 15 years old this year.  As the employees of Initech and Chotchkie’s, it stars Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, David Herman, Ajay Naidu, Diedrich Bader, John C. McGinley, Paul Wilson, Alexandra Wentworth and Greg Pitts.

Now in its 10th season, Movies in the Park is a free outdoor film series at the First Security Amphitheater in Riverfront Park.  The move starts at dark (around 8:30).

Movies in the Park has grown to a season of eight films per year, on average, reaching audiences of up to 4,000 people. It’s a staple event in Central Arkansas. Communities from across the state, and the country, have reached out for guidance as they have tried to implement similar programs in the own communities.

Since 2008, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau has been managing Movies in the Park.

2014 Movies in the Park Lineup Announced

Posted on by

20140507-054510.jpg

The 10th annual Movies in the Park lineup was announced.

June 11: Man of Steel (PG-13)

June 18: Office Space (R)

June 25: Eat Pray Love (PG-13)

July 2: Frozen (PG)

July 9: Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone (PG)

July 16: The Hunger Games (PG-13)

July 23: Friday Night Lights (PG-13)

July 30: E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (PG)

Films start at sundown in Riverfront Park at. The First Security Amphitheater. The park opens an hour prior.

2014 Sculpture at the River Market this Weekend

Posted on by

Sculpture at the River MarketHundreds of sculptures and thousands of visitors will again populate the River Market Pavilions when Sculpture at the River Market returns for the seventh year on April 26 and 27.

The sculptures will be on display in the River Market Pavilions and in the adjacent area of Riverfront Park. The works featured will include all types of media, style, subject matter, and size.

Admission to Sculpture at the River Market is free. Sculpture at the River Market Market will run from 9AM to 5PM on Saturday, April 26 and from 10AM to 4PM on Sunday, April 27.

This evening there will be a preview party where patrons will get the first chance to see the artwork, visit with the sculptors, and purchase sculptures. Tickets for the preview party are $100.   The entertainment will be provided by Dizzy 7.  Following the preview party, “Bronze and Brewskis” will take place beginning at 8:30.

On Saturday at 1PM and 3PM and again on Sunday at 2PM, Segway tours of the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden will be offered.  There will also be food trucks set up in a special Food Truck Plaza next to the River Market pavilions.

The sale and show is sponsored by the City of Little Rock and the National Sculptors’ Guild. Proceeds from the sale of artwork will fund upgrades in Riverfront Park and the River Market.

Among the artists are Lori Acott, Virginia Annett, Terry Bean, Gregory Beck, Hunter Brown, Shelly Buonaiuto, Kathleen Caricof, Tim Cherry, Dee Clements, Merrilee Cleveland, Darrell Davis, Jane DeDecker, Clay Enoch, Steve Frank, Jim Green, Denny Haskew, Damian Jones, Rollin Karg, Ana Lazovsky, Bryan Massey, Ryan Mays, Julie McCraney-Brogdon, Ken Newman, James Paulsen, Ed Pennebaker, Merle Randolph, Kevin Robb, Dale Rogers, Timothy Roundy, Emelene Russell, Wayne Salge, Ted Schaal, Valerie Schafer, Adam Schultz, John Sewell, Stephen Shachtman, Kim Shaklee, Gene Sparling, Pati Stajcar, Charles Strain, Tod Switch, Darl Thomas, Michael Warrick and C.T. Whitehouse.

Little Rock Look Back: A Man and a Rock (LaHarpe sees the Little Rock)

Posted on by

IMG_4805On April 9, 1722, French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe rounded the bend of the Arkansas River and saw La Petite Roche and Le Rocher Français.  He had entered the mouth of the Arkansas River on February 27 after traveling up the Mississippi River from New Orleans.

Though La Harpe and his expedition are the first Europeans documented to have seen La Petite Roche, the outcropping of rocks was well-known to the Quapaw Indians in the area.  The outcropping jutted out in the Arkansas River and created a natural harbor which provided a perfect place for boats to land.

The rock outcropping is the first one visible along the banks of the Arkansas River.  It marks the place where the Mississippi Delta meets the Ouachita Mountains.  Geologists now believe that the Little Rock is not the same type of rock as the Ouachita Mountains and more closely matches the composition and age of mountains in the western US.

In 1813, William Lewis became the first European settler to live near La Petite Roche but only stayed a few months.  Speculators and trappers continued to visit the area throughout the 1810s. During that time, the outcropping became known informally as the Little Rock.

La Petite Roche had become a well-known crossing when the Arkansas Territory was established in 1819. The permanent settlement of ‘The Rock’ began in the spring of 1820, and the first building has been described as a cabin, or shanty, and was built on the bank of the river near the ‘Rock.’ In March 1820, a Post Office was established at the ‘Rock’ with the name “Little Rock.”

Over the years, La Petite Roche was altered.  In 1872, Congress authorized the building of a railroad bridge. A pier for the bridge was built at the location of the La Petite Roche which caused the removal of several tons of rock.  The bridge was never built.  When the Junction Bridge was built in 1899, even more rock was removed in the process of erecting part of the bridge on top of the rock.  It was not viewed as being disrespectful of the City’s namesake at the time.  Indeed, it was viewed as a testament to the sturdiness of the rock.

In 2010, La Petite Roche plaza opened in Riverfront Park.  It celebrates the history of La Petite Roche and explores its importance to various aspects of Little Rock’s history and geography.