Spring is festival time in rural Arkansas

www.thenewrural.org
www.thenewrural.org
Volume 10, Issue 2
Editor Lavina Grandon (grandon@thenewrural.org)
June 2014
Spring is festival time in rural Arkansas
North, south, east, or west—wherever you go in rural Arkansas in the springtime, you’re likely to run into a festival. RCA communities use festivals to build capacity and community spirit, celebrate and preserve their heritage, and draw people together.
Below is a small sampling of the home-town fun to be had in our RCA chapter communities.
Dermott Crawfish Festival
On May 16 and 17, the Community of Dermott continued a 31-year-old
tradition with the Dermott Crawfish Festival. Rides, booths, educational
exhibits, and, of course, fresh cooked crawfish were just part of the fun.
The Dermott Crawfish Festival is produced by Dermott Community Fest,
a group of citizens who have a strong desire to provide a community festival with food vendors and street entertainment.
“The spirit and enthusiasm in our community is strong,” say festival organizers. “The Crawfish Festival is a landmark event in Dermott, and we
are proud to celebrate this tradition.”
Governor Conway Days Festival in Bradley
For most of the year, Bradley, in Lafayette County, is a sleepy little town.
But on the last weekend in March it comes alive with a festival honoring
one of its own: Governor James Sevier Conway, the first elected governor
of Arkansas.
The 29-year-old festival features one of the largest arts and crafts shows on
the AR-LA-TX border, a car show, tractor show, motorcycle show, bass
classic tournament, parade, food, games, children’s activities, and live
music.
Pioneer Days in Norfork
Held this year on May 16 and 17, Pioneers Days is a longstanding celebration of historical Arkansas held in Norfork in Baxter County.
Filled with old-fashioned fun and entertainment for the whole family, the
festival features a parade, historical reenactments, local artisans and craftsmen, exhibits/
vendors, pioneer-living demonstrations, contests, a canoe race, live music, a 5k run, and
access to Wolf House, one of the oldest historical structures in Arkansas.
MJAA Heritage Day and Cook-off in Mt. Judea
Clogging, pioneer skills, native crafts, musical performances, historical
displays, and a dutch-oven cook-off marked the first ever Mt. Judea Heritage Day on May 3.
The event was organized by the Mt. Judea Area Alliance, a group of community members whose mission is “to be an advocate for our community,
our school, and our rural way of life, by strengthening and sustaining our
community by means of economic development, education, reducing poverty, celebrating heritage, and providing
community services.
Among other services, the MJAA and Mt.
Judea RCA chapter provide a community
website and participation in regional economic development events through the
Ozark Byways network.
Ark. City chapter has yard sale to raise money for food pantry
RCA members in Arkansas City volunteered at a community yard sale on May 24 to raise money for the Arkansas City
Community Pantry. The food pantry is a joint project of Arkansas City Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas Food Bank,
Arkansas City Baptist Church, and Arkansas Hunger Alliance. It serves 38 families and 81 people in Desha County.
State-wide group strategizes Opportunity to Learn Eudora Reads! kicks off with big celebration
A group of parents and community members from across the state
gathered in Little Rock on May 30 to discuss education and the conditions needed for every child to have the opportunity to learn.
Among the issues discussed were access to pre-K education, gradelevel reading, parent/student/community/school partnerships,
school facilities, Broadband access, teacher quality, after-school and
summer learning, and the Dream Act.
PBS characters Clifford, Cat in the Hat, and Arthur were on
hand to get the students revved up for Eudora Reads! Former
Eudora student Tony Washington emceed the event as Cathy
Nash welcomed visitors and described the cool things in store
for Eudora’s students and preschoolers in this communitywide effort to emphasize early childhood literacy as part of the
Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.
Please join us for our annual member conference on July 19, 2014, in Leslie, Arkansas! The conference will be a one day event starting at 9:00 a.m. and ending at 3:00 p.m. Members will be
able to tour the great town of Leslie and see their ground-breaking revitalization work. There
will be presentations by 4-H youth and a discussion of RCA policy goals for 2015. We will
finish up with a performance by Elaine’s Fish Hook Theatre.
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Clip and return registration form below by July 5 to: Renee Carr, RCA, 15949 Hwy 263, Fox, AR 72051
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Meals will be provided. Friday night accommodations will be made for those traveling more than 50 miles
one way.
Rural Community Alliance’s Annual Member Conference
“Celebrating the Work IN Our Communities”
Saturday, July 19, 2014, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Ozark Heritage Arts Center, Killebrew Theater
410 Oak Street
Leslie, AR 72645
Registration fee: $15 for individuals or $25 for families
NAME(S) OF EACH FAMILY MEMBER ATTENDING:
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