Experience the best of the Arkansas Delta this July

Editor’s note: The events featured in this article occurred in 2017, but you’ll find other great happenings on our events page.

The Arkansas Delta is known for many things…great music, amazing food, and spectacular scenic beauty. This July, you can experience each of these at events throughout the region.

On July 1, it’s Sweet Sounds of Downtown in Pine Bluff at beautiful Lake Saracen. Music will fill the air and people will fill the banks of beautiful Lake Saracen for an evening concert of blues, R&B, soul and popular music. The scheduled performers include Bigg Robb, Brown Soul Shoes, Platinum Hitz and Dave Sadler.

Get outside and enjoy the beauty of Crowley’s Ridge and Village Creek State Park in Wynne. The park hosts Picnic at the Park on July 8. Programs focus on heart healthy outdoor recreation and healthy picnic options. Bring your own picnic and spend some time hiking, kayaking, geocaching, or any of the outdoor recreation options the park offers. 

July means lots of great things…fireworks, picnics, and sweet corn! Many will say that the best corn around is from Esau’s Sweet Corn in Dumas. The corn will be the “star” at the 3rd annual Corn Supper in Dumas on July 14. The yummy event features boiled and grilled Esau’s corn, along with corn nuggets, friend chicken, fresh tomatoes, and Esau’s watermelons (they do more than just corn!). The event is sponsored by the Dumas Chamber of Commerce and will be held at the Dumas Community Center.

A great way to experience the natural beauty of the Arkansas Delta is the Pedal Paddle Tour offered by the Delta Heritage Trail State Park near Helena-West Helena. The park offers another of the popular tours on July 22. Participants travel with a park interpreter on a bicycle down the former route of the Missouri Pacific’s Delta Eagle passenger train, exploring some of the diverse history and nature found along the way. The 10-mile trip takes about 2 hours. Jump off the bike and then paddle a kayak on Old Town Lake, a former channel of the Mississippi River, for another hour and learn about the natural surroundings.