Posts by Author: Zoie Clift

For 21 years, the Hot Springs Blues Festival has been a beacon for the blues in Hot Springs. This year’s family friendly festival will be September 2-3 in Hill Wheatley Plaza downtown. “The first thing that sets this festival apart is that it’s in Hot Springs,”said David Hughes, President of the Spa City Blues Society, which puts …

The state’s largest watermelons are celebrated each year at the Hope Watermelon Festival in Hope. The 41st annual event, set for August 10-12, includes ice-cold watermelons sold by the slice, watermelon weigh-ins, and watermelon eating and seed spitting contests. The festival itself dates back to the mid-1920s when the city staged a one-day annual festival. …

Queen Wilhelmina State Park in Mena will have their annual butterfly count Saturday, July 15. The park is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest, and is located atop 2,681-foot Rich Mountain, Arkansas’s second highest peak. The count will start and end at the Wonder House on site, a historic vacation home built in the 1930s …

A SWAT (SouthWest Arkansas Tour) Overnight Camp is taking place July 24- 27 for those wanting to explore some of the varied state parks that can be found in Southwest Arkansas. The camp is open to kids ages 9-13 and the agenda includes hiking, fishing, swimming, kayaking, campfire cooking, and more. The camp is a …

Colonel John Nixon is credited with the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 in Philadelphia. Today, the tradition continues and Historic Washington State Park in Washington, Arkansas is hosting a Reading And Signing Of The Declaration Of Independence on July 1 and 4.  Those who attend can hear the document read as …

  Good news for fans of music, arts and culture: El Dorado will soon be unveiling the first phase of the Murphy Arts District (MAD), a $100 million dollar development project that centers on a state-of-the art music, entertainment and restaurant complex. The district will officially be unveiled to the public on September 27 and …

Looking for an adventure to do over Father’s Day weekend? Cossatot River State Park-Natural Area in Wickes is hosting a Weekend Adventure Tour June 17-18. The venture begins Saturday at noon at Cossatot River State Park Natural Area at the Visitor Center. Participants are being asked to pack three bags: one day pack with personal …

Guides from Ouachita Outdoor Outfitters in Hot Springs will be presenting an introductory Fly Fishing 101 class at Garvan Woodland Gardens on June 17.  Those interested will learn the basics of the craft and will practice the mechanics of casting a fly rod in surrounding Lake Hamilton. Rods are provided, but participants can bring their …

Holly Springs Homestead is a Century Farm located in the heart of the Ouachitas in Mena. The homestead has been farmed by the Alston family since 1897. Today 5th generation Luke Alston and his wife Deedee, along with their sons Ryan and Drey raise chickens, Angus cattle and grow a variety of fruits and vegetables …

Illusionist Maxwell Blade is a well known fixture of the Hot Springs entertainment scene. Many have caught one of his shows at  Maxwell Blade’s Theatre of Magic, the theater he owned at 121 Central Avenue.  Starting this summer, the new venue and location to catch his performances will be down the street at the historic …