State-of-the-Art Arkansas Welcome Center in Lake Village to be Dedicated Jan. 12

Jan. 7, 2010

Photos available: www.arkansasmediaroom.com; 501-682-1110

OFFICIAL RIBBON CUTTING DATE: Jan. 12, 2009

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Kimberly J. Williams, travel writer

Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Over the past 18 months, travelers along U.S. 65 and U.S. 82 have witnessed the construction of Arkansas’s newest Welcome Center in Lake Village. The project officially began in March 2008 and opened to the public in late 2009, although work continued on the Center’s landscaping, parking lot and adjacent pier.

The project is now complete and the Lake Village Arkansas Welcome Center will be officially dedicated in a ceremony slated for Jan. 12. The original Center in Lake Village, located on the same property, was built in 1978. Originally known as Arkansas Tourist Information Centers, the facilities were renamed Arkansas Welcome Centers in 2003 after the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism began plans to rebuild a number of the buildings located throughout the state. The Center serves as the southern-most state tourism facility located along Arkansas’s section of the Great River Road National Scenic Byway, welcoming visitors into The Natural State from Mississippi and Louisiana.

The Lake Village Welcome Center is the sixth new structure to open since 2003. The 3,100 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is located on 1.6 acres alongside scenic Lake Chicot, offering visitors a spectacular view of Arkansas’s largest oxbow lake. The Center offers visitors up-to-the minute information on attractions, regional events, and weather conditions. Travelers will have access to computer kiosks, Wi-Fi, and fresh coffee. The most unique feature of the facility is the 3,700 square-foot, multi-level fishing pier and observation deck, complete with a porch swing and rocking chairs for visitors to enjoy the beauty of Lake Chicot…and do a little fishing while they’re there.

The dedication and ribbon cutting for the new Welcome Center will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 12, beginning at 1 p.m. The event is open to the public and will include comments from Governor Mike Beebe; Dan Flowers, director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department and master of ceremonies for the dedication; Richard W. Davies, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism; Madison Murphy, member of the Arkansas State Highway Commission; Carl Rosenbaum, chairman of the Arkansas State Highway Commission; and Cindy Smith, member of the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission.

For more information on the official dedication, contact the Lake Village Arkansas Welcome Center at 870-265-5832.

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Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism

One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-682-7606

E-mail: info@arkansas.com

May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:

"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"