Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM / MAY 9, 2012 / NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT

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2 ISSUE DATE, 2011 • PUB TITLE

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

ARKANSAS’S SOURCE FOR NEWS, POLITICS & ENTERTAINMENT

Stylish Design Meets Energy Efficiency

201 East Markham Street 200 Heritage Center West P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203 www.arktimes.com arktimes@arktimes.com @ArkTimes www.facebook.com/arkansastimes

Hand cast aluminum construction will never rust Made in the USA Oven detaches from carriage for easy cleaning, camping, or tailgating Functions as grill and smoker

KREBS BROTHERS SINCE 1933

ORDER ONLINE AT:

www.pkgrills.com 866-354-7575 • Little Rock, AR

THE RESTAURANT STORE

The best ZAK! cooking,

most Designs durable cooker ever made...

PUBLISHER Alan Leveritt REKINDLE AN OLD FLAME

mood THE PORTABLE KITCHEN spoons

EDITOR Lindsey Millar SENIOR EDITOR Max Brantley MANAGING EDITOR Leslie Newell Peacock CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Mara Leveritt ASSOCIATE EDITORS Cheree Franco, David Koon,

4310 Landers Road • North Little Rock, AR 72117

Bob Lancaster, Doug Smith ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Robert Bell EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR Kai Caddy

2410 Glover Street (behind Barbara/Jean, Ltd) (501) 219-1500 www.windowworksdesign.com

(501) 687-1331

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PHOTOGRAPHER Brian Chilson ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Mike Spain ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Patrick Jones GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Katie Cook, Rafael Méndez, Bryan Moats, Sandy Sarlo DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Phyllis A. Britton SPECIAL PROJECTS Michelle Miller, Manager SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Tiffany Holland ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Katherine Smith Daniels, Sarah DeClerk, Darielle D’Mello, Angie Wilson CLASSIFIED SALES EXECUTIVE Nidia Otero AUTOMOTIVE ADVERTISING MANAGER Heather Baker ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER Roland R. Gladden ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Kelly Schlachter PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Tracy Whitaker SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kelly Ferguson SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Josh Bramlett IT DIRECTOR Robert Curfman CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Anitra Hickman CONTROLLER Weldon Wilson BILLING/COLLECTIONS Linda Phillips OFFICE MANAGER Angie Fambrough RECEPTIONIST Jennifer Ashmore PRODUCTION MANAGER Ira Hocut (1954-2009)

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VOLUME 38, NUMBER 36 ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR, 72203. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year.

For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985. Current single-copy price is 75¢, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $2.50 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all single-copy orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

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MAY 9, 2012

3

COMMENT

Open letter to Rep. Fred Allen I am very disappointed to know that you are working with the very people in our community and state that have categorically tried to take property, rights, and other freedoms from blacks and other minority groups, particularly those whose voices are often silenced or ignored because of race/ethnicity, economic disparities, educational disparities and other disparities.

According to your financial records posted on the Secretary of State’s website, your backers are, amongst others, many Northwest Arkansas contributors who have not been very friendly to the rights of workers, to the voice and rights of blacks and other minorities, and who have made it clear that they will do whatever it takes to unseat Sen. Joyce Elliott. I noticed that Stephens family members and Stephens Inc. have backed your campaign. Dickson Flake, your financial treasurer, is on the LR Technology Board that seeks to take homes and property from citizens, predominately black Little Rock citizens, who are midto low-income, “for the greater good of our city.” Please reconsider your history, your foundations, and abandon this ship. We have come too far to go backwards. Fannie Lou Hamer, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., my father and other great civil/human rights leaders did not work in vain so that we would undermine their labors of love and let money and power overcome our deep faith and commitment to human rights over wealthy rights, justice for all instead of justice for some, and walking together united rather than causing a fall through division.

Dr. Anika T. Whitfield Little Rock

ARKTIMES.COM / APRIL 18, 2012 / NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT

BYE BYE

BOBBY What the ousting of Petrino means for the Hogs.

BY BEAU WILCOX PAGE 8

with little Razorbacks and hearts on them. What a missed opportunity to have made a good point perfect. Pig Soooooiiiiieee.

Gregory Ferguson Little Rock

No war with Iran The prospect of yet another war, this time with Iran, is frightening and unacceptable; so is the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran. That’s why I was glad to see the U.S. take part in diplomatic talks with Iran on April 13 and 14.

With continued talks scheduled in May, our members of Congress must support diplomacy with Iran, not pass new legislation that could sabotage it. I’m sure my representative, Mike Ross, will cosponsor H.R. 4173, which calls for robust, sustained and comprehensive diplomacy with Iran.

And I’m sure my senators, Mark Pryor and John Boozman, will strongly oppose S.Res. 380, which pressures the administration to abandon diplomacy and push toward war.

We the people do not want more war — the only ones who profit are

In 1991 Brave New Restaurant Opened its Doors and was voted “BEST NEW RESTAURANT” TICS AND CULTURE NEWSPAPER OF POLI ARKANSAS’S WEEKLY

www.arktimes.com

STILL HOT!

Fast forward to 2012 and Brave New Restaurant continues to be voted the BEST.

STILL THE BEST AFTER 21 YEARS We would like to thank the Arkansas Times readers for their continued overall support and congratulate the staff at Arkansas Times for keeping us all so well informed on a weekly basis these last 20 years.

corporations. We lose our loved ones, our taxpayer dollars, and our honor, if we blindly follow the battle cry to yet another unnecessary war.

Charlotte Wales Monticello

From the web In response to “Portable Kitchen Grills: built for the long smoke”: I can smoke a whole chicken with 25 charcoal briquettes on my PK. I light them in one of those charcoal towers, and I have found for some reason Arkansas Times paper wadded up to start the charcoal tower works better than the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The Democrat-Gazette leaves a big lump of sheet ashes instead of the Arkansas Times, which just dissolves and falls through the grating.

Since chicken (a big roasting hen) only takes a couple hours to smoke I use green wild cherry for smoking.

Black Cherry/Wild Cherry/Choke Cherry, depending on what name it goes by in your locale, has a sweet flavor but can be overwhelming if you tried to do a 6 or 8 hour butt or ham.

All around Arkansas we have cherry as a scrub volunteer just ready for snatching. The fact that it is used green takes no planning ahead. Hickory needs drying and also needs to come from a real log as opposed to cherry sticks.

Now my one concern: With the price of scrap metals I have a fear of losing my favorite cooker to a recycling thief. My remote cabin has an aluminum canoe and a PK grill that I can’t really lock up since the canoe is too large to drag inside and the PK does have a smoked meat odor that would be a problem.

I am hoping the local yahoos don’t become aware that the PK is a big thick hunk of cast aluminum.

Citizen1 I love mine and it has to be one of the ’60’s models! The in-laws let us have it in ’77 when we set up house.

Kraftco sells the new interior grates so mine was updated a couple of years ago. I don’t think there is anything that I have not cooked on mine. I remember friends of mine who actively went out looking at garage sales for one of these jewels!

Goof

Lunch M-F 11-2 / Dinner M-S 5-10

Missed opportunity

I was very disappointed by your cover of April 18, showing Bobby Petrino with his pants down. You really ought to know better — Bobby should have been wearing boxers 4

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Reservations of any size accepted for lunch and dinner.

2300 Cottondale Lane • 501-663-2677 Full menu at www.bravenewrestaurant.com

Submit letters to the Editor, Arkansas Times, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203. We also accept letters via e-mail.

The address is arktimes@arktimes.com.

We also accept faxes at 375-3623. Please include name and hometown.

ORVAL

VOTE DEMOCRAT WARWICK SABIN Proven Proven Results Results

Positive Positive Leadership Leadership

At the Clinton Foundation, Warwick brought At the Clinton Foundation, Warwick brought together the community to invest in programs together the community to invest in programs that expand access to health care, create more that expand access to health care, create more economic opportunity and improve our environment. economic opportunity and improve our environment.

Worked to pass the Patients’ Bill of Rights Worked to pass the Patients’ Bill of Rights and to improve the Farm Bill to protect and to improve the Farm Bill to protect Arkansas farmers as a trusted advisor to Arkansas farmers as a trusted advisor to Congressman Marion Berry.

Congressman Marion Berry.

Led the fight to recognize Martin Luther King, Led the fight to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at every University of Arkansas campus.

Jr. Day at every University of Arkansas campus.

Rescued a local business and saved jobs.

Rescued a local business and saved jobs.

He volunteers at organizations that fight for He volunteers at organizations that fight for kids and underserved neighborhoods. kids and underserved neighborhoods.

★ ★

Warwick Warwick

SABIN

STAT E R E P R E S E N TAT I V E STAT E R E P R E S E N TAT I V E

n■Arkansas ArkansasEducation EducationAssociation Association ■ Arkansas Education Association n■Little Rock Education Association Little Rock Education Association ■ Little Rock Education Association

✔ Create good jobs and help small businesses ✔ Create good jobs and help small businesses succeed with incentives that promote succeed with incentives that promote entrepreneurship and by extending broadband entrepreneurship and by extending broadband access to every corner of Arkansas – rural and urban. access to every corner of Arkansas – rural and urban. ✔ Invest in workforce education and job ✔ Invest in workforce education and job training and prepare more Arkansans for jobs training and prepare more Arkansans for jobs in the clean energy and high-tech fields. in the clean energy and high-tech fields. ✔ Strengthen our children’s education at ✔ Strengthen our children’s education at every grade level by modernizing classrooms, every grade level by modernizing classrooms, adding new technology and encouraging adding new technology and encouraging innovative teaching methods to ready our kids innovative teaching methods to ready our kids for the global economy. for the global economy. ✔ Always protect our environment and create ✔ Always protect our environment and create green energy jobs by managing the true green energy jobs by managing the true environmental impact of mining, drilling and logging environmental impact of mining, drilling and logging and providing incentives to businesses for green and providing incentives to businesses for green building and utilizing renewable energy. building and utilizing renewable energy.

P R O U D LY E N D O R S E D B Y P R O U D LY E N D O R S E D B Y ■ Arkansas n ArkansasAFL-CIO AFL-CIO ■ Arkansas AFL-CIO n ■ Central Arkansas Labor Central Arkansas LaborCouncil Council ■ Central Arkansas Labor Council n

Arkansas Times

■ nArkansas ArkansasState StateEmployees EmployeesAssociation Association ■ Arkansas State Employees Association ■ nArkansas ArkansasRealtors RealtorsAssociation Association ■ Arkansas Realtors Association

WSabin.org WSabin.org Political AD paid Political AD paid for for by

by The The Committee Committee toto Elect Elect Warwick Warwick Sabin Sabin P.O. Box 250508, Little Rock, AR 72225 P.O. Box 250508, Little Rock, AR 72225

VOTE VOTE WARWICK WARWICK SABIN SABIN FOR FOR STATE STATE REPRESENTATIVE. REPRESENTATIVE. VOTE VOTE EARLY EARLY TODAY. TODAY. ELECTION ELECTION DAY DAY IS IS TUES., TUES., MAY MAY 22.

22.

FOR EARLY VOTE LOCATIONS, GO TO WWW.VOTEPULASKI.NET. FOR EARLY VOTE LOCATIONS, GO TO WWW.VOTEPULASKI.NET. www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

5

EDITORIAL

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Retreat, hell

Deserving The Arkansas Times recommends these candidates in the elections now underway: SEN. JOYCE ELLIOTT, state Senate District 31, Democratic primary.

WARWICK SABIN, state House of Representatives District 33, Democratic primary.

JUDGE RAYMOND ABRAMSON, Arkansas Supreme Court, Position 4, nonpartisan.

Early voting continues through May 21. Election Day is May 22.

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

CAL BRITTON

I

t’s still “no quarter” in the Republican Party’s war on women, and Congressional Republicans from Arkansas, eager for commendation, aren’t missing any licks. “Kick ’em while they’re down, and they’ll stay down longer,” seems to be the idea.

Barely a week ago, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives slashed funding for women’s health care, including mammograms and screenings for pregnancy and cervical cancer. The three Arkansas Republicans in the House — Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin and Steve Womack — joined in voting for the cuts, while the only Democrat in Arkansas’s House delegation, Mike Ross, voted to protect women’s health. As much as we’ve criticized Mike Ross, we’ll miss him when he’s gone, which will be next January. Though erratic, Ross is occasionally gripped by a fit of kindness. He’ll be replaced by a Republican as consistently cruel as C, G and W. Some believe that John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are having all the congressional Republicans immunized against good will, but people who’ve known Crawford, Griffin and Womack for years, say they’ve never needed chemical help to be nasty.

Over in the Senate, meanwhile, 31 male Republican senators, including Arkansas’s John Boozman, were voting against renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. (“What’s wrong with a little violence, especially when they won’t shut up.”) All the female Republican senators voted with the Democrats, and the Act was renewed by a vote of 68-31. One is tempted to say that female Republicans are almost reasonable, and then one remembers Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.

Back in Arkansas, Republican legislators have announced plans to give the government even more control over women’s bodies, sweeping aside any foolish notions about reproductive rights. They may try to legalize polygamy if Mitt Romney is elected. A woman mightn’t be the victim of so much violence if her husband could spread it around over more wives. The older and less attractive would still be apt to get more than their share, but that’s their fault. Nobody told them not to be young and pretty.

This is why Barack Obama’s deletion of Osama bin Laden gets no applause, and some disapproval, from the Republicans. He may have had his faults, but Osama was sound on women’s rights. And anyway, the Republicans have bigger fish to fry: Nancy Pelosi. Hillary Clinton. The single mother waiting tables at the Dew Drop Inn. That ilk.

FIESTA: Cal Britton submitted this photo of dancers at a Cinco de Mayo celebration at Salsas in Hot Springs to our Eye On Arkansas Flickr webpage.

Arkansas Times 2.0

T

his issue of the Arkansas Times marks the 20th anniversary of our conversion of a 17-year-old monthly magazine into a weekly newspaper.

I was there for the start, but since last July Lindsey Millar has been editor. Thank him for the smart ideas and writing each week and his collaboration with art director Kai Caddy for the vivid design.

To get quickly to the bottom line: We’re still here.

This is no small boast. The newspaper industry has been wracked by declining circulation and ad revenue and loss of readers to other sources of information.

I’d like to say we’re still here today solely because of our brains, talent and prize-winning reporting and analysis. But that would be a stretch.

We stood, in the beginning, on the shoulders of a giant newspaper, the Arkansas Gazette. It lost a newspaper war and folded in October 1991, putting me out of work. Times publisher Alan Leveritt and his then-wife Mara Leveritt saw this as an opportunity.

The surviving daily Arkansas Democrat-Gazette was neither Democratic in outlook nor remotely like the Gazette. Readers would welcome a competing point of view with a liberal slant, they figured, and they hired me to help them.

We benefitted from the huge talents of former Gazetteers like Ernie Dumas, Bob Lancaster, Doug Smith, Leslie Newell Peacock, Deborah Mathis, Jim Bailey, Bob McCord and George Fisher. (God, I miss cartoonist George Fisher every day. The frackers don’t.)

Bill Clinton was running for president in 1992, a help to us because the surviving daily didn’t like the state’s favorite son much.

For all our brains, our salvation came when we followed the rest of the alternative newspaper industry and stopped charging for the newspaper. Giving it away saved a ton of money in circulation costs. Publisher Leveritt invented new ways every year to generate the ad revenue to support a full-time news staff that — though it never numbered more than single digits

— still was larger than those of weeklies in cities with far greater population.

We also were lucky to fail as a major seller of classified advertising. When Craigslist MAX decimated that business for most BRANTLEY maxbrantley@arktimes.com other newspapers, we had little to lose. We also never wanted or accepted the “escort service” advertising that enriched many alternative weeklies. Good thing. That trade, too, migrated to the Internet.

Speaking of the Internet: Encouraged by Warwick Sabin, one of many talented people we’ve managed to employ over the years despite modest pay and benefits, we moved early and aggressively to improve our web presence. This included the startup of a blog almost eight years ago. It now brings hundreds of thousands of unique visitors to our website each month. Nearly 10,000 people have registered to post comments.

We aggregate, opinionate and report news. Our four staff blogs focus on Arkansas news, entertainment, food and art. They contribute to a dynamic website that changes every day of the week and most hours of the day, along with our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Here’s an old-school finding: Nothing attracts readers more than news.

So here we are. Some of the same people who once helped fill columns of hot type with news for the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi are doing the same thing here today. But, unlike May 1992, none of us must wait a week to see our words in print or wait additional hours for carriers to tote words on paper to doorsteps and paper boxes. We can transmit them immediately to the wired planet. For free.

It’s amazing to recall we had no e-mail and the Internet existed only in a rudimentary form when we published the first weekly Arkansas Times in May 1992.

Imagine what 2032 might hold.

OPINION

Unlikely populist: Warren Stephens

T

his is not quite on the plane of Republican Gov. Frank White suggesting in 1982 that Arkansas socialize the private power industry, but it is about as head turning. Warren A. Stephens, the head of Arkansas’s and the region’s most formidable financial house, penned an op-ed editorial in the Wall Street Journal the other day suggesting that the government crack down on the big banks like Franklin D. Roosevelt did.

Unlike his uncle Witt, Stephens would never utter a paean to FDR, and he did not even mention Roosevelt or the New Deal, but he said Congress made a terrible mistake in scrapping the Glass-Steagall Act, the 1933 banking law adopted months into Roosevelt’s first term as an antidote to the financial crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, and that it should embrace something like that law again to avoid another crash and the inevitable sorrows that will follow.

The CEO of Stephens Inc. has never professed liberal or populist tendencies, or demonstrated any, but with a few rustic flourishes his WSJ

op-ed would read like it had been written by the wisest economic sage of the last century, Leland ERNEST Duvall, the author DUMAS of Moreland’s Laws of Economic Behavior.

Duvall, who wrote for the Arkansas Gazette for 45 years, believed that the finest exhibition of legislative genius, ever, was the Banking Act of 1933 (Glass-Steagall), which separated commercial and investment banks and erected a scheme of rules for what banks and other lending and investment institutions could do to make money without unduly risking their customers’ assets. The periodic financial collapses and depressions that had marked the growth of the American republic from 1837 until 1929 vanished, lending institutions flourished after the recovery, and the country grew almost seamlessly for 45 years — until restive bankers persuaded Washington to remove the fetters and let them show once again what they could do.

The religious right’s Etch-a-Sketch: Romney

L

ast week should have been the time for Americans to become familiar with the voice and words of Richard Grenell, Mitt Romney’s then-national security spokesperson. Indeed, foreign policy matters will likely never be as central to the 2012 presidential campaign debate as they were during the week of the first anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden and President Obama’s major statement on the future of the American military operation in Afghanistan.

However, rather than establishing his own persona as Romney’s voice on foreign policy and bolstering his boss’s perceived weaknesses in that area (extraordinary for a GOP presidential candidate in the modern era), the talented Grenell spent the week silenced by the Romney campaign. Before the week was out Grenell had resigned in frustration from the campaign to return to a life in the private sector.

The sole reason for Grenell’s disrespectful treatment was the fact

that he is openly gay. From the moment of his hiring, the Romney campaign faced an ongoing JAY assault by the BARTH religious right.

The campaign quickly wilted under that pressure. Upon his hiring, one American Family Association leader tweeted: “If personnel is policy, [Romney’s] message to the pro-family community: drop dead.” Only a week later, the same leader took credit for the personnel change.

Romney’s neutering of Grenell tells us two troubling things. One is about Romney himself. The other is about what we should expect about the internal dynamics within a prospective Romney administration.

Make no mistake, other national leaders have decided that defending one of their hand-picked lieutenants is not worth the cost and have pushed

Stephens wrote that while the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill in 2010 sought to limit the size of banks to forestall another crisis like the one in 2008 that sank us into the current malaise, the big banks are bigger than ever. He suggested forcing banks to divest if they exceeded 5 percent of the nation’s deposits (Dodd-Frank says 10 percent and it is not airtight) and restoring Glass-Steagall’s separation of commercial and investment banking.

Perhaps the worlds of finance and politics will heed this voice from the Arkansas wilderness when it didn’t the rustic warnings of Duvall. After all, Stephens has access periodically to the editorial columns of the Wall Street Journal and owns an MBA. Duvall’s highest pedigree was his eighth-grade report card at Moreland grammar school, and the easternmost reach of his words was Armorel.

When Congress first chipped away at Glass-Steagall in 1980 to liberate savings and loan associations and Reagan administration regulators gave the thrifts “forbearance” to go out and seek greater fortunes than could be had in the dull home-mortgage trade, Duvall wrote that it would pretty much doom the thrifts. Arkansas’s big thrifts soon leaped into the booming Dallas real-estate market and, of course, went down with it. Most of the nation’s

S&Ls collapsed, and with the help of thrift bailouts from the Reagan and Bush I administrations the taxpayers eventually took a $124 billion hit.

When Reagan’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Robert Bork, wrote an appeals court order that permitted the National Westminster Bank in Washington to offer brokerage services and investment advice, forbidden

by Glass-Steagall, Duvall wrote that the gates had been opened and the end would not be pretty. Reagan’s appointees to the Fed Board had overridden the chairman, Volcker, and authorized Westminster to poach on the brokerage business.

Duvall began an editorial a short while later: “The difference between the pilot of a four-wheel-drive pickup or Jeep and the conventional motorist is that the daring driver gets stuck in deeper swamps. In a way, the rule holds true in the financial community, where bankers are tempted to park their Cadillacs and Continentals, mount their Land Rovers, and venture into the highrisk fens and marshlands that currently are the province of securities dealers, managers of mutual funds, and other free-wheelers.”

An MBA and the Wall Street Journal require a more elegant metaphor but Stephens and Duvall found the same conclusion.

them out. For instance, Bill Clinton was rightly criticized for failing to defend Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders after her fairly prescient remarks on the war on drugs and teen sexuality. As problematic as Clinton’s treatment of Elders was (and Clinton himself, in his autobiography, voiced regret about how it played out), her departure was based on her views and the way she expressed them rather than an inherent trait as with Grenell. Indeed, Grenell’s departure — not driven by past scandal, gaffe, or misguided views, but rather by simply who he is — may be unprecedented in modern politics.

As a “DNA Mormon” (a descendent of one of Utah’s founding families), Romney has faced discrimination based on a trait similarly fundamental to his being. He more than most should understand the frustration and pain of being judged solely on such a trait and, to Romney’s credit, he has regularly voiced his opposition to discrimination against gay men and lesbians in the abstract (aside from issues related to marriage). However, when the abstract became concrete in the case of Grenell, Romney folded within a week, rolled by the forces of discrimination.

Because a campaign decision like

that regarding Grenell is obviously one in which the candidate would himself have been deeply involved, Romney’s lack of personal fortitude is deeply troubling. More alarming is what it showed about the power that the religious right has over Romney’s decision-making.

Throughout his time as a national political figure, Mitt Romney has fought for the respect of religious conservatives. As a member of what is seen as a “cult” by many on the Christian right and with moderate and shifting positions on the issues most salient to them, Romney has always been seen warily by religious conservatives. Because of their role in the presidential nomination process, gaining this group’s approval (or at least their grudging acceptance) has been crucial for Romney’s political future.

In the Grenell case, the religious right was shown that they can easily roll Romney. The dozens of appointments that would be made by a President Romney would all face the same veto possibility.

Mitt Romney may be an Etch-aSketch, but last week’s events showed that he is one where the knobs are controlled by the religious right forces in the GOP. www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

7

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

As good than gold: “With Hugo’s help, Melenchon channels in remarkable ways the anxiety of a growing number of French citizens who ask if progress is possible only by accepting the economic and monetary policies of European institutions that seem no less relentless and rigid as Inspector Javert.”

I can remember when people knew their as from their than. This is from The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style. “One as is usually not enough when a sentence likens two things in a simile or contrasts them in a comparison. Idiom calls for an as … as pair: ‘as happy as a lark’ or ‘twice as high as last year’s price.’ “ The excerpt above should have read “institutions that seem no less relentless and rigid than Inspector Javert.” Or a second as could have been inserted: … “institutions that seem as relentless and rigid as Inspector Javert.”

Understatement of the year: “Describing how he stalked and executed teenagers attending a political youth camp on the wooded island of Utoya, Breivik, 33, said: ‘I have never experienced anything so gruesome. It was probably even more horrendous for those I was hunting.’ ”

I wouldn’t be surprised.

Mr. Breivik is the most chipper mass murderer I’ve ever read DOUG about, and the SMITH dougsmith@arktimes.com families of his victims the most benign survivors. In the newspaper stories, it sounds like they’re worried about hurting his feelings. Their Viking forebears would have been less forgiving, I suspect. (I know quite a lot about Vikings, having watched a Kirk Douglas-Tony Curtis documentary on the subject.)

Or did they drive away in the coupe?

The ivory-billed woodpecker has vanished (again), and so have the Brinkley-area establishments that profited off its pursuers. “After five years of scouring the swamps and bayous in search of the elusive bird — at a cost of about $10 million — researchers with Cornell University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service called it quits. Not long after, the once-booming business trading on the woodpecker’s lure went bust.

‘They all flew the coup,’ Penny Childs laughed last week.” I’ll bet it was the Fouke Monster that staged the coup.

WEEK THAT WAS

It was a good week for…

KRIS BAKER. Seven months after President Obama nominated her to fill a vacancy for a federal judgeship for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Baker was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She had bipartisan support, but her confirmation had been hung up with dozens of others by a Republican blockade.

FRED SMITH. The former Harlem Globetrotter and former state representative, who resigned from the House after a felony conviction and who lost a court challenge by the Democratic Party after the party refused to allow him to file this year, has been nominated as the Green Party candidate for the state House.

SEN. STEPHANIE FLOWERS. The Pine Bluff state senator reached a settlement agreement for undisclosed relief with the city of Pine Bluff, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a Pine Bluff police officer over her stop by police when she and a friend tried to drive to her home near the

UAPB football stadium in 2007. The street was blocked because of game day traffic, but Flowers had a pass from UAPB, as other neighbors did.

Despite that, she said Officer Sam Atkinson pulled his service revolver and stopped her and a friend, Linda Townsend.

It was a bad week for…

SCOTT ROUSSEL. The UCA board member, under fire for his role in behindthe-scenes dealing on a contract extension, including some front money, with Aramark, UCA’s food service contractor, finally resigned from the board.

BRIAN ROOT. The Toad Suck Daze Festival in Conway banned Root from participating in its annual stuck-on-atruck contest because he’s reputedly a professional “handathoner.” He’s believed to go around the country competing in contests in which the winner is the last person to take his hand off the prize — a new pickup in the case of the Toad Suck festival.

THE OBSERVER

L ake Liquor

The Family owned

NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

and operated store

open since 1966.

27th and Oak Last Thursday, The Observer was assigned the sad task of going down to the lot off Asher where police say Michael Sadler ran over 14-year-old Michael Stanley with a van and then beat him after Stanley snatched Sadler’s wallet and fled on a bicycle. Stanley later died. Sadler has been charged with firstdegree murder. A version of what follows appeared on The Arkansas Blog.

Note: There’s some strong language. But then again, who doesn’t want to resort to strong language at a time like this?

THE LOT AT 27TH AND OAK where

Michael Stanley was run over is weedy, and seeded with glass. By 4 p.m. his family had gone, though someone had left behind a homemade cross and a blue teddy bear at the crest of a low hill in the middle of the lot where it happened. A gutted TV set sat nearby.

Next door, at the Asher 1 Stop, a crowd had gathered. When I asked the man behind the counter if he was willing to talk about what happened outside, he pointed up at a big-screen TV hung high on the wall. “There’s what happened,” he said. “Watch.”

On the screen were three panes of a grainy surveillance feed with a timer at the bottom, the minutes and seconds of that morning ticking past. Almost everyone in the store was looking up at it, waiting for the van.

A man in a black do-rag standing in front of me spoke to a woman standing beside him. “I saw Lil’ Mike riding his bike out here in the parking lot this morning,” he told her. When I asked him if he knew Michael Stanley, he scowled, glancing down at my press tag, and said: “Yeah, but I ain’t talking to you about it.” It’s the way it often is in neighborhoods like the one around 27th and Oak when something terrible happens: Lots of people know a little something, maybe even enough to make some sense out of it if you could put it all together somehow, but no one is talking. Instead, we stood, and watched the screen, and waited for the van.

After five minutes, the clock on the

screen ticking past 11:35 a.m., the time when the first 911 calls reportedly came in to the LRPD, I turned to leave. As I did, I saw that a tall black man — at least 6’8” and solidly built — in a royal blue shirt had come in. I had seen him next door at the lot, pulling up in a new SUV. As I watched, he spoke to the clerk, then tried to push a wad of money into the clerk’s hand, begging him to give it to any children he saw in the store who might need something. The clerk handed it back to him, saying he’d have to talk to the owner about that.

The man in blue went out onto the sidewalk. I followed him out. I soon learned his name is Jay Webb, a Little Rock native who lives in Minneapolis now, where he said he runs a holistic pharmacy and summer empowerment camps for kids. He grew up nearby, and used to ride his bike to the State Fair. He was in Little Rock visiting his family, and had heard about the death of Michael Stanley.

When I asked him why he was trying to give the clerk his money, Webb started to answer, saying that he didn’t want kids in the neighborhood to have to resort to theft, but his voice soon broke and he couldn’t continue. We stood there together on the sidewalk as the traffic slid by on Asher, Webb looking west toward the weed lot as he wiped his eyes.

When he could speak again, Webb said it was him who got run over that day.

“I was born here,” Webb said. “I wasn’t supposed to make it, but I made it, because God pulled me up. Everybody said I wasn’t shit. And now kids don’t even have anybody to tell them they’re not shit and to encourage them.

People think that money is so much — that you can beat someone to death. It’s not. Two people died today. Two people died today, not one. Two people.”

“I don’t know what else to do,” he said, his eyes welling up again. “Just God bless them and cover them, all the kids. If you see somebody, you give them this.” Then Webb tried to press a rumpled bill into my hand.

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MAY 9, 2012

9

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

Praying mayors targeted The mayors of Rogers and Springdale are two of three mayors criticized by the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Madison, Wis., for hosting prayer breakfasts on the National Day of Prayer on May 3.

Mayor Doug Sprouse of Springdale and Mayor Greg Hines of Rogers claim they aren’t sponsors. It’s a distinction without a difference: Both mayors devote time to organizing and selling tickets, in Springdale right out of the mayor’s office, the FFRF says.

Sprouse was reported in the Northwest Arkansas Times as saying that if there’s a problem with his taxpayerpaid secretary selling tickets for the Christian event and “taking minutes,” he’d make adjustments.

Hines was less conciliatory, telling the newspaper if the organization has a problem with the Rogers Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, it can “bring a team of lawyers and sue us.”

Rogers and Springdale officials insist their participation is a volunteer effort and not a government event.

Rogers held its breakfast at the Cross Church, with Ryan Hale of the Walton Family Foundation as speaker. Former Hog football coach Ken Hatfield spoke to the Springdale breakfast at the Holiday Inn. Both events’ tickets paid for costs and excess went to charity.

The National Day of Prayer was proclaimed by the president and governor. Rather than celebrate pluralism, however, events on the day tend to become organizing points for evangelical Christians, the FFRF says.

“We are shocked at the bad manners of these mayors who align themselves with events advertised as ‘Christian evangelicals need only apply.’ This kind of meddling in religion and promotion of one religion over another is what one would expect in a theocracy, not in our secular republic,” FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation also took the mayor of Odessa, Texas, to task.

ZaZa pair to open Local Lime John Beachboard and Scott McGehee are adding to their burgeoning mini-empire of restaurants in Central Arkansas. The pair behind ZaZa and Big Orange, will open a new concept, Local Lime, no later than Oct. 1 in The Promenade at Chenal.

Beachboard and McGehee are equal partners in the new restaurant with Herren Hickingbotham — who’s also a partner in Big Orange — and Ben Brainard, a chef who’s worked with Beachboard and McGehee at CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 10

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

UA-Fort Smith silences student Transgendered woman told to stop class lectures.

BY CHEREE FRANCO

O

ver the 2011-2012 academic year, Jennifer Braly, a University of Arkansas at Fort Smith psychology major with a 3.58 GPA, has given roughly 20 guest lectures on gender identity disorder (GID) to psychology and sociology classes on campus. Her lectures are meticulously researched and accompanied by a power-point presentation, but Braly’s true qualification — what sets her lectures apart from other undergraduate reports — is her personal experience with GID. Braly was born a male, but a year ago, at age 36, she began taking hormones, had her name and gender changed on legal documents and assumed her new identity as a female.

Braly says her lectures have been well received, and several students have gone out of their way to e-mail positive feedback. One professor, Dr. Nicha Otero, wrote a letter of recommendation, chronicling the merits of her presentation, and its success at “open[ing] the doors to a greater understanding and appreciation of this too often misunderstood disorder.”

But on April 19, Braly received an e-mail of a different sort from Dr. Rita Barrett, the chair of the psychology department: “I have heard quite a bit about your interest and vigor in visiting with my faculty and students. All of my faculty are now diligently preparing for the closure of the semester … and it is impossible to afford more class time to accommodate an additional speaker at one week before finals. Therefore, your scheduled speaking engagements in any course in my department have been canceled. This includes the two scheduled for tomorrow Friday April 20th in Dr. Laura King’s [general psychology] classes.”

Braly contacted King, who had been copied on the e-mail. “I knew that I had planned the lecture for this point in the semester. It fit with the topic, so we planned to go ahead,” King said. She and Braly decided they would risk the consequences and at 9 a.m. Friday, April 20, Braly showed up at King’s first class.

BRAY: Forbidden by school administration to give faculty-sanctioned lectures in classrooms.

But earlier in the morning, Dr. Henry Rinne, dean of the College of Social Sciences, had intercepted King and told her that under no circumstances should Braly be allowed to speak in any classroom setting.

“I was told by Dr. Rinne that there had been complaints about Jennifer’s talk, that she was not considered to be a qualified expert, apparently because she didn’t have an advanced degree. But I think someone with personal experience, who has also done personal research and is going through treatment, is a valid guest speaker.

It’s all about diversity and learning about people from different backgrounds, facing different issues,’ ” King said.

King didn’t agree with the administration’s decision, so she asked Rinne to tell her class. “The students were surprised and very unhappy. They asked Dr. Rinne to justify the administration’s decision,” she said. Rather than support the administration’s position, King dismissed the day’s class.

Braly has some idea as to why her

lectures were canceled. “When Dr. King told the class they were having a transgendered speaker, one student was outraged. He kept saying foul stuff and ultimately, he was asked to leave class. Apparently, he complained to administration,” she said. She also suspects that the school was trying to silence criticism of their own policies towards GID-affected students.

In March, Braly sued the university for discriminatory restroom and housing policies. She and the university are working towards an out-of-court compromise, but until last week, she was only permitted to use gender neutral restrooms. “There are a handful of these on the entire campus,” Braly said. Last Monday, the university notified Braly that she is now welcome to use women’s restrooms. She was also allowed to enter the on-campus housing lottery, provided she discloses her transgendered status to any prospective roommates.

Undaunted, Braly managed to give her April 20 lectures anyway. After King dismissed class, Braly told the students she was heading over to the student center — a non-classroom setting — and if they wanted to learn about GID, to come along.

The majority of the class followed her, seating themselves on the student center floor.

“There was one student who made a big fuss, yelling slurs and trying to disrupt my lecture, but I just ignored him and stayed focused with my audience,” Braly said. Later she learned from other students that the name-caller was the same man who disrupted King’s class a few days earlier, and that several people asked him to stop. Passersby joined the audience as well, and before long, Braly was speaking to a crowd of about 70.

After her first lecture, Braly repeated the process with King’s second class, but King skipped both lectures. “There seemed to be some feeling that if I were present, even though it were in a different location, it might be regarded as a formal class,” she said.

The following Monday, April 23, Braly was called before Rebecca Timmons, a member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the campus provost, Ray Wallace. They told her that her lectures had been canceled because she’d sought IRB permission to give a response survey following future lectures, and that survey had not yet been approved.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 49

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THE

BIG

INSIDER, CONT.

BRIAN CHILSON

PICTURE

How many University of Arkansas employees are on the athletics department payroll? What is the overall department’s budget? How many employees just serve the football program? Who are they, what are they paid, and what do they do?

The University of Arkansas Athletics Department has 216 full-time employees and a total 2011-2012 budget of $68,957,442. Football alone generated $61,131,707 in revenue for 2010-2011, followed by men’s basketball at $14,608,513. The university spent a total of $89,238,005 on athletics last year, which was offset by $91,766,113 in athletics revenue.

The 2012 Razorback football budget is $16,450,449. Last year, the program budgeted $15,194,341 and spent $24,059,193, due to the expense of competing in the Sugar Bowl, increased costs related to transitioning to a new apparel agree-

Employee

ment with Nike, increased salaries and benefits and increased costs related to summer school and out-ofstate financial aid. Sixteen full-time employees serve the football program. This list includes three administrative assistants (all women, with salaries ranging from $26,353 to $31,558) and nine assistant coaches (all men, with salaries ranging from $425,000 to $200,000), as well as three different directors (men, with salaries in the $100,000 range).

John L. Smith, the new Razorback head coach, will be compensated $825,000 over the course of 10 months. This is further broken down in the chart below.

Title

Salary

Laurie Hicks

Administrative Specialist

$26,353

Tara Metcalf

Administrative Specialist

$25,268

Clarinda Carr

Administrative Supervisor

$37,558

Andy Wagner

Director of Sports Video

$94,840

Jason Shumaker

Director of High School Relations

$102,000

Mark Robinson

Director of Football Operations

$103,800

Kevin Peoples

Assistant Football Coach

$200,000

Tim Horton

Assistant Football Coach

$205,000

Kris Cinkovich

Assistant Football Coach

$214,800

Bobby Allen

Assistant Football Coach

$235,000

Steve Caldwell

Assistant Football Coach

$257,000

Chris Klenakis

Assistant Football Coach

$266,420

Taver Johnson

Assistant Football Coach

$275,000

Paul Haynes

Defensive Coordinator

$425,000

Paul Petrino

Offensive Coordinator

$425,000

John L. Smith

Head Football Coach

$825,000

We recently revived the “Ask the Times” feature, in which we answer questions from readers about, well, anything. Digital media makes it a heck of a lot easier to ask your questions; if you have one, just e-mail lindseymillar@arktimes.com with the subject line “Ask the Times.”

Boulevard Bread Co. and at ZaZa for a number of years.

The working tagline for Local Lime is “tacos, tequila and margarita bar,” according to Beachboard. The menu will be focused on dozens of taco options, Beachboard said, with plenty of meat and cheese options along with a number of options for vegetarians and vegans. Beachboard said a taco filled with potatoes and zucchini from a street vendor is the best taco he’s ever eaten, and will find its way onto the menu.

The restaurant, to be located three doors down from Big Orange, near the Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre, is 3,200 square feet, which is slightly smaller than Big Orange, but a planned patio covered by a retractable ceiling and walls will allow Local Lime to seat 25 percent more diners than Big Orange.

Brainard will be the owner/operator managing Local Lime. “Having an owner operator on-site is about as valuable an asset as you can have in the restaurant business,” said Beachboard. Expanding the restaurant group with longtime employees taking on leadership roles is Beachboard’s vision for the future. He said he and his partners are actively looking for space elsewhere to continue expanding. Another Big Orange could be the next project.

Bike safety campaign On Monday, the Downtown Partnership and the City of Little Rock held a press conference to announce a new pedestrian and bike safety campaign. Assistant City Manager Bryan Day said the Downtown Partnership will spearhead a focus on education and awareness with their newsletter and Facebook. Additionally, police plan to crack down on downtown traffic violations. Running red lights and turning right on red or left on green cause the most pedestrian and cyclist accidents. The traffic engineering department will work to identify and address the most problematic intersections, with increased signage and longer red lights. Pedestrians have already been banned from the crosswalk on Broadway at City Hall during weekday work hours.

According to an analysis published in January 2012 by Metroplan, Pulaski County had one cyclist death and nine pedestrian deaths in 2011, including an Entergy employee who was hit by a Central Arkansas Transit bus crossing Louisiana at Capital. The study identified a dozen intersections with the highest crash incidents. Markham and LaHarpe top the list at nine collisions, followed by Sixth and Broadway with eight. www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

11

1992

as a weekly. rs a e y 0 2 t a A look back

I

’ve been publishing the Arkansas Times for almost 38 years, 20 of those as the liberal, muck-raking, music-loving weekly you are now reading. Before that, before the Arkansas Gazette passed into history, we were a monthly, statewide magazine with much the same attitude as the Times today.

When the Gazette shut down after the newspaper war with the Arkansas Democrat, we converted to a weekly format and hired the senior editorial staff of the Gazette. We felt it imperative that an informed, liberal voice continue in this state and so it has been for 20 years.

It is hard to define this newspaper in a few words.

We’re the voice of the blue community in a red state. We are willing to stand up to the most powerful people and interests locally, happy to call an idiot an idiot when necessary. We like the little guy. We love good art, good music and good food and we delight in guiding our readers to all of it. And no, we’re not anti-business.

We started this company on $200 and financed it for years with wages from our night jobs. We have walked that walk and we know something about capitalism.

We think investing in our state’s human capital is more important than lowering taxes. We have the lowest timber and gas severance taxes in the region, low wages, weak worker protections, courts stacked against litigants suing corporations and weak environmental standards.

And what has that wrought? Some of the poorest, least educated, unhealthy people in America. As a small businessman, I live and die on results. If Arkansas was my business, I’d do away with those tired ideas and try a new business model.

And that’s a reason to get up and come

12

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

into work in the morning.

The best thing that has happened to the Arkansas Times in the last 20 years has been the Internet. While it slowly strangles some daily newspapers, it has put us into the daily news business thanks to Max Brantley’s Arkansas Blog. Investigative reporting, business and political gossip, breaking news and attitude have made the Arkansas Blog atarktimes. com one of the most popular web destinations in the state. Last month more than 500,000 unique visitors viewed more than 1.5 million pages at arktimes.com.

Strong arts and entertainment reporting, hundreds of critical restaurant reviews and a variety of guides have lent breadth and variety to the cyber version of the Times. Not surprisingly, advertising on the web now accounts for almost 20 percent of our revenue.

When we started the weekly Arkansas Times in 1992, our mission was to make Little Rock a two-newspaper town again.

That mission, to maintain an alternative to a conservative daily, to give the other side of the story, to create healthy competition that benefits local businesses and readers, has not changed. Our commitment to good writing, our willingness to take on vested interests and our support for arts and culture remain undiminished.

Twenty years ago Mara Leveritt, my wife at the time, came up with the idea of converting the monthly to what you see today. Max Brantley, our editor for two decades, has defined the Times more than any other person, and Phyllis Britton, our long-time ad director, has led the sales staff with a combination of skill and grace. To all of them and to our staff, readers and advertisers, I am grateful.

— Alan Leveritt

MAY 7: The weekly tabloid edition of the Arkansas Times debuts with an 86-page edition. John Brummett, who moves from editor to political editor, trails Gov. Bill Clinton in New York and Chicago. “Go home, racist. Go back to your country club,” he hears blacks in New York jeering at Clinton, who, days earlier, was photographed playing golf at the then all-white Little Rock Country Club. “I’d never heard Bill Clinton and racist used in the same sentence,” Rodney Slater tells Brummett. “I could tell by the look on his face that it was like someone had stabbed him in the stomach.” Brummett also profiles James Carville, who he writes looks like a cross between “Walter Hussman and E.T.” The debut issue features 13 sections (including crime and punishment, trends and fashion) and 11 columnists (Jim Bailey on sports, Max Brantley, John Brummett, Jack Butler on food, Janet Carson on gardening, Ernest Dumas, Bob Lancaster, Deborah Mathis, Robert McCord, Doug Smith and guest writer James O. Powell on airline regulation). A front-of-the-book feature includes a list of well-known Arkansans and the cars they drive: Connie Hamzy (1981 Mercury Lynx), Orval Faubus (1985 Chevrolet Cavalier), Harry Thomason (1992 Range Rover), Dr. Joycelyn Elders (1987 Dodge K car).

JUNE 4: In her campaign to unseat 24-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Alexander, Blanche Lambert used Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” for her traveling music.

Might the song suggest sexism or vanity or recall the recent hit movie about a hooker? “It never occurred to us,” Lambert tells editor Max Brantley. “We were just looking for something spunky, to catch attention.” Lambert would win the election and a second term, under her married name Blanche Lincoln, in 1994.

She later would serve as U.S. senator from Arkansas for two terms until her defeat in 2010 by U.S. Rep. John Boozman.

AUG. 13: A festival called August in Arkansas debuts (despite earlier skepticism about the wisdom of the timing). Among the performers: Toots & The Maytals, R. Kelly & Public Announcement, Joe Ely, Lyle Lovett & His Large Band, Gunbunnies, Social Distortion, Willie Nelson, Branford Marsalis, Sounds of Blackness, Billy Joe Shaver, Nanci Griffith & The Blue Moon Orchestra, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, Rufus Thomas, Rosemary Clooney, Carlene Carter, Brave Combo, Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited, and Culture. Oddly, despite the lineup and unnaturally cool weather, attendance is paltry.

AUG. 20: In an article on his U.S. Senate campaign against Sen. Dale Bumpers, Rev. Mike Huckabee tells John Brummett, “The most bare-knuckled, hard-fisted,

SEPT. 10: In a profile of poet and University of Arkansas professor Miller Williams and his daughter, Lucinda Wiliams, Mara Leveritt asks about Lucinda’s childhood, when she says she “soaked up” a lot of “soul” just by hanging out with her father and his friends — writers like Richard Wilbur, Howard Nemerov, Maxine Kumin and Charles Bukowski. “Flannery O’Connor was a friend of ours,” Miller Williams remembers, “and we would go to her farm and Lucinda would chase her famous peacocks. And Flannery didn’t mind, knowing that Lucinda wouldn’t be able to catch them.”

NOV. 5: In the 24 hours leading up to Bill Clinton’s presidential election victory, staff writer Richard Martin spots Tom Cruise at the Capital Hotel bar and sees Texas columnist Molly Ivins join Vic Snyder for dinner at Doe’s, with Hunter S. Thompson slugging margaritas nearby.

Later, in the Clinton “War Room,” James

Carville wears a gold sheriff’s badge glued to his forehead and chants, “More! More!

More!” At the headquarters, Thompson, “in his ravaged Fifth-Horseman-of-theApocalypse voice” tells Martin, “Early in this race, I saw chaos coming … but the more I saw of him, I saw he was a warrior and a winner.” At the Republican headquarters in the Holiday Inn West on Shackleford Road, a gaunt man asks why the media hasn’t hounded Clinton on “tax and spend” and insists the soonto-be president-elect is the Antichrist.

Pressed for exit-poll results, Skip Rutherford, former state Democratic chairman and a Clinton campaign worker, says, “Off the record? It’s big. It’s really big.”

In Josephine’s in the Excelsior Hotel, actor Richard Dreyfus tells the press, “There’s a larger event going on here.

It’s a mass movement. It’s bigger than Clinton. The energy is just beginning.”

With the crowd surging toward the Old State House lawn, the Philander Smith Choir belts out “America the Beautiful.”

Finally, President-elect Clinton comes out of the Old Statehouse doors: “My fellow Americans. Tonight, the people of America have come together with high hopes and with brave hearts to vote for a new beginning …”

1993

GARY YANDELL

heads-up politics I’ve ever encountered, and that includes this race, so far, was my two years as president of the Arkansas Baptist Convention. People who call me a newcomer to politics don’t understand the Baptist Church.”

SEPT. 2: “Football is important,” new Razorback football coach Danny Ford tells staff writer Jim Bailey in his cover profile, “Skepticism and Plain Vanilla.” “It’s like supper. It’s something you just do. Winning is important here. Arkansas wins in every sport it competes in. We want that to always be the case with football.” Ford leads the Razorbacks to a winning season in 1993 and wins the SEC West in 1995, but back-to-back 4-7 seasons in 1996 and 1997 lead to his firing by Frank Broyles.

DEC. 17: “Moderation is not in his vocabulary,” Mitzi Osborne says of her husband, Jennings Osborne, in staff writer David Mabury’s cover profile, “The Prince of Lightness.” Mabury interviews the couple and their 12-year-old daughter, Breezy, in the house’s 1,700-square-foot “big room,” which he describes as “an ocean of plush raspberry carpet lit by eight chandeliers. The largest, which rotates, is a miniature replica of a chandelier in the old MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, a favorite vacation spot of the Osbornes.” As for the notorious Christmas lights, “Breezy asked for a few lights and that’s what she got,” Mitzi said. How much do the lights cost? “If I told anybody they wouldn’t believe it. Beyond comprehension,” Jennings says.

SPENCER TIREY

JULY 15: Roger Clinton has a good enough voice, John Brummett writes in a cover story “Roger and Me.” “He clearly has the music in him; his gyrations are rhythmic and without inhibition.” But with the song “L is for the lies,” a song Clinton wrote with a refrain that asserts that things are getting better with “Big Brother,” “Roger sends a signal that he’s a so-so lounge singer cashing in on his brother.” He won’t admit that to Brummett, but Clinton does say, “I’ve been paying dues all my life. I was a road hand for George Jones. I’ve played every bar and lounge in Arkansas — twice.

I didn’t just start singing when my brother became president. People don’t know that.

But it’s all about opportunity. Whatever the reason, I have mine. And now it’s up to me and my talent.”

JULY 22: For $40, young women from the new Definitely Different Maid Service will scrub toilets “dressed to your fancy” — as French Maids, or in lingerie, or a swimsuit, or in a “surprise”

costume, all supplied by Frederick’s of Hollywood. One maid tells The Arkansas Reporter she had cleaned a gentleman’s pool in Hillcrest dressed in a “French Maid’s outfit” — lacy black and white undergarments topped off with apron, bow tie and sheer black stockings. “I skimmed leaves off the water, and they’d (a friend came to watch) put more in,” she says, laughing.

NOV. 4: According to a Smart Talk, “A shoe company that sends shoes to every new president reported the other day to The New Yorker that Bill Clinton has the largest shoe size of any U.S. president since Woodrow Wilson, though it declined to reveal the size. But we have our sources. And if it was Clinton’s impressive 13 ½s that made him a shoe-in for the presidency, Arkansas officials who might hope to follow in Clinton’s footsteps clearly don’t measure up.”

Gov. Jim Guy Tucker 11E Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee 10 D to 11 D U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers 12 D to 12 E U.S. Sen. David Pryor 10 ½ C U.S. Rep Jay Dickey 11 ½ A U.S. Rep Ray Thornton 10 ½ U.S. Rep. Tim Hutchinson 8 ½ CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

13

1994

1995

FEB. 17: John Haman writes about the regular doling out of narcotic drugs to Razorback athletes — worth about $20,000 a year — and the regulatory agencies’ turning a blind eye to the practice, done mostly without prescriptions.

A University of Arkansas pharmacist had blown the whistle on the drugs earlier, and they were removed from the men’s training room in January.

MARCH 10: David Mabury writes about the astonishing 28,000-square-foot First Pentecostal Church that has gone up next to Interstate 40 in North Little Rock, with its steeple a lofty 104 feet from the ground, its marble foyer with 20-foot-ceiling and fountain, its 1,800 seats, its electronic billboard flashing messages, and its shouting, dancing and clapping congregation urged on to speak in tongues. Five years later, the church would build next door a new sanctuary twice the size of the original, which became a children’s chapel and school.

MARCH 31: Bob Lancaster takes a trip up the White River looking for the White River Monster (“Whitey”), in which he does not believe and which, compared to the catfish in the river, some bigger than Jim Guy Tucker, isn’t such a monstrosity. He does not find Whitey.

JULY 7: It was a good week for Beth Anne Rankin, according to The Week That Was. She prevailed as Miss Arkansas on her fourth try. (In 2012, she is a Republican candidate for U.S. Representative in the Fourth Congressional District.)

14

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

NOV. 11: “The head coach of the Razorback basketball team has tossed and turned through the long, dark night of the soul, moving to a state that resented him when his first team came up a loser, losing his daughter to leukemia, glowering as players, not he, got credit for the success of his teams. Well it’s morning now, and the bad dreams are gone, but a fog still hangs over Richardson’s mood,” John Haman writes in his profile of Nolan Richardson, seven months after Richardson led the Razorback basketball team to its first national championship. Among Richardson’s lingering frustrations: the NCAA’s upwardly creeping educational standards. “If you want education, let’ s do it,” he tells Haman.

But don’t base it on high school grade point or an ACT score, let athletes prove themselves on campus. “In Richardson’s ideal compromise, young athletes with low or marginal academic credentials would study through their freshman year of college without so much as touching a ball. If they meet scholastic standards in that first year on campus, they would be allowed to play when they become sophomores.”

JAN. 27: For the third year in a row, Brave New Restaurant wins the Best Overall category in the Arkansas Times annual Readers’ Choice poll. Regas Grill and Cafe Saint Moritz are runners up.

MARCH 31: The Times suggests names for what would become Alltel and later Verizon Arena: Dog Dome, Dog Palace, Dog Pen, Dog House, The Argentium, Madison Square Garden, The Rock.

JUNE 30: Restaurants requested by the Times in a Smart Talk: vegetarian, Burmese (“the road to Mandalay is filled with exotic herbs and light, crunchy salads”), German, late-night and seafood (“Not another Fry-o-lator emporium, but a reliable source of crackling fresh ocean fish; gargantuan lobsters; fragrant bouillabaise, and cockles and mussels alive, alive, Oh.”) NOV. 10: “I think guns are part of the problem, not the solution,” Rep. Jim Argue of Little Rock, one of the few legislators to vote against a new state law allowing concealed handgun licenses, tells associate editor John Haman for a cover story called “Arkies, Get Your Guns.” “It promotes a vigilante mentality that will lead to innocent victims.

The whole idea of concealed weapons has a scary quality to it.” Argue tells

Haman the law passed because legislators live in fear of the NRA. After the Times publishes a list of all concealed carry permit holders in Arkansas in February 2009, Max Brantley receives death threats.

NOV. 10: Since January, 81 people have been arrested for jaywalking, associate editor Leslie Newell Peacock reports. All were black and between the ages of 14 and 42. The Little Rock Police Department says it was enforcing the law at the request of local property owners. Municipal Judge Bill Watt, who presided over many of the cases, tells Peacock, “I’m a lot more interested in helping that property owner than some little jerk-off walking down the street who won’t get out of the way of my car.”

DEC. 29: Fayetteville lawyer Tom Mars has filed a class action lawsuit, on behalf of a Washington County woman, against Disney over allegations of sexual messages and images in animated films, staff writer John Haman reports.

Among the scenes cited: a moment in “The Little Mermaid” where a priest gets an obvious erection and one in “Aladdin,” where a whispering voice admonishes, “Good teen-agers, take off your clothes,” before characters take a magic carpet ride.

AMY JONES

APRIL 7: Reporting from the murder trials of the three teen-agers who would come to be known as the West Memphis Three, Bob Lancaster eschews traditional journalism to write, correctly, that Satanism “would endow the case a motive,” and that “prosecutors never produced any evidence to show that Echols had anything beyond a jerkoff Metallica-level interest in witchery and hobgoblins.” Lancaster concludes that the trials were “bottom line, show trials — by people under pressure to ‘do something’ — something tidy and legal — about a right-here-inRiver-City atrocity. … Show trials of the ‘It’s coming ... It’s coming ...

It’s gone’ variety in Huckleberry Finn. It’s only too fitting that HBO filmed the entire trashy production, for a TV movie.”

FEB. 10: Bob Lancaster pens Valentine’s to well known Arkansans, including Lt. Governor Mike Huckabee: To have as a valentine Rev.

Huckabee we’re afraid would really

suckabee

1996

JULY 19: Our annual Best of Arkansas issue makes its debut. Among the first year winners: Jennings Osborne for best millionaire. Ho-Hum for best band. Mara Leveritt for best newspaper writer. Mike Huckabee for best politician. Craig O’Neill (best radio personality) and Anne Jansen (best TV news) inaugurate a tradition of putting Arkansas celebrities on the cover of the issue along with other winning products.

MAY 17: In his cover story, “Who Are These Guys,” Bob Lancaster considers the superficial differences among the five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate: “One looks like a mere boy — a strapping country lad. One looks like a farm implement dealer. One looks like an escapee from a cartoon, with a countenance strangely pulled and slanted,

like a pictograph from the Chinese, and some of the baddest bad hair in political memory. One, with Nixonian scowl, darting stormy glances at the opposition, looks like Shakespeare might’ve thought him up — flatbed heir to the brooding monarchs and dark thanes who paced the heath and thought those big old booming thoughts. And one actually looks like a U.S. senator, a prototype and archetype, with the haircut, the cut of clothes, the posture, the mannerisms, and a seeming gross of Bumpersian, Gary Hartish senatorial intangibles.” The credits, revealed at the end of the story: The boy is Kevin Smith. The cartoon-looking character is Winston Bryant. The farm implement dealer is Bill Bristow.

The one who looks like Shakespeare might’ve thought him up is Sandy McMath. And the one who looks like a senator is Lu Hardin. Bryant wins the nomination and then loses the general election to Tim Hutchinson.

JULY 12: Among the Times’ impressions of the newly opened Ottenheimer Hall in the River Market: “Will anybody pay for riverfront concerts after they discover you can see the amphitheater stage so well from here?

“Where’s the swill (i.e., brew)?

“Are downtown workers going to walk all the way down here? Will they ride a (proposed) shuttle bus?”

SEPT. 13: Ashlie Atkinson, an intern with the Times who went on to achieve fame on Broadway and TV (“Fat Pig,” “Rescue Me,”) profiles Little Rock’s punk scene. It includes: File 13 Records, Towncraft, Das Yutes a Go-Go, the Rice Street House and Ratfink a Bu-Bu. (Chip King, featured on the cover but not mentioned in the article, now plays in the critically acclaimed metal act The Body.)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

JAN. 12

MAY 31: “Public service has not been an appealing career choice for quite some time,” writes Doug Smith in the wake of the conviction of Gov. Jim

GEORGE FISHER

FEB. 23: From a story announcing the Arkansas Times’ first website: “Surfers can peruse some of the most useful, service-oriented features of our newspaper at Arkansas Times Online, our outpost on the World Wide Web. You’ll want to save that ‘uniform resource locator,’ (URL) with a ‘bookmark’ or ‘shortcut,’ because for the first week to a month, the Times articles will not be included in the major Internet search engines. Soon, though, you’ll be able to search for our articles in Yahoo, Webcrawler, Lycos and Infoseek — the more popular search mechanisms. The home page is a work in progress, so be sure to tell us what you think about it, and to make suggestions for its improvement.”

Guy Tucker as part of the Whitewater investigation. “Term limits, single-issue fanatics, bloodthirsty media and a growing meanness in American politics dissuaded people from entry.

What happened to Jim Guy Tucker should scare off a lot more. Tucker is something like the baseball player who is plunked by the pitcher because the batter in front of him hit a home run. The pain may be especially sharp considering that Tucker and Clinton, though teammates in a way — both Democrats and Arkansans — have been more rivals than friends over the years.”

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee said he was “shocked” and “wounded” by the verdicts. Whether he would abandon his U.S. Senate campaign and assume the governor’s office or continue was the question of the day.

“Whatever he decides,” John Haman writes in his cover story, “Huckabee is about to have tremendous effect on the state’s political future.” If he abandoned the Senate race, Democratic attorney general Winston Bryant would likely win the seat, Haman says.

But if he stays on as governor, “the state party — rather than the national will have reason to cheer ... As governor, he would also have a chance to prove to Arkansas’s largely Democratic electorate that Republicans can run state government. (Huckabee quits the Senate race to be governor.

Another Republican, Tim Hutchinson, defeats Bryant.)

www.arktimes.com

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1998 AUG. 1: Police appeal for help in capturing the “blue light rapist” — a man who put a flashing blue light atop his unmarked car in rural areas to get four lone women drivers to pull over and then raped them — and the assistant director at the Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute tells reporter Judith Gallman that the attacker could be an auxiliary deputy. Robert Todd Burmingham, a married farm laborer, would be arrested the following September and convicted the next year; he’s serving a life term at Cummins.

JAN. 10: The new rubber-wheeled trolleys are “cute but aren’t attracting many riders,” a Smart Talk reports, “presumably because of poor weather and the holiday season.”

FEB. 14: Life and Times section editor Kelley Bass asks what’s up with Sue E. and Porkchop, the Razorbacks’ new mascots, and wonders “Is Sue E. perhaps a wanton sow from Boss Hog’s past who finally surfaced after all these years?”

FEB. 21: The Times gets an exclusive excerpt from Ralph Nader and Wesley J. Smith’s new book, “No Contest,” that finds numerous conflicts of interest in Kenneth Starr’s private job with his role as independent counsel. The Times had thundered against Starr editorially throughout the Tucker trials.

APRIL 18: Fewer than one in five Arkansans hunt, Leslie Newell Peacock reports, so the Game and Fish Commission will spend a considerable portion of its new revenue from the new 1/8 cent conservation tax on nongame activities, right? They’ll build nature centers about nature and not about game fish and bird blinds and ecosystem exhibits, and add staff concerned with endangered species protection, right? Wrong, turns out.

MAY 9: 16-year-old Fayetteville student William Wagner came out of the closet and got a severe beating for it by eight boys, the culmination in a series of school attacks that led to his dropping out. The ensuing investigation is limited to whether he is sexually harassed, 16

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

since current law doesn’t protect students from gay-bashing, Leslie Newell Peacock reports.

JUNE 6: Max Brantley spends some time with a sky-diving, jet-skiing, cancersurviving first lady and finds “a naturalness about Janet Huckabee that you don’t always feel about her husband, a gifted performer at pulpit and podium.”

OCT. 3: Arkansas State Police records show that Gov. Mike Huckabee is using the ASP’s new $1.4 million King Air as his executive plane, though the legislature was told the plane was needed for law enforcement. Leslie Newell Peacock finds Huckabee logged 90.8 hours in the plane; the ASP 12.5 hours and other agencies a total of 61.5 hours over a 10-month period.

SEPTEMBER: Doug Smith exposes a heap of legislative corruption involving fraudulent payments of “legal fees” to a gang of legislators and their lawyer friends. Further investigation by state and federal authorities reveals more misdeeds. Some legislators are convicted. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are returned to the public treasury. One of the legislature’s most powerful members, state Sen. Nick Wilson of Pocahontas, spends a few years in federal prison.

FEB. 6: “Orval,” a new comic strip

by Prairie Grove’s Tommy Durham debuts in the Times. “It features a pig by that name who occasionally wanders into situations with a striking similarity to current news events and who also offers other commentary on Arkansas folkways.”

JUNE 12: The suicide of a jailed teenager comes to light as the Times investigates conditions at the state’s main jail for juveniles in North Little Rock.

In April, Gov. Mike Huckabee revealed in a press conference that he’d been informed of terrible conditions at the jail by a reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. When no article about the crisis occurring at the Division of Youth Services appears in the daily paper, Leslie Peacock looks into conditions at the jail, learning of the suicide — never reported in the Democrat — and instances of abuse, including a report that a boy had been beaten by older juveniles, hog-tied and raped with a broom handle. DHS’ own investigation

TOMMY DURHAM

1997

claims that “half of the staff at CAOAC believed that when kids were sent to jail, ‘that they could beat the shit out of them.’ ” The Democrat-Gazette did not publish what reporter Mary Hargrove knew since 1997 so the news could be packaged as a high-impact series for publication later in the year.

JULY 3: Little Rock author Dee Brown’s 11th novel, “The Way to Bright Star,” is “one of the best American novels in years,” writes Bob Lancaster. It’s “an old-fashioned yarn, an adventure story and a love story, an epic and a picaresque, a quietly exciting romantic tale spun out unhurriedly and beautifully, with sweetness and dignity and marvelous humor, about life as it was lived in middle America a long time ago.” Brown published “The Way to Bright Star” when he was 90. He died Dec. 12, 2002.

JULY 31: Staff writer Jan Cottingham reports on the results of an opinion poll commissioned by the Arkansas Times of 405 women in the Little Rock and North Little Rock area.

Seventy-two percent said the trend toward both parents working outside the home has had a generally negative effect on families. Seventy-four per-

OCT. 23: Leslie Newell Peacock reports that in his first year in office, Gov. Mike Huckabee and his family used an account created to support Mansion needs for their own use, spending the public money on meals at restaurants, dry cleaning (including getting blue jeans pressed), boat expenses and personal groceries — including lots of Velveeta cheese — and complaining when it was tapped for such things as getting mansion worker uniforms cleaned. Fired Mansion staffer Kamala Williams turned over the receipts and e-mails in which the Huckabees made clear that they believed the $60,000 account to be a tax-free salary supplement. The story sparks a taxpayer’s lawsuit against the governor, eventually withdrawn.

cent strongly agreed that it’s much harder being a working mother than a working father. Eighty-three percent said women were better listeners than men. Seventy-three percent said men were more likely to cheat on their spouse than women. Thirty-five percent said premarital sex is never acceptable.

AUG. 28: In an essay titled “Why Clinton shouldn’t quit,” following the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Bob Lancaster — who weeks later summarized the scandal as “Never before have so many reported so much about so little by so few” — remembers a story from Brooks Hays. He “used to tell of the little old lady who wouldn’t vote because ‘it only encourages ‘em,’ and a Clinton resignation at this point would give just too much encouragement to too many of the worst elements of American contemporaneity.

“Those elements include the vast right-wing conspiracy (VRWC), which would be encouraged in the notion that with the right combination of viciousness, persistence and sanctimony they really might hereafter be able to overturn elections …

“And of course the very worst of those worst elements of ’90s America is the press, in its new role as national tattler and tease. Journalism would be ruined for the foreseeable future if the president quit now. The whole purpose of news reporting would become, in the haunting Vince Foster prophesy, ‘ruining people for sport.’

If indeed it hasn’t already. The metamorphosis into a mob, into leering bloodthirsty rabble, has maybe already occurred, even without him resigning; rest assured that having invested so much of their credibility on ruining this particular president for no particular reason, his resignation would have the effect on them of throwing meat to dogs.”

OCT. 16: The winning entry to the Times inaugural “You’re a Real Arkie if …” contest: “You can pronounce, and spell, Fourche, Lonoke, Baucum, Ouachita, Altheimer, Arkansas and Bayou Meto.” (from R.R. Bailey, Little Rock). Other notables: “You shell purple hull peas while sitting in the surgery waiting room.” (Mae Voegele, Conway). “You think Kim Hanke, Leslie Basham and Marshall Schuster are celebrities.”

(Don Blessing, North Little Rock).

“You’ve had sex in any park along the Arkansas River.” (LeAnn Hackler, Alma).

SEPT. 11

1999

she served for refusing to testify about President Bill Clinton before a grand jury.

McDougal told Cottingham that none of the degradation she suffered — being stripped naked in the Pulaski County jail and sprayed with a delousing agent, being shackled and handcuffed before being led away before a TV crew, transported with male prisoners who masturbated in front of her, enduring cells full of insects and no privacy on the toilet — was bad enough to get her to talk to Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr.

MARCH 5: The Times publishes staff writer Jan Cottingham’s definitive profile of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorialist Paul Greenberg, noting that he can be “caustic, even cruel” in his editorials while maintaining a pose of civility.

Greenberg tells her: “I never go off the record. I’m unworthy of confidences.”

JULY 23: Staff columnist Ernest Dumas,

APRIL 9: Staff writer Michael Haddigan reports on his interview with child-killer Christina Riggs, who would in May 2000 become the fifth woman in the U.S. and the first woman in Arkansas to be executed since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. Riggs smothered her son, 5, and daughter, 2, with a pillow.

in an interview with Webster Hubbell, takes a scathing look at Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr’s relentless effort to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton by going after an already beleaguered Hubbell, who’d served prison time for falsifying billings at his law firm. Hubbell explained to Dumas his eventual decision to get Starr off his back by pleading guilty to one count of not being truthful to federal banking regulators about a potential conflict of interest in the 1980s and one count of failing to make payments on his federal income tax liability while he was in prison. In return, Hubbell got a signed promise from Starr that he would never again prosecute him, his family or his friends.

APRIL 22: Jan Cottingham reports on her interview with Susan McDougal, released after serving 22 months in prison for her role in the 20-year-old real estate transaction that came to be known as the Whitewater scandal. Eighteen of those months

SEPT. 24: Guest writer Craig Berry talks about the right way Little Rock should proceed in deciding whether to annex Deltic Timber property in West Little Rock — such as doing a complete fiscal impact study on the city that would detail

the costs of creating neighborhood infrastructure and looking at impact fees. He suggests that the city planners’ conclusion that annexation would pay for itself did not take into account all it should have.

Thirteen years later, thanks to development out west, the wastewater utility has had to come to the city asking its approval for several rate increases, partly to pay for a new sewage plant, and the city had to go to the voters to approve a sales tax increase to build a new fire station.

OCT. 22: In a column introducing a 25th anniversary edition, Arkansas Times publisher Alan Leveritt writes, “The mission of the Arkansas Times is to make Little Rock a two-newspaper town again. That reminder is taped to the top of my computer screen. Editor Brantley rolls his eyes when I talk such, but that’s the goal.

Not sure how, not even sure how one defines “two-newspaper town” in light of the Internet and e-communications. But that is where we are headed. Not entirely certain how we’ll cross the mountains, but we’re sure enough headed in that direction.

“During the next 25 years the huge capital outlays associated with daily newspapers are going to shrink. While I doubt we’ll ever see a daily Arkansas Times on the porch, the steady advance of Internet technologies makes the publication of a second daily “newspaper” inevitable rather than unlikely. Our job now is to be there and be ready when the next incarnation becomes clear.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 www.arktimes.com

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2000

2001

SEPT. 1: The Huckabees install a triple-wide trailer on the Governor’s Mansion grounds so they’ll have a place to live while the Mansion is remodeled, and declare their new home address is “Eagle Point” — the name of the model of the home manufactured by Champion Enterprises. First Lady Janet Huckabee and columnist John Brummett yuk it up during a press tour, Brummett wondering what the public would think about him being in her bedroom and Janet Huckabee retorting that it would be the last time he was.

FEB. 25: The newly expanded and remodeled Arkansas Arts Center is opened, “with eight galleries at once intimate and grand, flowing from a softly lit atrium of heroic dimensions,” to a record crowd of 3,000, writes Leslie Newell Peacock, and the common refrain by visitors, stunned by the $21 million addition, is “I don’t feel like I’m in Little Rock.” Sights at the opening night reception include exhibits registrar Thom Hall, docent Susan May and marketing director Becki Moore standing together weeping. By weekend’s end, another 10,000 had come through the doors.

MARCH 31: Craig O’Neill switches from radio DJ to television sportscaster for KTHV, Channel 11 (has it really been that long ago?), and James Morgan reports that folks are wondering: Can the guy with a face for radio make it on the set with the “airbrushed and bushytailed” beautiful people?

JUNE 2: Little Rock’s first “mobile eat shops” — purveyors of tacos, burgers, barbecue and catfish — find a fan in Times editor Max Brantley, who confesses to hoping he’ll find a “Renoir of ribs, a Botticelli of burgers” among the low-profile stands. Reviewed: Roscoe’s Quick Pig, El Taco King, Adams Catfish Catering, Cross-Eyed Pig, Ma and Pa’s, Feastro’s and Mick’s Smoked BBQ.

AUG. 18: Bob Lancaster reports that the high point in the trial of former KARK owner David Jones, dentist Bob Rushing, former state legislator Mark Riable and restaurant owners Tony and Mary Ma on charges they conspired to bring Chinese women to the U.S. to be sex slaves came when Jones’ defense attorney Bob Compton declared that “It may be true that there’s no fool like an old fool. But that’s not against the law.” The jury deadlocked, but Jones, Rushing and Tony Ma would eventually be convicted on charges of marriage fraud and visa fraud.

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FEB. 9: Jan Cottingham profiles worldrenowned architect E. Fay Jones. “E. Fay Jones just turned 80. He walks slowly, goes out rarely. ‘If I’d known I was going to get old, I would have done it better,’ he says as he moves to the car that will take him and his wife, Gus, to one of their favorite Fayetteville restaurants for lunch. ‘It’ is left unidentified. Jones can’t mean his work, because he’s considered among the top architects of the 20th century. Last year, members of the American Institute of Architects were asked to vote for their favorite buildings of the century. Jones’s Thorncrown Chapel near Eureka Springs came in at No. 4.

“Although the AIA noted that the survey was unscientific, Jones’s achievement is monumental, though — in the kind of paradox Jones appreciates — his work itself has been on an intimate scale. The

20th century saw the building of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, the Chrysler Building by William Van Alen, the Seagram Building by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, the Guggenheim Museum (also by Wright) and Maya Lin’s great marble slash in the earth that is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Jones is known for his chapels and houses.”

APRIL 27: Times Editor Max Brantley correctly predicts that then Attorney General Mark Pryor would best Tim Hutchinson in their race for the U.S. Senate. His basis for such a prognostication? None other than erstwhile shock jock Tommy Smith, who had Pryor as a guest for his Magic 105 morning show for some regular-guy banter, with nods to Farrah Fawcett, the Washington Redskins and Yarnell’s chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, among others.

OCT. 12: Ten years after the final edition of the Arkansas Gazette rolled off the presses, Bob Lancaster pens a remembrance rich with history of what was once the real “oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi.” Lancaster’s story is not without some sense of regret: “Sometimes newspapers live on in other newspapers, as people live on in their progeny. There’s been some pretense of that in this case, but make no mistake: the old Arkansas Gazette is dead as a hammer. The Arkansas Democrat scalped its logo, and took a few of its relics for souvenirs, including a few of its old hands, but left the corpse on the field, as battle casualties too often are left — symbolized by the emptylooking, haunted-looking, still-outraged-looking, dead-colored Gazette Building, tomb-like a decade later there at Third and Louisiana streets.” In 2008, e-Stem Public Charter Schools would open in the Gazette building.

2002 JAN. 11: In a special section, “A bridge for the 21st Century,” Arkansas Times publisher Alan Leveritt urges an iconic redesign of the Junction Bridge. Among the proposals: a bridge for a monorail that would service the two cities, a multiuse shopping and living complex cantilevered over the river and, submitted

by Mary Steenburgen and Jimmy and B.J. Moses, a bridge-as-hanging garden, “where people would celebrate everything from weddings to Easter parades to summer concerts.”

FEB. 1: “The lobby of the Peabody Little Rock looks something like Imperial Rome meets Art Deco Hollywood, only the Emperor and the Decorator exercised uncommon restraint. A trace of ancient Babylon can also be discerned,”

Jan Cottingham writes in her cover story, “Little Rock gets its own ducks.”

“It’s gorgous but not gaudy, grand but not overwhelming. It shimmers and glows. Most of all, it looks to be great fun. The lobby of the Peabody is where you will take your relatives from New York or Los Angeles (to impress them) and your kin from Oil Trough (to awe them).”

JUNE 7: North Little Rock native Al Bell worked “very closely” with the former Republican Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller to put together financing to allow Stax to relocate from Memphis to Little Rock, Bell tells writer S. Koch. The deal was almost finished at the time of Rockefeller’s death Feb. 22, 1973. Stax died Dec. 1975.

AUG. 9: Mara Leveritt reviews the case against Tim Howard, convicted of murdering Brian and Shannon Day in Southwest Arkansas. In May 2002, the Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the conviction in a 4-3 ruling. “Never before has the state’s high court been so divided on a death penalty appeal,” she writes. In April 2012, the Arkansas Supreme Court would order a further hearing on the DNA claim of Howard that state suppression of critical problems with DNA evidence prejudiced his trial.

2003 DEC. 19: An editorial obituary for George Fisher, who died on Dec. 15: “He started as a professional editorial cartoonist in West Memphis, and later drew for the North Little Rock Times. But he was most closely associated with the Arkansas Gazette, whose fearlessly liberal editorial opinions were close to his own. Fisher came to symbolize the Gazette to many, in a way that nameless, faceless editorial writers could not. To symbolize the Gazette at a time when the Gazette itself symbolized the best of Arkansas was not a light responsibility. Fisher handled it gracefully.

“After the Gazette folded in 1991, Fisher joined the Arkansas Times, giving the new weekly publication an instant credibility. We’ll retain the credibility without him, but we’ll have to work a little harder.”

MAY 23: James Brown headlines Riverfest.

NOV. 14: In a cover story entitled “Sid McMath’s Rocky Road,” Ernest Dumas considers what might’ve been for the former Arkansas governor. “If Sid McMath ever ruminated about what might have been, it isn’t known, but surely this scenario troubled his sleep more than once: In the absence of the highway scandal, he would have been re-elected in 1952 and elected easily to the U.S. Senate in 1954. Six years later, when John F. Kennedy scouted for a running mate to help him carry the Solid South, he would not have chosen Lyndon Johnson, whom he disliked and distrusted, but McMath, a handsome

Southern progressive who would have been more acceptable in northern precincts, an electrifying speechmaker and a decorated Marine hero, all personifications that the stolid Texan could not claim.” McMath died on Oct. 4, 2003.

NOV 19: “We’ll hold this administration to account,” Wesley Clark said at an announcement of his presidential campaign. “We’ll ask the tough questions.

And we’ll do it in the highest spirit of patriotism.” The campaign will be nationwide, Doug Smith reports, with special emphasis on the early primary states. “GET READY! WE’RE MOVING OUT!” Clark told the crowd at the James H. Penick Boys and Girls Club.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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JAN. 9: Mara Leveritt interviews Lorri Davis, who moved to Arkansas to meet Death Row inmate Damien Echols and then married him. Davis tells Leveritt, “I believe in him. He’s going to get out someday. And we will have a life together.” More than seven years later, she would be proved right.

ARKANSAS TIMES

Arkansas Repertory Theatre if it were to get a Reynolds Foundation grant to build. As it turns out, The Rep didn’t get the grant, the theater was torn down and a building at 5th and Main was leveled as well, prompting fears about preserving the historic downtown.

Holly Cemetery, the “Westminster Abbey of Little Rock,” writes Leslie Newell Peacock, who learns from board member Mary Fletcher Worthen that even in death, location means something: One visitor rejected a plot along Broadway as “too noisy.”

AUG. 5: U.S. Rep.Mike Ross is considering a run for governor, Warwick Sabin reports; among his qualifications are “I’m probably the only member of Congress who shoots a shotgun 150 times a weekend.” It is suggested that the 4th District congressman’s real goal is to secure committee assignments “or other favors.”

JULY 8: Warwick Sabin tracks War-

OCT. 14: The Arkansas Blog, the driver of

ren Stephens’ purchase of properties along Main Street, said to be part of a $100 million revitalization plan that would include the redevelopment of the Center Theater and a gift of land to the

the Arkansas Times’ transition from a weekly paper to a daily website, begins.

Since then, former editor Max Brantley and others have published more than 30,000 stories on it.

APRIL 9: Space is running out in Mount

1. Remember that

20

2004

JUNE 24: Marc Smirnoff, the editor of the Oxford American and selfdescribed baseball nut, gives 10 reasons why the Arkansas Travelers provide the greatest show on dirt, and one of them is “creaky little Ray Winder Field.”

2005 MARCH 10: Gay men and women, moved by legislative efforts to classify them as bad parents and a threat to conventional marriage, speak out publicly, their firstperson accounts a brave move for the times. After publication, one of those who came out was fired from her job.

Among those who contribute is Kathy Webb, later elected as the first openly gay state representative in the Arkansas legislature: “It would be easier to not be part of this story, to not speak out. I came home to be closer to my family, to open a restaurant and to continue my life-long involvement with my community. Being a spokesperson for gay rights was not on my agenda!

“But to remain silent on the issue in the current political climate would be, for me, dishonest. I’ve worked for social justice since I was a kid. I was taught that compassion, love, and acceptance are moral, Christian values. I was taught that the moral thing to do is provide access to health care, quality schools, enough food to eat. I was taught that fighting discrimination, whether it occurred because of the color of someone’s skin, gender, economic status, or sexual orientation, was a moral value. And that staying silent on these injustices is wrong.

“As a girl, I struggled to come to terms with my homosexuality. It seemed like it would make my life really hard — and it did. I lost my first full-time job and my apartment because I was gay. I

had no role models — few people were willing to come out and face the consequences. There was no ‘Will and Grace,’ no PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), no K.d. Lang or Ellen DeGeneres.

“But my loving, nurturing family and my faith enabled me to find self-acceptance. Being a lesbian is not the only part or even the most important part of me — being a daughter, sister, aunt, friend and partner rank pretty high! But I won’t hide that part of me, and until we end discrimination against gay men and lesbians, I’ll continue to speak out and work for justice.”

MARCH 24: Doug Smith recounts how Joyce Elliott, first educated at an allblack elementary school in Willisville (Nevada County), grew to be one of the “scrappiest” legislators in the House, a voice for women, the downtrodden and the undereducated. “I think sometimes [white] legislators assume a bill is a minority issue because I bring it up,” Elliott told Smith. “I’ve gotten mail from people on the alien bill [to make them eligible for state-funded college scholarships and in-state tuition rates] saying, ‘You’re only doing this because they’re a minority.’ I don’t look at hate crimes as a minority issue. Everybody should be concerned about hate crimes.

How to celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday — that’s not a minority issue.”

MAY 12: Warwick Sabin (who would become a candidate for the state House of Representatives seven years hence) says Mike Beebe’s time to be governor has come, declaring he could be chosen the Democratic nominee “by acclamation.”

MAY 19: “Walk into a coffee shop in Little Rock these days — not a cuppajoe place, but one of those soy-mochalatte-skinny coffee shops where you’ll always find a potted plant and a copy of the New York Times — and you’re likely to see something that existed only in science fiction just a few years ago: up to a dozen people, busily clicking away on laptop computers,” writes David Koon in a cover story about wireless web surfing.

JUNE 9: The thought-to-be-extinct ivory-billed woodpecker is found again in the Big Woods of Arkansas, or so Leslie Newell Peacock writes in this saga of a kayaker’s report, secret searches by the Arkansas chapter of the Nature Conservancy and Cornell University, the 7-second “Zapruder film of the woodpecker,” the happy merchants of Brinkley and the restoration of the bottomlands along the Cache and the Bayou de View. In the ensuing years, no others would be able to document the bird’s existence in Arkansas.

2006 MAY 18: Finding jokes in the Good Book is Doug Smith’s quest, prompted by the cancellation of a TV sitcom about a priest who is visited by Jesus and the Savior’s guest appearances on South Park. Stop us if you’ve heard this one: When Jesus greets Nathanael (John 1:45-51), Nathanael is so impressed that Jesus knows him he exclaims, “Rabbi, You are the son of God!” Jesus answers him, “Because I saw you standing under a fig tree, believest thou?” Badaboom! The story also gives the Times a reason to once again use its laughing Christ of the Ozarks on its cover.

JUNE 1: It’s the latest thing: Investing thousands of dollars in jewelry for your teeth. “For those of you who have experienced the wonderful world of orthodontics, think ‘retainer,’ multiplied by ‘Liberace,’ ” David Koon explains.

JULY 20: Warwick Sabin looks at the governor’s cozy relationship with adolescent mental health care provider Ted Suhl (of The Lord’s Ranch) and the huge amount of the state’s Medicaid money being channeled to inpatient care.

NOV. 16: A special report on progress downtown features Jimmy Moses and Rett Tucker (who else?) on the cover, with features on new construction, new places to live and ideas for the future.

Tucker says about River Market Tower, the 18-story condo development he and Moses were then planning for Third and Rock (now River Market Avenue): “We’re not selling a building, we’re selling a neighborhood.” As it turns it, it would take a while to build a neighborhood, especially during a market collapse; the building, opened in 2009, still has plenty of available condos. In Argenta, the neighborhood is excited by the promise of a new seafood restaurant, the Argenta Seafood Co., which would eventually go under water.

DEC. 21: Ernest Dumas reviews the Huckabee decade — his laissez-faire approach to legislation, his rhetoric, his weight loss, his conservative credentials and his love of the material — for those following the former governor on the presidential campaign trail. About Huckabee’s claims to be a fan of small government? “Good strategy, hard sell,” writes Dumas. “State government expanded more robustly under Huckabee than under 15 years of Bill Clinton and Jim Guy Tucker …”

2007 JUNE 7: Alice Walton’s creation of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the stir it is causing in the American art world gets its first comprehensive look in the Arkansas press by Leslie Newell Peacock, who also predicts some of the paintings that will be on the walls when the museum opens in Bentonville. The curator of American art at the Seattle Art Museum says what Walton is doing is “noble and so important,” but she’s unsure whether the museum will get a national audience. “It will take some effort.” Within four months of its Nov. 11, 2011, opening, 175,000 persons will have visited Crystal Bridges.

AUG. 16: Mara Leveritt tracks the Arkansas prison system’s decision to let prisoners sell plasma — some tainted with HIV — to its horrific and fatal consequences abroad. Former prison board member Bobby Roberts tells Leveritt that “You could not do anything with the ADC [Arkansas Department of Corrections] if you ran afoul of Bill Foster and Knox Nelson,” and that because there were so many other serious concerns with how the prison was being run, “We weren’t focused on plasma.”

AUG. 30: Times publisher Alan Leveritt takes on those who bash immigrants and their attacks on hard-working Latinos who — like many of their own American ancestors — risked danger and separation from their families to make a better life for themselves here.

“Where is our memory,” Leveritt asks.

“And where is our Bible?”

SEPT. 20: The Times’ special issue for the 50th anniversary of the Central High Crisis features interviews with the Little Rock Nine, an account of the era by Roy Reed, stories about the National Guard mission and the involvement of the church, the Lost Year when Faubus closed the schools and Little Rock’s racial strife and segregation today.

NOV. 29: John C. Williams goes to Fouke to check out the new compound of evangelist Tony Alamo, whose relationship with underage girls has begun to get notice and whose associates have been indicted in various scams. Now, thanks to the “No Trespassing” signs and the compound’s security guards, the people of Fouke are getting ner-

We’re supposed to eat healthy foods,

vous, and Alamo states on his radio show that God will strike down members of the Fouke town council who oppose him. Looks like the Fouke Monster is real after all: Two years later, Alamo would be convicted on 10 counts of taking minors across state lines for sex and sentenced to 175 years.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

but where are they?

SEPT. 6: Mara Leveritt breaks the story on Judge Willard Proctor’s founding of Cycle Breakers Inc., a non-profit supported by fees and fines collected from defendants appearing in Proctor’s court and whose meetings included hymns and Christian preaching. An audit concluded that “there appears to be a financial benefit to the court, judge and court employees” from the operation of Cycle Breakers.” In 2010, the Supreme Court would remove Proctor from the bench.

OCT. 11: A new president of Arkansas Baptist College figures out how to get men to enroll: He starts a football team. John C. Williams writes about Fitz Hill’s success. At the beginning of 2006, there were 170 students enrolled. A year later, the student body includes 120 football players: “The school had discovered an elixir in football,” Williams observes.

Together,we wecan canencourage ask our schools to remove junk Together our children to avoid foodfood and to provide healthy foods including fresh junk and to select healthy options, including fruits, vegetables andand whole grains. fresh fruit, vegetables whole grains.

If we have more healthy choices, we’ll be able to have healthier lives.

For more information, go to www.healthy.arkansas.gov

Arkansas Department of Health Keeping Your Hometown Healthy www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

21

2008 JAN. 10: Dateline Des Moines — Republican presidential hopeful and former Gov. Mike Huckabee zooms to the top of the Iowa polls thanks to religion and, writer John C. Williams observes, political fakery, including support of a national, flat-rate sales tax plan called FairTax, which would eliminate the IRS. “When the FairTax becomes law, it will be like waving a magic wand releasing us from pain and unfairness,” Huckabee says.

FEB. 7: Author and attorney Grif Stockley writes of the angry aftermath of the shooting of an African-American child, 12-yearold DeAunta Farrow, by a white West Memphis police officer, and finds its roots in a familiar dynamic. “To be sure, what has been occurring in Crittenden County is not about any one incident, however incendiary. Like all racial dilemmas, whether in South Africa or the United States, Crittenden County’s struggle is rooted in both the near and distant past. In the racial sphere, the history of Arkansas, particularly the history of the Arkansas Delta, has largely been the commitment of its white citizens to white supremacy, its eventual curbing by the federal government, and the failure in the last 50 odd years to come to terms

with its consequences.”

FEB. 28: Leslie Newell Peacock revisits the nearly-forgotten 1959 tragedy at the Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, where 21 African-American boys were burned to death in a fire in their dorm, which had been padlocked from the outside. A brother of one of the dead is angry that there are no grave markers or headstones for 14 victims buried at a Little Rock cemetery.

JUNE 5: An accomplice to a killing in Pine Bluff — teen-ager Kenneth Reams — gets death while the shooter gets life. Mara Leveritt writes on the case and action by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund: “That Reams should die and Goodwin live seems an injustice. But in the eyes of Arkansas law, an accomplice to a felony resulting in murder is as culpable as the murderer himself. Jefferson County prosecutors never had to show that Reams killed Turner; they simply needed to prove that he was party to the crime, a fact true by his own admission. Currently more than 30 states allow murder charges to be brought against nonkillers under this legal doctrine, known as the felony-murder rule, and Reams’ death

NOV. 20: Gerard Matthews and David Koon team up to report on the aftermath of KATV’s Anne Pressly’s brutal killing: Women TV anchors, whose public personas make them vulnerable to stalkers or overzealous fans, fear for their lives. “If this was any other moment in Little Rock,” they write, “it might strike some as ironic that the woman on the cover of this newspaper — a consummate professional who spends at least six hours of her life every week working live in front of a camera — didn’t want her face photographed for this story. It’s just one example of the wall of caution, if not outright fear, that has imposed itself around local news stations since Pressly’s death.” sentence is just one of about 80 in such cases over the past three decades.”

DEC. 11: After the President Barack Obama jokes that he is a mutt, Mara Leveritt examines the absurdities of the government and public education’s insistence on racial identification, even by people who are of mixed heritage. “Eventually,” she writes,

“schools will have to acknowledge what [Dr. Francis Collins, who worked on the Human Genome Project said], that by continuing to require racial identifications of students, we are affirming ‘something that [we] know is not true: that there are bright lines between populations and that races are biologically distinct.’ ” CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Growing As A Community 1992

2012

What a difference 20 years can make!

22

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

www.littlerock.org

for the next 20 years

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2009

Services & Collection • Books, DVDs, Audiobooks, CDs, and more • Internet access • Word processing • Downloadable audiobooks and eBooks • Voter registration • Passport Application Processing • In-house coffee shop/café • Contemporary Teen Center • Museum quality exhibit hall • Free public notary • Fax Service • Rentable meeting rooms HOURS: Mon-Thur: 9am – 9pm (Children’s Dept Closes at 8pm) Fri-Sat: 9am – 5pm Sun: 1pm – 5pm (Closed Sundays during summer, Memorial Day – Labor Day) 2801 Orange Street North Little Rock, AR 72114 Phone: (501) 758-1720 Fax: (501) 758-3539

Argenta Branch

JUNE 4: Arkansas has a new celebrity: Conway-born “American Idol” winner Kris Allen. “[C]onsider the improbability of Kris Allen, 23-year-old former business major at UCA, coming anywhere close to the finale of ‘American Idol,’ ” writes Lindsey Millar. “Leading up to season eight, more than 100,000 auditioned for the show in eight cities.

Of the more than 10,000 who auditioned in Louisville, Ky., in January, Allen, by his telling, was one of the last to receive a ticket to audition. His brother Daniel had convinced him to give ‘Idol’ a shot, and the Louisville audition was the only one in reasonable proximity that fit their schedules, though a gig at church the evening before forced the brothers to drive through the night.

By the time Allen auditioned, he’d lost his voice. Adrenaline must’ve pushed him through several rounds with producers to an appearance in front of the four celebrity judges, where he sang the same song he’d sung at his wedding four months earlier, Donny Hathaway’s take on Leon Russell’s ‘A Song for You.’ Next came those four words every ‘Idol’ hopeful longs to hear: “You’re going to Hollywood.”

JULY 23: Gerard Matthews looks at the state’s new fund-raising scheme for education. Observation No. 1: Who’s struck it rich thanks to the Arkansas

506 Main Street North Little Rock, AR 72114 Phone: (501) 687-1061 Fax: (501) 687-1063

www.lamanlibrary.org 24

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Lottery? Executive Director Ernie Passailaigue, who’ll be paid $324,000, and his staff. Two years later, with his leadership in question by the governor, the legislature, the lottery commission and the press, Passailaigue would resign.

AUG. 6: The Times publishes Mary Jacoby’s year-long investigation of religionist Ted Suhl’s operation, with state Medicaid money, of “The Lord’s Ranch,” an inpatient mental health facility for children in Northeast Arkansas, where state records revealed reports of abuse,

denied medical treatment, forced Bible readings and other illegalities.

OCT. 1: David Koon examines why music minister David Pierce, who worked at a Baptist church in Benton, got away with sexually abusing boys for 20 years: the town trusted him.

Pierce would be paroled in February 2012 with the caveat that he leave Arkansas.

DEC. 24: The last editorial cartoon (drawn

by Vic Harvell) runs.

2010

OCT. 14: White Water Tavern regulars tell

HOURS: Mon-Sat: 10am – 6pm

a punk-pop band partly from White County that’s gained international fame, thanks in large part to feminist chanteuse Beth Ditto of Judsonia, who is as big as Beyonce in the U.K. As she’s grown older, she tells Millar, she’s grown more nostalgic for her life in Arkansas. “I love everything about the way I grew up. I love that my grandmother didn’t have a bathroom until the ’80s. I love that I know what it’s like to go squirrel hunting. I love that I grew up poor and rural. I love that I grew up in a huge Southern family. I think about growing up fishing. Growing up by the river, with the mosquito trucks coming by and spraying.”

But move back? “You couldn’t pay me,” she said.

JULY 8: Ernest Dumas offers a primer on Obamacare and how despite Republican/Tea Party naysayers the law is good for Arkansas and Arkansans.

Services & Collection • Books, DVDs, Audiobooks, CDs, and more • Internet access • Word processing • Downloadable audiobooks and eBooks • Voter registration • Fax Service

OCT. 29: Lindsey Millar profiles Gossip,

all about the town’s near-mythical dive bar.

Among the surprising revelations, from co-owner Matt White: “We’ve had several weddings. One was a zombie wedding.

Everyone in the wedding was in crazy tuxedos with zombie make-up. The zombie bride came down the steps walking like a zombie. The groom came from the backdoor walking like a zombie. All the bridesmaids and groomsmen were dressed like zombies. They grunted their vows. And we had one, where after the vows were finished, the couple broke a bottle across the pole up front and cut each other in a cross and put their bleeding arms together.

They were punk rock leathered out.”

DEC. 16: In our second annual Big Ideas for Arkansas issue, Mason Ellis proposes reinventing Little Rock’s Rock Creek,

NOV. 4: Patrick Kennedy, a losing candidate for 2nd District Congress, writes about how politics can make a person forget why he ran in the first place, and what a beating he took in his own race. In describing what it’s like to run for office for the first time, he writes, “Wait for a sunny day and seek out the tallest, thickest, nastiest tree you can find. Once there, strip naked and climb to the very top, wrap a blindfold around your eyes and jump into the thicket below.”

from near Chenal Parkway to Fourche Creek. “We should build on their discovery and engineer a world-class whitewater and float park in Rock Creek, with an upper whitewater section during the wet season and a canoe trail in the lower section that’s floatable year-round. Reengineering the channel by removing

obstructions, burying utilities and providing better access, while constructing whitewater obstacles, would provide local kayakers and canoers with a unique water trail that could be a model for urban waterways in America and provide a way for curious locals to discover whitewater kayaking.”

2011

the former rabblerouser but now ailing Robert “Say” McIntosh and some of Say’s friends, proving Say can still get in the newspaper. Even those who came into conflict with McIntosh don’t harbor ill will towards him, Koon finds. Former Pulaski County Sheriff and U.S. Rep. Tommy Robinson, who once threatened to take a chainsaw to a cross McIntosh had intended to crucify himself on in front of the sheriff’s office, tells Koon, “He’s not on my Enemies List.”

“Say, back then, was sort of a crusader,” Robinson says. “In his own mind, what he did was altruistic and for the right purposes. Most of the time it was, but sometimes it wasn’t. He’d let certain people influence him and talk him into things he probably shouldn’t have done, but I can’t say one bad thing about Say McIntosh ... I’ve been victimized by him, but like I said, I don’t have any ill will toward him or hard feelings whatsoever.”

MARCH 2: David Koon revisits Pleasant Plains, where school board member Clint McCance had put on his Facebook that he hoped homosexuals would die, to measure any change in attitude — and finds little.

MARCH 16: Leslie Peacock writes about the unconventional and affordable housing transforming Little Rock’s Pettaway neighborhood, including the city’s first shipping container homes. A year later, the bank the Pettaway CDC was working with on financing would decline to finance the then-installed container homes, saying they were too weird. (The bank would eventually change its position.)

BRIAN CHILSON

OCT. 5: David Koon catches up with

Suit Up!

the shape of Arkansas for the cover of the “Best of Arkansas” issue.

AUG. 3: The Observer remembers the late Jennings Osborne, provider of ribs, donuts and Christmas lights, quoting his son-in-law as saying the drug-trial businessman used to jest “You haven’t seen anything until you’ve fed 45 homeless men Viagra and they are running around your facility boasting about their erections.”

Breckenridge Village • 501-227-5537

AUG. 18: Max Brantley, on the Arkansas Blog, breaks the news about a special court hearing in Jonesboro for the West Memphis Three — Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. — that would free them under an Alford plea, where the defendants maintained their innocence, while pleading guilty to reduced charges of first-degree murder. A week later, the Times and the Clinton School of Public Service partnered to host a panel at the Statehouse Convention Center that featured the prosecutor in the case, several of the defense lawyers and other experts. It drew more than 1,000 attendees.

AUG. 31: The Times’ print redesign hits MAY 4: Will this be the last Summer Fun issue of the Times to use a woman in a bikini on its cover?

JULY 27: Times graphic designer Bryan Moats gives his left arm for the paper, getting tattoed with a lightning bolt in

the streets; readers must adjust to new story placement, format and type size (later made bigger).

DEC. 21: The Times has its first fun with Bobby Petrino, putting his picture on the cover with “BMFP” in big letters underneath for its 2011 Best and Worst issue.

Little Rock, Arkansas 8201 Cantrell Road | 501-227-8797 | 800-231-0086 The Capital Hotel | 501-370-7080 www.baumans.com www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

25

OUR ARKANSANS OF THE YEAR

2012

2011

2010

ALICE WALTON (Jan. 18), for building Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the world-class, $2 billion art museum in Bentonville. Alice Walton will no longer be remembered as a Wal-Mart heiress, Doug Smith writes in his profile of Walton. “There are lots of heiresses around. Alice Walton is an art patron and philanthropist of spectacular dimension, a benefactor of her native state in unprecedented fashion.”

REPUBLICANS (Jan. 19), for making unprecedented gains in 2010 elections and, as Doug Smith writes, “achieving near parity with the historically dominant and less combative Democrats, and readying their home state to become a copy of regressive neighbors like Oklahoma and Texas.”

MIKE ROSS AND BLANCHE LINCOLN (Jan. 21), for all they did, and didn’t, in the fight over health-care reform. Ross, a leader of the Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats, participated in high-profile negotiations with President Obama and congressional leaders, but ended up voting against the House version of health care reform. Lincoln, a member of the Senate Finance Committee worked to find an alternative to the public-option and ultimately voted for the Affordable Care Act, though she later voted against an amended version in the reconciliation process in the Senate.

2009

2008

2007

2006

BILL HALTER (Jan. 15), for successfully leading the campaign to establish a state lottery. “He risked what no other major politician dared to do and won,” writes Ernest Dumas in his article on Halter. In its first two years, the lottery generated $177 million for scholarship funds, but management has come under constant fire.

THE IMMIGRANT (Jan. 24), for growing in

MIKE BEEBE (Jan. 18), for becoming Arkansas governor. His ascension, despite a childhood of poverty and domestic upheavals, “testifies to his tenacity, brainpower and strength of personality,” writes Joan Duffy in her profile. “What happened to me has given me a great respect for and appreciation for education being the great equalizer,” Beebe tells Duffy.

JERMAIN TAYLOR (Jan. 12), for winning the middleweight championship of the world and successfully defending his title in a rematch. “It’s a measure of his broad appeal that Gov. and Mrs. Mike Huckabee are Taylor fans and so is the Arkansas Times,” Doug Smith writes in his profile. “I love Arkansas,” Taylor tells Smith. “It’s the place I was born, it’s the place I’m going to raise my kids, it’s the place I want to die.”

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

number and changing the face of Arkansas. Among the perceptions of Latino immigrants Doug Smith explores in his Arkansan of the Year profile: Business owner Eduardo Martinez sees them as “ambitious, hard-working, law-abiding.”

Rogers Mayor Steve Womack (now U.S. congressman) sees “people who drive up the crime rate, strain government services as well as the patience of natives.” A coalition of businessmen and do-gooders sees “someone who needs protection from ill-informed and illintentioned elected officials.”

2005

2004

2003

2002

SKIP RUTHERFORD AND JO LUCK (Jan. 20), for leading non-profits that, in addition to their larger missions, are transforming the core of Little Rock: Rutherford, for his role as chairman of the Clinton Foundation and planning coordinator for the Clinton Library, and Luck for presiding over enormous growth at Heifer International. Rutherford stepped down from leading the Clinton Foundation in 2006 to become dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. Luck resigned from Heifer in 2010, saying she wanted to focus on writing a book about her experience leading the non-profit.

MR. AND MRS. RURAL ARKANSAS (Jan. 23), for successfully fighting school consolidation. “To save their tiny local schools, these men and women out-organized and outfought the governor, big corporations, the press, and what should have been a majority of the state legislature,” Doug Smith writes. Despite this success, school consolidation continued in the years that followed. In 2004, there were more than 300 school districts in the state. Today, there are fewer than 250.

MARK PRYOR (Jan. 24), for bucking a national Republican tide in 2002 to win a U.S. Senate seat despite the largest surge of money into a single campaign since the fourth and losing Winthrop Rockefeller campaign for governor in 1970.

WARREN STEPHENS (Jan. 25), for being the dominant man in business in Arkansas. Also, Ernest Dumas notes in his profile, Stephens “has led fund drives for higher education, given millions with his wife and father for the expansion of the Arkansas Arts Center along with other philanthropies including a stunning private high school; skirmished with the company’s critics on medical investments while steering the company deeper into biomedicine and genome research.”

2001

2000

1999

1998

TOWNSEND WOLFE (Jan. 26), for turning “duck-hunting businessmen into collectors of fine art, tight-fisted millionaires into philanthropists and the Arkansas Arts Center into a destination,” Leslie Newell Peacock writes. Wolfe, director and chief curator for 33 years, put an indelible stamp on the Arts Center, expanding its collection of works on paper, broadening its outreach and presiding over the Arts Center’s biggest capital campaign, which added 32,000 square feet to the museum. (He retired shortly afterward, and the Arts Center is still struggling to find firm ground.)

MIKE HUCKABEE (Jan. 28), for being “as much the big dog of Arkansas politics as Clinton ever was” and for “some real, if exaggerated, accomplishments — health insurance for poor children, especially; a modest highway program — and, frankly, for not being as bad as we feared,” Doug Smith writes. By the time his term as governor ended in 2007, he was the third longest-serving Arkansas governor, and some of our fears were justified.

HOUSTON NUTT (Jan. 29), for guiding the Razorbacks to a 9-3 record in 1998.

Nutt was hailed by no less than Orville Henry, the pen of the Razorbacks, as the answer to fans’ prayers. In his Arkansan of the Year profile, Hoyt Purvis points out that it was Nutt’s 14th wedding anniversary the day Nutt was introduced as the Razorback football coach. Nine years later, Nutt resigned after two semi-scandals related to cyber messages: His 1,000 texts to a female television news anchor and another friend’s derogatory e-mail to quarterback Mitch Mustain.

DR. HARRY P. WARD (Jan. 30), for developing UAMS into one of the most powerful institutions in Arkansas. Under Ward’s leadership as chancellor, UAMS saw $200 million in new construction over the previous decade. “The campus makeover,” Bob Lancaster writes in his profile, “has transformed UAMS from a provincial little doctor factory — with a rather shabby hospital for indigent patients — into a first-rate metropolitan medical center.”

Since 1980, the year after Ward began his position, the UAMS annual budget grew from $60 million in 1980 to nearly half a billion in 1997. www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

27

(Bonnerdale), April 4, 2003 Vermillion Italian Bistro, June 9, 2005 Bill Valentine’s Ballpark Restaurant (North Little Rock), May 17, 2007 Ferneau, May 31, 2007 Aydelotte’s, Oct. 11, 2007

FOUR-STAR REVIEWS OPEN:

BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT IN 1992

CELESTIAL S RESTAURANTS

ince the Times began publishing weekly, we’ve run more than a thousand dining reviews. From 1992 until March 2008, we used stars to grade the restaurants.

Below are the highest-rated restaurants during that time.

FIVE-STAR REVIEWS OPEN:

Brave New Restaurant, May 7, 1992 Homer’s, April 1, 1993 The Terrace, May 27, 1993 James at the Mill (Johnson), April 7, 1995 Sims Bar-B-Que, Jan. 23, 1998 Ella’s (Fayetteville), Sept. 5, 2003 The Cornerstone Deli and Pub (North Little Rock), Oct. 28, 2004 Ristorante Capeo (North Little Rock), Sept. 21, 2006 So Restaurant-Bar, Aug. 16, 2007 Ferneau, Dec. 13, 2007 Ashley’s, Dec. 27, 2007

CLOSED:

Zachary’s (Fayetteville), Aug. 13, 1992 English Tea Room, Nov. 5, 1992 Cassinelli 1700 (North Little Rock), June 28

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

24, 1995 Cassinelli 1700 (North Little Rock), Aug. 4, 1995 Alouette’s, June 6, 1997 Cassinelli 1700 (North Little Rock), April 16, 1999 Aydelotte’s (North Little Rock), Feb. 17, 2005 Nu Cuisine, June 1, 2006 River Road (Helena), March 15, 2007

FOUR-AND-A-HALF-STAR REVIEWS OPEN:

Bubba’s Barbecue (Eureka), Aug. 18, 1995 1620, Sept. 15, 1995 Zack’s Place, March 22, 1996 1620, April 11, 1997 Graffiti’s, March 13, 1998 Stubby’s (Hot Springs), May 1, 1998 The Pancake Shop in Hot Springs, April

9, 1999 Ristorante Capeo (North Little Rock), July 1, 2004 Acadia, Nov. 4, 2004 So Restaurant-Bar, Feb. 2, 2006 Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, May 4, 2006 Trio’s, Sept. 28, 2006 Sushi Cafe, Feb. 7, 2008 1620, March 13, 2008

CLOSED:

Romedio’s Club (Dardanelle), July 19, 1996 Josephine’s Library, Oct. 11, 1996 Chez Charles’ (Eureka Springs), July 11, 1997 Spaule, Aug. 22, 1997 Three Monkeys (Hot Springs), May 15, 1998 Amore (Conway), Feb. 26, 1999 Sassafras (Fayetteville), July 12, 2002 Horseshoe Vineyard Italian Restaurant

Mt. Fuji, Aug. 27, 1992 1620, Sept. 17, 1992 The Faded Rose, Jan. 28, 1993 Community Bakery, April 15, 1993 Cajun Boilers (Hot Springs), July 1, 1993 Gaston’s (Lakeview), Oct. 21, 1993 Oak Street Bistro (Conway), May 26, 1994 The Terrace, Nov. 25, 1994 Autumn Breeze (Eureka Springs), Sept. 1, 1995 Prego, Nov. 10, 1995 Fantastic China, Dec. 1, 1995 Neal’s Cafe (Springdale). Feb. 16, 1996 Izzy’s, Feb. 23, 1996 Catering to You, March 29, 1996 Corky’s, June 14, 1996 Sparky’s Roadhouse Cafe (Eureka Springs), Aug. 16, 1996 Benihana (North Little Rock), Sept. 6, 1996 Delicious Temptations, Nov. 8, 1996 Doe’s Eat Place, April 25, 1997 Capers, Sept. 26, 1997 Zaffino’s Grapevine Cafe (Sherwood), Nov. 28, 1997 Emmy’s German Restaurant (Fort Smith), Dec. 26, 1997 Bordino’s (Fayetteville), Jan. 16, 1998 1620, June 25, 1998 Loca Luna, Aug. 14, 1998 The Cross-Eyed Pig, Oct. 30, 1998 Lucky Dragon Cafe (Berryville), Nov. 20, 1998 Gaston’s Resort on the White River, June 25, 1999 Dave’s Place, July 2, 1999 Cafe 1217 (Hot Springs), Aug. 27, 1999 Zaffino’s Grapevine Cafe (Sherwood), Sept.

3, 1999 Ashley’s at the Capital Hotel, Dec. 17, 1999 Sekisui, Feb. 11, 2000 Red Apple Inn (Eden Isle, Heber Springs), Feb. 18, 2000 Riverfront Steakhouse (North Little Rock), May 19, 2000 The Mean Bean Cafe (Conway), June 16, 2000 Cafe Klaser (Heber Springs), July 21, 2000 River Grille (Bentonville), July 28, 2000 Whole Hog Cafe, Sept. 8, 2000 Boulevard Bread Co., Oct. 20, 2000 1620, May 4, 2001 Ciao Baci, July 13, 2001 Terrace on the Green, Aug. 17, 2001 Doe’s Eat Place (Fayetteville), Sept. 21, 2001 Cafe Rue Orleans (Fayetteville), Oct. 5, 2001 Cheers, Oct. 26, 2001 Capers, Feb. 8, 2002 Capriccio, Feb. 15, 2002 Flying Fish, April 19, 2002 Graffiti’s, April 25, 2002 Victorian Garden (North Little Rock), May 24, 2002 Lilly’s Dim Sum then Sum, June 14, 2002 Best Impressions, July 19, 2002 Star of India, Aug. 30, 2002 Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, Sept. 27, 2002 The Butcher Shop, Oct. 18, 2002 Lilly’s Dim Sum then Sum, Oct. 25, 2002 Mt. Fuji, Nov. 1, 2002

Rod’s Pizza Cellar (Hot Springs), Nov. 15, 2002 Acadia, Dec. 13, 2002 Dizzy’s Grill and Bistro (Benton), Dec. 20, 2002 Cheers in the Heights, Jan. 10, 2003 Zaffino’s by Nori (Sherwood), Jan. 31, 2003 1620, May 2, 2003 J&S Italian Villa (Hot Springs), June 27, 2003 Ristorante Capeo (NLR), July 4, 2003 Rivertowne BBQ (Ozark), July 18, 2003 Acadia, Nov. 14, 2003 Brave New Restaurant, April 9, 2004 Riverfront Steakhouse (North Little Rock), June 17, 2004 Cold Stone Creamery, July 8, 2004 Osaka Japanese Restaurant, Aug. 5, 2004 Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, Nov. 11, 2004 Ciao Baci, Dec. 16, 2004 Cafe 42, Dec. 23, 2004 Star of India, Jan. 13, 2005 Saddle Creek Woodfired Grill (North Little Rock), Jan. 20, 2005 La Regional, April 7, 2005 1620, May 12, 2005 Mike’s Place (Conway), July 14, 2005 Savannah’s River Front Cafe (Dardanelle), Aug. 11, 2005 Damgoode Pies, Nov. 10, 2005 Osaka Japanese Steakhouse (Hot Springs), Dec. 29, 2005 Brave New Restaurant, Jan. 19, 2006 Lulav, April 13, 2006 Rocky’s Pub (North Little Rock), July 13, 2006 Neumeier’s Rib Room (Fort Smith), July 27, 2006 Pei Wei Asian Diner, Nov. 2, 2006 Boulevard Bread Co., March 1, 2007 Arthur’s Prime Steakhouse, July 5, 2007 A.Q. Chicken House (Fayetteville), July 19, 2007 Bonefish Grill, Aug. 2, 2007 Whole Hog Cafe, Aug. 23, 2007 Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Oct. 25, 2007 Capital Bar and Grill, Nov. 29, 2007 Layla’s Halal, Jan. 17, 2008 Uncle Gaylord’s (Fayetteville), Oct. 8, 1992 36 D-Lux (Fayettville; now called 1936 Club), Jan. 10, 1997

CLOSED:

Splash, June 18, 1992 Weidman’s Old Fort Brew Pub (Fort Smith), Aug 6, 1992 Powerhouse Seafood, Nov. 19, 1992 Cafe D’Roma, Dec. 3, 1992 Percito’s (North Little Rock), Jan. 14, 1993 Romedio’s on the River (Dardanelle), Feb. 4, 1993 The Plaza (Eureka Springs), Feb. 11, 1993 Cafe Armagost (Eureka Springs), Feb. 25, 1993 Dave’s Place, Jan. 13, 1994 Chattie’s, March 17, 1994 Le Casse Croute, March 31, 1994 Cafe Cou Rouge, June 3, 1993 Rose and Crown (Conway), July 15, 1993 Folie A Deux (Fort Smith), Aug. 19, 1993 Coy’s Place (Fayetteville), Sept. 23, 1993 Chester Street Café, May 19, 1994 Ten Mile House, Aug. 25, 1994 The Bagel Factory, Sept. 22, 1994 Ozark Brewing Company (Fayetteville), Sept. 29, 1994 Beans and Grains and Things, Oct. 13, 1994 Siam Kitchen, Dec. 2, 1994 Andre’s West, March 3, 1995 Lotus Restaurant (Hot Springs), May 12, 1995

Spaule, June 9, 1995 Vicenza’s (Tonitown), Sept. 22, 1995 Bell’s Ducks by the Levee (Helena), Nov. 3, 1995 The Campbell Street Bistro (Fayetteville), April 12, 1996 Catfish Willie’s, July 12, 1996 The Horizon Restaurant/Deli, July 26, 1996 Jasmine Harbor (Hot Springs), Aug. 2, 1996 Suburb-b-que (Maumelle), Sept. 13, 1996 Goodson’s Grill and Bakery (Fort Smith), Oct. 4, 1996 Sir Loin’s Inn (North Little Rock), Nov. 15, 1996 La Familia (Fayetteville), Nov. 22, 1996 Sufficient Grounds (in Hillcrest), March 21, 1997 China Inn, April 18, 1997 Mollie’s (Hot Springs), June 13, 1997 Tony Roma’s, Aug. 8, 1997 Northwest Port-of-Call, Aug. 29, 1997 Andre’s Hillcrest, Sept. 5, 1997 Jim and Brent’s Bistro (Eureka Springs), Sept.

19, 1997 RiverRock Brewery, Oct. 10, 1997 Stage Left, Oct. 24, 1997 Acropolis: Greek and Mediterranean Food (Fayetteville), Oct. 31, 1997 Antonio’s (Arkadelphia), Nov. 11, 1997 Watson’s Bistro (Rogers), Dec. 5, 1997 Ghazi’s Pesto Cafe (Fayetteville), Feb. 6, 1998 Kelley’s Bistro, Feb. 27, 1998 Cajun’s (on W. Markham), April 17, 1998 Bruno’s, May 22, 1998 Blackboards Cafe (Bella Vista), July 10, 1998 St. Pascual’s Kitchen, Aug. 7, 1998 Sonny’s Pizzeria (Eureka Springs), Dec. 4, 1998 Mary Maestri’s (Tonitown), Aug. 20, 1999 Folie a Deux (Fort Smith), Oct. 1, 1999 Vermillion Bistro, Oct. 15, 1999 Fayray’s (El Dorado), Dec. 10, 1999 Cafe Chisme (Van Buren), March 31, 2000 Spaule, June 2, 2000 Sir Loin’s Inn (North Little Rock), June 9, 2000 The Kitchen Table (Bentonville), Feb. 2, 2001 Elizabeth’s on Crestwood (North Little Rock), Oct. 12, 2001 The Plaza at the Village (Rogers), Jan. 1, 2002 Sims Bar-B-Que, Feb. 1, 2002 Bene Vita, March 8, 2002 Gaucho’s Grill, June 7, 2002 Mr. Mason’s, Aug. 16, 2002 Brioso Brazil (Bentonville), Aug. 23, 2002 Cafe Pompeii (Hot Springs), Oct. 4, 2002 Vermillion Water Grille, Nov. 8, 2002 Chloe (Fayetteville), Nov. 29, 2002 Sink’s Kitchen (Hot Springs), Feb. 14, 2003 Stillwater Grill (Hot Springs), May 16, 2003 Vermillion Bistro, Dec. 26, 2003 Anderson’s Cajun’s Wharf Bar, May 28, 2004 Vermillion Water Grille, Sept. 9, 2004 The Plaza at the Village (Rogers), Nov. 25, 2004 Nu Cuisine Lounge, Dec. 2, 2004 Ferneau, Jan. 27, 2005 Erba, March 3, 2005 Taste of Heritage (Bryant), March 24, 2005 Sassafras (Fayetteville), May 5, 2005 Crazy Cajun (Hot Springs), Dec. 15, 2005 Vermillion Water Grille, March 23, 2006 Imagine, Nov. 9, 2006 Coy’s Steakhouse (Hot Springs), April 5, 2007 Sook & Sung’s Korean Cafe (Fayetteville), March 6, 2008 Layne’s (Star City), Aug. 18, 2000

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29

BEST OF THE ‘BEST AND WORST’ 20 years of high absurdity.

1993

WORST PARTY FOOD

Minced mosquito meat pie, mosquitochip cookies, mosquito supreme pizza and mosquito gumbo were served up at the annual World Championship Mosquito Calling Contest at Crowley’s Ridge State Park in Greene County. Each dish included one-fourth cup mosquitoes.

MAYBE HE SHOULD CHECK OUT “HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE.”

For a September feature article, Sports Illustrated asked a number of college football coaches about their summer reading — which books they’d read over the summer did they enjoy? Which influenced them most? Razorback football Coach [Danny] Ford’s response: “I didn’t read no books.”

1995

BEST BAIT

The Flying W Food Mart at Springhill north of Conway installed Tom Sziszak’s Vend-A-Worm machine featuring cups of about 25 fishing worms for $1 in quarters.

“I think I’m filling a niche that no one else has touched,” Sziszak told the Conway Log Cabin Democrat. “That of the 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. worm.”

1996

BEST COURT DECISIONS

The state Supreme Court ruled 4 to 3 in November that a 6th grade student at Lead Hill should not have been suspended because he asked another student, within the hearing of a school administrator, “Did you fart?” The school official who overheard the remark and considered it an obscenity and suspended the boy was unrepentant after the high court’s ruling against him. “If I had to 30

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

do it all again, I wouldn’t do it no differently,” he said.

1997

WORST C.P. ARGUMENT

Two days before A triple execution, which he had the power to stop, Gov. Mike Huckabee told a call-in AETN TV audience that if Jesus had been opposed to capital punishment, His crucifixion gave Him the perfect opportunity to say so. Since He didn’t use that opportunity to speak out on the issue, the governor implied, Jesus must’ve considered capital punishment OK.

1998

BEST HEADLINE

Garlic can make chicken manure smell like ‘pizzaria’ — Batesville Guard

WORST NAILS

A circuit judge in Little Rock in January ordered a manicure for an inmate at the Pulaski County jail who had used his 2-inch fingernails to attack jailers and fellow prisoners. The inmate’s lawyer argued that the man’s slashing of authorities and bystanders was simply an exercise of his “freedom of expression.”

BEST MARKSMAN NAMED FRED WHO’S AN IGUANA

A Bauxite man reported to authorities in June that he had been shot in the side with a handgun by his pet iguana, Fred.

BEST BIRTHDAY

Darthular Garner celebrated her 110th in July at Patterson in Woodruff County.

Among the memories she shared with friends at her birthday party was finding out, in the 19th century, that there was no Santa Claus.

1999

BEST CASKET

Caring Caskets of Fayetteville introduced a model called “The Razorback” in August for $2,550 wholesale, including shipping.

It was advertised as “A heavy fiberglass construction casket in Razorback Red with exterior U of A seal and Razorback emblem on white velvet interior.”

TOMMY DURHAM

O

ur annual “Best and Worst” issue stretches back deep into the years when the Arkansas Times existed as a monthly magazine, but the past two decades have provided brilliant examples of the bizarre, Arkansas-style. Bob Lancaster is responsible for most of what follows; David Koon is a later contributor.

1999 BEST PASTIES: Several exotic dancers from a Fayetteville club treated the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to a free strip show in April, hoping to convince the board to overturn an obscenity judgment against the club that threatened its liquor permit. After the show, which included some close-up inspection of the dancers’ pasties and what they were pasted to, the five-member all-male board voted to overturn.

BEST QUOTES

“The governor believes that all life is sacred. It is partially because of this belief that the governor supports enforcement of the death penalty.” — Chris Pyle, family-life issues liaison to Gov. Huckabee, in a letter in May.

2000

BEST QUOTES

“I love Arkansas but I think Arkansas has its share of unlit minds.” — Bette Greene, author of “Summer of My German Soldier,” after the Clinton school superintendent and members of the Clinton School Board tried in September to have her book, and any other book with “vulgar” language including the word “damn,” removed from reading lists in the Clinton schools.

2001

WORST DRUG FIGHTING

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency under Czar Asa Hutchinson, the erstwhile Arkansas congressman, launched a big new initiative last month to ban certain brands of a wide variety of supermarket foods because they contain minute traces of hempseed oil that might, if consumers ate several thousand tons of them at a single sitting, produce the beginnings of a marijuana-type high.

2002

BEST QUOTES

“If it wasn’t for the grace of God, I’d have

shot a few people already. Jesus wasn’t liked either. And Jesus was mistreated and called names.” — First Lady Janet Huckabee quoted in the New York Times.

BEST OBITS

The obituary of a Prairie Grove man who died in February had this description: “He was a Gideon, his enjoyment in life came from Jesus, his family, bulldozing, dominos and car racing.”

The obituary of a Hensley man who died in January had this description: “For recreation, Mr. Brown made a large garden for himself and others. He gave away most of what he grew. Checkers was his game. He and Estella played checkers almost daily. He let her win sometimes.”

The obituary of an El Dorado man in June had this description: “Ray’s joie de vivre included a winning game of snooker, a good cigar, sailing, annual trips to the fiery food show and gourmet lunches … .

Ray was always quick with a joke and has left a legacy of how to enjoy life. His one dream that was left uncompleted was to be the mayor of Kitsbuhl, Austria.”

2003

BEST GETUP FOR GOING PARKING WITH A BOMB

Police at Van Buren found a man sleeping in his SUV parked beside a reservoir near Van Buren in September. He was wearing only panties and a bra, and on the seat beside him was a homemade bomb. He had no explanations.

BEST NEW BILLY BOB THORNTON PHOBIA

smoked or drank, and the most surprising little-known aspect of his life was his admiration of the music of the Beach Boys. … The passions of his life could largely be summed up with the letter G: God, guns, goats, guineas, gas (propane), and gold.”

Left us wondering what it was he did with the goats.

BEST CAKE

2006

The cake at Breezy Osborne’s lavish wedding in August was 9 feet tall, no problem serving all 600 guests, including those who came back for seconds.

Guests included the Jimmy Carters and Mickey Mouse, 75, of Orlando.

WORST P

The state legislature enacted a bill making it illegal for Arkansas residents to sell or give away their urine. State representatives made “pssss” sounds into their microphones as they whizzed it through to enactment in January.

2004

BEST DOG EUPHEMIZING

A Hot Spring County police officer said in July that he had “euphemized” a dog that attacked him at a house in Malvern.

Perhaps meaning he called it nice names before he shot it.

BEST APPRECIATION FOR THE BEACH BOYS AND THE LETTER G

An obituary in the Jonesboro Sun in January had this description of the deceased: “Bobby Wayne was known to have never

BEST PORTRAIT OF ORDINARY LIFE IN TEXARKANA

A naked man broke into a house in Texarkana in September and told the female residents that he was on a secret assignment to have sex with them. They called police. He stole a pair of shoes and fled in them, and police caught him in a nearby field a short time later, shod but otherwise stitchless, chasing a horse on which he said he was hoping to make his escape.

BEST DUNK

One of the denominational papers carried an article about Pastor Ronnie Floyd of Springdale and his unsuccessful campaign in June to head up the Southern Baptist Convention. The article told of Pastor Ronnie’s gigantic church and of some of its wretched excesses, including a high-dollar children’s baptistry made to resemble a toy firetruck. The article went on to say: “The unique baptistry, created

by Disney designer Bruce Barry, is part of a $270,000 high-tech project for the church’s children’s worship area that includes video games, a light show, music

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

TOMMY DURHAM

TOMMY DURHAM

In past years, the Malvern-native actor has listed antique furniture and Benjamin Disraeli’s hair among his phobias.

In March, he remembered another one: being bit by komodo dragons and dying from the lethal bacteria that grows in their mouths, and then being eaten by them.

2001 BEST PHOBIA: Billy Bob Thornton, the actor originally from Malvern, already known to suffer from a panicky, irrational fear of antique furniture, said in October in an interview with a London newspaper that he had a nearlifelong phobia involving Benjamin Disraeli’s hair. www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

31

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 / ARKTIMES.COM

TTHE HE

AND THE THE

The Arkansas Lottery and the rise and fall of Ernie Passailaigue.

BY GERARD MATTHEWS PAGE 12

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / APRIL 4, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM

THE

TTHE HE

GOOD BAD UGLY

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / APRIL 25, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM

BEST & BRIGHTEST

Meet the 18th class of Academic All-Stars, including Little Rock Christian Academy’s Brittany Grace Johnston. PAGE 14

LADY OF THE LAKE A mystery, a heartbroken family and a bright light snuffed out.

BY DAVID KOON AND RAFAEL NUNEZ PAGE 12

Recognizing The ARKANSAS TIMES Fo COMPETITION

Central Arkansas is a better place for th for information, challenging the powerfu expanded our understanding of Ark

WE SALUTE

Friends of the A

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / MARCH 28, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / MARCH 21, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / MARCH 14, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM

THE LEGACY OF

THE BATTLE OF 10TH AND MAIN

Little Rock tries to block VA center move.

BY CHEREE FRANCO PAGE 12

MAKE WAY FOR PROGRESS

Neighborhoods worry they’ll be wiped out

by LR Tech Park.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK PAGE 14

For 20 Years of Meaningful Journalism

TION MATTERS.

or the Arkansas Times. Whether digging werful or simply entertaining, its staff has f Arkansas. And they have endured.

LUTE THEM.

e Arkansas Times

WHAT’S IN A NAME? The best names of the last 20 years.

1995

• Among the Arkansas people who died during the year were Gasoline Hunter of Ashdown; Eunice Moomaw of Hot Springs; E. Choo Honorable, Sybil Schmuck and Parolee Jones of Little Rock; Moody Bubbles of Stuttgart, Golden Seats of Jacksonville, Harace Sneathern of Optimus and Mabel Shrable of Violet Hill.

appointed by Gov. Huckabee to the state Youth Commission.

• Tarzan Lee was an alderman at Madison in St. Francis County.

• Widow of a Bradford man who died in January was Barbara Looney Pigg.

• Tight end for the Arkansas State Indians was sophomore Ron Teat.

• Clinton Gore is the name (though not necessarily the political persuasion) of the football coach of Osceola High.

• Among Arkansans who died last year were Scrap Iron Dollarhide of Benton, Heavy Jones of Western Grove, Nolus Toe and B. Chrocker Looper of Clarksville, Ora Young Nutt of Camden, Roman Mark Anthony of Scott, Wave Ed Verkler Jr. of Black Rock, Spurgeon Waddy Sr. of Tucker, Nathaniel Hawthorne of Gurdon, Virble Dew of Batesville and Dimple Flake of Little Rock.

1997

1998

• One of the nation’s top professional fishermen is Mike Wurm of Hot Springs.

• Among the Arkansans who died during the year were Epluribus Speaks of Marvell, Romeo Champagne of Pine Bluff, Mary Stacks Wood of Sheridan, Faye Muskrat Riffey of Brinkley, Other Rhodes of Nashville and Bernie Screws of Melbourne.

• Bebop Walker plays on the Arkansas State University Indians basketball team.

1996

• Taco Williams of El Dorado was

• Among the Arkansans who died during

the year were Snodia Fudge of Melbourne, Nooner Bellew of Bluffton, Grumpy Long of Batesville, B.O. Whitecotton of Paris, Okla Homer Smith of Fort Smith, Bea Sharp of Hermitage, Wefus Tyus Sr. of Twin Groves, Ricky Ricardo of Benton, C. Lafitte O’Rear of Searcy, Carless Reaper of Bald Knob, Sunshine Earls of Horseshoe Bend, Pleasant Frisbee of West Memphis, Almond Irish of Calico Rock.

• Widow of a Newport man who died in March was Iwana Pigg.

1999

• Among the Arkansans who died during the year were I. Love Fudge of Conway, Beautohn Massey of Jonesboro, Loonie Mooney of Salem, Elmo Teets of Wynne, Abednego Creekmore of Bald Knob, B. Cowger Begoon of Benton, Gerald Moomaw of Hot Springs, P. Piggee Wiggins of North Little Rock, Okla Economides of Perryville, M. Poole Hall of Searcy, Gulnare Fooks of Camden, E. Green Beets of Thornton, Haward Whale of Little Rock, Spanky Wiltfang of Piggott.

2001

• Among the Arkansans who died during the year were Commie Leroy Van

Houten of Slovak, Zollie Mooney Tissue of Magnolia, Ima Shoemaker of Horseshoe Bend, Sonny Strange of Mabelvale, Future Collins of North Little Rock, Etoile Short Dunn of White Hall, Bunion Hankins of West Memphis, Wiley Witty Gault of Conway, Poker Hundley of Dardanelle, C. Peebus Breece of Lonoke, and Mother Jones (age 100) of Little Rock.

2002

• A man killed in an apartment shootout in Little Rock in October was named Heathen C. Wheeler.

2003

• Pearl Harbor Smith, born just three weeks after the Japanese attack, died in Little Rock in January.

2004

• Barley Buckeye Oates was charged in a prescription drug fraud case in Fayetteville in February.

2006

• Colette Honorable went to work as chief of staff for Atty. Gen. Mike Beebe in February. Always good to have Honorable people in the government.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

Live in Luxury BEST OF BEST & WORST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

videos and a bubble machine, according to Christianity Today. When a child is baptized in the firetruck-shaped baptistry, sirens blare and confetti is shot out of cannons.”

Halleleujah!

WORST CABOTRY

The city of Cabot, original home of white flight, refused to go along with the rest of the country in celebrating Jan. 16 as a holiday commemorating Martin Luther King’s birthday.

“There’s only a certain amount of holidays that Cabot observes,” Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh said. Meaning, all the rest of them.

2008

BEST BUFFET

The obituary in January of a Mayflower man began not by saying that he had died but that he had “answered the dinner bell to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” It went on to describe relatives who had died before him as “saving him a place at the table” and relatives who survived him as “aggravated at their brother for cutting in line” and “hoping they do not have to wait in any buffet line behind him.”

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WORST STATE FAIR FARE

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2009

WORST PACKERS

The Fort Smith blogger DBI noted in October the debut of a Facebook friends group called Arkansas Pastors for Concealed Carry.

WORST BRO TASE

Remember “Don’t Tase Me, Bro!” — voted the most memorable quote of 2007? Well, in October, Conway police were called to a private club to quell a disturbance that involved an off-duty Vilonia policeman. The melee concluded with the Vilonia officer being tased by a Conway officer, his brother.

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2010

BEST PRIVATE

The obituary in January for Jim Cobb of Little Rock began by noting his death, and then it said: “Jim Cobb was a very private person. The only way this obituary could be published would be over his dead body.”

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

35

THE BEST AND WORST OF THE DOG The greatest hits of the daily paper, according to the Times.

1992

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, in printing a photograph of Bill Clinton with Bozo the Clown, took pains to note that Clinton was the person standing on the right in the photo.

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COULD WE HAVE DREAMED THIS?

That an etiquette writer in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette offered advice on how to board monster trucks in the most feminine way possible.

1995

ALL-TIME BEST OR WORST PHONY-BALONEY ARTSY-FARTSY NEWSPAPER-COLUMN LEAD

The opening paragraph of Philip Martin’s Nov. 19 column in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette was (no lie): “PARIS — I am looking out my window at the towers of Notre Dame on a clear cool morning and thinking about Rilke and Chekhov and the limits of desire.”

1997

WORST METAPHOR

kaRastan • nouRison • sphinx oRientaL weaveRs

This is how a Page 1 feature story in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in October — a story about the murder of a Madison County woman — began: “Billie Jean Phillips rode life like a sexual Jet Ski. Death seemed to trail in her wake.”

1999

BEST CHIGGER NEWS

The following correction appeared in its entirety in the Arkansas DemocratGazette on Aug. 1: “Chiggers cannot fly.

An article about summer temperatures in Saturday’s edition indicated otherwise.”

2000

BEST FART-KNOCKING

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette triggered the fiercest reader reaction in recent memory when it canceled the comics-page panel “Lola” after its title

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

In a December order in which he recused from a case involving the controversial construction of a new coal-fired power plant in South Arkansas, U.S. District Court Judge William Wilson Jr. formally cited the 1972 Arkansas-filmed movie “The Legend

character used the word “farts.” The paper published more than 100 letters, most of them protesting the cancelation. Executive editor Griffin Smith jr. deplored all these defenders of “gratuitous language on the comics pages of a family newspaper,” and told one of his own reporters: “I was surprised by the aggressively belligerent attitudes of the forces of vulgarity. ... This nation may be the first in history where some people feel superior precisely because they’re coarser and more vulgar than other people.”

2001

BEST LITTLE-KNOWN FACT REVEALED IN THE PAGES OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

“… Geese cannot belch or pass gas.” — From a Jan. 27 news item.

BEST TOUCHDOWN GINNER

In a column, the brainy sports editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette identified Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning as “Eli Whitney.” (Someone said Wally must’ve been thinking about the Cotton Bowl.)

WORST SHRIEK-BACK

“The writer exists to translate the abridged shriek-back of a storming world into something apprehensible by the human intellect. By necessity, we must leave out all but a few overheard squawks and static trills, to which we in our desperation ascribe forensic potential.” — Columnist Philip Martin, Arkansas-Democrat Gazette, Sept. 24.

2002

WORST WALLY

On the day before the Kentucky Derby in May, Wally Hall wrote in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that “there are at least six horses who have about as much chance of winning the Kentucky Derby

of Boggy Creek” after noting the case “appeared to be as hairy as the Fouke Monster.”

2011

WORST OLD-TIMEY

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2002 WORST WALLY: In an April column, Wally wrote of a basketball player who had been “landlocked tighter than Cuba.” as a Shih Tzu named Muffin.” One of the six he named was War Emblem, who won the race easily the next day and followed up by winning the Preakness three weeks later.

BEST FIXIN’S

The food page of the Arkansas-Democrat Gazette in June, taken in by a spoof that appeared in the satirical newspaper The Onion, reported that the Department of Agriculture had added a new “fixin’s” category to the basic nutrition food groups, recommending that Americans eat six to eight servings a day of such side dishes as steak fries and macaroni-and-cheese.

WORST HYPERBOLE

Columnist Mike Masterson of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette attended a psychics’ and mediums’ conference in Albuquerque in May and proclaimed himself “the only member of the mainstream press” covering what he predicted would be “the most astounding story in human history.”

2003

WORST LUMP

“Behind his granny glasses his eyes short

a short list of examples of clothing items that would be exempt. Among the garments listed by the DFA: “beach capes and coats,” bathing caps, girdles, overshoes, garters and garter belts, and “rubber pants.” What? No bustles and pantaloons?

BEST SUPERHERO ORIGIN STORY

When a defendant fled his court-

and spark, producing a merrily deranged aspect that, along with the wishful red moss that estimates a jaw line, suggest(s) an ungelled lump of protoplasm that may or may not congeal into something like a man.” — Columnist Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, describing a column subject in March.

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2005

BEST TALLYWHACKER

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette began a feature story in April about a Red Cross blood drive in Searcy with this lead: “With a small prick, Three Rivers residents are asked to save a life.”

WORST TALLYWHACKER

It was reported in November that the prude editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had discouraged headlines that included the last name of the Razorback quarterback Casey Dick.

2010

BEST BUTTS AND HANDS TOGETHER

From Wally Hall’s column in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Jan. 1: “Frank Broyles put emphasis on winning first and butts in the seats second, and yes, they go hand-in-hand.”

room on Dec. 5, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Barry Sims hopped off the bench in his robe and gave chase through the gallery, out the door and down the hallway. His Honor reportedly managed to deliver several applications of judicial discipline upside the guy’s head with his gavel before bailiffs were able to subdue the suspect.

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MAY 9, 2012

37

Arts Entertainment AND

‘FOOD AND FOAM’

ON BASE

FEST BRINGS 130 BREWS, FANCY EATS TO BALLPARK.

O

BY ROBERT BELL

ver the last 15 or so years, the American beer market has evolved from an industry dominated by watery domestic brew to one in which a thousand flowers have bloomed from microbreweries across the country and high quality imports are widely available. For evidence of this beer Renaissance, just go to Colonial Liquor and gaze longingly at the seemingly endless selection of craft beers of every sort.

In roughly that same span of time, the Arthritis Foundation’s Foam Fest has also progressed. This year, the 15th annual celebration of suds has a new name — the Food and Foam Fest — and a new location: Dickey-Stephens Park. Previous incarnations, at the River Market pavilions, did include food, though it was more along the lines of what you’d chow on at the Cineplex while slurping Dr. Pepper and watching “Transformers 7” than anything worthy of pairing with a nice Belgian ale or an IPA. “They used to have boiled hotdogs and popcorn, and last year they had nachos and popcorn, but this year they’re actually getting true restaurant food tastings,” said Angela Harris, development and services director for the Arthritis Foundation’s southeast region.

That will no doubt be a welcome development for the hundreds of folks who’ll be sampling from among 130 different beers on Friday, May 11. Several restaurants from the area will provide eats, including Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co., Flying Saucer, Crush Wine Bar, Cheers in the Heights, Party Girl Catering and more, Harris said.

In 2008, Times editor Lindsey Millar wrote, “The four 38

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

15th annual Food and Foam Fest Dickey-Stephens Park 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 11 $40 adv., $45 door, $65 VIP (enter at 5:30, plus free T-shirt), $20 for designated drivers.

keys to maximizing your Foam Fest experience: Eat a big lunch, make sure you’re hydrated, recruit 10 friends and line up a sober bus.” That’s all still great advice, but this year the festivities are from 6-9 p.m. as opposed to the daylong affair of years past.

“When we started 15 years ago it was $10 to get in and it was an all-day event down by the river,” Harris said. “And it was always hot in the summer and you had to trek all along the river and they had keg tossing contests and all kinds of things like that.”

This year, the quality food offerings and new digs will make the festival a classier affair. And the venue is also “a nice open area,” said John Rogers, a sales rep for local brewery Diamond Bear and a member of the Central Arkansas Fermenters homebrew club. “It’s not hot. The wind blows through nicely there and the way the foyer is set up at Dickey-Stephens, even if it does rain, you’re protected from the elements.”

Rogers — also known by his nickname, “Bones” — said that like many Americans, his beer preferences have broadened greatly in recent years. “I’m one of those that used to be of the lite beer persuasion, we’ll say. And I learned one day about a really good beer

called an amber and I really liked it and fell in love with beer.”

He’s definitely not alone in that regard. Foam Fest has grown significantly, which was a big reason for the move to Dickey-Stephens, Harris said. There are usually between 800 and 1,000 attendees, and the event has typically raised in the neighborhood of $30,000 a year, she said. But this year, the Arthritis Foundation is aiming for greater attendance and is hoping to raise about $50,000.

There are far too many beers on offer to list here, but some of the highlights include: homebrews from members of the Central Arkansas Fermenters (including Rogers’ jalapeno amber ale), local brews from Vino’s and Boscos, six different beers from Diamond Bear, several varieties from Tallgrass Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co., Widmer Brothers Brewing, Shock Top Brewing Co., Goose Island Beer Co., Samuel Adams, imports from Anheuser-Busch InBev and many, many more.

The festival is offering discounted tickets to designated drivers, who’ll receive a special wristband that entitles them to sample all the food and drink sodas and bottled water. There will be cabs standing by outside and discounts available on hotel rooms, Harris said.

“It’s a fun event,” Harris said. “We always have a police presence, so we’ve never had any problems. It grows each year, and the distributors are generous in bringing more beers and more wines to taste each year, so we’ve been able to increase the size.”

ROCK CANDY Check out the Times’ A&E blog arktimes.com

A&E NEWS SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE, which

means many things in Arkansas, among them that it’s time for Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point, just west of Eureka Springs. The 2012 season — marking 62 years — features productions of Puccini’s “La Boheme,” Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music.”

Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. for all performances. For tickets, call 479-253-8595 or order online at opera.tix.com. “La Boheme” will be performed June 26 and 29; July 2, 8, 12, 14 and 20. “A Little Night Music” dates are June 23 and 28; July 1, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 19. “The Magic Flute” dates are June 22, 27 and 30; July 3, 6, 10, 15 and 18.

ARKANSAS BLUES LEGEND MICHAEL BURKS died Sunday of an apparent

heart attack. According to a statement released by his record label Alligator Records, he collapsed at the HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport after returning from a tour of Europe. He was 54.

Burks was born in Milwaukee, but moved to Camden as a teen, where he helped his father build the Bradley Ferry Country Club, a juke joint where he developed his blues chops.

Burks was a regular at Central Arkansas clubs. He was scheduled to return to Stickyz on June 2. As of Tuesday, funeral arrangements had not been finalized.

THE LITTLE ROCK FILM FESTIVAL announced last week that the sixth annual cinematic feast will kick off at 7 p.m. May 29 at Argenta Community Theater with the documentary “America’s Parking Lot.” The film follows two maniacal Dallas Cowboys fans whose legendary tailgate parties are in jeopardy with the advent of Jerry World and its attendant astronomical ticket prices. Director Jonny Mars will be at the screening and afterward there’ll be an actual tailgate party with ‘cue from Whole Hog Cafe. Seating priority will favor Gold, Silver and Bronze pass holders, in that order. There will be a few tickets available to the after party for $15.

Speaking of the LRFF, if you’ve been pondering the topic of just who will receive the Diamond Award this year, well ponder no more: Jeff Nichols (“Shotgun Stories,” “Take Shelter,” “Mud”) and Jay Russell (“Ladder 49,” “My Dog Skip,” “The Water Horse”) will receive the honor, which “pays tribute to filmmakers who have made extraordinary contributions to film and Arkansas.”

The festival will also host Lea Thompson, known for her roles in the “Back to the Future” films and “Red Dawn.”

Thompson will screen one of her latest films, “The Trouble with Truth,” as well as one of her 1980s cult classics. Organizers did not say which film that will be.

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39

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL

WEDNESDAY 5/9

RACEBANNON

9:30 p.m. White Water Tavern.

By the early to mid ’90s, hardcore had more or less splintered into a couple-three dominant strains. You had the hordes of Victory Records type bands that followed the macho lunkhead lead of Sick of it All, Madball and the like. These outfits appealed to your beefy frustrated dudes who liked to mosh at shows because it gave them an outlet for beating the crap out of other beefy frustrated dudes. Much like Homo neanderthalensis, this scene was evolutionarily a dead end. Over on the opposite end of the spectrum, you had your dissonant, smarty-pants screamers, such as Universal Order of Armageddon and Antioch Arrow.

These bands appealed to the wimpy frustrated dudes who didn’t like to mosh at shows, preferring to stand

in the back, arms folded, with the other wimpy frustrated dudes. This scene did evolve over the years, as noise rock, no wave skronk and artschool leanings set in and mutants like The Locust and The Blood Brothers proliferated. Racebannon, of Indianapolis, fits loosely into this tradition, plying an art-damaged trade that at times recalls a more metal-influenced Arab on Radar. The band’s latest, “Six Sik Sisters” has a particularly unhinged vibe. It’s the sound of an anxiety attack and would be the perfect birthday present for that special disturbed loner in your life. Opening up is R.I.O.T.S., the excellent local practitioners of classic hardcore, à la Dischord ’80-’83, “The First Four Years,” F.U.’s, The Dicks, MDC and other timeless touchstones of sonic aggression. In this time of political

HARDCORE HIJINKS: Racebannon plays White Water Tavern Wednesday night.

corruption, economic uncertainty and general dismay, there’s a crying need for a R.I.OT.S. demo tape. Maybe like

seven or 12 songs about how everything’s all effed and the harshness of reality and stuff. How about it dudes?

THURSDAY 5/10

THICK SYRUP ANNIVERSARY SHOWS

8 p.m. Maxine’s and White Water Tavern.

GUITARMAGEDDON IS NIGH: Purling Hiss plays the Arkansas Music Pavilion Thursday with headliners Wilco.

THURSDAY 5/10

WILCO, PURLING HISS

6 p.m. Arkansas Music Pavilion. $44.

Usually, when writing about an upcoming concert in this space, I’ll go on for about 100-300 words, mainly about the headlining act. But I figure most folks who’d drive to Fayetteville to see Wilco already know about Wilco. So this time I’m going to go on for 100-300 words mainly about the opener, Purling Hiss, of Philadelphia. First off, it’s just not often that I get a presser from the Walton Arts Center that refers to Les Rallizes Denudes and Vermonster. Second off, Purling Hiss is bad to the bone. The band’s “Public Service Announcement” album from 2010 is a warped slab of burnout rock that sounds like underwater classic rock played at 40

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

maximum volume through seven delay pedals. It’s scuzz rock in the tradition of yesteryear greats like Royal Trux, but with Xeroxed-to-infinity fuzz guitar and tape-hiss haze reminiscent of the golden era of Guided by Voices. If I had to point to a single track that epitomized the Purling Hiss M.O., it’d be the nine-minute “Almost Washed My Hair,” an apocalyptic mess of overdriven Stooges/Grand Funk meltdown. As far as live sound, YouTube findings reveal a muscular trio of bruiser dudes fronted by main-man Mike Polizze, who is a shredmeister. Props to Wilco for bringing such a rad opening band with them, but expect a degree of befuddlement from some of the folks who just wanna hear the song about the heavy metal drummer.

It’s the sixth anniversary of Little Rock label Thick Syrup Records, the purveyors of many flavors of rock ’n’ roll both local and national (and even international, what with an album from Dutch custom-guitar wizard Yuri Landman). Since 2006, Travis McElroy’s imprint has released recordings by many of Little Rock’s most notable (and notorious) bands, including Smoke Up Johnny, Brother Andy & His Big Damn Mouth, The Reparations, Frown Pow’r, San Antokyo and many more, as well

as albums from such left-field luminaries as Jad and David Fair of HalfJapanese fame, Don Fleming, Bob Bert and The Chrome Cranks, among others. These anniversary shows will be filmed for an upcoming documentary, according to the label’s website. It all kicks off Thursday at Maxine’s, with Ezra Lbs., Androids of Ex-Lovers, Browningham and Michael Inscoe.

That’s followed by a two-day blowout at White Water Tavern, starting 9 p.m.

Friday with Inscoe, Brother Andy, The Many Persian Z’s and The Alpha Ray. It wraps up Saturday night starting at 9 p.m., with Browningham, Inscoe, Androids and Ezra Lbs.

SATURDAY 5/12

ARKANSAS DELTA ROCKABILLY FESTIVAL

11 a.m. Historic Downtown Helena. $20.

Here’s a lot of rock ’n’ roll bang for your buck: The Arkansas Delta Rockabilly Festival is a full day of music, featuring some truly legendary performers. Stan Perkins — son of Carl and a fantastic guitarist in his own right — will be performing with drummer D.J. Fontana, who played for 15

years with Elvis Presley, including numerous hit recordings. They’ll be backed up

by The Legendary Pacers (who’ll be performing with the great Sonny Burgess, as well). Saxophonist Ace Cannon — who Sun Records founder Sam Phillips called “the greatest saxophone player who ever lived” — will perform with his band. The day wraps up with the country sounds of Asleep at the Wheel and The Kentucky Headhunters.

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 5/10

SATURDAY 5/12

ASO’S WICKED DIVAS

8 p.m. Robinson Center Music Hall. $10-$65.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra closes out its 2011-2012 season with this program of “diva showstoppers,” featuring vocalists Eden Espinosa and Emily Rozek. Espinosa has played the role of Elphaba for the

Broadway production of the hit musical “Wicked” and starred in the film of the final performance of “Rent.” She’s also done voiceover work on the inestimable Adult Swim program “Robot Chicken.” Nice! Rozek played the role of Glinda in the Los Angeles production of “Wicked,” and has performed on touring productions of “Sunset

Boulevard” and “South Pacific.” The show will be led by Associate Conductor Geoffrey Robson, and will feature music from such works as Bizet’s “Carmen,” “My Fair Lady,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Spamalot,” “The Wizard of Oz” and, naturally, “Wicked.”

The show will be performed again at 3 p.m. Sunday.

SATURDAY 5/12

FRIDAY 5/11

IN TUNE WITH THE HOMELESS

11 a.m. Enjoy LifeStyle Center. Free.

In Tune with the Homeless is a daylong event with live music, local food vendors, free medical testing and educational outreach. The main beneficiary will be the SOAR Outreach Network, a nonprofit that helps homeless folks with their transportation needs. There will be a battle of the bands featuring hip-hop, rock and folk performers,

judged by a panel of homeless people involved with outreach programs and program organizers. The winners will compete for a variety of prizes, including recording time from Mach 1 Recording and photography by K. Toomer, among other goodies. Occupy Little Rock will be on hand to discuss The Campaign Finance & Lobbying Act of 2012, a ballot initiative by the group Regnat Populus 2012 that’s designed

to reduce the corrupting influence of money in Arkansas politics, particularly with regard to legislators, lobbyists and the interactions between them.

Some of the food sellers on hand will be Pierre’s Pizza, Homegrown Gourmet and King Blvd. A portion of proceeds will also benefit youth-oriented programs at The Enjoy LifeStyle Center skate park. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged.

SATURDAY 5/12

CHRIS KNIGHT

9 p.m. Revolution. $12 adv., $15 d.o.s.

Let’s say your idea of a good weekend is one spent tearing down some backcountry road in an ’84 Chevy Silverado on the way to the swimming hole, a cooler full of iced-down brews in the back, a dog-eared copy of “Cannery Row” on the dash, maybe a jernt tucked into the sun visor, maybe not. Well if that sounds like the makings of a good time, what’d make it sound even better are some Chris Knight tunes. He makes the exact type of music I’d want to have blasting out of the crappy speakers of that truck in that scenario. It’s not laundry-list country, with fake twang and extra-tired cliches about being a gun-toting country outlaw badass family man and whatnot. No, Knight’s music recalls the more thoughtful, introspective work of such figures as James McMurtry, Steve Earle and John Prine, the latter of whom was a key influence on Knight. If you dig those guys and their fellow travelers, don’t miss Chris Knight.

Gourmands can sample food from several Central Arkansas restaurants at Taste of the Rock, River Market Pavilion, 5:30 p.m., $15 adv., $20 door. For some barroom country with a touch of rockabilly, check out Bonnie Montgomery, who plays a free show at The Afterthought, 8 p.m. The New Music Test at Revolution features Sonex 180, Randy Harsey and Neon Skin, 9 p.m., $5 21 and older, $10 18-20.

Brown Soul Shoes brings a mix of originals and classic rock, blues and R&B covers to an 18-andolder show at Stickyz, 9 p.m., $5.

Americana-tinged pop songstress Audrey Dean Kelley plays Live at Laman, Laman Library, 7 p.m., free.

Metal behemoths Rwake headline a show at Maxine’s, with Sound of the Mountain and Mainland Divide, 8 p.m., $6 adv., $8 door.

The Weekend Theater’s production of the musical comedy “A ...

My Name is Alice” returns, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, $12-$16. Douglas Blackmon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Slavery by Another Name,” will discuss his work at CALS Main Library, 6:30 p.m., free.

Exhale at RiverTop returns to The Peabody, with DJs g-force and Tre’ Day, 9 p.m., $8. Singer/songwriter Eric Sommer has been building a real following in the area, with dexterous playing and great original tunes. He’s back at Midtown, 12:30 a.m., $5. Emo-flavored pop-punkers Red Jumpsuit Apparatus come to Downtown Music Hall, with local rockers Se7en Sharp and Belair, 7:30 p.m., $14.

SATURDAY 5/12

‘HIGHWAY JUNKIE’: Chris Knight plays Revolution Saturday night.

Bass & Woofers is a benefit show for Last Chance Arkansas, featuring several DJs, Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 6 p.m., $5 after 10 p.m.

Fayetteville invades The Spa City, with a CD release show from poppunkers Dreamfast and The Inner Party, Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. Music in the Garden includes educational events about gardening, activities for kids, food from local restaurants and more, including music from Rod Bryan’s band First Baptist Chemical, Dunbar Community Garden, 3 p.m., $3-$5. Nashville singer/songwriter Janey Street presents a workshop for songwriters about the art of writing for film and TV, Second Presbyterian Church, 1 p.m., $45-$55. It’s time once again for the annual Stueart Pennington Running of The Tubs, in Hot Springs. Teams of costumed contestants will push customized mobile bath tubs — filled with water and a bather — down the city’s historic Bathhouse Row, 9:30 a.m. www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

41

AFTER DARK Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m.

9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Symphony of Northwest Arkansas auditions.

Visit SoNA’s website for more information.

Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios, 10 a.m. 505 W. Spring St., Fayetteville. 479-4435600. www.sonamusic.org.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Thick Syrup Anniversary Show: The Many Persian Z’s, Androids of Ex-Lovers, Browningham, Michael Inscoe, Brother Andy. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Tragikly White (headliner), Handmade Moments (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road.

501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Water Liars, Jonathan Wilkins. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Wilco, Purling Hiss. Arkansas Music Pavilion, 6 p.m., $44. 2536 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville. www.arkansasmusicpavilion.com.

All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9

MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Adelita’s Way, Art of Dying. Revolution, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Alternative Wednesdays. Features alternative bands from Central Arkansas and the surrounding areas. Mediums Art Lounge, 6:30 p.m., $5.

521 Center St. 501-374-4495.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m.

215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings.com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Chris Henry. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free.

17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www. thetavernsportsgrill.com.

The Deep Dark Woods. 18-and-older show.

Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $8.

107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Grim Muzik presents Way Back Wednesdays.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Karaoke. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-3151717.

Kottonmouth Kings, Twiztid. Juanita’s, 8:30 p.m., $25. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-3721228. www.juanitas.com.

Racebannon, R.I.O.T.S.. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www. whitewatertavern.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Ferneau, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

‘MODERN DAY DRIFTER’:Country chart-topper Dierks Bentley stops at Little Rock’s Riverfest Amphitheater Saturday. He’s on tour supporting his latest long-player, “Home.”

Openers include The Eli Young Band and The Cadillac Black.

Statehouse Convention Center, 12 p.m., $125.

7 Statehouse Plaza.

THURSDAY, MAY 10

MUSIC

“After 7.” Includes open mic performances, live band, drink specials and more. Porter’s Jazz Cafe, 7 p.m. 315 Main St. 501-324-1900. www. portersjazzcafe.com.

Ben Coulter. The Tavern Sports Grill, 8 p.m., free.

17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www. thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Bonnie Montgomery. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Brown Soul Shoes. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfin-

no skinny steaks.

Where Little Rock Goes To Taste Perfection

COMEDY

Mike Merryfield, James Sibley. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.; May 11, 10:30 p.m.; May 12, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

POETRY

Rock Town Slam. Arkansas Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $5-$10. 501 E. 9th St. 501-541-0681. www. arkarts.com.

BENEFITS

Central Arkansas Go Red for Women Luncheon. Includes a presentation from the “grandmother of aerobics” Sheila Cluff.

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

gerz.com.

“Inferno.” DJs play pop, electro, house and more, plus drink specials and $1 cover before 11 p.m. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Josh Green. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl. com.

Karaoke. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m. 1400 S. University Ave. 501-664-6444. www.zacks-place.com.

Live at Laman: Audrey Dean Kelley. Laman Library, 7 p.m., free. 2801 Orange St., NLR. 501758-1720. www.lamanlibrary.org.

New Music Test: Sonex 180, Randy Harsey, Neon Skin. Revolution, 9 p.m., $5 21 and older, $10 18-20. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. revroom.com.

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COMEDY

Mike Merryfield, James Sibley. The Loony Bin, through May 11, 8 p.m.; May 11, 10:30 p.m.; May 12, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

“Bug Out!.” Museum of Discovery, May 10-12, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., $8-$10, free for members. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www. amod.org.

Junior Achievement of Arkansas Legacy Award Business Luncheon. Honoring Gov. Mike Beebe. Doubletree Hotel, 11:30 a.m., $125. 424 W. Markham. 501-372-4371.

May Little Rock Tweetup. The Bernice Garden, 5 p.m. 1401 S. Main St. www.thebernicegarden.org.

Taste of the Rock. Sample foods from many area restaurants. River Market Pavilions, 5:30 p.m., $15 adv., $20 door. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-377-6014. www.rivermarket.info.

FILM

“This American Life -- Live!.” UA Breckenridge Village, 7 p.m. 1200 Breckenridge Drive. 800326-3264.

BOOKS

John Corey Whaley. Author of award-winning YA novel “Where Things Come Back.” That Bookstore in Blytheville, 3:30 p.m. 316 W. Main St.

FRIDAY, MAY 11

MUSIC

After Eden. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www. foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock. aspx.

Bluesboy Jag and His Cigar Box Guitars.

Dogtown Coffee and Cookery, 6 p.m., free.

6725 John F. Kennedy Blvd., NLR. 501-833-3850. www.facebook.com/pages/Dogtown-Coffeeand-Cookery/221280641229600.

Butterfly and Irie Soul. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

DJ Silky Slim. Top 40 and dance music. Sway, 9 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Ed Burks. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, May 11-12, 7 p.m.; May 25-26, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Eric Sommer. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5.

1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Exhale at RiverTop. The Peabody Little Rock, through July 6: 9 p.m., $8. 3 Statehouse Plaza.

501-906-4000. www.peabodylittlerock.com.

“The Flow Fridays.” Twelve Modern Lounge, 8 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. G$ & The Rock Revolution. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Happenstance. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

Joe Nichols. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 10:30 p.m., $25-$30. 9500 I-30. 501-565-4003. www. shooterslittlerock.com.

Mustard Pimp. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 9 p.m. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

North Little Rock Community Concert Band.

Lakewood Village Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., free.

Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-758-2576. www. northlittlerockband.com/.

The OD-14. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m.

314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub. com.

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Se7en Sharp, Belair.

Downtown Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $14. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall. com.

Rodge Arnold. Flying Saucer, May 11, 9 p.m.; May 25, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www.beerknurd.com/stores/ littlerock.

Rusty White. The Tavern Sports Grill, 8 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www.thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Rwake, Sound of the Mountain, Mainland Divide. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $6 adv., $8 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Ryan Couron. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

The Schwag. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 10 p.m., $10. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. Thick Syrup Anniversary Show: The See, The Bloodless Cooties, The Alpha Ray, Michael Inscoe. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Tonya Leeks (headliner), Andy Tanas (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

The Trustees. Dugan’s Pub, 8:30 p.m., free. 403 E. 3rd St. 501-244-0542. www.duganspublr.com.

“YOLO.” Featuring four DJs and beach volleyball, 18-and-older. Flying DD, $5. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

COMEDY

Mike Merryfield, James Sibley. The Loony Bin, through May 11, 8 p.m.; May 11, 10:30 p.m.; May 12, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

15th Annual Food & Foam Fest Beer Festival.

Includes food, beer, silent auction, live entertainment and more. Dickey-Stephens Park, 6 p.m., $40. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-6644591. www.travs.com.

“Bug Out!.” Museum of Discovery, through May 12, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., $8-$10, free for members.

500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

Food Truck Fridays. Includes three food trucks on the corner of Main Street and Capitol Avenue. Main Street, Little Rock, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Main St. 501-375-0121.

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. Sandwiching in History: Cole-Rainwater House. Cole-Rainwater House, 12 p.m. 712 Ash St.

SPORTS

Elijah Pitts Memorial Golf Tournament.

Rebsamen Golf Course, 8 a.m., $400 per team.

3400 Rebsamen Park Rd. 501-975-8537.

Killjay, Attack the Mind. Vino’s, 8 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

BENEFITS

Dinner on the Grounds. Benefit for Our House includes Southern-style supper, with drinks and live entertainment from Lagniappe. Governor’s Mansion, 6 p.m., $150. 1800 Center St. 501-3747383. www.ourhouseshelter.org.

KIDS

Douglas Blackmon. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Slavery by Another Name” will discuss his work. Main Library, 6:30 p.m., free. 100 S. Rock St. www.cals.lib.ar.us.

SATURDAY, MAY 12

MUSIC

2nd Annual Arkansas Delta Rockabilly Festival.

Includes Sonny Burgess & The Legendary Pacers, Asleep at the Wheel and The Kentucky Headhunters. Downtown Helena, 11 a.m., $20.

Cherry and Main Streets, Helena. 870-995-1326.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: “Wicked Divas.” Featuring selections from “My Fair Lady,” “Ragtime,” “Chicago,” “Titanic,” and “Wicked.” Robinson Center Music Hall, May 12, 8 p.m.; May 13, 3 p.m., $10-$65. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/ conv-centers/robinson.

Bass & Woofers. Benefit show for Last Chance Arkansas featuring several DJs. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 6 p.m., $5 after 10 p.m. 9500 I-30.

501-565-4003. www.shooterslittlerock.com.

Big Shane Thornton. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-littlerock.aspx.

Big Stack. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Brian & Steve. Dugan’s Pub, 8:30 p.m., free. 403 E. 3rd St. 501-244-0542. www.duganspublr.com.

Chris Knight. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

D-Mite and Tho-d Studios Showcase.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Dierks Bentley, Eli Young Band, The Cadillac Black. Riverfest Amphitheatre, 7:30 p.m., $22$40. 400 President Clinton Ave. Dreamfast (CD release), The Inner Party.

Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Ed Burks. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through May 12, 7 p.m.; through May 26, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Eric from Philly. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Falcon Scott, The Binary Marketing Show.

18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

G$ & The Rock Revolution (headliner), Lyle Dudley (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road.

501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Ghost Town Blues Band. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

“KISS Saturdays” with DJs Deja Blu, Greyhound and Silky Slim. Sway, 10 p.m.

412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Knox Hamilton, We Are Voices. Vino’s, 8 p.m., $7. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Music in the Garden: First Baptist Chemical.

Includes educational events about gardening, activities for kids, food from local restaurants and more. Dunbar Community Garden, 3 p.m., $3-$5. 1800 S. Chester.

“Race and Ethnicity in Arkansas: Perspectives on the African American and Latina/o Experience.” More than a dozen local, state and national experts on race and ethnicity in Arkansas will take part in a panel discussion as part of the conference. Main Library, 9:30 a.m. p.m., free. 100 S. Rock St. www.cals.lib.ar.us.

Ramona Smith & Co.. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Richard Bruton Quintet. Basin Spring Park, 3 p.m., free. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs.

Rodge Arnold. The Tavern Sports Grill, 8 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www. thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Saturday night at Discovery. Featuring DJs, dancers and more. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $10. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-664-4784. www. latenightdisco.com.

Songwriters Showcase. Parrot Beach Cafe, 2-7 p.m., free. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. Thick Syrup Anniversary Show: Browningham, Androids of Ex Lovers, Ezra Lbs., Michael Inscoe. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Workshop for Songwriters. Nashville singer/ songwriter Janey Street presents a workshop about the art of writing for film and TV. Second Presbyterian Church, 1 p.m., $45-$55. 600 Pleasant Valley Drive. 501-554-1602.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

43

DERO SANFORD

THEATER REVIEW

‘NEXT TO NORMAL’: Deb Lyons stars in the Rep’s production.

No normal musical Lyons gives heartbreaking performance at the Rep.

BY BERNARD REED

W

alking out of The Rep after the opening performance of “Next to Normal,” I mused on the lyrical nature of an otherwise dramatic play. It is unusual and effective, especially in taking the audience to the highs and lows of its bipolar protagonist, and energizing what could have been a very music-less, hard-handed family drama. One is left with the satisfying sensation of having seen everything a stage can offer.

Singing her mood swings is Deb Lyons as Diana Goodman, a suburban

wife and mother whose life and family have been derailed by her mental illness. She has been bipolar for almost 20 years, and it is worsening. By her side is her husband Dan (Jonathan Rayson), who is deeply in love with his wife and misses the healthy, youthful woman that he married. He waits for her in the car while she is analyzed by her psychiatrist, and does his best to comfort their teeage daughter, Natalie (Kristin Parker). Feeling neglected, Natalie accepts the romantic pursuits of her stoner classmate, Henry (Mo Brady).

With the dosage finally right, Diana laments the emotionlessness of her mood stabilizers, and in a fit, flushes her meds. Once the Goodmans realize that this was not a good idea, they continue their search for a way to cure Diana and return their family to normalcy. There’s no easy way. It’s possible you’ll be in tears by intermission, or at least wondering how the actors do it every night without driving themselves insane.

It’s sad, yes, but not at all sentimental — it’s heartbreakingly real. The Goodmans are the family down the block and, were it not for the singing of their lines, one could easily forget that they’re actors on a stage. Such is the nature of this musical drama, a rock ’n’ roll descent into madness. The players do not exist in the song-and-dance paradise of most musicals. Lyons, especially, is agonizingly convincing. Her Diana is bizarre and hysterical, even sexy at times, and yet unstoppably calamitous.

The audience witnesses her delusions and paranoia along with her, and yet Lyons still shocks us with the strange twists of her illness. Diana is a character that takes plenty of guts to play, and the way that Lyons steps up to the task makes it difficult to imagine another actress in her place.

She is given plenty of superb assistance by the rest of the cast, particularly Rayson and Parker, with whom she forms a tragic family triumvirate. The show is concerned not only with bipolar disorder itself but the rippling effect it has on the lives of others. Parker fills the role with the perfect angst-ridden passion; every swear word she utters feels unrehearsed, purely adolescent.

Rayson’s sangfroid is a powerful foil against the others in his unhinged family but he, too, is able to embody a profoundly unhappy man who is 20 years into an unfulfilling marriage.

The word that seems best to describe The Rep’s “Next to Normal” proves that there can be a great truth in cliches, and it is a word that I overheard several times as I left the theater: It is a rollercoaster of a show if there ever was one, laughing and crying and intoxicated and, at times, all too lucid. Life is a messy topic, which is probably why we like to sometimes pretend that it can be put to music and thrown on the stage to have its problems solved. “Next to Normal” is hardly pretending; instead, its music yanks the drama to a new poignancy, creating a realness that, on opening night, brought the audience cheering to its feet.

Nicole Capri directs “Next to Normal,” which plays at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays through May 27.

Attention MeMbers And Guests

Patio SeaSon StartS Here!

PresenTs

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John Anderson

A charming neighborhood restaurant, serving the Heights since 1979.

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

performing his hits “Seminole Wind”, “Swingin’” and more! with

drew smiTh

and Luke Winslow-King May 19, 2012 • Armed Forces Day • Doors Open at 7pm Tickets Available at Our Box Office and Online 501.358.1755 • 1020 Front St • Conway • www.thefordtheater.com A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Wounded Warrior Project to help disabled veterans. Learn more at woundedwarriorproject.org

AFTER DARK, CONT.

COMEDY

Congratulations Arkansas Times!

Mike Merryfield, James Sibley. The Loony Bin, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

}

39th Annual Territorial Fair. Historic Arkansas Museum, 10 a.m. p.m., free. 200 E. Third St. 501-324-9351. www.historicarkansas.org.

4th Annual Women of Excellence Awards and Scholarship Ceremony. Honoring Idonia Trotter, Pamela Smith, Joyce Elliott, Sheree’ Evans, LaShonda Wade and Dr. Michele R. Wright. Wyndham Riverfront Hotel, 7 p.m., $20. 2 Riverfront Place, NLR. 501-371-9000. www.sisterfriendsunited.com/.

7th Annual Stueart Pennington Running Of The Tubs. Bathtub races on Bathhouse Row on Central Avenue. Downtown Hot Springs.

100 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 800-772-2489.

Argenta Farmers Market. Argenta, 7 a.m.-12 p.m. Main Street, NLR. “Bug Out!.” Museum of Discovery, 9 a.m. p.m., $8-$10, free for members. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads.

Helena Second Saturdays. Art and music along historic Cherry Street in downtown Helena.

Downtown Helena, through Sept. 8: second Saturday of every month, 5-8 p.m. Cherry and Main Streets, Helena.

Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m.-12 p.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd.

In Tune with the Homeless. Music festival and more to benefit the SOAR Outreach Network.

The Enjoy LifeStyle Center, 11 a.m. p.m., free.

500 Karrott St., NLR. 501-837-3024.

Little Rock Farmers’ Market. River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 27: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-375-2552. rivermarket.info/.

Quapaw Quarter Association’s 2012 Spring Tour of Homes. Tour of homes in Governor’s Mansion district. Governor’s Mansion, May 12; May 13, 1-5 p.m. 1800 Center St. 501-371-0075. www.quapaw.com.

Wild Wines of the World & More. Featuring wine and food from local restaurants. Little Rock Zoo, 7 p.m., $40-$50. 1 Jonesboro Dr. 501-666-2406. www.littlerockzoo.com.

YMCA Healthy Kids Day 2012. Museum of Discovery, 5:30:30 p.m., free. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

SPORTS

Arkansas Banshees vs. Arlington Impact.

Women’s full tackle pro football. J.A. Fair Magnet High School, 6 p.m., $5. 13240 David O. Dodd. 501-447-1701. www.lrsd.org.

Cycle for Sight. Benefit ride for The Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute starts on the North Little Rock riverfront. Riverfront Park, 8:30 a.m., $35. 400 President Clinton Avenue. 501-6868638. www.uamshealth.com/cycleforsight.

Warrior Dash. This 5K obstacle race is a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Timber Lodge Ranch, 9 a.m. 966 Lodge Road, Amity. 870-342-9200. www.timberlodgeranch. com/.

BENEFITS

CCFA Take Steps — Little Rock Walk. Walk begins with food and entertainment at this fundraiser for Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. Clinton Presidential Center, 5 p.m.

1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www. clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 47

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This year, honor your father or another man who is important in your life, and see his name in Arkansas Business. It really is The Perfect Gift.

When you make a contribution of $50 or more to Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County, your name and your honoree’s name will appear in the June 11th edition of Arkansas Business.

Do you know someone who is: Homeless with children?

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Do you know someone who is: Homeless children?

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46 may 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

shelter, childcare, clothing, All calls are confidential. food, job training.

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All calls are confidential.

AFTER DARK, CONT. Cycle for Sight Kid’s Bike Rodeo. North Little Rock Riverfront, 8:30 a.m.:30 p.m., $10-$35. 100 Riverfront Drive, NLR. Rod Clemmons. Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m. 20919 Denny Road.

Woof, Wag and Wine 2012. Benefit for Out of the Woods Animal Rescue of Arkansas, with silent auctions, food, drinks, wine pull, live music and more. Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, 7 p.m., $30 adv., $40 door. 120 Riverfront Park Drive, NLR. 501-773-4353. www.ootwrescue. org/.

BOOKS

Amber McRee Turner. Book signing from the author of “Sway.” That Bookstore in Blytheville, 11 a.m. 316 W. Main St.

SUNDAY, MAY 13

MUSIC

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: “Wicked Divas.” See May. 12.

Deitrick Haddon. Magic Springs’ Timberwood Amphitheater, 6 p.m., $30-$65. 1701 E. Grand Ave., Hot Springs.

Karaoke. Shorty Small’s, 6-9 p.m. 1475 Hogan Lane, Conway. 501-764-0604. www.shortysmalls.com.

Karaoke with DJ Sara. Hardrider Bar & Grill, 7 p.m., free. 6613 John Harden Drive, Cabot.

501-982-1939 .

Mother’s Day Soiree. Featuring The Stardust Big Band. Arlington Hotel, 3 p.m., $8. 239 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-7771.

Stardust Big Band. Arlington Hotel, May 13, 3 p.m.; June 17, 3 p.m., $8, free for ages 18 and younger. 239 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

501-767-5482.

Stoney LaRue. Neumeier’s Rib Room, 8 p.m., $15. 817 Garrison Ave., Fort Smith. 479-4947427.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

COMEDY

Mike Merryfield. UARK Bowl, 7:30 p.m., $7. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www. uarkballroom.com.

EVENTS

Bernice Garden Farmers’ Market. The Bernice Garden, through Oct. 14: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 1401 S. Main St. 501-617-2511. www.thebernicegarden.org.

“Illuminate the Cure.” Komen’s Mothers Day event. Big Dam Bridge, 7 p.m. 7600 Rebsamen Park Road. www.komenarkansas.org.

Mother’s Day — Free Admission for Moms.

Museum of Discovery, 1 p.m., $8-$10, free for members and moms. 500 Clinton Ave. 3967050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

Mother’s Day Cruise. Arkansas Queen, 12:30 p.m., $22-$33. 100 Riverfront Park Drive, NLR. 501-372-5777. www.arkansasqueen.com.

Mother’s Day High Tea at The Empress.

Includes tea, scones, finger sandwiches and other Victorian style treats. The Empress of Little Rock, 3 p.m., $40. 2120 S. Louisiana St. 501-374-7966.

Quapaw Quarter Association’s 2012 Spring Tour of Homes. Tour of homes in Governor’s Mansion district. Governor’s Mansion, 1 p.m.

1800 Center St. 501-371-0075. www.quapaw. com.

MONDAY, MAY 14

MUSIC

Irish Traditional Music Session. Khalil’s Pub, Fourth and second Monday of every month,

7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Karaoke. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Reggae Nites. Featuring DJ Hy-C playing roots, reggae and dancehall. Pleazures Martini and Grill Lounge, 6 p.m., $7-$10. 1318 Main St. 501-376-7777. www.facebook.com/pleazures. bargrill.

Rex Bell with Genine Perez. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Richie Johnson. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Touch, Grateful Dead Tribute. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Big at heart,

with superb cuts of meats,regional favorites, fresh produce and friendly service.

5915 R.Street • Little Rock • 501-663-1417

FILM

Reel Classics With The Rep Presents: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” Laman Library, 6 p.m., free. 2801 Orange St., NLR. 501-758-1720. www.lamanlibrary.org.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, May 14, 7:10 p.m.; May 15, 11 a.m.; May 16, 7:10 p.m.; May 17, 7:10 p.m. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

CLASSES MONDAY, MAY 14

Finding Family Facts. Rhonda Stewart’s genealogy research class for beginners. Arkansas Studies Institute, second Monday of every month, 3:30 p.m. 401 President Clinton Ave. 501-320-5700 . www.butlercenter.org.

Congratulations To The Arkansas Times!

Come to Casa Mañana and celebrate or just cool down and relax on our deck while sipping on our Margaritas. Try Las Picositas, the Blondie or the Blue Caribbean Margartias and fro something more exotic, try Tangy Tamarind Margarita.

casamananamexicanfood.com

501-868-8822 18321 Cantrell Rd. • Hwy. 10

501-280-9888 6820 Cantrell Rd.

TUESDAY, MAY 15

MUSIC

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Brian Martin. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

The Hidden Rex, Pecan Sandy, Talk Century, Matt Wixon’s Flying Circus. The Cavern, 6 p.m., $3. 316 W. B St., Russellville.

Highway 124. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5.

2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-littlerock.aspx.

Jeff Long. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 120 Ottenheimer. 501-244-9550.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-3151717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsofneworleans.com.

Morning Teleportation, Nico’s Gun. All-ages show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 107 Commerce St. 501372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

The Nighns. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern. com.

Outernational. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 48

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MAY 9, 2012

47

doe’s does

AFTER DARK, CONT. Ricky David Tripp. Ferneau, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

lunch

doe’s Knows Lunch & dinner

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.revroom.com.

EVENTS

arkansas times

Knows the news

Here’s to a Job WELL DONE! 1023 West Markham • Downtown Little Rock 501-376-1195 • www.doeseatplace.net

dinner done

Little Rock Farmers’ Market. River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 27: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-375-2552. rivermarket.info.

Tales from the South. Authors tell true stories; schedule available on website. Dinner served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Call for reservations.

Starving Artist Cafe, 5 p.m. 411 N. Main St., NLR. 501-372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net.

Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Wiggle Worms: “Magnet Fun.” Museum of Discovery, 10 a.m., $8-$10, free for members.

500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Springfield Cardinals.

Dickey-Stephens Park, May 15, 11 a.m.; May 16, 7:10 p.m.; May 17, 7:10 p.m. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

ARTS

right

THEATER

Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre: “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. Arkansas Arts Center, through May 13: Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $11-$14. 501 E. 9th St. 501372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

“Arsenic and Old Lace.” The Maumelle Players present this classic macabre comedy by Joseph Kesselring. Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church, through May 12, 7 p.m.; Sun., May 13, 2 p.m., $10-$12. 449 Millwood Circle, Maumelle. 501352-4239. www.maumelleplayers.org.

Auditions for “Singin’ in the Rain.” Royal Theatre, May 14-15, 7 p.m. 111 S. Market St., Benton.

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

The C.S. Lewis classic about four siblings who travel to the mythical land of Narnia. Arkansas Arts Center, through May 13: Fri., 7 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., 501-372-4000. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

“Moonlight and Magnolias.” The screenplay for famed producer David O. Selznick’s latest film, “Gone with the Wind,” isn’t working, so he pulls FIFTEENTH ANNUAL in writer Ben Hecht and director Victor Fleming Sponsored by: for a five-day rewrite marathon. This production includes the use of peanuts onstage during the Stryker - Woodland Heights - Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard - CenterPoint Energy performance. The Public Theatre, through May Fuller & Sons - Glazer’s - Golden Eagle of Arkansas - Glidewell Distributing - Boscos - Vino’s - Pepsi 12, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., May 13, 2 p.m., $12-$14.

Party Girl Catering - Cheers in the Heights - Mazzios - McAllister’s - Blue 616 Coast Burrito - Flyingwww.ctlr-act.org/.

Saucer Center St. 501-410-2283.

“Murder at the Howard Johnson’s.” Starring River City Productions - Shutterthat director Glen Gilbert in a comedic tale of a love triangle gone wrong. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, Must be 21 to enter. Please Enjoy Responsibly. through May 20: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., $15-$33. 6323 All proceeds SponSored by: benefit the Arthritis Foundation Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinARTHRITIS FOUNDATION Stryker - Woodland Heights - Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard nerplayhouse.com.

FIFTEENTH CenterPoint EnergyANNUAL - Fuller & Sons - Glazer’s - Golden Eagle of Arkansas “A ... My Name is Alice.” A musical comedy Sponsored by: Glidewell Distributing - Boscos - Vino’s - Pepsi - Party Girl Catering that focuses on the relationships between sevStryker - Woodland Heights - Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard - CenterPoint Energy eral groups of women over the course of their Cheers in the Heights Mazzios McAllister’s Blue Coast Burrito Fuller & Sons - Glazer’s - Golden Eagle of Arkansas - Glidewell Distributing - Boscos - Vino’s - Pepsi lifetimes. The Weekend Theater, through May FlyinginSaucer - River City -Productions - ShutterTHAT! Party Girl Catering - Cheers the Heights - Mazzios McAllister’s - Blue Coast Burrito - Flying Saucer 12, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., May 13, 2:30 p.m.; through River City Productions - Shutterthat May 19, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., May 20, 2:30 p.m., Must toenter. enter.

Please Enjoy Responsibly.

Mustbe be 21 21 to Please Enjoy Responsibly. $12-$16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www. proceeds benefit Arthritis Foundation AllAllproceeds benefitthethe Arthritis Foundation.

ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION

May 11, 2012 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. May 11,2012 Dickey-Stephens Park 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

501-664-4591 • www.foamfest.org Dickey-Stephens Park 501-664-4591 www.foamfest.org

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

May 11,2012 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Dickey-Stephens Park 501-664-4591 www.foamfest.org

weekendtheater.org.

“Next to Normal.” The Tony- and Pulitzer Prizewinning musical set to a contemporary rock score concerns a dysfunctional family trying to take care of themselves and each other.

Arkansas Repertory Theatre, through May 27: Wed., Thu., 7 p.m.; Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m. 601 Main St. 501-378-0405. www. therep.org.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

NEW EXHIBITS, ART EVENTS

BOSWELL MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Inkstone and gouache by Astrid Sohn, pastels by Robin Hazard-Bishop, opens with reception 6-9 p.m. May 12, exhibition through June 2. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sat. 664-0030.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute: “Arkansas Art Educators State Youth Art Show 2012,” May 11-July 28; “Small Town: Portraits of a Disappearing America,” May 11-Aug. 25; “Rockefeller Elementary Celebrates Governor Rockefeller,” through May 25; “Making a Place: The Jewish Experience in Arkansas,” through June 23. Open 5-8 p.m. May 11, 2nd Friday Art Night. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 3205790.

GALLERY 221, 221 W. 2nd St.: “Intuition, Lies and Fortune Tellers,” oils by Catherine Rodgers; also work by Jennifer Coleman, Larry Hare, Cynthia Ragan and others. Open 5-8 p.m. May 11, 2nd Friday Art Night. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 8010211.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Creating the Elements of Discovery: Tim Imhauser, Jason Powers and Emily Wood,” sculpture, drawings and paintings, May 11-Aug. 5, reception 5-8 p.m. May 11, 2nd Friday Art Night, with music by Sean Rock and Roland Gladden and book-signing by Jane F. Hankins; “Nate Powell: Cross Sections,” work by graphic novel illustrator, through June 3; “Doug Stowe: The Making of My Small Cabinets,” through July 8. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Extreme Deep: Mission to the Abyss,” May 10-July 29; “Astronomy: It’s a Blast,” through Sept. 17; “Wiggle Worms,” science program for pre-K children 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. every Tue., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun., $10 ages 12 and older, $8 ages 1-11, free under 1. 396-7050.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Battle Colors of Arkansas,” 18 civil war flags; “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980,” oral histories about community, family, work, school and leisure. Open 5-8 p.m. May 11, 2nd Friday Art Night. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

RIVER MARKET: Janet Copeland, Nathaniel Dailey, Market Hall; Tim Jacob, Boulevard Bread Co. www.rivermarket.info.

STUDIOMAIN, 1423 S. Main St.: SOMA student design, ASID fashion show, 5-8 p.m. May 11, 2nd Friday Art Night. info@studio-main.org.

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St., NLR: “North Little Rock High School Art Show and Sale,” through May 11; artwork by students at King Elementary School, May 14-23. 379-9512.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, 1818 Reservoir Road: “An Evening of Art,” work

by Selma Blackburn, Bill Donald, Shelley Gentry, Mary Nancy Henry, Sarah Henry, Judy Henderson, Dottie Morrissey, Sandy Newberg, Daina Newcomb, Debbie Noland, Delia Prather, Susan Santa Cruz and Peggy Wenger, 4-7:30 p.m. May 10. Cash or check only.

ZIN, 300 River Market Ave.: W. Michael Spain, paintings, May 11. 246-4876.

AFTER DARK, CONT. EUREKA SPRINGS Several galleries will be open 6-9 p.m. May 12 for the weekly Downtown Gallery Stroll.

ARTIFACTS GALLERY, 37 Spring St.: Meet the artist events: Painter Jimmy Leach, 4-6 p.m., folk artist Judith Leswig 6-9 p.m. May 12.

COTTAGE INN RESTAURANT, 50 W. Van Buren: Michael Zorok, featured artist, reception 4-6 p.m. May 10. 479-253-5282.

EUREKA THYME, 19 Spring St.: Mixed media paintings by Carol Dickie, 6-9 p.m. May 12.

479-353-9600.

OUT ON MAIN GALLERY, 1 Basin Spring Ave.: Paintings by Jan Ironside, reception 5-9 p.m.

May 12. 479-253-8449.

WILSON AND WILSON FOLK ART OPEN HOUSE, 23 Spring St. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. May 12. 479-253-5105.

FAYETTEVILLE WALTON ARTS CENTER: Installation by stickwork artist Patrick Dougherty at Tyson Plaza near West Street, May 10-28; “Structuring Nature,” exhibit of work by Orit Hofshi, Andrew Moore, Serena Perrone, Ben Peterson and Randall Exon, Joy Pratt Markham Gallery, through June 23. 479-443-5600

HELENA DELTA CULTURAL CENTER, 141 Cherry St.: “Ni hao, Shalom: Treasures of the Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art,” through June 2; Second Saturday on Cherry Street 5-8 p.m.

May 12. 870-338-4350.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER: “11th National Drawing Invitational: New York, Singular Drawings,” through Sept. 9, curated by Charlotta Kotik; “Young Artists 51st Annual Exhibition,” through May 27; “Still Lifes of Daniel Massad,” through June 10; “The New Materiality: Digital Dialogues at the Boundaries of Contemporary Craft,” through Aug. 5; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

THE ART LOFT, 1525 Merrill Drive: Work by Dan Thornhill, Catherine Rodgers, Patrick Cunningham, Rosemary Parker, Kelly Furr, Melody Lile and others, with music by Rico

Novales. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat. 251-1131.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: 21st annual “Mid-Southern Watercolor Open Membership Exhibit,” through June 23. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335.

CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sat. 664-0880.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “BlueEyed Knocker Photo Club Presents,” 170 photographs by 19 photographers working in film and digital media, through May 12. 664-8996.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St.: “Disfarmer: Portraits from a Lifetime,” 409 vintage prints curated by Jennifer Carman, through May 12. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 664-2787.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Off the Wall,” oil on canvas/paper and bas relief on masonite by Kennith Humphrey, through June 8. 372-6822.

HEIGHTS GALLERY, 5801 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by contemporary Arkansas artists, gifts.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-2772.

KETZ GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: “All Things Wild,” paintings by Karen Garner, through May 10. 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 529-6330.

L&L BECK GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Backyard Birds,” paintings by Louis Beck.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 660-4006.

LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St.: “Inside Peanuts: The Life and Art of Charles M. Shulz,” through May 13. 758-1720.

M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell: “Five-Year Anniversary Show,” etchings by Evan Lindquist, new works by Jeaneen Barnhart, Cathy Burns and Dan Holland. 225-6257.

MARKET STREET CINEMA, 1521 Merrill Drive: “The Veterans Art Gallery,” art created in the VA Medical Center Health Care for Homeless Veterans and portraits of vets, through June 1. 1:30-10 p.m. daily. 257-4392.

OW PIZZA, 1706 W. Markham St.: Grav Weldon, photographs. 374-5504.

REFLECTIONS GALLERY AND FINE FRAMING, 11220 Rodney Parham Road: Work by local and national artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 227-5659.

SHOWROOM, 2313 Cantrell Road: Work by area artists, including Sandy Hubler. 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 372-7373.

STATE CAPITOL: “Arkansans in the Korean War,” 32 photographs, lower-level foyer. 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.Sun. STEPHANO’S FINE ART, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Mad Hatter Tea Party and Art Show,” works inspired by “Alice in Wonderland,” with Elizabeth Dismang and Mitch Breitweiser, Stephano, Lynda Marnon, Paula Wallace, George Peebles, Robbie Wellborn, Teresa Smith, Joan Courtney, Gwendolynn Combs, Kathleen Kennally, Scott Davis, Elijah Talley, Robert Bean, John Kushmaul, V.L. Cox, Mike Gaines, Ron Logan, Jim Jolly, L.C. Kitchen and Angela Turney, through May 15. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 563-4218.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “UALR Student Competitive,” Rebecca Sittler Schrock, juror, through mid-May, Gallery I. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 569-8977.

BENTONVILLE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, 600 Museum Way: “The Hudson River School: Nature and the American Vision,” 45 paintings from the New-York Historical Society, through Sept. 3, American masterworks spanning four centuries. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon., Thu., Sat.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri. Tickets free but timed; reserve at 479-418-5700.

HOT SPRINGS AMERICAN ART GALLERY, 724 Central Ave.: Paintings by Jimmy Leach, through May. 501624-055.

BLUE MOON, 718 Central Ave.: Celebrating its 15th year in business with 15 percent discounts on all work throughout the month of May and an exhibit of work by Suzi Dennis, H. James Hoff, Steve Lawnick, David Rackley, Jeanne Teague and Bart Soutendijk. 501-318-2787.

FINE ARTS CENTER, 626 Central Ave.: “Floral and Fauna Art Exhibition,” through May 28. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-624-0489.

BOSWELL MOUROT FINE ART Astrid Sohn

Robin Hazard-Bishop

Opening ReceptiOn

Saturday, May 12 • 6-9pm May 12 - June 2 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Little Rock, AR 72207 501.664.0030 www.boswellmourot.com

More gallery and museum listings at www.arktimes.com.

UAFS SILENCES STUDENT, CONT. “Jennifer never asked to give a survey in my class, nor do I think she intended to give a survey. I wouldn’t have allowed her to give a survey because any on-campus research would need to get approval from the IRB,” King said.

According to Braly, she’d dropped plans for a survey over a week ago, when she realized how extensive the approval process would be. But rather than notifying the IRB, she simply didn’t respond to their last e-mail regarding the survey.

On Monday, she asked Timmons and Wallace, “What if we forget about the survey and I just go back to doing lectures?” But she was told that, in order to continue doing lectures on the campus, she would have to develop a survey and get it approved by the IRB — a requirement that singles Braly out from other guest lecturers.

In an e-mail, UAFS spokesperson

Sondra LeMar stated that there is no uniform policy for guest lecturers, and Braly is not required to accompany future lectures with a survey. UAFS administration refuses to grant interviews about this situation, nor has the university addressed the male student’s public display of hate-speech against Braly. “There is no confirmation that this occurred or the identity of such a student,” LaMar’s e-mail continued.

The university has now posted a statement on their website, which is slightly different from this earlier version, sent to the Arkansas Times: “While there were miscommunications among UAFS officials, the course instructor, the student who was scheduled to present on the gender identity disorder issue as well as students in the class, the cancellation of the class had absolutely nothing to do with the subject or the student’s status. In fact,

this student has been allowed to speak in several classes in the past on gender identity disorder and will be allowed to do so in the future. We are currently working with this student, who seeks to utilize survey instruments as part of her presentation to gauge the views and opinions of other students, to obtain the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) review and approval—a requirement that must be met prior to the use of any such survey, which will allow her to continue speaking to other classes and groups and surveying the classroom participants.”

To date Braly has no further lectures planned at UAFS and her last firm word from the administration was that she can no longer present in UAFS classrooms. She is planning a summer lecture in Dr. Kristin Higgins’ diversity class at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

49

MOVIE LISTINGS

MAY 11-12

DRAC’ TO THE FUTURE: In Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” (kind of based on the TV show, but actually no, not really at all) Johnny Depp plays a vampire who is exhumed after two centuries and must confront an ancient rival in the exotic year 1972.

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only.

Rave showtimes are valid for Friday only.

Breckenridge, Chenal, Lakewood 8, Movies 10 and Riverdale showings were not available as of press deadline. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com.

NEW MOVIES Dark Shadows (PG-13) – Kinda like Dracula goes to “Austin Powers,” starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, directed

by Tim Burton. Nah, baby. Rave: 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:30, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30.

Footnote (PG) – An Israeli drama about a father and son, both scholars vying for professional recognition. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 7:00, 9:35.

The Kid with a Bike (PG-13) – French drama about a boy trying desperately to reconnect with the father who abandoned him. Market Street: 2:15, 4:25, 6:45, 9:00.

RETURNING THIS WEEK 21 Jump Street (R) – Buddy cop comedy starring Jonah Hill and former male stripper Channing Tatum. Rave: 10:10 p.m.

Avengers (PG-13) – Based on the Marvel Comics superhero series. Rave: 9:45 a.m., 10:45, a.m., noon, 1:00, 2:00, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, 6:45, 7:45, 8:45, 10:00, 11:00, midnight (2D), 10:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:30, 3:00, 4:00,

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

5:00, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 (3D).

Blue Like Jazz (PG-13) – A small-town boy from the Bible Belt gets an education in the liberal environs of Reed College. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 7:00, 9:15.

The Cabin in the Woods (R) – Bad things happen to attractive young people when they go to a cabin in the woods, from producer Joss Whedon. Rave: 10:05 a.m., 4:10, 9:15.

Chimpanzee (G) – Beautifully shot documentary footage of majestic primates, but it’s narrated by Tim Allen. Rave: 10:10 a.m., 12:25, 2:40, 5:10, 7:35.

Damsels in Distress (PG-13) – Indie quirkfest about three college girls who seek to improve those around them. Market Street: 4:15, 9:15.

The Five Year Engagement (R) – Jason Segel and Emily Blunt are a couple fumbling toward matrimony in this Apatovian rom-com. Rave: 10:25 a.m., 4:20, 10:20.

The Hunger Games (PG-13) – Teen-lit version of “The Running Man,” starring Jennifer Lawrence. Rave: 9:55 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:10, 4:25, 7:50.

The Lucky One (PG-13) – Zac Efron as an Iraq war vet who becomes infatuated with a stranger. Rave: 11:20 a.m., 2:20, 5:20, 8:20, 11:20.

Marley (PG-13) – The definitive documentary about reggae legend Bob Marley, from director Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King

of Scotland”). Market Street: 1:30, 6:45.

Pirates! Band of Misfits (PG) – Hugh Grant’s voice stars as an animated pirate captain, also starring Brendan Gleeson as “The Pirate with Gout.” Rave: 10:35 a.m., 4:35 (2D), 1:35, 7:10 (3D).

Raven (R) – “John Cusack is … Sherlock Poe.” Rave: 1:25, 7:20.

Safe (R) – Another 90 minutes or so of Jason Stratham kicking ass and stuff. Something about a safe in this one? Yeah, that sounds right. Rave: 1:20, 6:40, 11:50.

Think Like a Man (PG-13) – Based on Steve Harvey’s best-selling book. Rave: 9:50 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 1:40, 4:40, 7:40, 10:05, 10:40.

W.E. (R) – A film by Madonna about a royal scandal. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15.

Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 945-7400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Lakewood 8: 2939 Lakewood Village Drive, 758-5354, www.fandango.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 312-8900, www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com.

Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango. com.

MOVIE REVIEW

From one long lasting business to another…congratulations Arkansas Times on 20 years as a weekly newspaper!

When superheroes collide ‘Avengers’ works, mostly.

BY SAM EIFLING

I

n its first three days in release “The Avengers” sold $100 million, then $150 million, then $200 million at the box office, the fastest return ever.

That’s a gobsmacking feat considering the average mope on the street, and even some blue-belt nerds, could not have accurately told you what the Avengers are, or which heroes, exactly, are among them. But the tsunami success of this allstar mashup of comic-book characters owes to patience from the Disney-owned Marvel Studios, the inspired choice of Joss Whedon as director and the fact that, despite an ensemble cast that ought to sag under its own bloat, “The Avengers” is light enough to defy gravity for most of its 142 minutes. IMDB.com users already rank it among the top 30 or so movies ever. How did this happen?

So about that cast. The incomparable Robert Downey Jr. makes his third turn as Iron Man, Chris Evans is the unfrozen throwback Captain America, Chris Hemsworth is a bland but hammer-swingin’ Thor. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye didn’t enjoy their own eponymous flicks to prime us for their Avengers turn, but like Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, the one-eyed spy who assembles this band of rogues, they’ve popped up in other films. The newcomer is Mark Ruffalo, who stepped in for Edward Norton after that star of “The Incredible Hulk” and Marvel couldn’t arrive at an agreement for “The Avengers.” The 2008 Hulk flick, the two “Iron Man” installments, last year’s “Thor” and “Captain America” make a ridiculous five movies all funneling plots and characters into “The Avengers” over the past few years, and it all pays off. The dialogue doesn’t suffer from the leaden, exposition-heavy tone that makes so many action movies feel like 90-minute subsonic insults to your intelligence. By that measure, two-and-ahalf hours of self-deprecating jokes and the occasional — what’s this? — witty patter are a salve. Somehow a sprawling, unruly committee convened and hammered out a movie with a bona fide personality.

As for the weak points, and there are several, we look first to the villain, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), whose arrival via some intergalactic energy portal triggers Fury’s rush to assemble the far-flung Avengers. The demi-god half-brother of

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‘AVENGERS’: Scarlett Johansson stars.

Thor has designs on conquering Earth with the help of an army of space monsters. In the meantime his wardrobe looks like a cross between a Michael Jackson’s lost lamé bender and rejected Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes headgear. He’s nasty enough, as villains go, but seems pinched politically back on the other end of space and in need of iron supplements while strutting around Earth, zapping humans (Hawkeye, for one) into brainwashed minions. Evans doesn’t bring enough gravitas to Captain America to convince us that the likes of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner would trust his orders. The middle drags a bit.

More to the point, though, is the high degree of awesomeness achieved in areas that absolutely must be awesome for this movie to work. The heroes all have distinct personalities (compared to the fungible characters of the “Star Wars” prequels). The Hulk’s effects have never been more satisfyingly realistic. New York gets trashed in right-proper fashion.

Even without being able to use 13-letter epithets as modifiers, Jackson gets zingers. The climax involves, for once, highly credible mortal peril for one of the team’s members. The credits include not one but two extras to sate the geek flock until “Iron Man 3” or the next “Avengers” flick. With the way this one landed, Marvel sequels have joined death and taxes among the lead-pipe certainties in life, and possibly the only one among them worth looking forward to.

Open Mon-Fri10-6 • Sat 10-5

CALL 224-7651 / I-430 @ RODNEY PARHAM

www.chainwheel.com www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

51

MOVIE REVIEW

Little Rock’s Largest and Oldest Independent Bookstore

Collegiate courtliness The too-sweet return of Whit Stillman.

BY NATALIE ELLIOTT

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MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

hit Stillman is one of those divisive, unprolific writer/directors whose work is so dense it’s as if he needs to give the audience years between films to unpack all of their content. It’s not just because his pretentious, often overly articulate characters zing off dialogue like Howard Hawks ensembles with Ivy League comprehensions of literary and social theory. Stillman’s characters aren’t bantering as means of communication or flirtation as much as they are rambling out loud in clumsy, intellectualized attempts to understand themselves and the world that lies before them, outside of their micro-universe. The space between projects, by most accounts, is really due to the fact the he works slowly and often struggles for funding.

In his first feature in 13 years, “Damsels in Distress,” the micro-universe is the fictional private liberal arts college Seven Oaks, which finds a new student, Lily (the gamine Analeigh Tipton), now enrolled as a sophomore and taken under the wing of some mid-century-costumed sorority girls who view the collegiate environment around them (and the young men therein) as some kind of barbarian wilderness worthy of both compassionate rehabilitation and downright revulsion. Which is to say: Yes, they’re snobs, and their snobbiness is championed by their leader, Violet (Greta Gerwig), but also tempered by her sincere outreach efforts. For instance, they take in young Lily to make sure she doesn’t go astray, Violet dates a hapless dope of a frat guy with the intention of grooming him, and, together, the ladies run the Suicide Prevention Center that offers their suicidal peers donuts and memorizing tap-dancing choreography. While it might be difficult to take seriously the hopeless absurdity of a young woman taking tap-dancing therapy, well, this is the stuff of Stillman, and the stuff of comic genius.

When Violet’s frat guy cheats on her (with another young lady she’s been rehabilitating) she plummets into an awful, peerless depression, which it seems even her own preferred counseling can’t alleviate. It becomes an unbearably pitiful turn in Violet’s stern Waspishness. This is one of the true gifts of Stillman: with a few melodramatic pratfalls, dialogue clues, and time, he makes even a scornfully stuck-up, unsympathetic character wholly relatable, as if we’re all Violets, struggling to gain purchase in our life’s meaningful ambition. Hers just happens to be, you know, starting a dance craze.

While Violet is clearly the star, and Lily

‘DAMSELS IN DISTRESS’: Greta Gerwig and Adam Brody star.

her functional foil, the brilliance of “Damsels” lies in the strength of the ensemble as a whole. Violet’s right-hand women, Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and Heather (Carrie MacLemore) first appear dull and bubble-headed, prone to parroting Violet’s turns of phrase. As the film progresses, however, quirks about each flesh out their characters. The male half of the cast is considerably less luminous, though there’s some deadpan excellence in the performances of Adam Brody (of “OC” fame) and Frenchman Hugo Becker (who looks like the second coming of Louis Jourdan), who play romantic rivals. And the success of this group of young actors, each of glaringly varied levels of talent, is another hallmark of Stillman’s gifts. Actresses like Gerwig, who broke out in a semi-improvisational, awkward genre like mumblecore, are able to broaden their talents with Stillman’s snappy witticisms, dry humor and penchant for ungainly and antiquated phrasing with pristine nonchalance. Stillman’s lofty script demands have the curious ability to make weak or stunted actors look great, or even natural.

With features like the glossy cinematography, unabashed worship of youthful frivolity and, especially, the nostalgic musical number conclusion, there are moments when it feels like Stillman’s packing in too much sentimentality or clamoring to pay homage to the kind of simple, sweet comedies he always admired but hasn’t exactly made. It’s a warm and loving gesture, but feels a little clunky in an already crowded plot, and very much like an old man’s dusty reverence for things past. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if we hadn’t seen it so mawkishly done before, like with Woody Allen’s 1996 musical “Everyone Says I Love You,” or if we didn’t already have so much material to work with in Stillman’s storytelling.

Nevertheless, it’s a delightful comedy that still showcases the unique strengths of a classic auteur.

Natives Guide Thrifting, generally and vintage, cheaply

A

couple of seasons back, we gave you our thoughts on thrifting the Rock. Since then, those of us who love nothing better than whiling away a Saturday elbow-deep in musty record bins next to a cart of someone’s grandma’s dresses, have gained a few and lost a few.

Angles in the Attic is gone, and one of our favorites, the Salvation Army warehouse store, fell victim to mold and roof travails.

But Little Rock is still full of deals for the savvy and the persistent.

get much hipster play. In fact, we’ve never encountered anyone holding up anything for a shopping partner to snicker at ironically — which probably explains why that rainbow-plastered Girl Scout poncho has hung around for at least three months now.

Mostly the shop seems to serve seniors and families from the neighborhood. It’s huge, with racks of jeans, some vintage dresses and a full section dedicated to capris. We always find at least one pair of must-have vintage shoes, and there’s a fairly beefy furniture selection. (We once found a ’50’s modular sofa there for $75, in only slightly shabby-chic condition).

Prices are comparable to Goodwill’s — $5 a dress, $8 a suit, $2 for shoes — and you can have anything delivered for $20. There’s also a fabulous formals’ section, which nearly compensates for the one we lost when Salvation Army closed. Go for costumes, clothes, shoes and furniture; avoid if you’re after books, accessories, records and housewares. Cash, check or credit.

3618 W. Roosevelt, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat. ERA’S VINTAGE might be interesting.

We wish we could say for sure. Twice now, we’ve gone by when Facebook says this place it open. Twice now, it’s been locked tight. What we can tell from the window — there are a handful of reasonably priced items and a lot of stuff that you’d find for half the price at Goodwill.

Call first, though. Cash, check, credit. 1007 Seventh St., 396-9701. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon., noon-8 p.m. Wed.-Sat.

Argenta’s GALAXY FURNITURE isn’t cheap enough to call thrift, but it’s by far the most eclectic selection of mid-century furniture in the area (think Mad Men).

You’ll find small-ticket items (fabric suit54

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

CHEREE FRANCO

COMPASSION CENTER doesn’t seem to

and miss, but there’s a huge stock of jeans, and both the shoe and dress sections offer plenty of vintage specimens. North Rodney Parham is a more manageable version of the same. Standouts include retro coffee mugs, an incredible selection of clip-on ties and fab ’80’s sweaters. Bonus points for the cowboy-boot beer steins that may still be there, if you hurry. North Little Rock has both a shop and a clearance center on JFK Boulevard. The occasional novelty deal comes through the thrift shop — we saw a $50 dollar Suzuki violin once — and there’s usually vintage dresses and sweaters among the regular stock, but this store doesn’t quite rival Markham and Parham. The Clearance Center has a separate entrance at the side of the building. It’s a bonafide digfest through unorganized bins, but $1.39 will get you a full pound of clothing. There’s also an occasional worthwhile record. If you’re in the area, the Hot Springs Goodwill is mandatory, especially if you’re seeking men’s button-downs, any kind of sweater and boldly printed silk dresses. Cash, local check, credit. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun. Bryant: Highway 5N, 6532209. Little Rock: 9700 N. Rodney Parham, 224-6221; 109 Markham Park Drive, 2211018; 2904 S. University Ave., 568-5313; North Little Rock: 6929 John F Kennedy Blvd., 835-5286. (Clearance Center closes at 6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.) Hot Springs: 631 E. Grand Ave. 321-0275.

MIDSOUTH ANTIQUES MALL

cases, kitschy wastebaskets, cocktail servers) juxtaposed among couches, cabinet record players and marvelous lamps.

Bartering often works here, and check upstairs for better deals. There’s also a surprisingly well-cultivated rack of vintage clothes. Cash, check, credit. 304 Main St., NLR, 375-3375, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. As we’re sure you’ve noticed, in recent years GOODWILL has received a snazzy makeover. Gone are the days of tangled hangers and quarter T-shirts. Welcome to the Goodwill of wide aisles, blinding lights and color-coded racks. The nonprofit has half a dozen stores in the area, and they’re not all created equal. First off, the Bryant Goodwill and the University Goodwill should be skipped altogether.

At University, it always seems that the college kids got there first. And unless you want second-hand ice-cream and bread machines, Bryant offers nothing but department store duds a good decade away from vintage-status. The most promising options are at Markham Park Drive and North Rodney Parham. The Markham store can be overwhelming, but it offers a great selection of nearly everything. If you want a cheap TV, cheesy ’70s yarn art, baskets for planting and storage, near sets of vintage dishware, books, DVDs and even 8-tracks, you’ve found your shop.

Ladies, this is where you’ll satiate that odd new craving you’ve developed for ’80’s swimwear. There’s also a selection of vintage slips hidden among the frumpy PJ’s and robes. Skirts and men’s shirts are hit

There are HABITAT FOR HUMANITY RESTORES in Little Rock and North Little Rock. If it’s frumpy 50-year-old velour armchairs you’re after, they can be yours for $15-$30. This place will also meet your house paint, door-hinges and bathroom fixture needs. The furniture is largely boring, but occasionally we luck out. In the South University Restore, we saw a Danish modern desk for $30. Both stores also sell books, frames and dishes, but the selection’s spotty. The Pike Avenue Restore is bigger and has miles of fabric couches in hideous prints, if extreme irony is your motif. But we prefer the S. University store. It yields more surprises. On our last visit there was a chunky wooden clock in the shape of Arkansas, a pair of vintage boxing gloves and a whole room of records, including the techno collection of some bygone DJ. Cash, credit. Little

Rock: 6700 S. University Ave., 376-4434, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; North Little Rock, 2657 Pike Ave., 771-9497, 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat. We can take or leave HILLCREST JUNK. It’s worth a look, but we rarely actually purchase. Ten bucks will get you a flamingo-themed souvenir teacup made in “occupied Japan.” Fifty bucks will get you a woman’s vintage fur in excellent condition. You might also find wigs, costume jewelry and pet carriers here. Plus, it carries an impressive collection of campy saltand-pepper shakers. Cash, check. 623A Beechwood St., 681-7999, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sun., noon-5 p.m. Mon.-Tue. We seem to do better at MIDSOUTH ANTIQUES MALL — a 20,000-square-foot, multi-vendor hodge-podge of reclaimed furniture, dishes, candelabra, ashtrays and the like. On our last visit, we were particularly pleased with the luggage selection (suitcases from the ’40s and ’50s, priced from $15-$30). If it’s clothes you’re after, pickings are sparse. There are about three booths of interesting vintage-wear, mostly catered to women. Coincidentally, a dress will run you about the same as those suitcases. Cash, check, credit. 223-3600, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sun. There are two MY FAVORITE THRIFT shops, both of which benefit Our House shelter. The North Little Rock store is the better of the two, but the HILLCREST STORE has some unique offerings. First off, you should know that the clothes and shoes are dull and overpriced, with the exception of about a dozen (naughty?) schoolgirl uniforms. On last check, there was a shelf full of antique books, including an 1868 seventh edition of “Swiss Family Robinson.” There’s also some library’s forsaken collection of about 30 reel-toreel, 16 mm educational films from the ’70s. If you have a projector, these things can be a real gas (e.g. “The Fur Coat Club,” about two little girls who tail strangers around Manhattan to surreptitiously “pet” their coats.) The JFK store has better clothes, but go there for accessories.

They keep the costume jewelry and the elbow-length evening gloves (about three bucks a pair) behind the counter, so ask for them. There are also grand anomalies, like hand-painted TV trays from the ’60’s, Samsonite weekenders from the ’70’s and the occasional mid-century lamp. Cash, check, debit (no credit cards). 10 a.m.-5

p.m., Mon.-Sat. Little Rock: 109 N. Van Buren St., 353-0642. North Little Rock: 4606 John F. Kennedy Blvd., 246-5741.

There are also two SAVERS, which benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters and The Arc. Once upon a time, we loved Savers. But since Goodwill has become so cheerful and clean, Savers has begun to feel uninteresting and overpriced. Sometimes a sweater will run you $10, and slacks and dresses never seem to go for under $8.

Double ditto for shoes. We don’t even bother going to the Bowman Road store.

We only go to the JFK store for their killer collection of jukebox 45s. Cash, check, credit (Visa and MC only). 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun. Little Rock: 801 S. Bowman Road, 217-9417; North Little Rock: 4135 John F. Kennedy Blvd., 603-9831.

Hillcrest’s VINTAGE SOCIALITE has great clothes at not-so-great prices. And sorry guys, but this one caters to the ladies. Go here if it’s Saturday afternoon and you need something for Saturday night. Go here if the thought of digging through endless racks of faded sweatpants and XXL elastic-waist skirts in pursuit of the perfect classic trousers or a high-waist green pencil skirt makes you hyperventilate. Go here when you see the $5 sales rack parked out front (which is, fortunately, frequently). Cash, check, credit, Tues. — Sat. 11 a.m. — 6 p.m. 2915 Kavanaugh Blvd. vintagesocialite@gmail.com

Y

MMUNIT

O T OUR C SUPPOR

EAT L. LOCA it’s that time of year again!

WOLFE STREET THRIFT is musty, jum-

bled and underappreciated — in other words, the dream of all thrift devotees.

The back room has a huge record selection, including some 78s that pre-date World War II. We leave this place with entirely random goodies, but we never leave empty-handed. Once we made away with a couple of stylish metal toolboxes; once, a distressed-wood bookshelf; another time we chanced upon a Fluff (you know, that space-age marshmallow spread) sleeping bag, which is most likely still there.

Prices are good, and they’re usually willing to make them better. The clothes are nearly always vintage, only sometimes wearable, and you can find incredible deals on lamps, chunky wooden picture frames and the occasional piece of milk glass or carved box purse, among other wonders.

Happy perusing. Cash or local check only.

1813 Wright Ave., 375-5747, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat.

come experience the hookslide corner beer garden at dickey-stephens park!

Don’t miss team ghost riders sat 5/19

travs home for 8 straight!

May 14th - may 21st FOR TICKETS CALL

501-664-1555 www.travs.com www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

55

Dining WHAT’S COOKIN’

rant celebrating its seventh year in the ownership of the Bennett family, is relaxing its atmosphere a bit, replacing its white tablecloths with patterned fabrics under glass and emphasizing its bistro fare — wraps, hamburgers, sandwiches — while keeping favorite entrees.

Chef David Bennett said some items that were specials will now always be available, like the spicy burger, Mediterranean turkey and shrimp and grits. And here’s something to toast: The changes mean Vieux Carre is lowering its prices.

Sandwiches will range between $7 and $9, with the exception of David’s Outstanding Crab Cake Sandwich, at $12. Entrees — jambalaya, grilled chicken a la boursin, creamy bow tie pasta and blackened redfish — will run $15 to $17.

Vieux Carre is at 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd., next to the Afterthought, its bar that features live music six days a week. Phone number is 663-1196.

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

4 SQUARE CAFE AND GIFTS Vegetarian salads, soups, wraps and paninis and a daily selection of desserts. 405 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-244-2622. L daily. D Mon.-Sat. ARGENTA MARKET A deli featuring a daily selection of big sandwiches along with fresh fish and meats and salads. 521 N. Main St. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-379-9980. L daily, D Mon.-Sat., B Sat., BR Sun. ARKANSAS BURGER CO. Good burgers, fries and shakes, plus salads and other entrees. 7410 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-0600. LD Tue.-Sat. ASHLEY’S The premier fine dining restaurant in Little Rock marries Southern traditionalism and haute cuisine. 111 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-3747474. BLD Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. BELWOOD DINER Traditional breakfasts and plate lunch specials are the norm at this lost-in-time hole in the wall. 3815 MacArthur Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-753-1012. BL Mon.-Fri. BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT The food’s great, portions huge, prices reasonable.

2300 Cottondale Lane. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-2677. LD Mon.-Fri. D Sat. BURGER MAMA’S Big burgers and oversized onion rings headline the menu.

7710 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-225-2495. LD daily.

CAPITAL BAR AND GRILL Hearty sandwiches, daily lunch specials and fine evening dining all rolled up into one.

111 Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-374-7474. LD daily.

56

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

MICHAEL ROBERTS

VIEUX CARRE, the Hillcrest restau-

SUPREME SUSHI: Sky Modern Japanese Restaurant’s blue sky platter.

Sky’s the limit New Japanese restaurant impresses mightily.

W

e have a confession to make: We’re not big fans of hibachi restaurants, which tend to be long on showmanship and short on taste.

In addition, we generally avoid any place that describes its menu with the increasingly generic phrase “Asian fusion.” With that in mind, we approached Sky Modern Japanese Restaurant in the Pleasant Ridge Town Center with trepidation mixed with the usual excitement we feel about trying a new place. Sky’s menu is indeed diverse, with traditional Japanese dishes such as tekkadon appearing side-by-side with French-inspired cuisine like salmon topped with orange aioli. And while the restaurant does devote an extensive section of its menu to hibachi cuisine, the food was done so well, and with such an attention to detail in flavor and presentation, that our initial reservations melted away even before we finished our appetizer.

We started with the Beef Tataki ($7), a chilled dish of pounded rare steak just lightly seared on the grill and served with a savory sauce. The beef itself was buttery and meltingly tender, and though almost rare enough to be considered fully raw, it carried a surprising amount of flavor from its brief time on the grill. There was just enough of the sauce, a thicker version of the traditional citrus-soy ponzu, to coat the thin slices of beef, and the tangy flavor was a perfect complement to the tataki.

This was the rare appetizer that we felt sad to finish, eating it slowly so as to prolong the inevitable.

We had hoped to continue our meal with a platter of sushi, but due to an error of timing, our hot dishes came out next.

We decided to try one hibachi dish, the New York Strip/Chicken/Shrimp combination ($23) and a bowl of Pork Ramen

Sky Modern Japanese Restaurant

11525 Cantrell Road (Pleasant Ridge Town Center) 224-4300

QUICK BITE With three bars (hibachi, sushi, and beverage), floor seating, and a spacious patio, Sky might have the most seating options of any restaurant in town.

HOURS 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to closing Monday through Friday, noon to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to closing Saturday and Sunday.

OTHER INFO All major credit cards, full bar.

($12.00). The grilled meats weren’t anything groundbreaking, but they were seasoned well and served with a side of vegetables that were cooked just right: firm and crisp, grilled lightly. We were disappointed that the plate included only two medium-sized shrimp, but the portions of chicken and steak were more than adequate. The optional fried rice ($3) was another standout, just sticky enough for easy chopstick eating but not greasy or heavy. As for the ramen, fans of all things pig will find themselves in a state of porcine bliss with the milky and fragrant broth dotted with just a dash of what looked like sesame oil. The noodles themselves were firm and plentiful, but unfortunately clumped together in the bottom of the bowl in a way that left some of them undercooked. The ramen was topped with scallions and a boiled egg, but it was missing the fish cake mentioned in the menu description.

When our sushi finally arrived, we real-

ized why it took so long. The Blue Sky Platter ($39) consisted of a spicy tuna roll, an Alaskan roll, 12 pieces of nigiri (each with a different kind of fish) and a volcano roll stacked into the shape of an actual volcano; it was one of the largest groupings of sushi we’d ever seen outside of a buffet setting.

Our waitress mentioned that the sushi chef at Sky has more than 20 years of experience, and after our first bite we could believe it. The spicy tuna was the star of the plate with its generous portion of moist ahi tuna mixed with just the barest amount of spicy sauce to make a roll that started out savory and ended with a nice kick. The Alaskan roll featured creamy avocado and crispy cucumber topped by a piece of salmon and a dot of caviar, and made for a nice combination of different textures. We found the tempura-battered and deep fried volcano rolls covered with a creamy, spicy sauce to be a bit too much, but we admit this was a matter of personal taste and not due to any lack of quality in preparation.

The various pieces of nigiri sushi were our true love of the night. Each piece of fish — including two types of tuna (albacore and ahi), salmon, red snapper, eel and octopus — were among some of the freshest seafood we’ve ever gotten in Arkansas.

Each piece of fish was cut thick, overlapping and overtaking its small pedestal of rice in such a way that each piece was almost too much for a single bite. At no time did any of the fish taste off, and we found ourselves marveling at the spectrum of different tastes and textures present in something as simple as a piece of fish atop a bit of rice. We noticed that Sky has some rather rare sushi such as bluefin tuna, sea urchin, and toro on the menu, but we were told that they were out of stock of each on our visit.

In the end, we were forced to admit that the staff at Sky was more than capable of living up to the ambitious menu.

This is a place where a large group with divergent tastes could feel confident that there would be something on the menu for all. Service was prompt and attentive, although the wait staff and kitchen need to work on their timing, as dishes seemed to arrive with no rhyme or reason. With their attention to quality ingredients, flavorful preparation and stylish presentation, Sky is a strong entrant into the Little Rock restaurant scene, and with such a wide variety of well-executed dishes on the menu they’re sure to get a return visit from us in the near future.

Information in our restaurant capsules reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

CAPITOL BISTRO Breakfast and lunch items, including quiche, sandwiches, coffees and the like. 1401 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-371-9575. BL Mon.-Fri. CATFISH HOLE Downhome place for wellcooked catfish and tasty hushpuppies. 603 E. Spriggs. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-3516.

D Tue.-Sat. CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER Premium black Angus cheeseburgers, with five different sizes, and nine cheese options. For sides, milkshakes and golden-fried onion rings are the way to go. 11525 Cantrell Rd. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-490-2433. LD daily.

CRAZEE’S COOL CAFE Good burgers, daily plate specials and bar food amid pool tables and TVs. 7626 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-9696. LD Mon.-Sat. DOE’S EAT PLACE A skid-row dive turned power brokers’ watering hole with huge steaks, great tamales and broiled shrimp, and killer burgers at lunch. 1023 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-1195. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. EJ’S EATS AND DRINKS The friendly neighborhood hoagie shop downtown serves at a handful of tables and by delivery. The sandwiches are generous, the soup homemade and the salads cold. Vegetarians can craft any number of acceptable meals from the flexible menu. 523 Center St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-666-3700. LD Mon.-Fri. FLYING FISH The fried seafood is fresh and crunchy and there are plenty of raw, boiled and grilled offerings, too. The hamburgers are a hit, too. 511 President Clinton Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-375-3474. LD daily.

HOMER’S Great vegetables, huge yeast rolls and killer cobblers. Follow the mobs. 2001 E. Roosevelt Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-374-1400. BL Mon.-Fri. THE HOUSE A comfortable gastropub in Hillcrest, where you’ll find traditional fare like burgers and fish and chips alongside Thai green curry and gumbo. 722 N. Palm St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-4501. D daily, BR and L Sat.-Sun. JIMMY’S SERIOUS SANDWICHES Consistently fine sandwiches, side orders and desserts for 30 years. Chicken salad’s among the best in town. 5116 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-3354. L Mon.-Sat. KRAZY MIKE’S Po’Boys, catfish and shrimp and other fishes, fried chicken wings and all the expected sides served up fresh and hot to order on demand. 200 N. Bowman Road. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-907-6453. LD daily.

LOCA LUNA Grilled meats, seafood and pasta dishes that never stray far from country roots, whether Italian, Spanish or Arkie. “Gourmet plate lunches” are good, as is Sunday brunch.

3519 Old Cantrell Rd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-4666. L Sun.-Fri., D daily.

LULAV Comfortably chic downtown bistro with continental and Asian fare. 220 A W. 6th St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-374-5100. BL Mon.-Fri., D daily.

MILFORD TRACK Healthy and tasty are the key words at this deli/grill that serves breakfast and lunch. Hot entrees change daily and there are soups, sandwiches, salads and killer desserts. Bread is baked in-house, and there are several veggie options. 10809 Executive

BELLY UP

B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com

Center Drive, Searcy Building. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-223-2257. BL Mon.-Sat. OYSTER BAR Gumbo, red beans and rice, peel-and-eat shrimp, oysters on the half shell, addictive po’ boys. 3003 W. Markham St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-7100. LD Mon.-Sat. OZARK COUNTRY RESTAURANT Specializes in big country breakfasts and pancakes plus sandwiches and several meat-and-two options for lunch and dinner. 202 Keightley Drive. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-7319. B daily, L Mon.-Fri., D Thu.-Sat. PURPLE COW DINER 1950s fare — cheeseburgers, chili dogs, thick milk shakes — in a ‘50s setting at today’s prices. 8026 Cantrell Road.

Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-221-3555. LD daily, BR Sat.-Sun 11602 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC.

$$. 501-224-4433. LD daily, BR Sat.-Sun. 1419 Higden Ferry Road. Hot Springs. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-625-7999. LD daily, B Sun. SALUT BISTRO This bistro/late-night hangout does upscale Italian for dinner and pub grub until the wee hours. But there’s no late-night food on Wednesday! 1501 N. University. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-660-4200. L Mon.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. SBIP’S RESTAURANT Casual fine dining with sandwich and salads on its lunch menu. Sunday brunch, too. Try the Cro Que Monsieur sandwich or the weekend prime ribs. 700 E. Ninth St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-7247. LD Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. SCALLIONS Reliably good food, great desserts, pleasant atmosphere, able servers — a solid

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lunch spot. 5110 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-6468. L Mon.-Sat. SHORTY SMALL’S Land of big, juicy burgers, massive cheese logs, smoky barbecue platters and the signature onion loaf. 1100 N. Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2243344. LD daily.

SONNY WILLIAMS’ STEAK ROOM Steaks, chicken and seafood in a wonderful setting in the River Market. Steak gets pricey, though.

Menu is seasonal, changes every few months.

500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-324-2999. D Mon.-Sat. STAGECOACH GROCERY AND DELI Fine po’ boys and muffalettas — and cheap. 6024 Stagecoach Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-455-4157. BL daily. D Mon.-Fri. TERRI-LYNN’S BAR-B-Q AND DELI Highquality meats served on large sandwiches and good tamales served with chili or without (the better bargain). 10102 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-6371.

LD Tue.-Sat. (10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.).

UNION BISTRO Casual upscale bistro and lounge with a new American menu of tapas and entrees. Try the chicken and waffles.

3421 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-353-0360.

WEST END SMOKEHOUSE AND TAVERN Its primary focus is a sports bar with 50-plus TVs, but the dinner entrees (grilled chicken, steaks and such) are plentiful and the bar food is upper quality. 215 N. Shackleford. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-7665. L Fri.-Sun., D daily.

ASIAN

CURRY IN A HURRY Home-style Indian food with a focus on fresh ingredients and spices.

11121 North Rodney Parham. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-4567. LD Tue.-Sat. HANAROO SUSHI BAR Under its second owner, it’s one of the few spots in downtown Little Rock to serve sushi. With an expansive menu, featuring largely Japanese fare. 205 W. Capitol Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-3017900. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. LEMONGRASS ASIA BISTRO Fairly solid Thai bistro. Try the Tom Kha Kai and white wine alligator. They don’t have a full bar, but you can order beer, wine and sake. 4629 E. McCain Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-945-4638.

LD Mon.-Sun. PHO THANH MY It says “Vietnamese noodle soup” on the sign out front, and that’s what you should order. The pho comes in outrageously large portions with bean sprouts and fresh herbs. Traditional pork dishes, spring rolls and bubble tea also available. 302 N. Shackleford Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-312-7498.

SEKISUI Fresh-tasting sushi chain with fun hibachi grill and an overwhelming assortment of traditional entrees. 219 N. Shackleford Road.

Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-7070. LD daily.

SHOGUN JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE The chefs will dazzle you, as will the variety of tasty stir-fry combinations and the sushi bar. Usually crowded at night. 2815 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-7070. D daily.

WASABI Downtown sushi and Japanese cuisine. For lunch, there’s quick and hearty sushi samplers. 101 Main St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-0777. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. CONTINUED ON PAGE 58

www.arktimes.com

MAY 9, 2012

57

CROSSWORD

DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ Across 1 Frankenstein’s monster had one on his forehead 5 Crop circle, some believe 9 Mahmoud of the P.L.O. 14 Lasso 15 ___ child 16 Word sung twice before “hallelujah” 17 One who’s junior to a jr.

18 Acts the heckler at the Westminster dog show?

20 Commemorative item 22 Busy one 23 “Scat!”

24 Cheeses manufactured in the Mediterranean?

26 D flat equivalent 28 Cousin of .org or .com 29 ___ standstill

30 Baseball Hall-ofFamer who batted left and threw right 31 Stack in a mag. office 32 Pondered 34 Furbys and yoyos, once 37 Entourages for Odysseus’ faithful wife?

41 Lorna ___ (cookies) 42 Jot (down) 44 “___ Chef” 47 Amusement 48 Long time 50 Blast 51 Quick smells 53 Ricky Martin and Neil Patrick Harris?

55 “___ dead people” 56 Cousin of an ostrich 58 Department in SE France

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE C O M B O N T A T E A S R I C R A C O U R C H A R A R T I E C O I L A R C S I E G B O A R A L G A H E E D

S E P X E W C C I K O F D E M C L E Q U A A R B U N E D O F A U F R

G G Y T R A O R K O W D A W N O R O G N O M S O F F L A E A S D L E O L E R E D A R A L A Y B

R I F E

U N A B L B E E A I N N A F J O I D F O F R Y

S C R E E N

H A T R E D

T I N O

H E D Y

E E T Y C E

59 Expressions of regret from apartment building managers?

62 Icelandic epic 64 Skipping syllables 65 Romance/thriller novelist Hoag 66 McDonald’s founder Ray 67 Intelligence 68 1982 sci-fi film with a 2010 sequel 69 Harmonize, informally Down 1 Class of ’12 in 2012, e.g.: Abbr.

2 Confined 3 Flashing sign in a TV studio 4 What a user goes into for help 5 “Que sera sera” 6 Odysseus’ savior 7 Lumps 8 It lists G.M. and I.B.M. 9 Long ___ 10 Bit of makeup 11 John of Led Zeppelin 12 Enthusiasms 13 Online network admins 19 Not just busy 21 Giving up of one thing for another 24 Half a school yr.

25 Irish equivalent of Edward

1

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3

4

BARBECUE 5

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18 20

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8

22

31

35

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39

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45

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52 56

50 54

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60

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49

53

55 59

40

42 47

58 61

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Puzzle by Zoe Wheeler

27 Source of the alltime best-selling movie-related toy line 30 Quick round of tennis 33 Cut off 35 Copy 36 Special delivery?: Abbr.

38 No-goodniks

39 Spelling, e.g.?

40 Continued, as with a job 43 Some records, for short 44 Features of many spy films 45 “I bet!”

46 Tin tossed as the first Frisbee 49 Sun-Maid tidbit

52 Intuits

53 Dearie 54 Less-than-social sorts 57 Politico Romney 60 Singer Corinne Bailey ___ 61 Med. group 63 Va. Tech is in it

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

THIS MODERN WORLD

CHIP’S BARBECUE Tasty barbecue piled high on sandwiches generously doused with the original tangy sauce or one of five other sauces. 9801 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-4346. LD Mon.-Sat. DIXIE PIG Pig salad is tough to beat. It comes with loads of chopped pork atop crisp iceberg, doused with that wonderful vinegar-based sauce.

Serving Little Rock since 1923. 900 West 35th St. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-9650. LD Mon.-Sat.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

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41 44

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ARABICA HOOKAH CAFE Kebabs and salads along with just about any sort of Middle Eastern fare you might want, along with what might be the best kefte kebab in Central Arkansas. Halal butcher on duty. 3400 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-379-8011. LD daily.

CREGEEN’S IRISH PUB Irish-themed pub with a large selection of on-tap and bottled British beers and ales, an Irish inspired menu and lots of nooks and crannies to meet in. Specialties include fish ‘n’ chips and Guinness beef stew. 301 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-376-7468. LD daily.

ISTANBUL MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE This Turkish eatery offers decent kebabs and great starters. The red pepper hummus is a winner. 11525 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-223-9332. LD daily.

LEO’S GREEK CASTLE Wonderful Mediterranean food plus dependable hamburgers, ham sandwiches, steak platters and BLTs. 2925 Kavanaugh Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-7414. BLD daily.

ZOGI’S EURO ASIAN BISTRO Our reviewers were impressed by soups, including the borscht (beets, beef, carrots, sour cream), and some of the main courses, including the Tsuivan — steamed wheat noodles stir-fried with beef, fried potatoes and veggies. 11321 W. Markham St. All CC. $-$$.

501-246-4597. LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun.

ITALIAN

CAFE PREGO Dependable entrees of pasta, pork, seafood, steak and the like, plus great sauces, fresh mixed greens and delicious dressings, crisp-crunchy-cold gazpacho and tempting desserts. 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-5355. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. CIAO Don’t forget about this casual yet elegant bistro tucked into a downtown storefront. The fine pasta and seafood dishes, ambiance and overall charm combine to make it a relaxing, enjoyable, affordable choice. 405 W. Seventh St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-0238. L Mon.-Fri., D Thu.-Sat. GRADY’S PIZZAS AND SUBS Pizza features a pleasing blend of cheeses rather than straight mozzarella. 6801 W. 12th St., Suite C. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-1918. LD daily.

IRIANA’S PIZZA Unbelievably generous hand-tossed New York style pizza with unmatched zest. Good salads, too; grinders are great, particularly the Italian sausage. 201 E. Markham St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-3743656. LD Mon.-Sat. PIERRE’S GOURMET PIZZA CO. EXPRESS KITCHEN The first RV entry into mobile food truck scene. With a broad menu of pizza, calzones, salads and subs. 760 C Edgewood Drive. No alcohol, No CC. $$. 501-410-0377.

L Mon.-Fri. U.S. PIZZA Crispy thin-crust pizzas, frosty beers and heaping salads drowned in creamy dressing. Count on being here for awhile. It takes half an hour to get your pizza, since it’s cooked in an old fashioned stone hearth oven. 2710 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-2198.

LD daily. 5524 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-664-7071.

LD daily. 9300 North Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-224-6300. LD daily. 3307 Fair Park Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-565-6580 ý. LD daily. 650 Edgewood Dr. Maumelle. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-851-0880. LD daily. 3324 Pike Avenue. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-758-5997. LD daily. 4001 McCain Park Drive. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-753-2900. LD daily. 5524 John F Kennedy Blvd.

NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-975-5524. LD daily.

ZAFFINO’S BY NORI Pastas, entrees (don’t miss the veal marsala) and salads are all outstanding. 2001 E. Kiehl Ave. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-834-7530. D Tue.-Sat.

LATINO

BROWNING’S Large, renovated space is a Heights hangout with a huge bar, TV and live music on weekends. Large menu with some hits and some misses. 5805 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-9956. LD daily.

CANON GRILL Tex-Mex, pasta, sandwiches and salads. Creative appetizers come in huge quantities, and the varied main-course menu rarely disappoints, though it’s not as spicy as competitors’. 2811 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-664-2068. LD daily.

COTIJA’S Massive menu of tasty lunch and dinner specials, the familiar white cheese dip and sweet red and fiery-hot green salsas, and friendly service. 406 S. Louisiana St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-244-0733. L Mon.-Sat. TAQUERIA KARINA AND CAFE A real Mexican neighborhood cantina from the owners, to Mexican-bottled Cokes, to inexpensive tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. 5309 W. 65th St. Beer, No CC. $. 501-562-3951.

LD Tue.-Thu.

58

MAY 9, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

MAY 9, 2012

Taking Care of Business

BY BLAIR TIDWELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

I

n May of 1992, the Arkansas Times made the move from publishing monthly to churning out a weekly newspaper. The bold decision paid off, as the Times can now boast 20 years in its role as a weekly source of central Arkansas news. Flipping back through two decades of papers is a time warp, sure, but we also noticed something else—an incredible number of the businesses that were thriving then continue to do so now. As we toast to the Arkansas Times’ success, we also recognize the achievements of other local businesses, including restaurants, retailers and others that have been open at least 20 years (some for much longer). We’ve asked some of them to share their business secrets, all the changes they’ve seen throughout the years and just how they’ve managed to become mainstays in the central Arkansas community. Of course, this isn’t a complete list, but we’ve asked a few of our favorite household names to share their business secrets and all the changes they’ve seen throughout the years. In their own words, they reveal just how they’ve managed to become mainstays in the Arkansas community.

Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions Barbara Graves, Owner

Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions started on the lower level of the Colony West Shopping Center in October of 1973. We relocated to Breckenridge Village Shopping Center two years later to expand. In the early 70’s, west Little Rock was almost rural, and certainly on the edge of the city: the interstate had not been built; there was little commercial development; Pleasant Valley was brand new. Breckenridge Village would now be considered Midtown! Our store remains unique with a private mastectomy department, diversified bra selection and stunning swimwear collections. Plus, emphasis is still on special service to our clients.

After 39 years of business (and holding), there is one constant, one rule—the customer is always right and votes with their pocketbook. It is our mission to listen to the customer and give them what they want, when they want it. Serving Arkansas families for four generations has truly been a privilege, an honor and a wonderful journey.

Continued on page 60

hearsay

➥ Mum’s the word this week, as families celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 13. Local retailers have options for the perfect gift, too. BARBARA GRAVES INTIMATE FASHIONS suggests comfy, chic blouses from Neon Buddha, Pure Knit and Elan. Plus, they’ll throw in free gift wrapping with a purchase for mom. ➥ Or, slip something from VESTA’S into your stylish mama’s hands; the boutique carries gift items, including jewelry, bedding, lotions from L’Occitane, leather iPad covers and more. ➥ You can also treat mom to a tour of beautiful historic homes. THE QUAPAW QUARTER ASSOCIATION’S 48TH SPRING TOUR OF HOMES

leads enthusiasts through P. Allen Smith’s garden and home, the historic YMCA building and the Villa Marre which “Designing Women” fans will recognize.

Tours will be held on Sunday afternoon; on Saturday evening, guests will take a special candlelight stroll and can attend a post-tour party. For tickets and more information, email mfiser@quapaw.com or call (501) 371-0075. ➥ If you’ve never been able to say “tastes just like mom used to make!” without talking about charred toast, there’s still time for your mom to learn a few kitchen tricks. Evette Brady of 1620 RESTAURANT announced a new line-up of classes just in time for a mom’s day present—Brady is now taking reservations for May 22 and 23 culinary workshops. Call (501) 221-1620 for reservations.

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

MAY 9, 2012

59

Cajun’s Wharf Mary Beth Ringgold, Owner

We have been in business since March 1975. We did sell the business to Landry’s Seafood, a Texas sea� food chain in November 1993. But, we purchased Cajun’s back from Landry’s in June 1999. ������������������������������ In the last 35 years, our com� munity has seen a total transforma� tion. We are emerging as one of the most beautiful, upscale and metro� politan cities in the south. We have watched the development of truly spectacular tourist attractions, such as the William Jefferson Clinton Center and Park. Moreover, it has been amazing to have witnessed the growth along Riverfront Park; Little Rock has become an amazing place to visit for travelers, tourists and convention visitors.

The quality of life offerings in Little Rock are hard to match.

Thus, quality of life growth equals economic growth. Our business

MORE MAINSTAYS

Barbara/Jean LTD., Bauman’s Men Store, Bennett’s Military Supplies, Brownings Mexican Grill, Casa Manana, Doe’s Eat Place, Edward’s Food Giant, Feinstein’s, Franke’s Cafeteria, Gene Lockwood’s , Greenhaw’s Men’s Wear, Hadidi Rugs, Inc., Lauray’s The Diamond Center in Hot Springs, Martinous Oriental Rug Company, Inc., Poe Travel, Pop a Top, Stanley Jewelers Gemologist, The Terrace, Terry’s Finer Foods, Tipton & Hurst, US Pizza Co., The Villa Italian Restaurant

philosophy is to always keep our operations under a microscope. As trends, attitudes and preferences change, we want to participate in those changes. Most significantly, we have responded to food trend changes while always maintaining a “made from scratch” preparation on all of our menu items. We have invested in attractive china and more creative presentations. We have re-branded and updated our concept, during which we abandoned the old, “rough cedar” surfaces and hard furnishings and replaced them with softer finishes and more comfortable seating areas. We have expanded our

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entertainment offerings as well.

Cantrell Gallery Cindy Scott-Huisman, Owner

Cantrell Gallery has been open for 41 years.

There is much more awareness of art and home décor since our business began. On the art side of our business, we have tried to stay in tune with what our clients are look� ing for; for example, about 20 years ago we switched our focus to the local art scene.

The idea of this business was my Dad’s. He had a completely different concept, when he started Art Fair [the previous name of the business] back in 1970. We had oil paintings on canvas, along with ready-made frames that were imported. It was several years before my parents learned about custom framing and developed relationships with fine art dealers. The basic original concept— to please our clients and develop long-lasting relationships with them has remained the same—but our knowledge has grown.

Our outlook for the rest of this year is bright and exciting. We definitely feel the economy turning around. And we have several more wonderful exhibits to look forward to this year, including the current Mid-Southern Watercolorists Open Membership Exhibit through July 23, Warren Criswell (June 29-Au� gust 18), Paul Caldwell (August 24-October 20) and John Deering (October 26-December 24).

Chainwheel Justin Slarks, Special Operations

We have been open for 40 years, since 1971.

Cycling has been popular in Ar� kansas for decades, but the biggest single change has been around the Big Dam Bridge/River Trail system.

Cycling has exploded locally and more people are out enjoying the trails. Per capita, Little Rock has better access to trails than any other city in the U.S. We have just completed an over� due remodel and expansion that we are very excited about. We have also put together what we think is a real game changer: We are offering our customers “Chainwheel Rewards,” a customer loyalty program that gives five percent back to the customer on every dollar spent with us, including products, labor, services, etc.

Cheers in the Heights Samantha Tanner, Co-owner

Cheers in the Heights was estab� lished in 1979.

We are focusing on having a good presence on the web. We have a Facebook page but it seems like ev� ery time we finally get familiar with something, something new becomes popular! Right now we are working on improving our Pinterest skills.

We are also still running our cater� ing business which we started out doing before we purchased Cheers in the Heights 11 years ago. And the new Maumell Cheers is going great.

Check it out.

Community Bakery Joe Fox, Owner

Community Bakery opened in 1947 in the Rose City area of North Little Rock. It moved to Main Street in Little Rock in 1952, so we’ve been on Main Street for 60 years. The west

Little Rock location opened in 1986.

Ten to twelve years ago we faced far less competition than we do today. Since that time, a whole variety of operations have sprung up offering some of what we do. This has happened for donuts, bagels, cupcakes, decorated cakes, wedding cakes, coffee, espresso, boxed lunches, and of course breakfast and lunch fare. Interestingly, the softness in the economy has encouraged even more such operations, as many individuals faced with narrowed job opportunities in the corporate world have figured they can open their own business in some area of food service in which they feel comfortable.

Our formula for continued success is simple: Stay focused on maintaining and improving quality.

Heights Toy Center Greg Bonner, Owner

The business started sometime in the 1940s, and my family purchased the business in January 1966.

Our local area has stayed strong all these years; sure there have been changes, but the overall feel is a current, non-cookie cutter neighborhood with lots of local businesses.

Still looking for new trends to

mix in with the old traditions, and we’re already gearing up for the holiday shopping times!

Hestand’s in the Heights Rodney Getchell, Owner

We opened in 1923 in Pine Bluff and moved to Little Rock in 1995. So altogether Hestand’s has been open for a total of 72 years.

Originally, most supermarkets were self-service and the thing that distinguished us from them was the fact that we were more serviceoriented—we were one of the first supermarkets that had a meat and cheese counter and a bakery department!

The success of our business is because of our loyal customers.

We are a neighborhood family-run business and we make it a point to have at least one, if not more than one, member of the family present—including my wife or one of my two sons—at all times. Our customers know what to expect when they come in and I hope this will keep them coming back.

Juanita’s Cafe and Bar James Snyder, General Manager Juanita’s opened in June 1986.

The McGhee family [Juanita’s original owners] kept Juanita’s alive through hard times; today we enjoy working under the brand they built, and we continue to try and keep up with the changing community to remain relevant in the music scene.

With a new chef, new menu and new location in the River Market, we are excited to celebrate Juanita’s 25th full year in business. The new music venue is bigger and has new sound equipment, and we’re bringing bigger and better artists than Continued on page 63

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MAY 9, 2012

61

Scarfing it up

W

e have our first local festival every year in May. We can’t have it earlier because the young’uns have to be out of school and have all 20 digits available to help us cipher up admission prices and parking fees. And any later they’d probably be off sparking along the crick, you know how they are. No sense of tradition.

Nor much of any other kind.

Our May festival is what we call the annual Hot Diggedy Road Kill Cookoff.

Maybe you’ve heard of it. It has about 40 booths, give or take, where the visiting roadkill gourmands, or anybody else, can sample our roadkill comestibles, gathered yearlong by volunteers and prepared on the spot by our veteran roadkill cooks (three of them in the Roadkill Salvage & Prep Hall of Fame) or by their up-and-coming assistants and interns.

Our festival’s main attraction — what separates it from the run-of-the-mill roadkill fairs — is the great variety of roadkill you can feast on. Other festivals of this ilk tend to be one-meat specialists, such as Armadillofest at Hamburg, the Coon Supper at Gillett, the Mountain Oyster Gobble at Monticello, and the Giant Possum Suck at Smackover, where they don’t provide you any tableware and just about their only offering is whompedup Clampitt Pogo Innard ragout that you

have to suck up off the paper plate with a plastic milk-shake straw. And when you’re finished you have to give them BOB back the straw.

LANCASTER One year, by contrast with that menu monotony, we had 73 species of roadkill, most barbecued but also stewed, boiled, baked, fried, braised, pickled (like the wild boar knuckles), jellied, jerkied, put up in Mason jars, or served raw like sushi or tartare or carpaccio. Just my opinion, but you first-time festival-goers without cast-iron stomachs might want to wait a year to try the raw-roadkill options.

That banner year, our 73 roadkill entrees included such exotics as both roadrunner and coyote, alligator, mink, candied tarantula, and an elk pate derived from a herd laid low one midnight in careless flagrante delicto by an eastbound-and-down J. B. Hunt 18-wheeler hydroplaning suddenly over a fog-shrouded 1-30 knoll at just the wrong time, at least as far as the elk were concerned. Mushed in with the elk was another critter never identified but theorized variously to have been a wampus cat, a ringtailed tooter, a platypus, a satyr, or one of the most expendable of the Star Route

Veasey clan. Whatever it was it turned out serendipitously to provide the perfect seasoning for the pate.

One cautionary note about our festival: You should come early because our roadkill quantities, having to meet a high standard, are strictly limited. I mean, when our worldclass roadkill-rabbit-spread maker runs short, he can’t just jump in his pickup and scurry out to the Prague Cutoff, headlight a bunny family frolicking along the median, and introduce them to his steel-belted radials. Roadkill festivalizing just doesn’t work that way. He might find one or two croaked cottontails still in usable, edible condition — not yet too badly picked over by the crows — but you don’t need one or two of them to keep your festival booth going. You need one or two hundred. You’d feel better if it was one or two thousand. Because you never know when a crammed-to-capacity church bus or nursing-home van is going to pull up.

Our roadkill this time of year tends to be skunk-heavy. The skunks all apparently turn into Pepe LePew on the same night each spring and, like those elk, pitch their woo in the middle of congested traffic lanes. It seems like a big waste, but none of our festival cooks will make up a plate of skunk. We had one old boy who tried it once, but it was horrible. It depopulated the festival even quicker and almost as bad as the time the septic tank blew up. The skunk-medallion experimenter’s reputation shot, we even drummed him out of

the local Chamber of Commerce.

One year we had a big grasshopper invasion right at festival time and you could go out on any road around here and shovel up bushel baskets of grasshopper slick.

They were so dense that a car would drive into a cloud of them and never be seen or heard from again. That’s what happened to Maud Crawford, if you remember her.

But our Hot Diggedy cooks came to prefer live grasshoppers to the abundant treadmarked grasshopper paste and we couldn’t have that. It went ag’in both the spirit and the letter of a roadkill festival to use meat that’s still alive when you go to cook it.

Our first and only roadkill-festival ethical lapse. Windshield-smashed cicadas are a perennial Hot Diggedy favorite side, on the other hand, and perfectly legitimate imho.

Roadkill deer are a problem because the meat is nearly always filled with slivers of headlight and windshield glass that are just about impossible of removal. But most people hereabout tire of venison by May, having subsisted on it pretty much exclusively since November, so why bother with it when there’s run-over loggerheads, bullfrogs, emus, bustards, sasquatches, nutrias, woodchucks, walking catfish, rogue roosters, feral poodles, squirrels, and hoop snakes galore available for the time and trouble of scraping them up?

Kerosene will remove the tire marks. Patty and grill them yourself. You don’t really need a festival.

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Ken Rash’s Lawrie Rash, Owner

My dad opened the original Ken Rash’s in Memphis in 1971 and I started working in there when I was 14 years old. I received a degree in design from the University of Memphis in 1984, and my dad helped me open the Little Rock store 20 years ago, in 1992.

We have such great customers and they’re definitely what have kept us going—we have repeat customers from all over the state. We’re a “casual” business and I think people feel comfortable when they’re in the store and visit with us while they’re here. The growth out to west Little Rock in the last 20 years has definitely expanded our local customer base, although a large percentage of our customers come from all over the state.

Mexico Chiquito Chad Jones, President

Mexico Chiquito opened in 1935.

The business has changed a lot in 20 years. The take-out and drive-thru side of the restaurant business has expanded. We have moved toward smaller, more efficient restaurants, and drive-thru only locations.

Also, customers are more healthconscious now, so we have added a

“lighter” menu to give our customers a healthier alternative.

Mexico Chiquito will continue to evolve and develop new menu items, but the key elements never change: Great cheese dip and salsa, great tacos and the best punch in the world.

Mr. Wicks Mark Carroll, Vice President

Mr. Wicks has been open for 52 years; the store opened March 22, 1960.

Providing top quality merchandise and service to our customer, has been a key to years of a successful business.

Though our store was started and based on dress clothing, the trend toward dress casual over the last 10 to 15 years has made us truly focus more on our customers’ wants and needs.

Sportswear has certainly become a key player, yet we still have a wonderful offering in dress clothing for every gentleman’s wardrobe.

Murry’s Dinner Playhouse Ike Murry McEntire, Grandson of founder, Ike Murry, runs the theater with his mother Ginger We opened in 1967 as Old West Dinner Theatre, and renamed the theater Murry’s Dinner Playhouse in 1977.

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far as the theater, we really have not made many changes; we keep it simple and produce plays which have a high entertainment value for a reasonable price. All of our shows are comedy based and will appeal to most anyone. People come to Murry’s to be entertained and that’s what we do best.

new and fashion-forward items for shoppers with an eclectic taste. And we’ll continue with our store policy of personal attention for all. We still focus on clothing for travel, cruise, after five, sundresses and dresses for attending weddings.

Ozark Outdoor Supply Jim Frank, Owner

WordsWorth began as a used bookstore in the early 70’s under the name The Paperback Writer. My family has owned it since 1994. My wife and I, along with my parents, still run it, and that helps add a personal touch to the place.

A faithful neighborhood clientele is what has kept us going. People who love the feel of a community bookstore, a place where they can browse comfortably, as opposed to buying cheaply discounted books on Amazon, at Kroger, or driving out west to Barnes & Noble. We offer a personalized experience that those places cannot.

The bookselling industry has changed dramatically since we bought the store back in ‘93. B&N opened shortly after that, followed

by Amazon, and people were worried that the independent bookstore was doomed. With the advent of the e-reader, the same thing was feared. But I think there will always be a place for printed books and the people who love them.

Ozark Outdoor Supply opened in 1972.

The two most important things are customer service and listening to the customer. And inventory is key.

We have to keep in stock what the customer is looking for.

I can’t tell my tricks, but the outlook for 2012 is positive!

Pinky Punky Lou New and Caroline Cossey, Owners

We have been in business since 1974, when we opened as “The Arrangement Boutique” in Colony West Shopping Center. Two years later in March 1976 we opened a second store at Breckenridge Village as Pinky Punky. In January 2009, we relocated to Pleasant Ridge Town Center.

We have narrowed our focus to very, very special items for special occasions. Our motto: “Every day is a special occasion, dress for it.”

We will continue to search for

WordsWorth Books & Co. Jacob Cockcroft, General Manager

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