Arkansas Times

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 / ARKTIMES.COM

‘TOXIC

ENVIRONMENT’ Study finds widespread sexual harassment, bullying of Latinos at some LR schools.

BY DAVID KOON AND RAFAEL NUNEZ PAGE 14

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3

COMMENT

Unfair portrayal As is well understood by the leadership of the Arkansas Times — Lindsey Millar, Alan Leveritt and Max Brantley, all of whom I have spoken to, or written to, about this matter — I strenuously refute the charges that I committed sexual harassment at the Oxford American.

So when the Times reports in its “Influential Arkansans” section (Sept. 5) that future State Rep./current OA publisher Warwick Sabin “weathered the storm following the firing of founding editor Marc Smirnoff for sexual harassment,” you all are knowingly repeating Sabin’s distorted version of events — not the truth.

If the Times had any desire to be impartial and fair about highly contested facts, it could have tossed in an honorable word called “alleged.”

The truth is that I have not been found guilty of sexual harassment in any court of law; I have only been fired by a board in an “at will” state, which gives bosses and boards the right to fire employees for any reason they wish, however trumpedup. As one lawyer told me, in an “at will” state like Arkansas an employee can be fired for “the color of his shirt.”

It’s also worth noting that Sabin, a person I stupidly regarded as a close friend for many years, did not even bother to ask for my version of events before railroading me. Nor did he allow me to defend myself in front of the OA board when they decided my fate. Sabin’s leadership on this matter is in direct contrast to the U.S. court system where — thank God — everybody charged with a crime is allowed to defend him- or herself before a judgment is meted out. (Interestingly, the Ark. Dept. of Workforce Services, the one governmental agency that has weighed-in on my ouster, rejected the OA’s claim with these words: “The employer has not provided sufficient information to establish misconduct.”)

But I get it; you love Sabin — an exArkansas Times employee — so his word is gospel.

Worse, though, is that Times does not even bother to mention that managing editor/art editor Carol Ann Fitzgerald, the second-in-command of the OA editorial team, and, for eight years its most valuable and honorable employee, was also fired on the same day as me (July 15). Carol Ann was fired because senior editor Wes Enzinna’s outrageous claim that she sexually harassed him nine months earlier was believed. In order to believe Enzinna, you have to believe that there isn’t anything at all suspicious in a man waiting nine months to claim he was sexually harassed, even though the OA Employee Handbook, which Sabin and the OA board pretended was the primary influence on its decision, twice emphasizes that all complaints 4

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

must be filed “immediately.” Nine months equals “immediately”? (Enzinna not only waited nine months to say anything, he waited until the very day after I threatened to fire him — July 7, 2012.)

In cropping Carol Ann out of the picture, the Times de-humanizes her stalwart and long-term presence at The OA and allows Sabin’s version to sound more believable than it is. Nice editorial shading, guys!

It is also disturbing to see in the space alongside your praise a full-page advertisement by the OA that “congratulates its publisher, Warwick Sabin, for being” hon-

ored by the Times — and includes another photograph of the great man. Those two photos reminded me that when Sabin became publisher of the OA, he decided that his portrait be used to illustrate his debut “Publisher’s Notes” column. For 20 years, one little thing I prided myself on was that my photo never appeared in the magazine — such crass self-love, I always thought, was transparent. But that’s just me.

The deeper problem is why did Sabin allow money to be wasted on a lavish fullpage ad for himself when the nonprofit OA still owes so much money to UCA

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Marc Smirnoff Conway

What it means to be a Christian The late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill is said to have coined the phrase, “All politics is local.” He even wrote a political guidebook by that title. No doubt it is a good reminder for politicians to remember how the political system works, and why true democracy depends on leaders who know what the people whom they are representing are thinking. Woe to the politician who comes into a reputation for not checking in with home.

In recent years it has occurred to me that expressions of Christianity are likewise “all local.” In spite of the fact that we speak of Christianity as though everyone knows what that means, there is a good likelihood that for every person who has identified as “Christian,” I could produce a dozen other “Christians” who would question the validity of what the first believer thinks Christianity is at its core. Which is to say, there is no monolithic or even consistent agreement about the meaning of the Christian experience except, perhaps in a local sense. All certain Christians might get close to agreeing about what it means to be a Christian.

As a follower of Jesus myself, I am sometimes troubled and frustrated by what gets identified as Christian as though there was general agreement among Christian people that some belief or some action was an outgrowth of what Jesus said and did and so, of course, we all agree.

I have come to the realization that there is no Christian position so clear that it can make exclusive claims. It is never permissible to make public claims about the Christian position. I have a position that has been shaped by what I believe about Jesus. Is it the Christian position? I don’t think so. Does it mean that I cannot join with others who might think like I do and try to get something accomplished?

Certainly not, but we would be wading in our own hubris to claim the position.

In this election year it won’t be long before some will produce information about what is and isn’t Christian, ostensibly for the guidance of voters. Much of what I believe might not fare well in such publications. I’m prepared for that.

Jesus, it seems, speaks many languages.

But I’m left wondering about exclusive claims made about a man who excluded no one from his circle of friends.

Larry E. Maze Retired Episcopal Bishop of Arkansas Little Rock

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5

EDITORIAL

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Like Pakistan

T

Creepy

he merger of a state institution with a church institution is a bold and creepy idea, the creepiness weighing more heavily in our estimation. Anything that might infringe on the separation of church and state is cause for alarm.

Chancellor Dan Rahn of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has revealed that UAMS is studying a possible merger with St. Vincent Infirmary health system. Any such proposal needs study by a lot more people than the U of A insiders, who have fairly often demonstrated a disregard for sharing information with the public.

One of the biggest questions about this project is whether association with St. Vincent, a Catholic institution with no pretense of concern about the general public’s right to know, would make UAMS even more secretive. But there are all sorts of huge questions. Would UAMS stop providing abortions and other birth-control services? Devout St. Vincent officials would certainly not stop lobbying for such a goal. How many jobs would be lost?

The doctors would be taken care of, we assume, but people lower on the pay scale would likely be treated less gently. More people out of work is not good for public health.

6

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

T

he Old America that the Tea Party and its corporate backers are crying to bring back was free of tiresome regulations burdening businessmen just trying to create jobs, and maybe make a few pennies of profit. That America was very much like the Pakistan of today.

The news from Karachi last week, of fire sweeping through two sweatshop clothing factories and killing nearly 300 people, many of them trapped behind locked doors and barred windows, immediately brought to mind the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York in 1911. One hundred and forty-six garment workers died then, many of them, like their Pakistani successors, trapped behind locked doors. Some leapt from the 10th floor rather than burn.

America changed after the Triangle fire. The lives of working people were deemed to be worth saving henceforth, even if it cost a few dollars. Legislation improving workplace safety was enacted.

The fire spurred the growth of labor unions that fought for better working conditions and higher wages. (The Tea Party and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce want to drive unions out of existence.

They believe rich bosses should decide unilaterally how and whether poor workers live. They support Mitt Romney.)

It’s no cinch that the Karachi fire will bring similar reform to Pakistan, a country famous for its atrocious working conditions and lack of basic safety equipment in factories, a country where the sweatshoppers routinely bribe government inspectors to ignore safety violations. In fact, if the Republicans gain control of Congress and the White House, America will start looking more like Pakistan than the other way around.

TASTY: People enjoy food during a Mexican Independence Day celebration Saturday at the River Market pavilions in Little Rock.

Ich bin ein blogger

T

he Arkansas Blog, my daily obsession, provided higher education last weekend.

It began with a tip that UALR is taking steps to end its German studies program — not enough students.

Existing majors will be accommodated, but possible fallout includes potential impact on exchange programs in German-speaking countries for top scholars and the cool signal to German-owned businesses.

I also learned from the New York Times that Little Rock native Teresa Sullivan, who overcame an effort to oust her as head of the prestigious University of Virginia, came to grief with the business executives who are political overseers of Thomas Jefferson’s university because she was too conventional. She wasn’t moving fast enough to develop on-line courses. She also wasn’t moving fast enough to get rid of unproductive courses in the classics and — there they go again — German.

Forget the umlauts. The broader theme is the sustainability of higher education. Donald Bobbitt, the new University of Arkansas president, is a champion of on-line delivery. A concerned mother has already complained to me that her daughter at Fayetteville will go through two years without contact with an instructor except online. If that’s so, she wonders, why rent a dorm room?

Legislators are pressing colleges to back away from more than Latin and the romantic poets. They also target core curriculums. Some prefer to focus on the presumptively more productive fields of business, science and technology. Others just see a way to trim courses they don’t value. Who really needs Western civilization lectures anyway? Think of how many computers you could buy after RIFing the history department.

Bright lights emerged. A Mount St. Mary graduate, Kathleen Condray, who now heads the German section at UAF, reassured me that the harsh-sounding language I enjoyed for three years in college remains on offer at our flagship institution, including a master’s degree. She also spoke a language pragmatic politicians should understand: “At UAF, students routinely participate in intern-

ships abroad at institutions such as BMW, an architecture firm in Leipzig, a marketing start-up in Berlin, and a research laboratory at the University of Weimar.

They can certify their language MAX skills for future employers with BRANTLEY maxbrantley@arktimes.com the internationally recognized exams of the Goethe Institute; one of our recent graduates just started a position at Google’s headquarters in California. He noted that they were especially interested in his German skills and that 78 percent of their employees speak more than one language. In spite of Eurozone woes, the European Union is still the largest trading partner of the United States, and Germany is its economic engine.

Within the state, the July 2012 Arkansas International Business Report (compiled by ADED) states: “Arkansas has twenty-one (21) German-owned companies with thirty-three (33) locations that account for nearly 1,600 jobs. These companies include manufacturers of wind turbines, automotive parts, power tools, and steel among others.”

UA is cultured, too. Condray wrote that an international symposium is set Oct. 11-13 on the German writer Friedrich Gerstäcker, who wrote about Arkansas as the Wild West in the mid-19th century. A colleague, Dr. Jennifer Hoyer, has received an $18,000 grant for a Jewish Studies lecture series, “Beyond the Holocaust.” A student whose native language is Spanish will use a grant to study Yiddish this summer in New York. Others are fluent in several languages, including Chinese.

“Our students take preparation for a global workplace very seriously and want experience in Europe, Latin America and Asia,” wrote Condray.

If that’s not wunderbar enough for you, Condray also struck a downhome note. She volunteered to translate family correspondence from Arkansas’s German immigrants of yore in return for permission to include the letters in a historic archive.

OPINION

Romney’s blunder

F

oreign policy is not supposed to decide presidential elections and Mitt Romney makes a fatal mistake if he is serious about testing that theory.

But that seems to be exactly his intent, to make it clear that he will not coddle Iran or pacify extremists across the Middle East even if that stance leads inevitably to war. Foreign policy is the one area where President Obama’s poll numbers look unassailably high, but Romney sees the immense unrest and tension in the Middle East as opportune ground. He misreads things rather badly by giving voters a choice between war and peace — that is, if large numbers begin to comprehend the choice.

Although he backtracked a little by suggesting that his “red line” on Iran’s nuclear weaponry was the same as President Obama’s, Romney made it clear that his policy would be whatever the prime minister of Israel says American policy should be. He condemned the president for not assuring Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran that anytime, starting now, that the prime minister wants to bomb Iran the United States, no questions asked, will be squarely with him, supplying intelligence if

not weaponry and men. President Obama has not ruled out supporting an Israeli strike at Iranian nuclear facilities or ordering ERNEST DUMAS such a strike himself, but he won’t issue an ultimatum. Polls show that a big majority of Americans do not support U.S. bombing or an Israeli attack if it leads to U.S. involvement, but that is Obama’s policy, which counts on diplomacy and international pressure to divert us from that path.

Bombing Iran to prevent its development of a nuclear weapon may be a good idea or a bad one, but there ought to be no question about whether it is a good or bad idea to place our policy and destiny in the hands of a foreign leader.

Romney, of course, is playing for the Jewish vote and everyone, including Netanyahu, understands that. That may be why Netanyahu is going to such lengths to force Obama to take a rigid stand and perhaps to even attack before the election.

After the election, his leverage slackens, even if he succeeds in electing Romney.

About those 47 percent

W

hen Mitt Romney came to Little Rock a while back for one of those $50,000 per couple fundraisers where he pretends to tell plutocrats what he really thinks, he acted more like somebody in the Federal Witness Protection Program than a presidential candidate.

Arriving in a limo directly from the airport, Romney came and went through the back entrance of the city’s most expensive hotel — avoiding supporters and protesters clustered outside. I was amazed at the time. Given the state’s fiercely egalitarian mindset, no Arkansas politician would have risked appearing so disdainful of ordinary voters.

The Queen of England, for heaven’s sake, would have walked a rope line and chatted up her subjects. Not Mitt. The GOP nominee took no questions from local reporters, shook no hands, and kissed no babies. He only kissed, we now learn courtesy of a leaked videotape of him speaking to a similarly well-heeled gathering in Florida, the posteriors of his fellow swells.

To Mitt Romney, see, your human worth is directly proportional to the size of your bank account — regardless of where that account is located. Boston, Manhattan, Bermuda, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands; Mitt’s easy like that. It’s why he feels so comfortable running around the

country ignoring peasants and begging wealthy people for cash to finance his ambitions.

GENE So anyway, LYONS there he was at the Boca Raton estate of an equity fund tycoon otherwise known for being part owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, and for throwing bacchanalian parties with “scantilyclad” Russian dancing girls. (Immigrants work cheap.) Responding to a question about how he planned to win in November, Romney momentarily lost confidence.

“I had the most absurd nightmare,” he admitted. “I was poor and no one liked me.

I lost my job, I lost my house, Penelope hated me and it was all because of this terrible, awful Negro.”

Oops! My bad. That was actually Louis Winthorpe III, the stuffed shirt with a trust fund played by Dan Ackroyd in the comedy “Trading Places.” The terrible Negro was Eddie Murphy, not Barack Obama.

Anyway, confident that nobody in Florida could hear but his fellow swells and the kitchen help, Romney described Democratic voters with a disdain bordering upon contempt. Because so many media outlets have resorted to paraphrase

Foreign policy has indeed decided only a few elections. Ronald Reagan’s defeat of Jimmy Carter in 1980 and George W. Bush’s re-election in 2004 are the lessons that Romney must have digested.

The Iranian revolution, the hostage crisis and a dismal military rescue effort, along with the oil embargo and the huge price shock, sent inflation to 14 percent in 1980 and left Carter looking helpless. Iran kept the hostages until Reagan was elected and then was rewarded by the new president.

When the Iranians captured a few more Americans, Reagan collaborated secretly with Israel to ship arms to Iran for its war with Iraq in violation of the embargo enacted by Congress and then destroyed documents about the illegal arms sale to thwart congressional investigators. Can you make Obama look similarly weak?

(Like Carter, not Reagan.)

Bush provides a better lesson, though probably not Romney’s version of it. Voters in 2004 were just beginning to realize that Bush and Cheney had lied to take them to war with Iraq, but the patriotic fervor of 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq was still just enough to re-elect Bush over a Vietnam War hero they were told was a secret coward and faked his combat wounds.

The recurring anti-American outbursts across the region are the harvests of those policies — and of Obama’s mistaken cam-

paign promise of 2008 to ratchet up the Afghanistan war until there was a better outcome. Every night Obama must lament setting the timetable for leaving so far off — the end of 2014.

Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly want us to leave Afghanistan, where attacks on U.S. soldiers continue and rage against the United States grows with every bombed civilian, and that a full 70 percent strongly oppose a U.S. attack on Iran. Sixty percent oppose going to Israel’s side if it attacks Iran unilaterally.

Romney has signaled that the neocons who carried the day with Bush are back in charge. They said the United States should project its power across the Middle East and Southeast Asia by conquering a bad but centralized Muslim country, preferably Iraq, and installing a pro-American government.

We learned in the last month that early in 2001 the White House ignored repeated intelligence reports of an impending terrorist attack on the United States.

Someone, presumably Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, insisted that they were intended to distract the president from the real enemy, Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

So we had 9/11 before Cheney persuaded Bush to forget it and get on to the real job.

Most people know how that turned out for the U.S., but Romney seems not to.

to spare your tender feelings, it’s worth quoting at length: “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what,” Romney said. “There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them.

“These are people who pay no income tax,” he added. “My job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

Never mind that Republicans wrote the current income tax code. Nor that President George W. Bush used to make a big deal out of relieving the income tax burden of low income Americans. Romney’s contemptuous view of upwards of half the working people in the United States as deadbeats, layabouts and moochers should get your attention.

Because the odds are that either you or somebody you love fits the description. Dependent on government? If you’re retired and collecting Social Security and Medicare, that means you. Such individuals account for roughly one quarter of nonincome tax payers.

Another 60 percent, according to the

Tax Policy Foundation, are working people who simply don’t earn enough to pay federal income taxes. But they do remit Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes amounting to 15.3% of their salaries — more than the 13.9% paid by Romney himself, on the one tax return he’s condescended to release.

“So 83 percent of those not paying federal income taxes are either working and paying payroll taxes or they’re elderly and Romney is promising to protect their benefits because they’ve earned them,” summarizes Ezra Klein in his Washington Post blog. “The remainder, by and large, aren’t paying federal income or payroll taxes because they’re unemployed.”

In the New York Times, Paul Krugman links to data showing that more than 80% of Americans do pay federal income and payroll taxes for the majority of their working lives.

Got that? The vast majority of working Americans — including a many enlisted military personnel — pay a higher federal tax rate than Mitt Romney, and have done for most of their lives. Republicans and Democrats alike; black, white and everybody else.

It’s hard to say what’s more astonishing: the arrogance, the hypocrisy, the petulance, or the naked, unashamed greed.

But this is exactly how they talk, guys like Mitt Romney, when they think that only members of the club can hear. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

7

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Solidly second tier

N

obody was delusional enough to think that a reeling Arkansas team would be able to summon any kind of miracle when the reigning titans of college football came calling last Saturday. When Tyler Wilson donned a headset instead of a helmet just before kickoff against Alabama, the die was cast.

Actually, that’s not fair.

It was cast on Jan. 4, 2007. Nick Saban officially became the head coach at Alabama that day, spurning the Miami Dolphins after two middling years because he relished the challenge that wilted others: becoming Bear’s true successor. Since that time, he has done everything in his power to cripple other programs, Arkansas principally. The impetus for a 52-point pasting of a once-proud team, what with its slew of proven returning assets and fleeting hopes of authoring a power shakeup after the past couple of seasons, begins and ends in the trenches. Alabama builds from the nucleus outward: linemen on both sides must be massive, agile and versatile.

How many times has an All-American like Barrett Jones been shuffled around from one position to another and continued to play at the highest level? When a guy like Marcel Dareus leaves for the professional ranks and a massive rookie contract, another anchor like Jesse Williams is just casually dropped onto the chessboard. You can smirk and mutter about cheating and what-not, but until such conspiracies are legitimized, the fact is that Saban is the hardest-working coach in the country for 365 days a year.

In 2008 and 2012, I feel certain he didn’t take Leap Day off, either.

Arkansas has no physical toughness like this, and thanks to moribund, groanworthy “leadership” from a bunch of coaches who will be fortunate to sling Amway products in six months, the Hogs are even less resilient from an emotional standpoint. For about 10-12 minutes of game time Saturday, with the crowd in that nervous posture with one fist in the air and the other hand squarely wrapped around the car keys, Arkansas played inspired and empowered. It did so not because of John L. Smith’s magical buttcuppings, as he demonstrated to Tracy Wolfson before crow-hopping his way to the locker room, but because it simply had no choice. Large kids though they may be, the Razorbacks have enough maturity to know that they can’t simply trudge out before 70,000-plus and just play grabass for a couple of hours.

Then again, they also cannot send deep snaps flailing or let catchable passes deflect away or clang field goals off the uprights. Arkansas could not get

out of its own way, as has become commonplace in clashes with the Tide. Once again, Alabama forced BEAU some errors on WILCOX the Razorbacks’ part, but simply allowed others to happen. All the while, AJ McCarron played error-free football, throwing simple but crisp passes, reading blitzes (to be fair, Arkansas’s blitzes could be spotted by passengers in a Learjet overhead) and eluding whatever token pressure the Hogs attempted to bring. His stable of running backs was on point, seeing and exploiting running lanes and securing the slippery football nicely on a day where Arkansas fumbled a whopping eight times.

If what happened against LouisianaMonroe left Hog fans staggered, then the achingly stark afternoon in Fayetteville was the knockout blow. The gulf between Alabama and Arkansas is gaping now, and you can assign the blame for that to Bobby Petrino, but not for the reasons you think.

It wasn’t a careening Harley Davidson that contributed to the problem.

The fact is that for all Petrino’s wondrous play-calling ability, for his innate and clearly non-genetic vision for how to break down a defense, he could only reach modest heights on the recruiting trail and it ultimately left his team stalled at the second tier. His best team at Arkansas was the 2010 squad that reached the Sugar Bowl, and that team still could not close the deal in a home game against Alabama that for three quarters went about as well as it could. The Hogs systematically blew the doors off lesser squads the past three seasons but once faced with muscle, the fight went awry and often sharply. On certain, isolated occasions, the Hogs did display the ability to grind their way to victory, but let’s not forget how often commentators fawned over our quick-strike ability. If you can score in a matter of seconds, it may make for beautiful homemade highlight reels on YouTube, but in yet another golden age for Alabama, it simply doesn’t win titles.

And thanks to eight horrible days in September, the 2012 Hogs can take that vision off the board yet again. Tyler Wilson gave an impassioned, Tebow Lite postgame address that suggested he wasn’t going to let demoralized teammates and inept coaches ruin his final autumn in Fayetteville. The cold reality of the program’s stature should not keep him and other deserving players from putting together a commendable enough season to build a lucrative pro career upon.

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NPA103942-0123 www.arktimes.com

september 19, 2012

9

W O RDS

Say yes to at for Humanity ReStore & After Silent Auction Keeping up with the Jones: Benefiting Habitat for Humanity of&Pulaski County Habitat for Humanity ReStore Silent Auction Habitat for Humanity ReStore After Auction Habitat for Humanity Habitat ReStore for Humanity After ReStore &Auction AfterAuction Silent Auction Habitat forReStore Humanity ReStore &Silent After Silent Habitat for Humanity &&After Silent Auction

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Habitat for Humanity ReStore &After After Silent Auction Habitat for Humanity ReStore & After SilentSilent Auction Humanity ReStore &Habitat Auction Benefiting Habitat of Pulaski County bitat forHabitat ReStore & After Silent Auction eStore &Humanity After for Silent Auction Benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Pulaski County Benefiting Habitat Benefiting for Humanity Habitat of forCounty Pulaski Humanity County of Pulaski Benefiting for Humanity ofCounty Pulaski County County Benefiting Habitat Humanity Pulaski County Benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Pulaski Pulaski Benefiting Habitat forfor Humanity of ofPulaski Benefiting Habitat for Humanity of County Benefiting for Humanity abitat for HumanityHabitat of Pulaski County of Pulaski County

Under the headline, “Lunch with the Bumpers,” a columnist wrote of spending time with former U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers and his wife, Betty. “Thinking back, I realize I would never have had the opportunity to know the Bumpers well had I not essentially been forced to move to the East Coast …”

Together, Dale and Betty Bumpers are the Bumperses. When making plurals of names that end in –s, the standard rule is to add –es: Harris, Harrises; Simmons, Simmonses. If the writer wanted to use a possessive, he’d write “The Bumperses’ 2012 hospitality is famous.” That is, if he fol2012 2012 2012 lowed the Associated Press style, and most media do, of adding only an apostrophe to form the possessive of names that s end with –s. Some old-timers, who shall s s ss s s s s remain anonymous, learned in long-ago s s sponsored by: s classrooms to add an apostrophe and an sponsored by:by: media sponsored by:by: sponsored by:sponsored sponsored sponsored by: sponsored by: sponsored design sponsor sponsor by: –s to form all possessives. These people sponsored by: sponsored by: would write “The Bumperses’s hospitalsponsored by: ity is famous,” despite all the hissiness.

The Arkansas Times follows the AP sponsored sponsor byby "ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX style on possessives with one large excep"ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX "ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX "ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX "ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX "ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX "ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX "ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX tion. Because the last –s in Arkansas is 'LAZER S $ISTRIBUTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 K OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX 'LAZER S $ISTRIBUTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 'LAZER S $ISTRIBUTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 'LAZER S $ISTRIBUTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 silent, and a possessive needs an –s sound, 'LAZER S $ISTRIBUTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 'LAZER S $ISTRIBUTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 'LAZER S $ISTRIBUTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 'LAZER S $ISTRIBUTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX ATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX Greg Daniels Greg Daniels Greg Daniels UTING s !RKANSAS 4IMES s &ULLER AND 3ONS (ARDWARE s "USINESS 7ORLD s !4 4 Greg Daniels the correct possessive form of Arkansas "ANK OF THE /ZARKS s !LL 3TATE )NSURANCE !GENT -ATT "LACK s *0-3 #OX Greg Daniels Greg Daniels Greg Daniels Greg Daniels

2012 20122012 2012 2012 20121400 W. 2012 Next Level Events, 2012 Markham St., Little Rock t LevelNext Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Little Rock Next Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Little Rock Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Little Rock Next Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Rock Next Level Events, Next Level 1400 Events, W. Markham 1400 St., W.Little Markham Little Rock St.,Rock Little Rock Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Little Rock Next Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St., Little 6 to 9 p.m.

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C I T Y

M E N ’ S

C H O R U S

THE CASINO AMENDMENT. The constitutional amendment to allow four casinos in Arkansas led by professional poker player Nancy Todd cleared a significant hurdle to make the general election ballot.

Her signature drive had fallen short at the initial deadline, but enough signatures were submitted to qualify for an extension to gain more and, using paid canvassers, Todd amassed more than 95,000 signatures, 18,000 more than needed. Now the amendment awaits the resolution of a Supreme Court challenge over its ballot language.

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

RCMC Ark Times Ad Series 2012-13.indd 1

9/6/12 4:44 PM

Foist by his own petard: In a rather sharp critique of a state lawmaker, a blogger writes “State Representative Loy Mauch believes public education is a socialist plot hoisted on the South.” Mr. Mauch is a man of strange beliefs, all right, but I think the writer intended to use foisted rather than hoisted.

To hoist is “to raise or lift.” To foist is “to force upon fraudulently or unjustifiably.”

Not-so-magnificent counting: “Yul Brynner (from left), Steve McQueen, Horst Bucholz, Charles Bronson and Robert Vaughn are four of The Magnificent Seven.”

WEEK THAT WAS

It was a good week for ...

P R E S E N T S

is Arkansas’s, not Arkansas’. This was the way of the legendary old Arkansas Gazette.

It is the way of DOUG Parker Westbrook, SMITH dougsmith@arktimes.com acknowledged as the foremost authority on this point. It was probably the way of the Indians. They were better grammarians than the white men gave them credit for.

WHINING. At a state Legislative Education Committee meeting, Rep. Justin Harris, who runs a pre-school that receives funding through the Department of Human Services’ Arkansas Better Chance program, complained that his school had received scrutiny because of “an outside group” (Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which pointed out that Harris’ school was providing religious instruction, even though it receives state money). “In 2006, when we applied for this grant, we were told that all we had to do was have parents sign a paper [opting out of religious instruction for their child] … we have complied by moving Biblical curriculum after hours, but now we can’t pray with students or sing religious songs?” he said. The answer for Harris is that in 2006,

when Mike Huckabee was governor, the state didn’t pay much attention to the U.S. Constitution.

It was a bad week for ...

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS. Alabama beat the depleted Razorbacks 52-0. Star quarterback Tyler Wilson didn’t play because of a head injury. The shutout was the worst campus loss in 93 years.

SEN. JACK CRUMBLY. His lawsuit arguing discrimination against black voters in redrawing of state Senate districts — especially state Senate District 24 in East Arkansas — after the 2010 Census was dismissed by a three-judge panel.

Crumbly lost a Democratic primary in May for the new Senate District 24 seat to a white candidate, Keith Ingram of West Memphis.

STATE TREASURER MARTHA SHOFFNER. She failed to appear before the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee to answer questions about a critical audit of her investment practices on Friday, infuriating legislators, who sent the State Police after her with a subpoena. On Monday, when she did appear, a staff member being questioned about bond sales that produced losses asked if she had whistleblower protection and said she had advised Shoffner against certain investments. Shoffner disputed that.

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

Poems on glass THE OBSERVER WENT AHEAD with

our years-deep threat and canceled our dish TV service a few months back. The prices had just been creeping up month to month, until finally we were paying north of $80 bucks per lunar cycle and didn’t even have HBO. There was just something about paying that kind of money and not even being able to watch “Game of Thrones” that rubbed us the wrong way.

So, we canceled. Yes, we’re sure we want to cancel. No, we won’t climb up on the roof and retrieve your dish. You put it up there, you come get it. Yes, send us a box for the receiver and we’ll gladly ship it back.

No, we won’t consider your exclusive, one-time offer of knocking $10 off the bill every month.

It has been blissfully peaceful around The Observatory since we cut the cord. No Kardashians. No reality TV. No political ads. No horrific glimpses of Fox News as we channel-surf past on the way to the old-timey movie channel (“Is President Obama an extraterrestrial lizardman determined to eat a burrito made of your pets and the Constitution?! We report! You decide!”). As an added bonus, we’ve totally missed that “Honey Boo-Boo” show everybody seems to be staring at in disgusted fascination, thank God. We’ve got around to reading more books and doing a little non-Observational writing of our own, and when it blows up a storm, the lovely shush of raindrops on the roof doesn’t have to compete with the drone of The Idiot Box. That’s easily worth not being able to watch The Weather Channel.

THE OBSERVER IS A GREAT FAN

of public art, and particularly the kind that appears without anybody paying for it. Some might call that “graffiti,” but the fact is that somebody put their freedom (or at least the cost of a misdemeanor ticket) on the line to express themselves. We

can support that.

Speaking of which: while walking down Main Street the other night on the way to The Rep, a Deputy Observer reports that she was stunned to see the following poem floating before her in the darkness — careful, ghostly lines written in what appeared to be white grease pencil on the plate glass window of a shop at Capitol and Main: Thinking of a master plan Cos aint nothing but sweat Inside my hand So I start my mission Leave my residence Thinkin how could I get Some dead presidents I need money I used to be a stickup kid So I think of all the devious Things I did I used to roll up This is a hold up Aint nothing funny Stop smiling Be still don’t nothing Move but the money So I dig into my pocket All my money spent So I dig deeper But still comin up With lint But now Ive learned Cos I’m riteous I feel great So maybe I might Search for a 9 to 5 If I strive then Maybe I stay alive

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As our Deputy reports: “It was a gift to find such a thing in our downtown block. I didn’t have my camera with me then, but the next morning I snapped some shots before going to work. I haven’t been back today to see if the words have survived or if they’ve been removed. Just like Little Rock’s downtown, the writer is seeking a master plan.” www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

11

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management issued a general threat warning recently based on a report from a driving school in Northwest Arkansas that 20 Saudi Arabian women were seeking driving lessons.

They were students at the University of Arkansas. Cooler heads decided there was nothing to worry about.

According to the Department of Emergency Management, the students e-mailed the school Sept. 3 requesting driving lessons, but did not respond to a query for more information. The e-mail came from the Saudi students organization at the University of Arkansas.

But the fact that female Saudi students wanted to learn how to drive — which is prohibited in their country — was not deemed a credible threat by any of the agencies that ADEM contacted about the driving school’s report.

That would be the Department of Homeland Security, the ATF, the TSA, FEMA, the FBI and the Secret Service. (See jump for text of DEM report.)

Kimma Harper, president of the driving academy, declined to talk to the Times. We also couldn’t reach any of the Saudi students. We don’t know yet if any lessons have begun.

Chad Stover, the public information officer for ADEM, said it was probably the number involved that triggered the threat message. He said the checklist that ADEM uses before it issues such an alert does not use nationality as a trigger. He said the duty officers who take the calls take into account the concerns of the caller. “If they were worried about 20 Baptists [for example], we would have gotten involved in the same way,” he said.

“We would encourage people to get driving lessons,” he said.

The following is the text of the e-mail sent to law enforcement agencies by Emergency Management.

Public Threat - General Benton Co The Driving Academy of Northwest Arkansas reported 20 Saudi Arabian women are requesting to learn how to drive. She received an email requesting driving training on September 3. She replied back on September 5 stating she had some questions for them.

They haven’t answered back. They stated in their request that they 12

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

Saudi women deemed no threat

SILENT PROTEST: Planchon’s supporters at the LOPFI meeting.

Ring of fire Dying firefighter fights to collect stalled pension.

BY DAVID KOON

T

hough he risked his life fighting hundreds of blazes and hazmat spills during his 24 years as a firefighter with the Springdale Fire Department, Capt. Harold “Bud” Planchon is in the biggest fight of his life right now, battling terminal colorectal cancer that has spread to his liver.

Just as bad, say he and his wife, has been the fight with the Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System (LOPFI) for their family’s economic stability. For more than a year now, the Planchons say, LOPFI’s executive director has let the veteran firefighter’s disability retirement claim hang in limbo.

Planchon and his doctors say on-the-job exposures — including smoke and vapors from hazmat runs, and diesel fumes from the unventilated firehouse where he worked for over 20 years — caused his cancer.

More than 40 states, including every state that borders Arkansas, are legally required to take it as a given that when a firefighter is diagnosed with certain forms of cancer — including

colon cancer — it is due to on-thejob exposure to diesel fumes and other carcinogens. A 2007 study by the University of Cincinnati found that firefighters are twice as likely as the general population to develop testicular cancer, and have markedly higher rates of several other cancers, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and prostate cancer.

Arkansas doesn’t have such a law. The pension system has been requesting large amounts of documentation to prove Planchon’s employment caused his cancer.

LOPFI executive director David Clark said the case has dragged out because, he claims, Planchon’s doctors have not provided medical documentation in a timely manner. But Jane Planchon says without hesitation that LOPFI is waiting on her husband to die so the system doesn’t set a precedent that would require LOPFI to pay future Arkansas firefighters who contract cancer down the road.

Planchon, who also served two active tours of duty as a Naval

corpsman assigned to the Marines, was diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to his liver in March 2009. After undergoing several rounds of chemotherapy, Planchon made the decision to formally retire in August 2011, having applied with LOPFI for disability retirement in June 2011. Since then, he’s been treated at several hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, where doctors removed 75 percent of his liver.

Fighting LOPFI, Jane Planchon said, has been much more stressful than fighting cancer for her husband. One of the first roadblocks was the system’s requirement that the names on Jane Planchon’s Social Security card and her driver’s license match up. Jane Planchon said that issue took two months to straighten out.

In a January 2012 letter discussing the name issue, Clark also requested that Bud Planchon provide “dates when you were exposed to materials that caused liver cancer” and requesting letters from Planchon’s doctors that “should explain how they were able to determine that either military service or other events outside of employment as a Springdale firefighter caused his liver cancer. Each doctor also needs to clearly explain why the medical records provided with their physician’s statement were completely devoid of employment references as the cause of the liver cancer.” In another letter dated July 19, 2012, Clark comes close to accusing Planchon of forgery, saying “the signature on [the physician’s] letter bears no resemblance to the signature on either of the physician’s statements from Dr. Ortego dated May 1, 2011, and June 7, 2011. When Dr. Ortego provides his follow up response, please ensure it is on his office letterhead and carries his signature.”

Jane Planchon said that she, her husband and their doctors have provided Clark and LOPFI with extensive documentation about Bud Planchon’s case, but have yet to see the claim approved or denied. Planchon can’t work, and because most Arkansas firefighters don’t pay in to Social Security, he’s had no income since his retirement from the Springdale Fire Department. “This one man keeps unilaterally telling us that we just have to keep giving him more and more,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

LISTEN UP

THE

BIG PICTURE

INCONSEQUENTIAL NEWS QUIZ: THE EXCUSE EDITION

Tune in to the Times’ “Week In Review” podcast each Friday.

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

INSIDER, CONT.

Play at home. are with the Saudi Students Organization at University of Arkansas.

(Notified: Local Coordinator, Area Coordinator, Deputy Director, Director, Hazmat Program Manager, PIO, Fusion Center, ATF, Department of Homeland Security Protective Security Adviser, ESF 2, ESF 8, FBI, FEMA Region VI, JTTF, TSA, U.S. Secret Service)

1. According to the Northwest Arkansas Times, Sen. Bruce “Fireball” Holland made efforts to seal the record of statements he made last year to a Perry County deputy, who he led on a 100-mph chase through a couple of counties, an offense that led to an arrest and conviction. Holland’s arrest and conviction is old news. What’s new is the revelation that Holland tried to seal the record.

What excuse did he offer for speeding that he wanted sealed?

A) He’d just got the car the day before and was trying it out.

B) He likes to drive with his feet, and was afraid Geico might raise his insurance premiums if they knew about it.

C) The all-you-can-eat salsa bar at Taco Loco wasn’t working out for him.

D) “Project Runway” was on in ten minutes.

2. Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner failed to appear at a Legislative Joint Auditing Committee meeting on Sept.

14, when a critical audit of her investment practices was released. Shoffner, much to the dismay of state legislators, was a no-show (she appeared on Monday). What was Shoffner’s excuse for not initially appearing?

A) It was bowling league night, and the asses of the Stuckey’s Tire and Tow Strike Force ain’t gonna kick themselves.

B) Holding down a rabid raccoon by the neck with a shovel, couldn’t let go or it would bite her.

C) Mo’ money, mo’ problems.

D) She had to attend a meeting on economic development in Jackson County.

4. For the second consecutive month, Arkansas lottery ticket sales were down compared to the same month in the last fiscal year.

What excuse did lottery spokeswoman Julie Baldridge offer?

A. Poor peoples’ stubborn refusal to eat losing scratch-off tickets.

B. Patrons choosing to bet on cockroach races in the convenience store parking lot instead of buying lottery tickets.

C. High gas prices, high temperatures and a drought.

D. Arkansas math teachers gaining ground in helping students understand what the phrase “estimated odds of winning are 1 in 175,223,510” means.

Glenwood teen-ager closer to home

3. After initially asking attorney Robert Newcomb, who has long played Santa Claus in the Downtown Little Rock Christmas Parade and elsewhere in Little Rock, to once again make an appearance at a state Capitol Christmas event, the secretary of state’s office rescinded its invitation. Newcomb, who is representing an African-American woman who’s filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission about her firing as a member of the Capitol police force after more than a dozen years on the job, said he was fired out of retribution. The secretary of state’s office denied that charge. What was its excuse for firing Santa?

A. Obama.

B. Somebody in the office misspelled “Santa” as “Satan,” and by the time they figured it out, Newcomb had already been fired.

C. The annual atheist Winter Solstice display by the Society of Freethinkers on the capitol grounds finally won over Mark Martin.

D. Someone who works for the SOS wanted the job.

5. Over 15 years, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration sent a total of $2.45 million to the state Game and Fish Commission that was supposed to go to the state Highway and Transportation Department, DFA recently discovered. According to DFA director Richard Weiss, the error was caused by…

A. A cabal of chiropractors, who have a vested interest in making more potholes.

B. A coding error.

C. “Take a left at the elevator, and look for the game warden with Khloe Kardashian on his lap.”

D. A one-eyed hunter who lost a leg in 2004 to “Ol’ Rockertop,” the mysterious 32-point carnivorous ghost buck of Dallas County. They say he dreams only of revenge.

Kaiti Tidwell, the child floated across the Rio Grande as an infant and raised in Glenwood, has made some progress toward being able to legally return to her adoptive family in the U.S. Tidwell, who was adopted at age 14 by JoAnn Tidwell of Glenwood, was required to travel to Mexico when she turned 18 in May. Her adoptive mother accompanied her so that together they could work out the thorniest of problems: Kaiti was brought to the U.S. so young she had no birth certificate in Mexico. That means she was documented neither in in Mexico nor the U.S.; she was a person without a country. The Tidwells have struggled for 15 years to get residency status for her; we’ve written about their travails, first at home in Glenwood, where she graduated from high school, and later in Mexico.

JoAnn Tidwell, who had to return home alone to the states to care for her son, who was injured in a car accident, called the Times to say that Kaiti’s I-130 form (petition for alien relative) has been approved. Kaiti must now travel to one of the most dangerous cities in the world — Juarez — to the Mexican Embassy there to get a travel visa. A green card will be mailed to her, JoAnn Tidwell said. Kaiti will not be alone when she travels to Juarez but with her boyfriend, a U.S. citizen originally from California who has been a great help to the Tidwells, JoAnn said.

Tidwell credited Kaiti’s progress to the dedication of a U.S. embassy employee to get Kaiti back to the only country she’s ever known to live with her legal family, and to the doggedness of a lawyer in Cordoba. Kaiti will apply for residency, a process that takes five years.

JoAnn Tidwell and friends are in the process of putting up fliers in Glenwood saying “Help bring Kaiti home,” a request for financial help with travel and legal bills. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

13

ANSWERS: 1. A 2. D 3. D 4 C. 5 B.

‘I JUST WANT THEM TO STOP ...’

A four-year study finds a nightmare of abuse, bullying and sexual harassment for Latino students in some Little Rock schools, with reports of complaints falling on deaf ears. What’s going on, and can anything be done to stop it?

BY DAVID KOON AND RAFAEL NUNEZ

D

r. Terry Trevino-Richard’s evidence of near-constant bullying, intimidation and violence aimed at Latinos at the hands of black students in Little Rock schools — including shocking sexual harassment of girls as young as fourth grade — has not been told until now. The sociology professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock says he’s been waiting for a sign of improvement in the Little Rock School District since providing his research to the district in 2010 and again in 2011.

But, like study participants who said their complaints fell on deaf ears when shared with teachers and school principals, Trevino-Richard believes his survey, Operation Intercept, has also been ignored.

Trevino-Richard says he presented the findings of Operation Intercept three times to two different LRSD superintendents and several high-ranking administrators, making presentations with full summaries and recommendations to Superintendent Linda Watson in October 2010 and December 2010, and presenting the findings again for Superintendent Morris Holmes in September 2011.

The district was originally unable to find those summaries in its files, but did turn one up after being provided with a copy by the Arkansas Times. Trevino-Richard this week also provided the district, for the fourth time, he said, with summaries of his research. District spokesperson Pamela Smith said the district “will thoroughly review and verify the concerns and pointedly deal with the same. … We want to drill into the heart of the matter and we will.”

To be sure, the Operation Intercept study — responses to questionnaires and focus groups at five schools completed in 2007 and 2008 — is by now old data.

But Trevino-Richard, the president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is plugged into the Latino community and whose wife and study collaborator, Rocio Ortega-Richard, has kept in touch with students and parents, believes the district has yet to address the problems.

And a 2012 graduate of Hall High says it’s his experience that black-Latino conflicts still exist.

Trevino-Richard has also provided the results to the Arkansas Times, in the hope that making it public will provoke a response from the district.

14

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Trevino-Richard and Ortega-Richard conducted the Operation Intercept study (collecting additional data in 2010) with the cooperation of the Little Rock School District. Originally set in motion by former LRSD superintendent Roy Brooks, the study distributed questionnaires and held focus groups at several Little Rock schools with sizable Latino populations, including Chicot Elementary, Wakefield Elementary, Terry Elementary, Henderson Middle School and Hall High School, with some later work conducted at Baseline, Cloverdale and others.

Originally, Trevino-Richard said, the plan was simply to ask Latino students about their attitudes about school: which classes they liked, which learning styles worked best for non-native speakers, and so forth, with no questions about race or race relations. One question in the study, however, asked students to comment about the worst thing that had happened to them at school. That question opened a Pandora’s box, with students repeatedly mentioning sexual harassment, violence, bullying and what the researchers came to see as a pattern of casual racism among both black students and some staff.

“We talked about bullying, and suddenly there’s just this slew of stuff that’s basically a black/brown issue in terms of being picked on,” Trevino-Richard said.

“The sexual harassment is stunning for fourth and fifth graders. One of the kids — a female — said: ‘I just want them to stop doing this to me. I want them to stop.’ She was constantly being sexually harassed.”

Comments about black-on-Latino harassment, mocking and bullying were uniform across the board. At four of the schools, 34 of 44 Latino parents who participated in focus groups reported that their children had been bullied. Worse still was a pattern that would become troublingly common as the study progressed: near-constant sexual harassment of Latino girls by black males. Five of the six Latino elementary-school-age girls who took part in a focus group at Wakefield Elementary reported being sexually harassed or otherwise sexually threatened, and 16 of 19 elementary school-aged girls overall reported being sexually harassed.

The study was expanded to other schools that exceeded the “threshold” of a population that was more than 25 percent Latino. The patterns seen earlier con-

BRIAN CHILSON

‘I JUST WANT THEM TO STOP ...’

THE MESSENGER: Dr. Terry Trevino-Richard.

tinued. “We actually had to change the nature of the questions because it became so overwhelming in terms of the sense of predatory activity,” Trevino-Richard said.

“Sometimes — because there are ethical concerns, like a kid who was exposing himself — we actually found the name [of the perpetrator] and reported it ... . At that point the ethical concerns of confidentiality were challenged and we had an ethical duty to report the individual who was responsible.”

The responses the study garnered from parents and students who tried to report the abuse find that they often felt nothing was done. Trevino-Richard recalled a parent at Henderson Middle School who said he’d reported the sexual harassment of his daughter. “His daughter had been harassed, so he went to the teacher,” Trevino-Richard said. “The teacher went to the principal. The principal said I can’t do anything about it — just blew it off.”

From the translated response of a Latino parent at Wakefield Elementary: “My daughter was picked on by two black kids and when she talked to the teacher, the teacher ignored her. One time, she was in the bathroom and a black girl sneaked

under the door and showed my daughter her private parts. My daughter ran out of the bathroom and went to her teacher, but nothing was done. I also talked to the teacher, but they don’t want to hear it. I talked to my daughter about not having bad feelings in her heart toward these kids.”

At Hall High, Trevino-Richard said, the pattern continued, only with the added element of prolific gang activity and drug dealing. There were around 160 Latino students out of a student body of over 1,000 at Hall at the time the study was conducted, Richard said.

“There were these conflicts there that were the same kind of sexual harassment and bullying,” Trevino-Richard said. “At Hall High, a lot of Latinos noted the emergence of [Latino] gangs, primarily as a protective device. In other words, the blacks would come in groups, and in order to protect themselves, the Latinos developed a kind of gang response.” At Hall High, the study called sexual harassment of girls “a serious problem,” with both black and Latino parents expressing concern that their daughters had reported being inappropriately touched by male

students. Among Latino girls at Hall, the study said: “There was no indication from these students that any action was taken by responsible parties to stop this harassment.”

“A most striking commonality among the Latino parents at all five schools is that there is a pattern of perceived discrimination by African-American employees (faculty and staff) toward Latino students and parents,” the overall summary of the study says. “When asked about the worst experience that the parents had with the LRSD, the responses were staggering. This involved African-American bus drivers, cafeteria workers, security guards, as well as some teachers and administrators. ... Latino students also [corroborated] independently of their parents what they perceived as a pattern of discriminatory behavior by African-American students and employees toward Latinos.” TrevinoRichard said reports from Latino students included everything from bus drivers who made Latinos sit at the back of the bus to Latinos believing that black cafeteria workers give African-American students bigger portions at lunch.

Trevino-Richard said that though blacks are a minority in America, they’re a “numerical majority” in the student body, administration and employee ranks in most Little Rock schools, giving them the power to discriminate against the minority groups they see as being in competition with them.

“One of the parents [interviewed in a focus group of black parents] at Hall High School said, ‘You know, it’s just like survival of the fittest. We’re in power now.’ ” Trevino-Richard recalled. “That was a statement ... . Once you get into power, it allows you to receive the benefits or the perks of that. In many cases you often either ignore or in many cases you really begin to scapegoat the other group that’s in competition.”

‘THEY WERE JUST KIND OF HIDDEN THERE ...’

Marco Martinez graduated from Hall High last spring. He said that there was constant tension between blacks and Latinos at the school during his time there, often escalating to violence. In March 2012, Martinez said he was involved in a fight in which he said he was trying to save his sister, who was “getting stomped by seven girls.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

15

BRIAN CHILSON

‘SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST’ KEY FINDINGS OF OPERATION INTERCEPT.

D

r. Terry Trevino-Richard said one of the saddest moments during the Operation Intercept research was when he heard two Latino girls at two different elementary schools use virtually the same words when speaking about repeated incidents of sexual harassment they had endured at the hands of classmates: “I just want them to stop.”

Of the 19 fourth- and fifth-grade Latino girls researchers spoke to for the Operation Intercept study, Trevino-Richard said, 16 reported they had been sexually harassed by their African-American classmates, some of them repeatedly, in ways TrevinoRichard called “shocking,” given the youth of the victims and perpetrators.

In one instance, a Latino parent spoke of her young daughter being sexually accosted in a girl’s bathroom: “A black girl sneaked under the door [of the stall] and showed my daughter her private parts and told my child that now it was her turn to show her her private parts,” the parent said. “My daughter ran out of the bathroom and went to

her teacher and nothing was done. I also talked to the teacher, but they do not want to hear/know about this.”

Just as pervasive as the sexual harassment were reports of violence and intimidation, even by young children, with Latino parents and students saying administrators, teachers and security guards often did nothing to intervene, even when informed of the incidents.

From the same school as the bathroom incident: “Her son has been pushed during recess by black students and many times the security people are black and they laugh.”

“What was disturbing was that in all of the schools we went to,” TrevinoRichard said, “a common theme was predatory acts.” Trevino-Richard said that some of the black students surveyed for the study said that “sexual harassment was how they played around with each other” in a joking way, an attitude that’s likely at the root of many of the sexual harassment issues.

Though Trevino-Richard is careful to point out that there are good

teachers at all the schools surveyed for Operation Intercept — teachers who care about both the black and Latino students in their care — some of the teachers who spoke with researchers seemed to dismiss lewd behavior in their school as a result of a more sexually permissive culture, or called bullying “horseplay.”

“In many cases, they’re just chalking it up to: ‘Kids will be kids. It’s normal,’ ” Trevino-Richard said. “It’s not. It’s not normal.”

KEY FINDINGS BY SCHOOL: HALL HIGH Study conducted 2008 Latino students at Hall reported constant problems with bullying, sexual harassment, violence and gangs.

Drugs, the study said, were “omnipresent at the school,” with students telling researchers that alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs and cocaine were readily available there. Students reported numerous fights between Latinos and blacks, with Trevino-Richard saying the Latinos were beginning to form gangs to protect themselves.

Latino parents noted an incident in December 2008 at the school in which a fight between a black student and a Latino student (which a former teacher told the Arkansas Times was the result of a drug deal gone bad) escalated into a near-riot. In that case, all the Latino students in the school were sent home for the day while black students were allowed to remain, which Latino

parents “perceived as discriminatory action by the school.”

Latino girls from Hall who spoke to the researchers said they often felt “sexually threatened” at school, with the summary of Hall High’s portion of Operation Intercept stating: “Bullying and sexual harassment are serious problems at Hall. Girls noted that they were inappropriately touched by African-American male students. There was no indication from these students that any action was taken by responsible parties to stop this harassment.”

One girl said she’d been molested in the hallway. “ ‘I reported this to the teacher, and the teacher asked for names,’ “ the girl told researchers, “but I didn’t know who they were.’

Student doesn’t know if the teacher did anything.” The study said the Hall High teachers the researchers spoke with “have seen and witnessed all types of sexual harassment and bullying.” During a focus group with black parents at Hall, Trevino-Richard said a black parent told researchers there was black-on-Latino discrimination at the school, but added: “It’s just a survival of the fittest thing.”

CHICOT ELEMENTARY Study conducted 2007 Students said they were punished for speaking Spanish at school, including one incident in which a group of Latino students was forced to sit outside on the playground on a cold winter day without their jackets as punishment for speaking Spanish. “[A teacher] punishes us for 30 minutes in cold weather and laughed because we didn’t have our jackets on,” one student told the researchers, with another adding: “[She] didn’t let us move or put our hands [on] our chest to be less cold.”

Latino students said they were often harassed by black students in the classroom, on the bus, and in the hallways.

Of the six fourth- and fifth-grade Latino girls who talked to researchers at Chicot Elementary, five said they had been sexually harassed by black students, with Latino students reporting mocking and bullying by black students as being “a constant issue.”

“I don’t want to do anything because next time it will be my turn,” one student told the researchers. Asked what was the best thing that happened

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ARKANSAS TIMES

to him at school, another student said: “When the black kids don’t bother us.”

HENDERSON MIDDLE SCHOOL Study conducted 2008 Latino students said teachers and black students became angry if they spoke Spanish, with one student reporting that a teacher told him: “If you cannot speak English, go back to Mexico.” Students said there was “a lot of physical and verbal abuse” directed toward Latinos there, with several girls complaining about black males inappropriately touching them.

“One girl noted that she was being bullied every day by another black female student,” the study says, “and despite reporting it, it continues daily.”

That girl told the researchers that the black girl tripped and continuously bothered her, hitting her on the head nearly every day. Every Latino student the researchers spoke with at Henderson spoke of bullying, drugs or gangs as part of the worst experience they’d ever had at school.

Latino parents told the researchers that they believed there “was a double-standard at school with regard to dress codes and language between blacks and Latinos,” with their children often telling them about sexual harassment. The parents said they felt their children were “made fun of by students, teachers and other school staff members when they speak their language.”

“All parents,” the study says, “felt that their children are being singled out and many times disciplined differently than black students. This is especially true if there is a conflict between blacks and Latinos. Parents felt the black students are allowed to dress and conduct themselves inappropriately and that teachers and other school staff overlook their abusive language and behaviors whereas Latino students are reprimanded and many times suspended.”

One parent said that after her daughter was sexually harassed by a black student, the girl reported the incident to both a security guard and a teacher, but was “ignored by both.”

When the parent went to school to complain, the parent said the principal told her he couldn’t do anything about the issue. Another Latino parent related how her daughter was beaten by a group of black girls in a bathroom.

After she came to school to talk to the principal on three different occasions, the parent told researchers, “She was told that he could not help because she didn’t have proof that the incident really happened.”

Latino parents at Henderson said that while there were good teachers at the school who cared deeply about all the children there, they felt their children were routinely ignored by some teachers and staff. Parents reported their children were sometimes robbed and harassed by black students but were punished if they tried to defend themselves. “If our children do not follow the school dress code,” one parent told the researchers, “they are reprimanded, but black students can come to school with their pants

hanging low and wearing inappropriate clothes. They are not called on.

If our kids wear T-shirts with Spanish messages, they get picked on. Black teachers defend black kids but punish the Latinos.”

Henderson teachers in the educator focus group seemed to dismiss the claims of bullying and sexual harassment, telling researchers that the inappropriate language and sexual touching they see students engaged in “is normal for teen-agers at this time in our society. They felt that some people may see some of the behaviors as bullying or harassing, but that it is really just ‘horseplay.’ “ TERRY ELEMENTARY Study conducted 2007-2008 Latino students reported that they were punished if they spoke Spanish.

“If you say a word [the teachers] don’t understand,” one student said, “they tell the principal and he (the principal) calls my mom and dad.”

“Bullying and sexual harassment is a serious problem identified by the students,” the study said. “These problems seem to be disproportionately perpetrated by African-American students, according to the students.”

Teachers from Terry Elementary felt frustrated by the language barrier separating them from Latino parents when trying to deal with student issues.

“Teachers have seen and witnessed all types of sexual harassment and bullying,” the study says, “but seemed reticent to suggest any ethnic pattern.”

Some teachers told the researchers that the district handbook was not followed when it comes to bullying and sexual harassment. “We have a bullying policy and they do not enforce their own policies and that does not have anything to do with [the victim] being an immigrant,” one teacher said.

“The district ignores issues.”

Terry Elementary Latino parents surveyed for the study said that they also felt alienated by the language barrier, and said that it was one of the reasons they didn’t go to the principal’s office to complain about the abuse of their children. “Parents did not feel the teachers or administrators were doing anything to stop this problem of bullying and inappropriate behavior.”

WAKEFIELD ELEMENTARY Study conducted 2007 While Latino students were generally “very positive about their enjoying their school experience,” at Wakefield, they also reported high levels of bullying and harassment by black children at the school, with several Latino kids reporting “physical altercations, mostly with things being thrown at them.”

“Level of sexual harassment for 4th/5th graders was very disturbing,” the study said. “Black student exposing himself, touching, verbal abuse.

Students did not report this activity often, and when they did, they felt nothing happened.”

Teachers in the Wakefield focus group said that they “felt that the overall policies to stop bullying or inappropriate activity were clearly stated, but were simply not enforced.”

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17

I JUST WANT THEM TO STOP, CONT. “The funny thing is that the outcome was, we got suspended for 10 days, and [the other girls involved] got suspended for three or five days,” Martinez said. “Some of the girls who were actually involved in the fight, they didn’t even get suspended.”

In his experience, Martinez said, when a Latino student reports being bullied by a black student, “they’ll just ignore it.”

“Ms. X” is a former Hall High School teacher who has since left the district but who was at the school during the time the Operation Intercept study was conducted. She spoke to the Arkansas Times on condition that we would protect her anonymity. Ms. X said that while she was a teacher at Hall, her experience was that black students were allowed to say almost anything without fear of real repercussions. “The blacks are extremely prejudiced,” Ms. X said. “I’ve never seen anything like it until I started working for the Little Rock School District. They can say anything. They can call names. They can do anything they want to. Nothing ever happens to them.” She said the constant abuse led Latinos and other minorities at the school to believe that what they do doesn’t matter.

“They feel very intimidated, and the Hispanics as well as the white kids at Hall, they felt like what they think or have to say is not really important. They were just kind of hidden there.” Part of the reason she left the district, Ms. X said, was because she often felt intimidated by students at the school. “Many times, I was called ‘This dumb white bitch,’ ” Ms. X said. “Why do

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ARKANSAS TIMES

I have to be ‘white’? Why can’t I just be a ‘bitch’? ... Why do I have to be ‘a dumb white bitch’?”

In a later focus group with 11 AfricanAmerican students at Hall High in 2010, after a reported fight between black and Hispanic students, students acknowledged there was bullying, but said it was playful at times, and mostly involved non-Spanish speaking students.

Asked if a reporter could speak to Hall High Principal John Daniels, dis-

tion as inclusive as possible.”

‘IT HAS GOTTEN BETTER’

Little Rock School Board member Melanie Fox said that she has spoken with Trevino-Richard about presenting the study to LRSD administration, but has never seen the full report. She was unaware it was presented to Holmes last year.

Fox said that while she didn’t have specific knowledge of black/Latino relations at any of the other schools in the study,

In March 2012, Martinez said he was involved in a fight in which he said he was trying to save his sister, who was ‘getting stomped by seven girls.’ trict spokesperson Smith said: “To be frank with you, unless these were administrators who were at the school at the time, that wouldn’t really be a fair assessment. Mr. Daniels is new to the school; however, I know that he’s committed to excellence in education and behavior at Hall High.”

Smith said that since she’s been in the communications office of the school, “there’s been a significant focus on increasing communication and awareness in the Hispanic community.”

“More work obviously could be done,” she said, “but we feel very strongly about our commitment to trying to make educa-

she often visited Hall High as a school board member. Fox said there was a time at Hall High when tension between Latinos and African-American students was running high, but she said she believes it has improved in recent years. “I think it has gotten better,” she said. “I think the situation at Hall is not perfect, but it has gotten better. Is it where it needs to be?

No, but it has gotten better.”

Fox said that when someone calls to complain to her about an issue, she tells them they must follow the “chain of command” that eventually leads to the superintendent and the board. “I cannot solve

or address their issues, really, until they follow that chain of command,” she said.

“If they tell me they’re fearful of that chain of command and give me a good reason why, I can immediately say: Get me something in writing and I will forward it to the superintendent.”

Fox said the LRSD board is undertaking a complete “cover to cover” review and revision of the student handbook this year. “They have a committee formed to take that book apart and look at it page by page,” she said. “Hopefully that is going to lead to some new and improved rules and regs as far as student behavior, teacher behavior and employee behavior.”

Fox said that Holmes has taken steps this year to try and address the “language barrier” issue, including emphasizing bilingual education. “This year, everything is being printed in Spanish and English now, and that’s new,” she said. “The handbooks were deployed to every school with Spanish copies. That’s new. I do know that the district has taken some steps this year to address those issues.”

Told about the incident in which students at Chicot Elementary reported they were punished for speaking Spanish by being forced to sit outside in the cold without their jackets (see page 16), Fox called the incident “shocking.” She said she would call Trevino-Richard to ask him to present the study to the Little Rock School Board so specifics like that incident could be addressed.

“I’m shocked. Dismayed,” Fox said. “No student, no matter what — no matter what color or race — should be treated that way.”

Zone Six school board member Charles Armstrong was similarly shocked by some of the reports in the study, particularly the accounts of sexual harassment. “I don’t CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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I JUST WANT THEM TO STOP, CONT. believe in sexual harassment, nor bullying. If it was my daughter, I’d be out there and they’d probably have me in jail ... . I have talked on this subject since I got on the board: We will not accept bullying. If the bullying is going on, you need to stop it and you need to stop it now. This is the first time I’ve heard about this study, but it would not be tolerated by the board.”

Armstrong said that the board should look into creating a bilingual liaison office to hear parent complaints, and the district should work harder to bridge the language barrier between teachers and Latino parents so they feel comfortable bringing their concerns to the administration. Armstrong said that once when he was visiting Chicot, he stood outside a classroom and listened while a bilingual student tried to translate between a teacher and a set of Latino parents who spoke little English.

“They had a child trying to interpret to those parents,” he said. “Even if you don’t have interpreters for all schools, you should have one that you can call up and say: ‘We need you over here now.’ You might not have enough money to have a full-time person for each school, but you need rovers anyway — people who can be there in 10 minutes or less to talk to these people.”

‘THE RACIAL CARD’

Terry Trevino-Richard and Rocio Ortega-Richard said they didn’t make the results of Operation Intercept public until now because they wanted to give the LRSD time to make changes, and because they feared releasing the information could make a bad situation worse.

“We feared that the ‘racial card’ was going to come out,” Ortega-Richard said.

“How do we avoid hurting the community but at the same time do something about it? One way we found to be more gentle would be to present the bullet points to the next superintendent. Well, they read it. But it’s obvious they’re not going to do anything about it.”

While Trevino-Richard said there are good teachers and administrators in the LRSD who are protective and appreciative of Latino students (he said one recurring theme among teachers who were surveyed was that they wanted more Latino students, reporting them to be mostly well-behaved and attentive) there is clearly a widespread problem with reports from Latino students not being taken seriously enough or ignored altogether. After awhile, Trevino-Richard

said, even teachers who do report Latino students’ complaints to the administration can develop “cognitive dissonance” about complaints from Latinos. “Often when they have reported [claims of harassment and bullying], nothing gets done,” Trevino-Richard said, “so they just go through this thing of: ‘It happens, it happens in all the schools, kids are kids, even in the past when we went to school.’ But it was never at this level. Certainly, the sexual harassment has never been at this level.”

Trevino-Richard said that there are likely “sub-cultural issues” at work in why the school district hasn’t done more to address the bullying and harassment uncovered by the Operation Intercept study, including problems with lack of leadership at an administrative level.

While Trevino-Richard said he’s confident that many of the problems revealed

by Operation Intercept continue to this day (he said his wife is still in contact with many teachers and administrators in the Little Rock School District, and they have reported no changes in response to Operation Intercept), he said he believes that Dr. Roy Brooks — who had his contract bought out by the LRSD in 2007 — would have attempted to find solutions.

“Given his leadership style, I do believe he would have actually intervened,” Trevino-Richard said. “I think he would have developed some programs to address this.

Certainly workshops on sensitivity training and things like that would have been initiated.”

Trevino-Richard said that there is likely to be some fallout for him because he released the results of the study to Arkansas Times and because he speaks frankly about what he sees as the issue of racism revealed by Operation Intercept. As he said a friend recently told him: “They’re going to want to kill the messenger, and you’re the messenger.”

Still, Trevino-Richard said that he was troubled by the fact that he wasn’t able to do more to help the students he spoke with during the study. If he can help Latino students in the district, he said, any repercussions he might feel will have been worth it. Many schools in the LRSD, he said, have become a “toxic environment” for Latino kids, where learning isn’t the primary focus anymore.

“You’re so concerned about your security that learning becomes a secondary issue,” he said. “You can imagine for a young girl to be sexually harassed in the fourth or fifth grade, and then having to carry on classes for the rest of that day or see this kid [who harassed her]. This is an environment which can produce such a high level of alienation and disengagement from the process of learning that it actually impacts on the talent and potential of these kids.”

RING OF FIRE, CONT. she said. “The lawyers keep telling him: ‘We don’t have anything else to give you. Please set this for a hearing.’

I’ve even asked him to deny it. He will not deny or approve it, and because it’s an administrative panel, we’re in limbo.”

Clark said Planchon’s case has been handled no differently from any disability retirement claim.

“We were trying to obtain underlying medical information to show the causal link of the application,” Clark said. “He applied for what is called a ‘Duty Disability Retirement,’ meaning that the disability was caused by his employment, in this case as a Springdale firefighter.”

Since Planchon filed his claim in June 2011, Clark said, LOPFI has evaluated and approved 47 other claims.

Some cases, he said, move “incredibly fast,” though others are drawn out longer than Bud Planchon’s due to the fact-gathering process. “The system has handled this case exactly like those 47 others I referenced a while ago,” he said. “Even though his case has been drawn out, it hasn’t been because we didn’t try to obtain the information.

It has just taken longer than either side would have appreciated.”

Clark said that Arkansas is one of the states that doesn’t have a presumptive disability provision when it comes to certain types of cancer often seen in firefighters. Because of that, LOPFI has to collect documents to try to make the “causal link” between cancer and employment before a claim can be approved or denied. “While we may like to support that [the presumptive disability provision], there’s just not that provision in the law,” he said.

Bud Planchon met with an LOPFI medical advisor in Little Rock on Aug. 4. Clark said that once the report comes back from that advisor in two to three weeks, the Planchon case should be approved or denied fairly soon after that. “That’s the document we need to say: we have you approved, or no we don’t, and here’s the reason why and you have the ability to appeal to the board of trustees.”

Jane Planchon, meanwhile, said she isn’t confident that her husband’s case will be moving forward any time soon.

She has gone so far as to reach out to LOPFI board members, earning her a rebuke from LOPFI’s attorney. She has called the governor’s office, only to be told it was an issue that would have to be handled by the board. She finally requested permission to speak at last week’s LOPFI board meeting, but was denied.

In protest, she and over a dozen of Planchon’s supporters traveled from North Arkansas to line one wall of the conference room where LOPFI was meeting Sept. 6, with Jane Planchon alternately holding her husband’s helmet and a large photograph of her husband in his fireman’s coat with their young daughter.

Planchon himself was too ill to attend.

One of those who came down for the meeting was Matt Bagley, a Springdale firefighter/paramedic who served with Planchon. Springdale’s firehouses

were all fitted with ventilation systems to combat diesel engine fumes in 2011, a change Bagley attributes to Bud Planchon’s diagnosis. “It was something that was kind of bucked for a long time because there was a cost involved,” he said. “It took someone contracting cancer and a letter from Johns Hopkins University saying ‘this is the reason’ for the powers-that-be to make the decision.”

Bagley called Planchon’s case “unsettling,” and said that LOPFI’s refusal to approve or deny the

disability claim for over a year affects every firefighter in the state.

“The LOPFI board is there to serve people,” Bagley said. “If it’s nothing more than a financial institution that doesn’t remember those that they’re there to serve, then it has outlived its usefulness.”

Fellow Springdale firefighter Matt Chacanaca agreed. “It’s Capt. Planchon right now,” he said. “But it’s also my kids, my wife, [Bagley’s] wife, his kids, every fireman across the state. It’s not just one of us.”

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www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

21

Arts Entertainment AND

BRIAN CHILSON

STARS OF ‘THE MAIN THING’: (L-R) Steve Farrell, Vicki Farrell and Brett Ihler.

JOINT AIMS FOR FUNNY BONE ARGENTA’S NEWEST CLUB CATERS TO LAUGH SEEKERS.

T

he Joint in North Little Rock is Central Arkansas’s newest comedy club, and from the looks of it, owners Steve and Vicki Farrell and the rest of the gang will be around for quite a while.

The Joint is not just a comedy club.

It’s a coffee shop and a beer and wine bar. Customers wander in to grab a drink or sandwich, use the free wi-fi and soak up the sun in the small alleyway seating area.

On Wednesday nights, customers can pay $5 to see The Joint Venture — a live comedy improv show featuring local comedians. Thursday nights offer a change of pace, with live music starting around 9 p.m. and Big Dam Beer Night 22

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

(with beer specials that change weekly) running until 1 a.m.

On Friday and Saturday nights, The Joint hosts The Main Thing, an original comedy show starring the Farrells and Brett Ihler. Written in-house, The Main Thing is a “full two-act storyline that you simply watch and enjoy,” Steve Farrell said.

The Joint’s first production, “Little Rock & A Hard Place,” was an Arkansascentric tale of a man killed near the intersection of Interstates 30 and 40 who is sent by St. Peter to purgatory, a.k.a.

North Little Rock, to earn his wings with good deeds. The spot-on gibes and commentary about Little Rock and North Little Rock showed that the Farrells — who came to Arkansas from Texas — did

BY ABIGAIL NIXON

their research.

While out-of-towners would likely need an explanation for many of “Hard Place” jokes, the next Main Thing play will be easily appreciated by anyone.

“Electile Dysfunction” — also set in Little Rock — opened Sept. 7 and runs through Nov. 10. The play follows three groups of characters, including a local TV news team (“a parody of all the local news teams we have grown to love,” Steve said). While talking to citizens about the election at a local mall, the news team finds a uniquely divided family: parents on opposite sides of the political spectrum and their teen-age anarchist, all of whom become local celebrities after their appearances on the local news.

The Farrells have a long history in

the comedy business. The duo helped create one of Houston’s first comedy clubs, The Comedy Workshop, in the 1970s and then went on to found Radio Music Theatre, a cabaret-style comedy/ musical venue, in 1984. Their writing has been featured in two off-Broadway productions of Radio Music Theatre, “Saturday Night Live,” MTV, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Dick Clark’s United Stations Radio Network and other radio and television outlets. After working with Radio Music Theatre for more than 25 years, the pair was ready to hit the road and leave the congestion of Houston behind.

After several visits to Little Rock, they decided that they’d found the place they were looking for. “We fell in love with Little Rock and chose to move here,” Steve said. “We were ready for a place with friendly people and without daily gridlock. After that, we found out what a cool thing was happening in Argenta with the revitalization of the area and the arts district.”

While this is the sixth theater that Steve and Vicki have opened, they said the community they have joined here is something special. “We saw a lot of cities that needed comedy, and found a population that seemed like it would support that in Little Rock,” said Steve.

The move to Arkansas was a big one.

They brought with them quite a few people to work in the new venue, including Steve’s parents and the couple’s son, Adam, and daughter, Erika. Adam and his wife, Sarah, run the retail side of the business, and Erika and husband, Ross Peters, do the marketing for the venue. Charlie Kendrick, described on The Joint’s website as the “multi-talented wonder who rules from his lofty perch in the tech booth,” also moved with the Farrells, bringing his soon-tobe-wife, Candice.

Not all the folks involved with The Joint are Texas transplants, however.

Ihler has been a comedy presence in Arkansas for quite a while. His participation in Improv Little Rock was what got him noticed by the Farrells, and now he directs The Joint Venture improv company. Every Wednesday, Ihler and his comedian wife, Ashley, perform alongside other area comedians to prompts and suggestions from the audience. Ihler also hosts Rock in The Joint, a weekly show typically featuring local bands, on Thursdays.

}}

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ROCK CANDY Check out the Times’ A&E blog

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TO CHARITIES AND NON-PROFIT ORGINIZATIONS LAST YEAR.

AVANT-GARDE MUSIC GEEKS would

be advised to not miss “Conlon Nancarrow: Virtuoso of the Player Piano,” a documentary about the musical genius and Texarkana native.

The film — made by University of Arkansas professor and composer James Greeson — airs at 7 p.m. Thursday on AETN. Nancarrow is hardly a household name, unless yours was the (very) odd household whose stereo played a steady rotation of Cage, Cowell, Ligeti and the like. But his music, much of it insanely fast and rhythmically complex, is actually nowhere near as intimidatingly out-there as the work of many of his 20th century contemporaries.

Stockhausen or Xenakis it is not. Check out “Study for Player Piano No. 3a-e” for something that sounds like Jelly Roll Morton played at 1,078 RPM. Oh, and Nancarrow also: was a committed Communist, fought against Franco in the Spanish Civil War, lived most of his life in Mexico as a political exile and was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant.

The film was screened at this year’s Little Rock Film Festival. Times contributor Natalie Elliott noted that “the documentary does have a little structural trouble, jumping around achronologically at times in a fairly befuddling way, but the expert interviews, archival footage, and deconstruction of Nancarrow’s pieces are all very informative and user-friendly.”

Definitely one to set the DVR for.

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Tues-Fri 10-5; Sat 10-3 or by appointment

RADAR ONLINE REPORTED LAST WEEK THAT Jonesboro native Wes

Bentley was denied entry to Canada based on a four-year-old drug conviction. The actor was scheduled for press events promoting his latest film, “The Time Being,” at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film also stars Frank Langella.

Radar quoted an anonymous source: “Wes really wanted to go to the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his movie and had his team contact the head of TIFF to try and pull some strings with the government.”

Bentley was arrested in 2008 on a charge of heroin possession, to which he pleaded guilty.

Apparently our neighbors to the north are super uptight about past drug convictions.

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

23

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL & LINDSEY MILLAR

THURSDAY 9/20

SATURDAY 9/22

RON WHITE

ARKANSAS TIMES FESTIVAL OF IDEAS

7 p.m. Robinson Center Music Hall. $55-$66.

Best known for his trademark Gauloises, snifter of Courvoisier L’Esprit, blueblood upbringing and snappy catchphrase, “You can’t fix stupid, but you can use a leveraged buyout to acquire it, strip it of its assets, fire all the workers, sell off the pieces and make a killing,” famous private equity manager — wait a minute, I think I got the wrong press release. Aha, I accidentally grabbed the bio for Douglas “Waldorf Salad” Huntington IV. I’ve got the right one now. Ron “Tater Salad” White is best known for his ever-present stogie and bottomless glass of scotch, his role in the Blue Collar Comedy tour and his motto “You can’t fix stupid.” If you live in Arkansas, the odds are better than OK that you have a copy of one of his DVDs wedged in between “Shrek 2” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” somewhere in the vicinity of your 84” flat screen. If you’d like to see White perform some of his jokes in person, here is your chance. RB

THURSDAY 9/20

ARGENTA FILM SERIES: ‘CHRYSTAL’

7 p.m. Argenta Community Theater.

Free.

This month, the Little Rock Film Festival’s Argenta Film Series screens “Chrystal,” starring Billy Bob Thornton, Lisa Blount and Ray McKinnon, who also wrote and directed the film. The story concerns a convict who returns to his small hometown after a long stretch in prison, seeking atonement for his past misdeeds. I don’t want to give away too much, so I’ll just say that it’s a beautifully shot film that is strange and strangely affecting. All three stars turn in fine, nuanced performances, particularly Blount, who passed away nearly two years ago. Her character, despite bleak surroundings and raw deals from life, emanates a damaged backwoods grace. Walton Goggins and Harry Dean Stanton are also enjoyable. The film has also got great music, and it was shot right here in Arkansas, specifically, up in my neck of the woods, outside of Berryville, a.k.a. Burvul. RB 24

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

11 a.m. various downtown venues.

Free.

REEL ICON: Harry Belafonte will be honored at the closing ceremony of the Reel Civil Rights Film Festival, Tuesday night at Argenta Community Theater.

FRIDAY 9/21

REEL CIVIL RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL

7 p.m. Peabody Hotel. Free.

The folks behind the Little Rock Film Festival have certainly been making good on the promise to host yearround programming. In addition to the LRFF itself, you’ve got the ongoing Argenta Film Series (see above), the Little Rock Horror Picture show (now accepting submissions) and the Reel Civil Rights Film Festival, presented in conjunction with the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.

As the 55th anniversary of the Central High desegregation crisis approaches, this festival showcases several films

that examine civil rights issues. Among the honorees are members of the Little Rock Nine, Olympic gold medalist Tommie Smith, and singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte. Screenings take place at the Peabody, Argenta Community Theater and the Oxford American (full schedule at nps.gov/chsc). The festival kicks off with a screening of “Miss Representation” at 7 p.m. Friday in the Conway Room of the Peabody, and winds down Tuesday at ACT with a ceremony honoring Belafonte and the Little Rock Nine and a screening of the Belafonte doc “Sing Your Song.” All events are free, but require tickets, available at lrff.eventbrite.com. RB

SATURDAY 9/22

HARVESTFEST

11 a.m. Kavanaugh Boulevard in Hillcrest. Free.

Well here’s a delightful way to spend a Saturday: Hillcrest’s HarvestFest, the annual all-day celebration of one of the most downright charming neighborhoods in the city. The early risers and birdwatchers will get the whole thing started with the Audubon Bird Walk in Allsopp Park, starting at 7:30 a.m. The Run 4 Shelter Hillcrest 5K ($30) starts at 8 a.m., and afterward there’ll be a chance for some post-run carb-loading

(that’s a thing, right?) with a pancake breakfast at Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church (it’s $5). The food and retail vendors will unveil their wares at 11 a.m. all along Kavanaugh Boulevard. There will be many more activities, including a Corvette show, a cheese dip competition, a dog show, the Box Turtle Fashion show and music from Runaway Planet, Parachute Woman, Bad Years, Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu of Big Smith, Mayday by Midnight, Astromice, Kevin Kerby, Adam Faucett and Amasa Hines. RB

Assembling 50 of the most influential people in the state into a recent cover package got us thinking: Why limit this collection of impressive doers and thinkers to one cover story? Why not devote a weekend to them? On Friday, we’ll honor all of them with a cocktail reception at the Old State House Museum.

You’re invited. Tickets are $25 (proceeds benefit the Old State House) and include access to open bar and appetizers (call 375-2985 to reserve yours). On Saturday, nearly 20 from our group of influential Arkansans will give FREE talks, demonstrations and participate in panel discussions at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Main Library, the Clinton School, the Historic Arkansas Museum and the Old State House. Starting at 11 a.m. and continuing until around 5 p.m., you’ll have a chance to watch the likes of restaurateur Scott McGehee give a cooking demonstration (noon, Historic Arkansas Museum), master knife maker Jerry Fisk (11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Historic Arkansas Museum) show how he makes some of the most coveted blades in the world, and Brent and Craig Renaud (1 p.m., Clinton School) show clips from some of their not-yetreleased documentary work. We’ve got names familiar and prominent participating — UA System president Donald Bobbitt (11 a.m., Main Library), Verizon Arena general manager Michael Marion (noon, Old State House), library director Bobby Roberts (noon, Main Library), fashion designer Korto Momolu (noon, Historic Arkansas Museum), state Rep. John Walker (1 p.m., Old State House) and Oxford American publisher Warwick Sabin (3 p.m., Clinton School). As well as a handful you probably don’t know, but should. Such as Scott Stewart (3 p.m., Historic Arkansas Museum) of Slabtown Customs, who makes tiny, habitable houses and will have one on display; and start-up expert Jeannette Balleza (4 p.m., Clinton School), director of the technology business incubator ARK Challenge, who’ll bring along a number of the entrepreneurs currently at work on their tech start-ups. And that’s not even the full lineup. See the full schedule and RSVP to attend (to ensure you have a seat) at arktimes.com/ festivalofideas. LM

IN BRIEF

WEDNESDAY 9/19 Attn: Folks who dig looking at buff dudes. The Men of Cuffs & Collars will be gyrating and partially disrobing to the pulsing, throbbing thump of dance music at Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $10-$20.

If you want to see The Arkansas Repertory Theater’s production of “Henry V,” this is your last chance.

The show runs Wed.-Thu. at 7 p.m., Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., $30-$35. Roger D. Hodge, new editor of The Oxford American will discuss his vision for the publication, Clinton School, 6 p.m., free.

MONDAY 9/24

TIM GUNN

7:30 p.m. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA. $15.

Let’s face it: Reality television has exalted some of the worst people on the planet and glorified some of the most heinously inappropriate behavior ever to be called entertainment. It has led many of us to seriously consider turning our backs on the 21st century and returning to life in caves, because that would be a more dignified existence than any that would allow such shameless, bloodthirsty jackals as the Kardashians or the Real Housewives of Wherever to thrive.

But there is one shining, impeccably dressed, refined, intelligent, gracious, thoughtful, well-mannered, sophisticated, utterly classy exception to all of this awfulness, and his name is Tim Gunn. Surely you have watched “Project Runway,” the fashion competition show for which Gunn serves as mentor to aspiring designers. He’s the best thing about the show. He’s supportive, but appropriately critical when called for. He always rises above any petty bickering or bitchiness. He’s the father figure who gives the contestants the grounding they need to “make it work” (sorry, couldn’t help it). In addition to the show, he is the chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne.

And if Gunn’s installment of the “It Gets Better” series doesn’t make you well up, you have no soul. RB

THURSDAY 9/20 Vino’s hosts Round 4 of Back Room to the Main Stage, with Sick Sarcasm, This Holy House, The P-47s, Playing with Karma and Rad Rad Riot, 7 p.m., $5.

At the Sculpture Party & Fall Fest, you can get a peek at the new sculptures by 2012 sculpture scholarship recipients, The Bernice Garden, 5 p.m. Juanita’s can hook you up with some groovin’ chugga-chugga metal, with Eye Empire, Downstrait and Prosevere, 9 p.m., $8-$10. Big Downtown Thursdays is a fundraising party for Arkansas Sounds Music Festival, with free pizza, beer and margaritas for sale, an on-site cigar lounge and more, 5:30 p.m., Main Street. CNN senior political analyst David Gergen will get down to the nitty gritty of politics at Philander Smith College as part of the Bless the Mic series, 7 p.m., free.

FRIDAY 9/21 FASHION FIGURE: Tim Gunn, of “Project Runway,” will speak at the University of Central Arkansas on Monday.

MONDAY 9/24

LITTLE ROCK TOUCHDOWN CLUB: JOHN L. SMITH

11 a.m. Embassy Suites. $10-$25.

We’ve all heard the phrase “throw in the towel” before. But have you ever actually heard someone throw in the towel? Do you want to know what it

sounds like? The towel, heavy with the sweat of an exasperated, exhausted fanbase, lands with a barely audible “whump,” a sound similar to the soft thud of the ashes of a million dreams being dumped onto a cold, hard floor.

Seriously, if he didn’t know what to say after the absolute flattening that was

the Alabama game, what’s he going to say here? I don’t have a crystal ball to consult, but I’ll go out on a limb and say that if the Hogs don’t beat Rutgers on Saturday, he might just want to show up with an actual towel to throw in, which would communicate far more than we’ve heard from him thus far. RB

Arkansas Literary Festival earlier this year. It’s being presented as part of the Arkansas Sounds Music Festival, which is Sept. 28-29. Marcus will discuss his book “The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years” with Tom

Wood, a DJ with TOM-FM. I’ll admit that I’ve never been the biggest Doors fan in the world, with the exception of “The End.” But I’m certainly up for hearing Marcus make the case for the band. RB

TUESDAY 9/25

GREIL MARCUS

6 p.m. CALS Main Library. Free.

This is a makeup date for the renowned rock critic Greil Marcus, who had to postpone his lecture at the

The Conway Symphony Orchestra offers a one-hour preview concert with pieces from Beethoven, Broadway and more, Simon Park, 7:30 p.m., free. Get your ears dirty with some of that Memphis rock ’n’ roll at White Water Tavern, which hosts Tiger High and The Dirty Streets, 10 p.m., $5. Maxine’s has Glossary and Some Dark Holler, 8 p.m., $5-$7 door. The Benton and Bryant high school football teams go head-to-head at the 2012 Salt Bowl, War Memorial Stadium, kickoff at 7 p.m.

SATURDAY 9/22 Boom Box and Ishi headline a night of electro decadence at an 18-and-older show, Revolution, 9 p.m., $12-$15. It’s the two-year anniversary of the Indie Music Night Hip-Hop Showcase, with 4x4 Crew, Heavy Hustlin’ Ent., 5:40, Fam Squad, 600 Ent., E. Dirty & Menace, Off The Ricta Records, Rated Thoad, with DJ Fatality and hosts Mad Ark Click, Vegga and Modest, Downtown Music Hall, 9 p.m., $10. Stickyz has Maps & Atlases and Cory Branan, 18-and-older, 9 p.m., $10.

www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

25

AFTER DARK 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, SEPT. 19

MUSIC

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

Bluegrass Festival. Includes live music and camping ($12 a night). Bring a chair. Cypress Creek Park, through Sept. 22, $12. Cypress Creek Avenue, Adona. 501-662-4918.

Grim Muzik presents Way Back Wednesdays.

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

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

Jodi James. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m., $5 cover after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Mansions On The Moon, Cherub. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 at door. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Muses Opera Gala Week. Various venues.

Downtown Hot Springs, ; Sept. 20; Sept. 21; Sept. 22. Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

The Pickoids. Thirst n’ Howl, 6:30 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-nhowl.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 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.

COMEDY

Ben Creed, Sam Adams, Casey Coleman. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group. The Joint, 8 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Standup Open Mic Night. Hosted by local come­di­ans of the com­edy col­lec­tive Come­di­ ans of NWA. UARK Bowl, 9 p.m., free. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. uarkbowl.com.

DANCE

Little Rock Bop Club. Beginning dance lessons for ages 10 and older. Singles welcome. Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 7 p.m., $4 for members, $7 for guests. 12th & Cleveland streets. 501-350-4712. www.littlerockbopclub.

Men of Cuffs & Collars. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $10-$20. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. revroom.com.

EVENTS

Milestones in Arkansas’s Environmental History. Celebrating the anniversaries of the Buffalo National River, the Ozark Society and the birth of Neil Compton, hosted in Mullins Library. University of Arkansas, 3 p.m. Downtown Fayetteville.

26

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

JAZZ SINGER: Versatile vocal great Al Jarreau performs at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. Tickets are $100 and proceeds from the concert benefit the center.

LECTURES

Roger D. Hodge. The new editor of The Oxford American will discuss his vision for the publication. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

POETRY

Wednesday Night Poetry. 21-and-older show Maxine’s, 7 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-321-0909. maxineslive.com/shows. html.

SPORTS

Arkansas Senior Olympics. Competitive athletic and recreational events for persons aged 50 and older. Must register to compete. Free.

Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

BENEFITS

Doing the Most Good Luncheon. Benefit for Salvation Army of Central Arkansas, featuring guest speaker Charlotte Jones Anderson, National Advisory Board Chairperson for The Salvation Army and Executive Vice President of

Brand Management for the Dallas Cowboys.

Governor’s Mansion, 11:30 a.m. 1800 Center St. 501-379-9595.

CLASSES

Artist Professional Development. Artchurch Studio, $5 donation. 301 Whittington Ave., Hot Springs. 501-318-6779. www.artchurch.org.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 20

MUSIC

Back Room to the Main Stage Round 4.

Featuring Sick Sarcasm, This Holy House, The P-47s, Playing with Karma and Rad Rad Riot.

Vino’s, 7 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

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

Bluegrass Festival. See Sept. 19.

Dogtown Thursday Open Mic Night.

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

ElectroniQ. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $5. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Eye Empire, Downstait, Prosevere. Juanita’s, 9

p.m., $8 adv., $10 at door. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Fire & Brimstone Duo. Forty Two, 6:30 p.m.

1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-537-0042. www. dineatfortytwo.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.

Jazz Eureka: Ronald Radford. The Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $10 adults, $5 children. 36 Main St., Eureka Springs. 479-253-7333. www.theaud.org.

Jim Dickerson. Piano Bar Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Sept. 27: 7 p.m., free.

500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Krush Thursdays with DJ Kavaleer. Club Climax, free before 11 p.m. 824 W. Capitol.

501-554-3437.

Lauryn Smith and Matthew Stone (Almost InFamous). Ya Ya’s Euro Bistro, 7 p.m., free.

17711 Chenal Parkway. 501-821-1144. www. yiayias.com/littlerock.

Mr. Lucky (headliner), Brian & Nick (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 cover after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Muses Opera Gala Week. Various venues.

Downtown Hot Springs, Sept. 20; Sept. 21; Sept. 22. Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

Open jam with The Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Patrice Pike. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

The Pickoids. Thirst n’ Howl, 6:30 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-nhowl.com.

Plena Libre. Walton Arts Center, 7 p.m., $10-$25.

495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

Red Domino, Mood Overdrive. 21-and-older show. The Joint, 9 p.m., free. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0210. thejointinlittlerock. com.

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

COMEDY

Al Jack­son, fea­tur­ing Paul Strick­land. Student discount with ID. UARK Bowl, 8 p.m., $10. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www. uarkballroom.com.

Ben Creed, Sam Adams, Casey Coleman. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

Ron White. Robinson Center Music Hall, 7 p.m., $55-$66. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/robinson.

DANCE

Soul Spirit Zumba with Ashan. Dunbar Community Center, 6 p.m., $5. 1001 W. 16th St. 501-376-1084.

EVENTS

Adventure Into Art Studio Tour. Self-guided tour of 17 artists’ studios. Downtown Eureka Springs, Sept. 20-23, Free,. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs. www.eurekaspringsstudiotour.com.

Antique/Boutique Walk. Shopping and live entertainment. Downtown Hot Springs, third Thursday of every month, 4-8 p.m., free. 100 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

FILM

Argenta Film Series: “Chrystal.” Argenta Community Theater, 7 p.m., free. 405 Main St., NLR. 501-353-1443. argentacommunitytheater.org.

UCA Best-Of screening. Screening of student films from UCA’s Digital Filmmaking program.

Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7 p.m., free.

350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

LECTURES

“Alchemy and Middle English Literature.”

Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501-450-4597. www.hendrix.edu.

Bless the Mic: David Gergen. Philander Smith College, 7 p.m., free. 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive.

Star Parker. Harding University, 7:30 p.m. 900 E. Center Ave., Searcy.

POETRY

POETluck. Literary salon and potluck. The Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow, third Thursday of every month, 6-9 p.m. 515 Spring St., Eureka Springs. 479-253-7444.

SPORTS

Arkansas Senior Olympics. See Sept. 19.

BENEFITS

Habitat for Humanity ReStore & After Silent Auction. Benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Pulaski County. Next Level Events, 6 p.m., $35 adv., $45 door. 1400 W. Markham St. 501-3769746. www.nextleveleventsinc.com.

BOOKS

Garry Craig Powell. The author of “Stoning the Devil” will read from and sign copies of his book at Torreyson Library. University of Central Arkansas, 1:40 p.m. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. www.uca.edu.

Mark Shriver. The author of “A Good Man: Rediscovering my Father, Sargent Shriver” will discuss his memoir about his father, who founded the Peace Corps. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool. uasys.edu.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 21

MUSIC

Bluegrass Festival. See Sept. 19.

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

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

Conway Symphony Orchestra preview. Onehour concert includes pieces from Beethoven, Broadway and more. Simon Park, 7:30 p.m., free. Front and Main, Conway.

D-Mite and Tho-d Studios presents Hottest in Da Rock. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Donna Massey & Blue-Eyed Soul (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 cover after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

Glossary, Some Dark Holler. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com.

Gretchen Parlato. Walton Arts Center, 7 and 9 p.m., $11. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479571-2747. www.waltonartscenter.org.

Gypsy Riot. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, Sept. 21-22, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford.

501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Jazz Eureka: The Matt and Gus 4-tet, Claudia Burson Trio, The Jazz Mafia. Basin Spring Park, 1 p.m., free. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs. 479-253-7333.

Jazz Eureka: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra with Tom Tiratto and The Fayetteville Jazz Collective. Best Western Inn of the Ozarks, 7:30 p.m., $15, $25 for 2 adv., $20 at door. 207 W. Van Buren, Eureka Springs. 479-253-7333. www.theaud.org.

Joecephus. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5.

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

KABF Benefit. Featuring Changus B. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $10. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Linda Holzer. Holzer performs selections by Mexican composer Manuel Ponce, as well as works by Debussy and Chopin. The finale will be the world premiEre of composer Scott Robbins’ “Ritual Meditations.” UALR, Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-8977.

Muses Opera Gala Week. Various venues.

Downtown Hot Springs, Sept. 21; Sept. 22.

Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

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

Shannon McClung. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. Teenage Bottlerocket, The Weisenheimers, Bad Years, Crooked Roots. Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $8 adv., $10 at door. 211 W. Capitol.

501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Tiger High, The Dirty Streets. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Trey Hawkins Band. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 9 p.m., $5. 9500 Interstate 30. 501-565-4003. www.shooterslittlerock.com.

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

COMEDY

Al Jack­son, fea­tur­ing Paul Strick­land. UARK CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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Big Downtown Thursdays. Fundraising party for Arkansas Sounds Music Festival includes free pizza, beer and margaritas for sale, onsite cigar lounge and more. Main Street, Little Rock, Sept. 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m., free. Main St. Duck Duck Goose Sale. Family consignment sale, with children’s clothing, toys and more.

Arkansas State Fairgrounds, 7 a.m. p.m., free.

2600 Howard St. 501-372-8341 ext. 8206. www. duckduckgoosesale.com.

North Little Rock Mayoral Candidates Forum.

North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, 11:30 a.m. 100 Main St., NLR. 501-372-5959. www. nlrchamber.org.

Sculpture Party & Fall Fest. Includes unveiling of new sculptures by 2012 sculpture scholarship recipients. The Bernice Garden, 5 p.m. 1401 S. Main St. www.thebernicegarden.org.

Zoo Brew. Sample from dozens of beers and food. Little Rock Zoo, 7 p.m., $20. 1 Jonesboro Dr. 501-666-2406. www.littlerockzoo.com.

It doesn’t cost us any more to offer excellent service...

Why Should You Pay More?

So Tiny!

On view: Aug 20-Oct 25 Reception: Thursday, Sept 6, 5-7 PM

Juried Bodies of Work: The Baum MFA Biennial 2012 On view: Sept 6-Oct 25 Reception: Thursday, Sept 6, 5-7 PM

Small Talk

On view: Sept 6-Oct 25 Reception: Thursday, Sept 6, 5-7 PM

Mirazozo Luminarium

On view: Sept 27 & 28, 12-6 PM, Sept 29, 11-5 PM

Studio Foundations Course Competitive UCA McCastlain 145 (West wing) Open Monday-Friday 10-5, Thursday 10-7, Sunday 1-5

On view: Nov 1-5 Reception: Thursday, Nov 1, 5-7 PM

BA/BFA Juried Senior Exhibition

On view: Nov 15-Dec 7 Receptions: Thursday, Nov 15, 5-7 PM and Sunday, Nov 18, 2-4 PM www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

27

AFTER DARK, CONT. Bowl, 8 and 10:30 p.m., $10. 644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www.uarkballroom.com.

Ben Creed, Sam Adams, Casey Coleman. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com.

The Main Thing. Two-act comedy play “Electile Dysfunction.” The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

EVENTS

Adventure Into Art Studio Tour. Self-guided tour of 17 artists’ studios. Downtown Eureka Springs, through Sept. 23, Free,. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs. www. eurekaspringsstudiotour.com.

ArtsFest Conway. Includes a variety of artsrelated events at several venues, with concerts, art exhibitions, film screenings, dance performances and more. Kicks off with a concert from the Conway Symphony Orchestra Sept. 21 at Simon Park. Full schedule at artsfestconway. com. Simon Park, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m. Front and Main, Conway.

“Cowboy Weekend” with Charlie Daniels Band. Ozark Folk Center State Park, 7 p.m., $45. 1032 Park Ave., Mountain View.

“The Haunted Evening Tour.” Tour of some of the city’s “most haunted locations.” MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, through Nov. 2: 7 p.m., $30. 503 E. 9th St. 501-681-3857. www.hauntedtoursoflittlerock.com.

The Influential Arkansans Gala. Includes cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres, in honor of 50 of the most influential people in the state, profiled recently in the Arkansas Times. For tickets, call 501-375-2985 or e-mail paige@arktimes. com. Old State House Museum, 6:30 p.m.,

28

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

$25. 500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse.com.

Legends Balloon Rally. Event features performances by Air Supply Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and Chris Young Saturday night. Balloon glows every night at dusk. Hot Springs National Park Memorial Field Airport, Sept. 21-22. 525 Airport Road, Hot Springs.

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. United Nations International Day of Peace.

First Presbyterian Church, 5:30 p.m. 800 Scott St.

FILM

2012 Reel Civil Rights Film Festival. Presented

by Little Rock Film Festival and Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.

Includes a variety of film screenings and events at several venues, including Argenta Community Theater, Oxford American and more. Guests include Harry Belafonte, Tommie Smith, Kevin Powell and members of the Little Rock Nine. The Peabody Little Rock, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.; Sept. 22-25, free, but tickets required.

3 Statehouse Plaza. 501-906-4000. lrff.eventbrite.com.

SPORTS

2012 Salt Bowl. Benton vs. Bryant high school football game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. War Memorial Stadium, 5:30 p.m. 1 Stadium Drive. 501-6630775.

Arkansas Senior Olympics. See Sept. 19.

BENEFITS

Artists for Ovaries. This event is Arkansas

Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s only annual fundraiser and is a silent art auction featuring all types of mediums from oil paintings, mixed media to jewelry. Bidding closes in rounds at 7:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Purchase tickets online or through e-mail. Junior League of Little Rock, 6:30 p.m., $25 per person, $40 per couple; $30 at door. 401 S. Scott St. 501-375-5557. arkansasovariancancer.com/merchandise.

KABF Benefit Night. Featuring Changus with jazz, blues and funk musicians. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $10. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22

MUSIC

2012 Gospel on the River. Featuring Selvy Singers, Gospel Outlaws, Shaw Singers and Lee Williams & Spiritual QC’s. Riverfest Amphitheatre, 12 p.m., $10. 400 President Clinton Ave. Jazz Eureka: Cherry Brooks and Cal Jackson, Richard Brunton Quintet, Trio DeJaniero, Adams Collins. Basin Spring Park, 1 p.m., free.

Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs.

479-253-7333.

“After 7.” Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501907-2582.

Al Jarreau. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 7:45 p.m., $50-$100. 501 W. 9th St. 501-978-2234. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

Annual Men’s A Cappella Harmony Show: “Feelin’ Fine!.” Argenta Community Theater, 2 p.m. 405 Main St., NLR. 501-791-7464. www.

DiamondStateChorus.com.

Bluegrass Festival. See Sept. 19.

Boom Box, Ishi. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

The Diamond State Chorus Presents “Feelin’ Fine!.” Argenta Community Theater, 2 and 7 p.m., $15 adults, $13 students and seniors. 405 Main St., NLR. 501-791-7464. www.diamondstatechorus.com/.

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

Hi-Balls. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-nhowl.com.

The Illuminate Glow Stick Party. Featuring Big Brown, JMZ Dean, Crawl, Toby, Ed Bowman, g-force, plus Dominique Sanchez and The Discovery Dolls. Museum of Discovery, 9 p.m., $10. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

Indie Music Night Hip-Hop Showcase. Twoyear anniversary show featuring The 4x4 Crew, Heavy Hustlin’ Ent., 5:40, Fam Squad, 600 Ent., E. Dirty & Menace, Off The Ricta Records, Rated Thoad, with DJ Fatality and hosts Mad Ark Click, Vegga and Modest. Downtown Music Hall, 9 p.m., $10. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Integrity. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $10. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Jason Campbell & Singletree. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m., $10. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501315-1717.

Jazz Eureka: Delfeayo Marsalis. The Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $15-$20 adv., $20-$25 at door. 36 Main St., Eureka Springs. 479-2537333. www.theaud.org.

Len Holton. Hibernia Irish Tavern, 8 p.m., free.

9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Mandy McBryde & The Unholy Ghost, Brumley and Gardner. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7

AFTER DARK, CONT. door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www. maxinespub.com.

Maps & Atlases, Cory Branan. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $10. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Muses Creative Artistry Project’s fifth annual Opera Gala. Hot Springs Convention Center, 6 p.m., $150. 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs.

501-609-9811. www.hotsprings.org.

Muses Opera Gala Week. Various venues.

Downtown Hot Springs. Central Avenue, Hot Springs.

Opera gala. Hot Springs Convention Center, 6 p.m. 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. 501321-2027. www.hotsprings.org.

Pickin’ Porch. Bring your instrument. All ages welcome. Faulkner County Library, 9:30 a.m.

1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www. fcl.org.

Rustenhaven (headliner), Seth Freeman (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 cover after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road.

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

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

Smokey Emerson. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG.

COMEDY

Ben Creed, Sam Adams, Casey Coleman. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com.

The Main Thing. Two-act comedy play “Electile Dysfunction.” The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

DANCE

Little Rock West Coast Dance Club. Dance lessons. Singles welcome. Ernie Biggs, 7 p.m., $2. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-247-5240. www. arstreetswing.com.

EVENTS

2012 Showcase of Aircraft. Showcase of a variety of new and vintage aircraft, including the only flying B-29 Superfortress, which will offer rides and tours. Purchase tickets to ride the B-29 at RideB29.com. Tickets may be purchased at the show, but often sell out ahead of time. Central Flying Service, Sept. 22-23, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., free. 1501 Bond Ave. 501-3753245. www.flycfs.com/.

Adventure Into Art Studio Tour. Self-guided tour of 17 artists’ studios. Downtown Eureka Springs, through Sept. 23, Free,. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs. www. eurekaspringsstudiotour.com.

Argenta Farmers Market. Argenta, 7 a.m.-12 p.m. Main Street, NLR. Arkansas Paranormal Expo. Featuring paranormal groups, cryptozoologists, UFO experts, psychics, Tarot reader, astrologer, hypnotist, food vending from Haute Wheels and more. MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 10 a.m. p.m., $5, free for children younger than 12. 503 E. 9th St. 376-4602. www.arkmilitaryheritage.com.

Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s Young Artists’ annual Treasure Sale. All proceeds benefit The Victorya Van-Pelt Scholarship Trust. Pulaski Academy Performing Arts Center, 7 a.m. p.m.

12701 Hinson Road.

Arkansas Times Festival of Ideas. Some of the Times’ recent honorees in its Arkansas

Influencers issue will conduct panel discussions and demonstrations of their areas of expertise at the Clinton School and other venues, including the Historic Arkansas Museum and the Old Statehouse Museum. Clinton School of Public Service, 2 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool. uasys.edu.

“Cowboy Weekend” with Don Edwards.

Ozark Folk Center State Park, 2 p.m., $20.

1032 Park Ave., Mountain View.

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

HarvestFest in Hillcrest. Includes birdwatching walk, pancake breakfast, food and retail vendors, Corvette show, cheese dip contest, children’s activities, live music, a fashion show and more. Hillcrest, 7:30 p.m., free admission. P.O.Box 251522. 501-666-3600. www. harvestfest.us.

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

International Observe the Moon Night.

Includes day and nighttime activities in this celebration of all things lunar, with films, classes, telescopes, a guest appearance by the Science Channel’s Steve Arnold and more. Museum of Discovery, 9 a.m.:30 p.m. 500 Clinton Ave. 396-7050, 1-800-880-6475. www.amod.org.

Legends Balloon Rally. See Sept. 21.

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

Stories of Old “Retold.” Pyramid Art Books and Custom Framing, 10 a.m., free. 1001 Wright Ave. 501-372-6822. hearnefineart.com.

FILM

MAD SCIENTIST MASH THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY 6:30 PM

Tastings

.

Silent Auction

.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.museumofdiscovery.org or call 501-537-3077 Wine Pull

.

Mad Science Demonstrations

Sponsored by: Proceeds beneet the Museum of Discovery’s educational programs

2012 Reel Civil Rights Film Festival. See Sept. 21.

SPORTS

2nd Annual Winslow Half Marathon and 5k Run. Race held in conjunction with 30th annual Winfest community music festival. Downtown Winslow, 8 a.m., $0-$55. 108 N. Winslow Blvd., Winslow. www.winslowrun.com.

Alliance World Football League World Bowl II Championship. War Memorial Stadium, 1 p.m., $10. 1 Stadium Drive. 501-663-0775. www. alliancefootballleague.org.

Arkansas Senior Olympics. See Sept. 19.

BOOKS

Garry Craig Powell. The author of “Stoning the Devil” will read from and sign copies of his book. That Bookstore in Blytheville, 2 p.m.

316 W. Main St.

CLASSES

Beginners Dutch Oven Outdoor Cooking Workshop. Plantation Agriculture Museum, Sept. 22, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Oct. 6, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., $30-$45. 4815 Hwy. 161 S., Scott. 501-961-1409. www.arkansasstateparks.com/plantationagriculturemuseum.

Community Altar Making Workshop.

Artchurch Studio, Sept. 22, 1 p.m.; Sept. 29, 1 p.m. 301 Whittington Ave., Hot Springs. 501318-6779. www.artchurch.org.

Dia de los Muertos in the Classroom: A Workshop for Teachers. Artchurch Studio, 9 a.m. 301 Whittington Ave., Hot Springs.

501-318-6779. www.artchurch.org.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 23

MUSIC

Fire & Brimstone Duo. Performing on the patio. Revolution, through Oct. 28: 6-9 p.m., CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

How effective is the deferred action?

Michel Leidermann Moderator

EL LATINO Program AETN-TV 10:30 pm, Sunday, September 23 Broadcast in Spanish www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

29

The Arkansas Times Influentials Gala Spend An Evening With Some of the Most Interesting People In Arkansas.

Please join us for cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres as we honor 50 of the Most Influential Arkansans as profiled in the Sept. 5 issue of the Arkansas Times.

Meet some of the most accomplished and interesting people in Arkansas while you benefit the Old State House Museum.

Libations, good food and great conversation.

HISTORIC ARK. MUSEUM

A Benefit For The Old State House Museum of Arkansas History JERRY FISK

“IF YOU EVER NEED TO CUT THE DEVIL …”

11 A.M. & 1 P.M. … Jerry Fisk could probably make you a knife sharp (and beautiful) enough to do the job. Come hear this plainspoken metal magician, a man many consider the best knife maker in the world, demonstrate his process and talk about the dedication, drive and passion it took to forge his reputation as a living legend.

Old State House Museum of Arkansas History Friday, September 21, 2012 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Tickets: $25 per person To Reserve Your Ticket call Paige Parham at 501-375-2985

OLD STATE HOUSE

DANIEL LITTLEFIELD

Old State House museum

With Jim Parins and J.W. Wiggins, Daniel Littlefield’s created a unique institution on the UALR campus for research into Native American arts and letters. Littlefield will talk about the work of the Sequoyah Research archives and UALR’s standing nationally in Native American studies.

MIREYA REITH

CLINTON SCHOOL

SPONSORED BY CREWS & ASSOCIATES

“WHY NATIVE AMERICAN SCHOLARS COME TO ARKANSAS” 11 A.M.

“ARKANSAS’S POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FUTURE IS TIED TO THE IMMIGRANT” 11 A.M. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Mireya Reith grew up in Fayetteville and has dedicated most of her adult life to trying to help Hispanics become leaders in their communities.

Here, she’ll speak about her United Arkansas Community Coalition and helping immigrants help themselves.

…”

See demonstrations and hear lectures from a number of the Influential Arkansans profiled in the Sept. 5 issue of the Arkansas Times. The first Arkansas Times Festival of Ideas will take place from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22 at a number of downtown venues including the Old State House, Historic Arkansas Museum, The Clinton School and The Central Arkansas Library. Here’s a sample of those participating. Go to arktimes.com/festivalofideas to register. It’s free and open to the public.

MAIN LIBRARY

DONALD BOBBITT

“IF YOU THINK THE LIBRARY IS JUST ABOUT BOOKS, YOU DON’T KNOW THE LIBRARY” NOON

Donald Bobbitt, the president of the University of Arkansas System, talks about how online education could hold the key to expanding the number of Arkansans in college.

Central Arkansas Library director Bobby Roberts’ vision and deft political touch have made the Central Arkansas Library system a model for the country. He’ll talk about the evolving nature of the library, the innovative children’s library under construction in midtown and how CALS plans to continue serving Central Arkansas in the future.

KORTO MOMOLU “OFF THE RUNWAY” NOON (THEATER)

“Project Runway’s” Korto Momolu talks about the inspirations and design process behind her new fall line, which she recently debuted at Fashion Week in New York.

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MICHAEL MARION

“IF YOU BOOK JIMMY BUFFETT, THEY WILL COME” NOON Michael Marion, general manager of Verizon Arena, will take you backstage for a look at what it takes to bring bigname concerts and productions to Central Arkansas.

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BOBBY ROBERTS

“DISTANCE LEARNING AND THE FUTURE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN ARKANSAS” 11 A.M.

SUE AND RUSTY NUFFER

“ORGANIC FARMING BEFORE IT WAS COOL” NOON Want to protect your garden without pesticides? Sue and Rusty Nuffer were some of the first organic farmers in the state, and they’re still at it. Let them tell you how and why.

SCOTT MCGEHEE

“SIMPLE, FRESH, DELICIOUS” NOON (UPSTAIRS) Restaurateur and chef Scott McGehee learned to cook under the guidance of Alice Waters, perhaps the country’s most influential chef. His restaurants today all subscribe to her philosophy that good food should be “based on the finest and freshest seasonal ingredients that are produced sustainably and locally.”

See McGehee follow that principle in a cooking demonstration that’ll conclude with a tasting.

JOHN WALKER

“LITTLE ROCK’S CIVIL RIGHTS CHAMPION” 1 P.M. For current Little Rock influence, it’s hard to top John Walker, lawyer, state representative, school advocate and constant thorn in the side of corporate Arkansas. Walker will talk about his greatest legal battles and his plan to mount a legal challenge to end Little Rock’s at-large representation on the City Board.

BRENT AND CRAIG RENAUD “FINDING TRUTH IN HORROR” 1 P.M.

Arkansas’s most decorated filmmakers show scenes from their latest documentary works and talk about the future of film in Arkansas.

DEE ANN NEWELL

“WHEN MOM GOES TO PRISON” 1 P.M. Newell, a 2006 Soros fellow, has devoted years to better the lives of children whose parents are in jail. She’ll talk about her work in prison reform and with mothers in prison, their children and the grandparents who’ve become caregivers.

IRMA GAIL HATCHER

“THE BEST QUILT IN AMERICA” 2 P.M. That’s what experts have called Irma Gail Hatcher’s “Conway Album.” Come see it and hear the story behind the stitching.

REESE ROWLAND

“WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THAT?” 2 P.M. Architect Reese Rowland has designed some of Little Rock’s most iconic and energy-efficient buildings and has won some of his profession’s most prestigious awards.

He’ll offer a peek inside the process of telling stories through cutting edge design.

WARWICK SABIN

“TURNING A MAGAZINE INTO A CULTURAL INSTITUTION” 3 P.M. Warwick Sabin, publisher of the Oxford American, talks about the future of “The Southern Magazine of Good Writing.” That future builds on partnerships with NPR and PBS, an award-winning web documentary series and South on Main, a Southern-themed restaurant and venue on South Main in Little Rock due to open early next year.

JAMIE HESTEKIN

“IT’S NOT ALCHEMY, BUT IT’S CLOSE” 3 P.M. U of A chemical engineer Hestekin and his students are getting algae shipped in from New York and turning it into fuel. Yes, they are. Hestekin will talk about biofuels and our energy future.

SCOTT STEWART

“LIVING LARGE IN A TINY HOUSE” 3 P.M. Stewart, the leader of the small house movement in Arkansas, talks about designing fully equipped houses as small as 160 square feet. They’re in high-demand. Hear about his design process, his clientele and his thoughts on why tiny houses have become so popular. Throughout the day at the Historic Arkansas Museum, take a tour through one of his tiny houses.

CHRIS BOULDIN

“ARKANSAS: 49TH IN EDUCATION; NO. 1 IN SMARTALECKY T-SHIRTS” 3 P.M. Rock City Outfitters owner Chris Bouldin will tell you why he’s so serious about funny T-shirts.

JEANNETTE BALLEZA

“HOW TO START A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY IN THREE MONTHS” 4 P.M. Jeannette Balleza director of Fayetteville’s The ARK Challenge, a business incubator that provides fledgling entrepreneurs with access to business leaders, will talk about how The ARK works and Northwest Arkansas’s thriving start-up culture, and several ARK participants will talk about how they’re building companies at hyper-speed.

HIGHWAY 61 BLUES FESTIVAL 13TH ANNUAL

SEPTEMBER 29TH & 30TH - LELAND, MISSISSIPPI

Eden Brent • Lightnin’ Malcolm • The Cedric Burnside Project Dwyane Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers • Pat Thomas • Eddie Cusic T-Model Ford • Duff Dorrough • John Horton Band Marc & Luc Borms • Jason Fratesi & the Dirt Road Jam Band • Lamar Thomas Jimmy Phillips and the Ruminators • The Walnut Street Allstars Mickey Rogers and the Soulmasters • L.C. Ulmer • Jimmy “Duck” Holmes Tickets: $10 in advance $15 at the gate. Sunday, September 30th: Free! Blues Jam at The Holly Ridge Store, 10 miles east of Leland. Presented by The Leland Blues Project. Please, no videos, no pets or coolers.

H I G H WAY

For more info call 1-866-285-7646 or visit www.highway61blues.com 32

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

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BRIDGING TEXT BY SCOTT BARRETTA IMAGES COURTESY OF MDTA

BLUES

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he sights and sounds of the blues have lured devout music fans to the Delta for many years, but until the last decade finding one’s way to the holy sites of the music involved actively digging for information about juke joint performances, gravesites, or the site of the supposed “crossroads.” The location of the latter has yet to be determined, but in recent years making your way through the land where the blues began has become considerably easier due to new guidebooks and the many markers along the Mississippi Blues Trail.

A new effort to help fans finds their way through the Delta region of Mississippi, Arkansas and Memphis is “Bridging the Blues,” a 12-day series of events in late September and early October. The project builds upon the success of the venerable King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena — which takes place this year Oct. 4-6 — in drawing blues fans from across the region, the nation, and abroad. Bridging the Blues is anchored by “the Biscuit” on one end, and at the other by the Highway 61 Blues Festival in

Find incredible blues music in any direction.

Leland, which takes place on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Last year the Highway 61 Blues Festival, founded in 2000 and traditionally held in early June, was canceled due to impending floodwaters in the mid-Delta area. Founder and organizer Billy Johnson decided to move the festival to the week prior to King Biscuit this year, and in explaining his rationale pointed mostly to

his encounters with European visitors at the Highway 61 Blues Museum in Leland, which he also runs.

Many, he says, expressed that they mostly planned their extended visits around festivals that were well known and marked by more temperate weather, including King Biscuit and Clarksdale’s Juke Joint Festival, which takes place in April. The big festivals offer fans guarantees of seeing a lot of music, but the majority also value exploring the general area on their own terms. For most simply driving through the Delta’s unique landscape is a pleasure of its own.

Although structured around two big events, “Bridging the Blues” offers blues enthusiasts a broad menu from which they can pick and choose. There’s no official itinerary, but by publicizing a calendar in advance visitors avoid the frequently encountered problem of finding about an event a day too late.

“Bridging the Blues” was created after several meetings between entities already involved with promoting blues in some capacity, notably the Mississippi Delta Tourism Association, Arkansas Delta Byways, the Arkansas Depart-

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

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Travelers to the Arkansas Delta quickly discover an elusive Delta mystique that gives

the region its own distinct feel. We think it has to do with the fertile soil deposited here by the Mississippi River and the recognition that what nature gives, it can easily take away. This acceptance leads to a special resilience in the people and diverse cultures that inhabit this area.

To fully experience the diverse music heritage of the Arkansas Delta, plan a visit

around one or more of our annual festivals and events. Whether you choose the King

Biscuit Blues Festival on the Mississippi River levee in downtown Helena in October, West Memphis’ Blues on Broadway in May or the Lake Chicot Gospel Festival in September, nothing compares to live music just miles from where the sounds originated.

MUSIC HERITAGE SITES JOHNNY CASH

Mississippi County Road 924 West, Dyess When Ray and Carrie Cash moved to Dyess seeking opportunity during the New Deal, this house where Johnny and his siblings grew up was the family’s first new home. Much of the famous singer and songwriter’s inspiration came directly from the fields and his upbringing here in Dyess Colony. Johnny Cash was one of America’s most influential musicians with a career that spread across gospel, country and western, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll genres and earned him induction into the Country Music, Rock and Roll, Songwriters, Rockabilly, and Arkansas Entertainers’ Hall of Fames. Interpretive marker only.

SOUTHERN TENANT FARMERS MUSEUM

117 Main St., Tyronza 870-487-2909 http://stfm.astate.edu The Southern Tenant Farmers Museum focuses on the farm labor movement in the South and the tenant farming system of agriculture. Born and raised in the Arkansas Delta, John Handcox served as the minstrel of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and the voice of Southern sharecroppers as expressed through his songs and poems written for the union and the cause. Listen to Handcox’s songs and see the influence of music on the agricultural labor movement in the South.

BB KING’S “LUCILLE”

AR Hwy. 42, Twist Visit the site where BB King infamously named his guitar “Lucille” after a woman in a burning juke joint on a winter night in the rural Arkansas Delta. Interpretive marker only.

KWEM RADIO

231 E. Broadway, West Memphis Here at 231 E. Broadway in downtown West Memphis, emerging and talented local musicians played live on the air from 1947-1955. Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash, Ike Turner, Junior Parker and Albert King all graced the KWEM studio. KWEM Radio was an integral player in the development and dissemination of the Delta sound that morphed into American rock ‘n’ roll music. Interpretive marker only.

“PLANTATION INN”

3600 E. Broadway St., West Memphis The Plantation Inn opened in 1943 in downtown West Memphis as a restaurant and nightclub and quickly became one of the hottest after-hours clubs in the Mid-South. Known

ment of Parks & Tourism, the Mississippi Development Authority Office of Tourism, and the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Their function, though, is more of a support role—participating communities were encouraged to develop special events to fit within the mission of creating an “ultimate blues pilgrimage” that focuses on the uniqueness of the Delta’s art, music, food and sense of place.

Events begin Thursday, Sept. 27, when the Vicksburg Blues Society presents Jackson guitarist Stevie J at the Ameristar Casino’s Bottleneck Blues Bar’s “Vicksburg’s Got the Blues” series. On Friday, Sept. 28, Bobby Rush appears at Indianola’s historic 34

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

for its late night jam sessions featuring both Memphis and Delta musicians, the Plantation Inn was home to “Flying Calvin” Newborn and many other famous blues and soul artists like Willie Mitchell, Ike Turner and Isaac Hayes. Interpretive marker only.

ALBERT KING

Paradise Gardens Cemetery, AR Hwy. 147, Edmondson One of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” (along with B. B. King and Freddie King), Albert King was a master of the single-string solo and was inspired by blues performers whom he heard while growing up in the Arkansas Delta. King was laid to rest in Paradise Gardens Cemetery in Edmondson, not far from where he spent his childhood and began his music career in Osceola and West Memphis. Interpretive marker only.

PEETIE WHEATSTRAW

Cotton Plant Peetie Wheatstraw, born William Bunch in Ripley, Tenn. on Dec. 21, 1902, is widely associated with Cotton Plant, Ark., the hometown which greatly influenced his songwriting and music. Self-titled Peetie Wheatstraw, the Devil’s Son-in-Law, Bunch went on to a prolific and acclaimed career as a recording artist and performer in the pre- and post-Depression era St. Louis, Mo. Interpretive marker only.

CENTRAL DELTA DEPOT

100 W. Cypress St., Brinkley 870-589-2124 www.cddm.org The Central Delta Depot Museum is housed in the Brinkley Union Train Station constructed in 1912 at the heart of the Lick Skillet Historic District. The museum displays a wide variety of exhibits interpreting the natural, social, agricultural, and cultural history of the Arkansas Delta. A permanent exhibit explores the life and career of noted jazz trumpeter and big band leader Louis Jordan, a Brinkley native.

JOHN WESTON

Courthouse Square, 15 E. Chestnut St., Marianna Marianna native John Weston is recognized as a talented blues musician whose gift for songwriting made him unique among Delta blues musicians. Self-taught on guitar and harmonica, or blues harp, Weston didn’t perform publicly until the 1970s when he frequented the Marianna Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and quickly built up a national following.

Interpretive marker only.

Club Ebony, a mainstay on the “chitlin’ circuit,” the historic network of African American-oriented venues, since the late ’40s. The following evening the club will feature Southern soul star T.K. Soul.

B.B. King’s second wife, Sue Evans, was the daughter of the club’s owner and he continues to play there during his annual homecoming celebration. Several years ago he bought the club in order to preserve it, but recently transferred it over to the nearby B.B. King Museum and Interpretive Center, a state-of-the-art facility that examines blues via King’s long life and career.

Friday afternoon is also a good time to visit the Highway 61 Blues Museum,

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

LEVON HELM

AR Hwy. 243, Turkey Scratch Levon Helm was born in 1940 near Elaine, Ark. and grew up in Turkey Scratch, west of Helena. Helm gained fame as a founding member of The Band, a group that fused blues, country, rockabilly and folk music to create a distinctly unique sound at a pivotal time in the development of American rock ‘n’ roll music. Interpretive marker only.

DELTA CULTURAL CENTER

141 Cherry St., Helena 870-338-4351 www.deltaculturalcenter.com The Delta Cultural Center, located in historic downtown Helena, is dedicated to telling the story of the Arkansas Delta. Current exhibits include “Helena: Main Street of the Blues” which gives a unique perspective on the Delta’s rich blues music history and heritage. The Visitors Center at the Delta Cultural Center features the “Delta Sounds” music exhibit, the studios of KFFA radio station and its daily live broadcast of King Biscuit Time — the longest running daily radio show in history, rotating and visiting exhibits of regional interest, and the Museum Store.

WILLIAM WARFIELD

Court Square Park, 600 blk. of Cherry Street, Helena West Helena-born William Warfield made his mark as one of America’s greatest operatic baritones and became an international star during a time that offered few opportunities for African American singers. Warfield is best known for his moving and powerful rendition of “Ol’ Man River” from the Broadway musical Show Boat and his lead role in George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess. Interpretive marker only.

KVSA “THE VOICE OF SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS”

US Highway 65 South, McGehee 870-222-4200 KVSA, “the Voice of Southeast Arkansas,” has been serving up tunes in the Arkansas Delta for more than 55 years. The Spanish-style architecture of the radio station building immediately made it an icon on the Delta landscape with red clay roof tiles and a stucco exterior. With a nationally significant collection of vinyl LPs and the original turntables, the broadcasting booth has changed little since the station went live in 1952. The Studio A Dance Party, held every Saturday morning in the front of the station, hosted artists and bands traveling the region, including Elvis Presley and The Townsel Sisters.

which features many personal artifacts from local blues and soul artists, including the folk art sculpture of bluesman James “Son” Thomas. From 4 - 6 p.m. that day the museum will be hosting a booksigning for Belgian brothers, blues fans and musicians Marc and Luc Borms, who recently came out with the travelogue Catfish & Cotton. The nearby Hobnob gallery will host a booksigning at the same time for Lamar Thomas’ “Da Delta, Black Music and Me.” And there’ll be a pre-party for the festival beginning at 7 p.m. at Bud’s Blues House at 901 N. Main St. in Leland, featuring local artists Pat Thomas, Eddie Cusic, and John Horton.

On Saturday, Sept. 29, Indianola hosts

the Indian Bayou Arts Festival, and the Highway 61 Blues Festival in nearby Leland gears up around noon. The festival’s mission is to celebrate blues artists from the mid-Delta region, and this is most evident through its regular booking of local blues elders. This year they include 86-year-old Eddie Cusic, the mentor of locally bred Little Milton Campbell, the always colorful nonagenarian T-Model Ford, south Mississippi multi-instrumentalist L.C. Ulmer, and Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, who keeps alive the unique Bentonia style of blues made famous by preWWII legend Skip James.

Also performing are Albert King acolyte John Horton, who rarely leaves the

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NatioN’s Greatest BLUES MUSIC FESTIVAL oCtoBer 4-6

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area due to his devotion to remaining the best bulldozer driver in the region; Cedric Burnside, who plays in the North Mississippi Hill Country style of his grandfather R.L. Burnside, and headliners Duwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers.

The Highway 61 Blues Festival is a decidedly casual event, and even more laid back is the associated outdoor blues jam that takes place on Sunday afternoon five miles away in Holly Ridge. Once a thriving railroad town, today the hamlet features just a small store, a cotton gin, and a graveyard that’s the resting of Charley Patton (ca. 1890-1934), regarded as the father of Delta Blues.

The first Mississippi Blues Trail marker was erected here in honor of Patton back in 2006, and in a cotton field nearby is another marker at the birthplace of the great Jimmy Reed. As usual, there’s unlikely to be a fixed schedule for the jam, which is free, but bring a chair in the early afternoon and you’ll likely see many of the performers who were on stage the night before in Leland. The stage is set up next to an old general store where Patton is reputed to have performed.

On Monday, Oct. 1, visitors are encouraged to drop by the E.E. Bass Cultural Arts Center in Greenville, where there’s an ongoing exhibition of the blues photos of folklorist William Ferris. A native of Vicksburg, Ferris published his dissertation as “Blues From the Delta,” and he was the founder, in 1977, of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.

The Dockery Farms plantation, located between Cleveland and Ruleville on Highway 8, is often described as the “birthplace of the blues,” and at one time was the residence of pioneering musicians Charley Patton, Howlin’ Wolf, and Roebuck “Pops” Staples, patriarch of the Staple Singers.

The non-profit Dockery Farms Foundation now administers it, and from 1-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2, the foundation’s Bill Lester, also an art professor at Delta State University, will offer guided tours.

The foundation has recently restored many historic buildings, including the plantation’s gas station, which features authentic vintage signage and pumps. The event will also feature live music from

Bernie Pearl, Donna Herula, spoonfed Blues featuring Bob “Mississippi spoonman”, austin “Walkin’ Cane”, Wampus Cats, Don McMinn, Vasti Jackson, Carl Weathersby, Billy Branch & the sons of Blues, Davis Coen & the Change, Lonnie shields, reverend John Wilkins, Phillip stackhouse, Fruteland Jackson, Big George Brock & the New Houserockers, eB Davis, Zakiya Hooker, eddy “the Chief” Clearwater

G))))))))))g on the

LOCKWOOD STACKHOUSE STAGE

Leland blues artist Pat Thomas, son of James “Son” Thomas, will perform at the Highway 61 Blues Festival and is a mainstay at the Highway 61 Blues Museum.

local blues artists Cadillac John and Bill Abel.

Later that evening there’ll be a “Blues Bash” at Po’ Monkey’s juke joint in nearby Merigold featuring Terry “Harmonica” Bean. One of the last of the rural jukes, it’s presided over by owner Willie “Po Monkey” Seaberry, who farms the fields surrounding the juke and keeps his elaborate wardrobe in his living quarters in the back. Another alternative is the blues jam at L.D.’s Kitchen in Vicksburg featuring the house band from Jackson’s Central Mississippi Blues Society, which usually includes veterans King Edward and Pat Brown.

The modern nature of blues tourism reveals itself Wednesday, Oct. 3, when there’ll be a #BridgingTheBlues #Blues TweetUp at Tunica’s new Gateway to the Blues Visitor Center, which will soon house a new blues museum. The event, which starts at 4 p.m., will feature Clarksdale bluesman and folk artist James “Super Chikan” Johnson, a recipient of the prestigious Mississippi Governor’s Award For Excellence in the Arts.

Blues fans wanting to look over new or unheralded talents should head to Beale Street on Wednesday and Thursday nights, when the Memphis Blues Society is hosting a competition for entrants in the Blues Foundation’s annual International Blues Challenge at the Rum Boogie Cafe.

Two years ago the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena celebrated its 25th anniversary by featuring major headliners for all three nights of the event. They continue in the same vein this year with Bobby Rush, Taj Mahal, and Bonnie Raitt topping the respective bills at this year’s festival, which runs from Thursday, Oct. 4 to Saturday, Oct. 6.

There’s no bad seat at the main stage,

KingBiscuitFestival.com Call

870-572-5223 for more information.

new exhibit At the DeltA culturAl center!

"Maude Schuyler Clay: Revisiting the Mississippi Delta" A photogrAphy exhibit feAturing scenes of the DeltA September 1 – December 8, 2012 • Free ADmiSSion!

DCC Visitors Center, 141 Cherry St. • Downtown Helena – West Helena, Arkansas

CAll (800) 358-0972 for informAtion.

facebook.com/deltaculturalcenter THE DELTA CULTURAL CENTER IS A MUSEUM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ARKANSAS HERITAGE

DeltaCulturalCenter.com A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

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located across from the tall levee that protects the city from the Mississippi River, but a lot of the fun can be found along Cherry Street, where many street buskers set up between vendors of barbecue and funnel cakes. An intimate stage located a bit upriver from the main venue features leading acoustic acts earlier in the day, and internationally recognized electric groups into the night.

Several years ago the festival inaugurated a modest fee for just the main stage, but few fans complained because of the always stellar lineup. Some of the leading artists at this year’s event include Kenny Neal, Cyril Neville, Billy Branch, Carl Weathersby, Ruthie Foster, Anson Funderburgh, Vasti Jackson, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, James Cotton, Zakiya Hooker, Roy Rogers, and the Reverend John Wilkins.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday the King Biscuit Blues Festival hosts the second annual “Call and Response: A Blues Forum,” which will include two panels featuring blues performers. And if you’re in Helena during the day on Thursday and Friday around lunch time drop into the Delta Cultural Center, which features exhibits on Arkansas music and where you can see a live broadcast of the KFFA radio show “King Biscuit Time.”

The host, “Sunshine” Sonny Payne, is now 86 and began working on KFFA in 1941, the same year that Mississippi harmonica great Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) began King Biscuit Time, whose name derives from a flour product made by its initial sponsor, the Interstate Grocer Company. The festival’s name, in turn, pays tribute to the important legacy of the radio show, which was pioneering in its use of African-Americans as on-air talent.

Blues festivals are largely seasonal affairs, and on the Saturday of the King Biscuit weekend there are more events on the Mississippi side of the River. Hollandale salutes a blues pioneer who lived for many years in the community with the Sam Chatmon Blues and BBQ Festival, featuring artists Eden Brent and T-Model Ford, and fans of Southern Soul might want to visit the Mississippi Blues Fest at the Leflore County Civic Center in Greenwood, whose roster includes Jeff Floyd and Ms. Jody.

Clarksdale is a center for blues tourism year round, but there’s always heightened activity in early October to accommodate all the out-of-towners attending the festival in Helena. On both Saturday and Sunday afternoons the Rock & Blues Museum, which houses the massive collection of Dutchman Theo Dasbach, hosts the free 2nd Street Blues Party, and on Sunday morning Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art hosts its triannual Cat Head Mini Blues Festival.

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DESOTO COUNTY

The celebrated blues highways US 51 and US 61 run from Memphis south into DeSoto County, where Mississippi Blues Trail markers celebrate Beale Street legends Memphis Minnie at her grave in Walls, and jug band leader Gus Cannon at his resting place in Hernando, home of the North Mississippi Allstars. Many bikers begin their explorations of the Blues Trail at Southern Thunder Harley-Davidson in Southaven, where the Fillin’ Station Grille next door offers “Burgers, Blues & Beer.”

VICKSBURG

Blues legends from Vicksburg, located at the south end of the Delta, included musician and producer Willie Dixon, author of hits for artists including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Koko Taylor. Today many of the rising stars of Mississippi blues can be seen at the Ameristar Casino’s Bottleneck Blues Bar. The waterfront area boasts the downhome L.D.’s Kitchen, which hosts a lively blues jam, and the recently opened Lower Mississippi River and Riverfront Interpretive Site, housed in a giant vintage tugboat.

YAZOO COUNTY

The “gateway to the Delta,” Yazoo County contains some of the most dramatic scenery in Mississippi, as the rolling hills to the east suddenly give way to the flatness of the Delta. Tiny Bentonia boasts three Mississippi Blues Trail markers, including one at the photogenic Blue Front Cafe. One of the oldest juke joint joints in the state, it’s run by bluesman Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, whose family opened its doors the late ‘40s. Holmes, who’ll perform at the Highway 61 Blues Festival, is dedicated to keeping alive the distinctive Bentonia style pioneered by locals including Skip James.

CLARKSDALE

Located at the intersection of the “blues highways” of 61 and 49, Clarksdale’s the home of the Delta Blues Museum, which recently doubled its space with a 7,000 square foot addition. Morgan Freeman co-owns the Ground Zero Blues Club, and just down the road is ramshackle juke joint Red’s, which features only traditional blues. Drop by Cathead Delta Blues and Folk Art to pick up records and information about live music, and you can stay at restored sharecropper shacks at the Shack Up Inn on Hopson Plantation, which boasts two live music venues.

INDIANOLA

The hometown of blues legend B.B. King, Indianola is home to the $14 million, state-of-the-art B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, which examines the history of the blues through the lens of

The free event always features traditional blues, and this year the lineup will include Big George Brock and Robert “Wolfman” Belfour.

Many King Biscuit attendees include in their itinerary the Pinetop Perkins Homecoming at Hopson Plantation, located just outside of Clarksdale on Highway 49. A longtime member of the King Biscuit Time band, the legendary pianist lived at Hopson during the 1940s, and one of the converted shacks at the plantation’s Shack Up Inn is named in his honor.

Perkins died in March 2011 at the age of 97, and was a regular attendee of the event, which began in 2000. Sponsored by the non-profit Pinetop Perkins Foundation, the event runs from 2-7 p.m., and announced performers include Paul Oscher and Bob Margolin, who both played with Perkins in the Muddy Waters’ band. Performances will take place at both the plantation’s venues, the Hopson Commissary and the Juke Joint Chapel, located in a former cotton gin, as well as at an outdoor stage.

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

King’s remarkable life story. Clubs in Indianola that offer live blues regularly include the historic chitlin circuit venue the Club Ebony, which the museum recently acquired, the Blue Biscuit, Club 308, and da House of Khafre.

CLEVELAND

Mose Allison was one of the many performers last year at Delta State University’s Bologna Performing Artists Center, and the University’s music industry program boasts its own blues band. Po’ Monkeys in nearby Merigold is one of the last of the country jukes in operation, and is presided over by Willie “Po Monkey” Seaberry. You can head east to nearby Dockery Plantation, the former home of blues pioneer Charley Patton and widely considered the “birthplace of the blues.“

TUNICA

The good times roll at Tunica’s nine casino resorts, which often feature leading blues, country and rock artists. Mississippi Blues Trail markers celebrate that the area was once home to blues pioneers Son House and Robert Johnson. The Tunica Museum is currently featuring an exhibit of sculptor Sharon McConnell’s life masks of blues legends; you can also explore the Mighty Mississippi at the Tunica Riverpark. The “Gateway to the Blues” welcome center will soon be home to a new blues museum.

LELAND/GREENVILLE

Leland’s Highway 61 Blues Festival, founded in 2000, features both an electric and acoustic stage, and a lineup of the finest traditional blues artists in the region. On the Sunday after the festival many artists take part at an informal jam in nearby Holly Ridge, the final resting place of blues pioneer Charley Patton. The Highway 61 Blues Museum in Leland features artifacts from artists including Little Milton and Johnny Winter, whose father was mayor here. In Greenville, whose Delta Blues Festival is the oldest of its kind in the country, blues fans congregate at the downhome Walnut Street Blues Bar, just across the levee from Greenville’s casinos.

GREENWOOD

The Greenwood area is home to three separate graves purported to house the body of Robert Johnson, who died here in 1938 after reputedly being poisoned by a jealous man. The most likely grave is located at the Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church on Money Road, just a couple miles north of Greenwood. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker is located there, and many fans show their respect by leaving coins, guitar picks, and other tributes. Also nearby are Mississippi Blues Trail markers honoring Guitar Slim, Howlin’ Wolf’s longtime guitarist Hubert Sumlin and Furry Lewis.

MEET PO’ MONKEY, OWNER AND OPERATOR OF THE LAST RURAL JUKE JOINT IN MERIGOLD, MISS. OUTSIDE OF CLEVELAND. HE WILL BE OPEN TWO NIGHTS FOR BRIDGING THE BLUES.

TWELVE DAYS OF LIVE MUSIC

AND BLUES EVENTS Thursday, September 27 • Vicksburg’s Got the Blues with Stevie J AmeriStar Bottleneck Blues Bar, Vicksburg MS

Friday, September 28 • Catfish & Cotton - Highway 61 Blues Museum, Leland, MS • ‘Da Delta Black Music & Me - Hobnob’s, Leland, MS • Bud’s Blues House Kick-Off, Leland, MS • Bobby Rush at Club Ebony, Indianola, MS • Live Music David Dunavent & The Evil Love Band The Blue Biscuit, Indianola, MS • Mark Doyle & Dr. Who, Walnut Hills, Vicksburg, MS • B.B. King Blues Club All-Stars, Memphis, TN

Saturday, September 29 • Highway 61 Blues Festival, Leland, MS • Indian Bayou Arts Festival, Indianola, MS • T.K. Soul at Club Ebony, Indianola, MS • Gateway to the Delta Festival, Charleston MS Live music by Super Chikan and Blue Mountain • Mark Doyle & Dr. Who, Walnut Hills, Vicksburg, MS • B.B. King Blues Club All-Stars, Memphis, TN

Sunday, September 30 • Holly Ridge Jam, Holly Ridge, MS • Gospel Brunch, da’ House of Khafre, Indianola, MS

Monday, October 1 • Live Blues Music, Hopson Commissary, Clarksdale, MS • Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Blues, E.E. Bass, Greenville, MS, Photographs by William Ferris • Blues & Beyond Photo Exhibit, Leland Progress, Leland, MS

Tuesday, October 2 • King Biscuit Blues Festival Week Special, The Wild Hog Saloon, Helena, AR, Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones perform at Chicago’s Checkerboard Lounge 1981 • Dockery Farm Tours with Bill Lester, Cleveland, MS Live music by Cadillac John and Bill Abel • LD’s Kitchen, Vicksburg, MS Live music by Central Mississippi Blues Society • Po’ Monkey’s Blues Bash, Merigold, MS Terry Harmonica Bean & his blues band

Thursday, October 4 • King Biscuit Blues Festival, Helena, AR, Headliner: Bobby Rush • Art Alfresco, Greenwood, MS • Po’ Monkey’s, Merigold, MS • Vicksburg’s Got the Blues with Stevie J AmeriStar Bottleneck Blues Bar, Vicksburg MS • B.B. King Blues Club All-Stars, Memphis, TN • Memphis Blues Society IBC Competition Rum Boogie Cafe, Memphis, TN

Friday, October 5 • King Biscuit Blues Festival, Helena, AR, Headliner: Taj Mahal • Peterson Brothers Blues Band, Club Ebony, Indianola, MS • Mark Doyle & Dr. Who, Walnut Hills, Vicksburg, MS • B.B. King Blues Club All-Stars, Memphis, TN • Eric Hughes Band, Bob Margolin at Rum Boogie Cafe Memphis, TN

Saturday, October 6 • FREE Live Music, King Biscuit Blues Festival Bit ‘O Blues Stage Helena, AR • King Biscuit Blues Festival, Helena, AR, Headliner: Bonnie Raitt • Mississippi Blues Fest, Greenwood, MS • 2nd Street Blues Party, Clarksdale, MS • Otherfest, Hwy 1, The River Resort, Rosedale, MS • Sam Chatmon Festival, Hollandale, MS • Mark Doyle & Dr. Who, Walnut Hills, Vicksburg, MS • B.B. King Blues Club All-Stars, Memphis, TN

Sunday, October 7 • 2nd Street Blues Party, Clarksdale, MS • Cat Head Mini Blues Fest III, Clarksdale, MS • Pinetop Perkins Homecoming, Hopson Commissary, Clarksdale, MS • Bill Howl-N-Madd Perry, Club Ebony, Indianola, MS

Monday, October 8 • Live Blues Music, Hopson Commissary, Clarksdale, MS

Wednesday, October 3 • FREE Live Music “Biscuits and Jams,” King Biscuit Blues Festival Main Stage, Helena, AR • Birthright Blues Project Jam, Wild Hog Saloon, Helena, AR • #BridgingTheBlues #BluesTweetUp, Gateway to the Blues Museum, Tunica, MS, Live music by Super Chikan & Zak Hood • Memphis Blues Society IBC Competition Rum Boogie Cafe, Memphis, TN

Plan your 2012 Blues Pilgrimage /bridgingtheblues #BridgingTheBlues bridgingtheblues.blogspot.com A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

37

AFTER DARK, CONT.

presents

The Argenta Film Series the third Thursday of every month 7:00 P.M. at Argenta Community Theater

free. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Jazz Eureka: The Saxtones, Missouri State Jazz Ensemble. Basin Spring Park, 12 p.m., free.

Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs.

479-253-7333.

Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $7. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Quartetto Gelato Concert. Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501450-1249. www.hendrix.edu.

River City Men’s Chorus: Let Me Be the Music.

Includes Beethoven’s “Hallelujah,” Faure’s “In Paradisum” and others. Trinity United Methodist Church, Sept. 23, 3 p.m.; Sept. 24, 7 p.m.; Sept.

27, 7 p.m., free. 1101 North Mississippi St. 501666-2813. www.tumclr.org.

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

Thrill Kill Kult, Left Spine Down, Ginsu Wives.

Juanita’s, 8 p.m., $18 adv., $20 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com.

Zoo, Binary Marketing Show. Vino’s, 7:30 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

EVENTS

bands per night. Bands sign up at 6:30 p.m. and play 35-minute sets (including setup) on a first come, first served basis. House band is The Sinners. Solo artists, DJs and all other performers welcome. Vino’s, 7 p.m., $1. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Irish Traditional Music Session. Khalil’s Pub, Fourth and second Monday of every month, 7 p.m. Khalil’s Pub, Fourth Monday of every month, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Jazz@Afterthought. Featuring vocalist I.J. Routon & Trio The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

My Darkest Days, Otherwise, Surrender the Fall, The Revolutioners. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 at door. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.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 Trio, Kasie Lunsford. The Joint, 8:30 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-3720210. thejointinlittlerock.com.

River City Men’s Chorus: Let Me Be the Music.

Includes Beethoven’s “Hallelujah,” Faure’s “In Paradisum” and others. Trinity United Methodist Church, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.; Sept. 27, 7 p.m., free. 1101 North Mississippi St. 501-6662813. www.tumclr.org.

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

th 1st Annual LR KIDSfest.

One day outdoor event for kids and families benefiting Pediatric Hydrocephalus in Funding a Cure for Hydrocephalus. War Memorial Stadium.

1 Stadium Drive. 501-663-0775. WWW. LRKIDSFEST.ORG. 2012 Showcase of Aircraft. See Sept. 22.

Adventure Into Art Studio Tour. Self-guided ArtsFest Conway. See Sept. 21. tour of 17 artists’ studios. Downtown Eureka Springs, through, Free,. Downtown Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs. www.eurekaspring2012 Reel Civil Rights Film Festival. See Sept. 21. sstudiotour.com.

ArtsFest Conway. See Sept.Presenting 21.

Sponsor Bernice Garden Farmers’ Market. 10 a.m.-2 UCA Distinguished Lecture: Tim Gunn. Star of MargeGarden. and Tom Schueck p.m. Sundays. The Bernice 1401 S. Project Runway and Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, Main St. 501-617-2511. www.thebernicegarGunn is chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne den.org.

Inc. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., Chancellor’s List “Live from the Back Room.” Vino’s, 7 p.m. $15. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway. 501-450-3265.

923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewuca.edu.ticketforce.com.

Dora Jane and Greg Flesher pub.com.

EVENTS

A Night of Hope

FILM A Night of Hope

LECTURES

Presenting Sponsor Marge and Tom Schueck

Join the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski County for

Chancellor’s List A Night of Hope

Dora JaneHonoring and Greg Flesher CHeryl SHuffield

FILM

At the home Terry and Walter Quinn 5 River View Point President’s List 72227 Little Rock, Arkansas Tuesday, October 9, 2012 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Marc Haynes & Jan Hundley, Co-Chairs Linda and Steve Humphries Carol and Mendel All proceeds will benefit theAllan Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Pulaski Mary and JimCounty Wohlleb Tickets: $100

Dean’s List

Attire: Business Casual Karin and Paul Briscoe and Gary Darwin For reservationsBeverly and information call (501) 301-7773.

Joan and Noel Strauss Legacy SponSored Termite and Pest

By Control University of Arkansas at Little Rock

A Night of Hope Presenting Sponsor

Marge and Tom Schueck

Marge and Tom Schueck

Chancellor’s List

Chancellor’s List

ne and Greg Flesher

Dora Jane and Greg Flesher

President’s List 38

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Linda and Steve Humphries

2012 Reel Civil Rights Film Festival. See Sept.

President’s List 21.

White Water Movie Night: “Slumberland.”

White Water Tavern, 9 p.m., free. 2500 W. 7th.

501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

LECTURES

President’s List ARKANSAS TIMES

Linda and Steve Humphries

Little Rock Touchdown Club: John L. Smith.

Embassy Suites, 11 a.m., $10-$25. 11301 Financial Centre. 501-312-9000.

CLASSES

Cooking Class with Patrick Herron. Eggshells Kitchen Co., 6 p.m., $50. 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-664-6900. eggshellskitchencompany.com.

Linda and Steve Humphries

Gallery Talk - Delita Martin. Martin will lead Carol andexhibition Allan MendelTUESDAY, SEPT. 25 an in-depth conversation in the Mary and Jim Wohlleb Multiplicity, discussing woodblock printing.

Participants meet at the Visitor Desk. Arkansas Arts Center, 2 p.m., free. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372Acoustic Open Mic Night. The Joint, 8 p.m., Dean’s List 4000. www.arkarts.com. free. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0210.

Karin and Paul Briscoe thejointinlittlerock.com.

Arkansas River Blues Society Blues Jam. Thirst Beverly and Gary Darwin Arkansas Senior Olympics.

See Sept.

19.

Joan and Noel Strauss n’ Howl, 6 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Legacy Termite and Pest Control The Cantrells. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., University ofat Arkansas at Littlefree.

Rock Spirited Art’s Plein Air Series Wildwood 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482.

Park for the Arts. Painters will have a chance www.fcl.org.

In-Kind Donations Jeff Long. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford to learn painting techniques while enjoying the view of Wildwood’s 105 acre green space.

Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts, 5 p.m., Jim Dickerson. Piano Bar Sonny Williams’ $35. 20919 Denny Road. 501-296-9903. www.

Steak Room, through Sept. 27: 7 p.m., free. rezclick.com/spiritedartlittlerock.

500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

MONDAY, SEPT. 24 Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s Restaurant of Little Rock, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsrestau7th Street Peep Show. Featuring three or four rantlittlerock.com.

MUSIC

SPORTS

A Night of HopeCLASSES

Marge and ToM Schueck dora Jane and greg FleSher Presenting Sponsor In-Kind Donations

SPORTS

MUSIC

AFTER DARK, CONT. The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Poor Ol Uncle Fatty. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com.

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

The Rocketboys, Bearcat. 18-and-older show.

Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyz.com.

Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers.

Arkansas State University at Mountain Home, 7 p.m., free. 1600 S. College Ave., Mountain Home.

The Toneados. 21-and-older show. The Joint, 9 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-3720205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Top of the Rock Chorus rehearsal. Cornerstone Bible Fellowship Church, through Nov. 13: 7-10 p.m. 7351 Warden Road, Sherwood. 501-2311119. www.topoftherockchorus.org.

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

Wayland, Another Lost Year. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Yelawolf, Rittz, Trouble Andrew, DJ Vajra.

Rogue Pizza Co., 8 p.m., $20 adv., $25 day of.

402 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-571-5200.

DANCE

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

Soul Spirit Zumba with Ashan. Dunbar Community Center, 6 p.m., $5. 1001 W. 16th St. 501-376-1084.

EVENTS

ArtsFest Conway. See Sept. 21.

Little Rock Farmers’ Market. River Market Pavilions, 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.

FILM

2012 Reel Civil Rights Film Festival. See Sept. 21.

LECTURES

Science Cafe. Tonight’s topic is Alternative Medicine: Eat (Ayurveda), Sleep (Hypnosis) and Stick (Acupuncture). The Afterthought, 7 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

BOOKS

Greil Marcus. The veteran rock critic will discuss his book “The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years” with local radio DJ Tom Wood. Main Library, 6:30 p.m., free. 100 S. Rock St. www.cals.lib.ar.us.

Nicholas Kralev. The author will discus his new book, “America’s Other Army: The U.S. Foreign Service and the Humanizing of Diplomacy.”

Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free.

1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

“Church Basement Ladies.” Musical comedy celebrates the church kitchen and the women who work there. Check the website for dinner and performance times. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Oct. 7, $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. www.murrysdinnerplayhouse.com/schedule.php.

“Good People.” Good People is set in south Boston, the blue-collar neighborhood where

the writer himself grew up. The play follows Margie Walsh, a struggling single mother who is laid off from her job at a dollar store. During the course of the play, Margie tries scrounging for a living, hangs out with bingo buddies, and seeks out an old boyfriend. The Weekend Theater, Fri., Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-3743761. www.weekendtheater.org.

“Henry V.” Shakespeare’s history play is an indictment of war and a testament to courage of the adventurous young king. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, through Sept. 23: Wed., Thu., Sun., 7 p.m.; Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $30-$35.

601 Main St. 501-378-0405. www.therep.org.

“Madeline and the Gypsies.” Madeline and her friend Pepito are stranded during an outing at the rousing gypsy circus. The two are adopted by the mysterious Gypsy Mama, and they experience “life on the road” complete with sleeping in late, no rules to follow and lots of exciting adventures. Arkansas Arts Center, through Oct. 7: Fri., 7 p.m.; Sat., 3 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $12. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www. arkarts.com/childrens_theatre/season/mainstage/madeline.asp.

“Noises Off.” When a company of nine sets out to produce a touring comedy, frayed nerves and backstage betrayals plunge the production into chaos. Recommended for age 13 and older. Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios, through Sept. 23: Thu., 7:30 p.m.; Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m., $10-$29. 505 W. Spring St., Fayetteville.

479-443-5600. theatre2.org.

“The Piano Men.” The Piano Men is a musical time machine saluting two of the century’s most popular contemporary songwriters, Billy Joel and Elton John. The Fowler Center, Tue., Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m., $6-$30. 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro. 870-972-2781. www.yourfowlercenter.com/events/2012-2013/piano-men.dot.

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GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

New exhibits, art events ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “50 for Arkansas,” work donated by Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, Sept. 21-Jan. 6; “Multiplicity,” exhibition on printmaking from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Sept. 21-Jan. 6; “Multiplicity Reconsidered,” talk in conjunction with exhibit “Multiplicity”

by Dr. Joann Moser, senior curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 6 p.m.

Sept. 20, $5 public, members free. Call 3724000 to reserve a seat.

BERNICE GARDEN, 1401 S. Main St.: “Sculpture Party and Fall Fest,” unveiling of six new sculptures by Mia Hall, Bryan Massey Sr., David O’Brien, Tod Swiecichowski, Stephanie Shinabery and John M. Van Horn, 5-8 p.m. Sept. 20. 617-2511.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “Southern Landscape,” work by Al Allen, Thomas Hart Benton, Darrell Berry, Gary Bolding, Adrian Brewer, J.O. Buckley, Roger Carlisle, Carroll Cloar, Shelia Cotton, William Dunlap, Louis Freund, Charles Harrington, Colette Pope Heldner, Dolores Justus, Matt McLeod, Laura Raborn, Ed Rice, Kendall Stallings, Barry Thomas and Rebecca Thompson, opens with reception 5-8 p.m.

Sept. 21, Argenta ArtWalk. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 664-2787.

LAMAN LIBRARY ARGENTA, 506 Main St.: Demonstration by ceramicist Julie Holt, 5-8 p.m. Sept. 21, Argenta ArtWalk. 687-1061.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “GPS Adventures,” ages 6 to adult, Sept. 22-April 1; “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.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 47 www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

39

MOVIE LISTINGS

SEPT. 21-22

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Chenal 9, Lakewood 8, Regal McCain Mall and Riverdale showtimes were not available by press deadline. Rave showtimes are valid for Friday and Saturday only. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com.

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–Stephen Holden

0921 J BCH ERIC BASES 9/17/12 1:35 PM

Little Rock_BCH__0921

LITTLE ROCK Written for the Screen and Directed by Market Street Cinema leslye heaDlanD (501) 312-8900

THE PARTY STARTS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

LITTLE ROCK Market Street Cinema (501) 312-8900

CHECK DIRECTORIES fOR SHOWTIMES • NO PASSES ACCEPTED 40

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

NEW MOVIES 2 Days in New York (R) — Chris Rock and Julie Delpy are a couple who must survive a visit from Julie’s wacky French family in this comedy of manners. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:00.

Bachelorette (R) — See? Chicks can be just as raunchy and disgusting as dudes. With Kirsten Dunst and Isla Fisher. Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 6:45, 9:00.

Dredd (R) — Based on the dystopian comic book about a futuristic nightmare world of drugs and all-powerful cops. Breckenridge: 4:00 (2D), 1:00, 7:00, 9:40 (3D). Rave: 5:00, 11:15 (2D), 11:30 a.m., 2:00, 8:45, midnight (3D).

End of Watch (R) — Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as a young team of cops in the midst of an all-out war with drug cartels.

Breckenridge: 1:25, 4:25, 7:35, 10:05. Rave: 11:20 a.m., 2:15, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45, 11:45.

For a Good Time, Call (R) — “Crappy economy forces prudish girl to become a phone sex operator, like her outlandish roommate” is apparently a hilarious idea for a movie. Rave: 11:25 a.m., 2:25, 4:50, 8:15, 10:30.

House at the End of the Street (PG-13) — Bunch of terror happens to “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence. Breckenridge: 1:10, 4:10, 7:15, 9:50. Rave: 12:15, 3:00, 5:45, 8:30, 11:30 (XTreme), 11:00 a.m., 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 10:00.

The Master (R) — Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest masterwork about a Scientology-type cult, with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix. Rave: 11:50 a.m., 3:30, 7:30, 11:00, midnight.

Trouble with the Curve (PG-13) — Latest Clint Eastwood flick is probably OK, but not as good as the one where he yells at the chair.

Breckenridge: 1:40, 4:40, 7:25, 10:00. Rave: 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40, midnight.

Unconditional (PG-13) — Christian film based on actual events or something. Rave: 11:15 a.m., 1:40, 4:00, 6:30, 9:15, 11:50.

‘WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A FREE PERSONALITY TEST?’: Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in “The Master,” which Hoffman has assured us has nothing to do with Scientology, so stop asking about it, OK?

The Campaign (R) — In which Ricky Bobby goes to Washington with the weird-beard from the “Hangover” films. Rave: 12:20, 2:40, 5:25, 7:50, 10:00.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (PG) — Based on the children’s book series. Movies 10: 12:15, 2:40, 4:55, 7:25, 9:45.

The Expendables 2 (R) — Sequel to the film in which a bunch of current and former action movie stars get together for tea and cake and explosions and cheekily self-referential jokes.

Rave: 7:25, 10:15.

Finding Nemo 3D (G) — Pixar film about some fish and their adventures and it’s in 3D. Breckenridge: 1:35, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45. Rave: 4:35 (2D), 10:50 a.m., 12:50, 1:50, 3:45, 6:45, 9:30 (3D).

Heroine (NR) — Bollywood flick about the life of a Bollywood starlet. Rave: 1:05, 7:05, 10:20.

Hit & Run (PG-13) – Hilarious misadventure ensues when a former bank robber’s secret past catches up with him. Movies 10: 12:30, 5:20, 10:10.

Hope Springs (PG-13) — Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep try to reignite the spark of love with the help of Steve Carrell, in this lighthearted, 100-minute-long Cialis commercial.

Page 4 RETURNING THIS WEEK Breckenridge: 4:15, 9:55.

2016: Obama’s America (PG-13) — Oh noes!

Ice Age: Continental Drift (PG) – Latest iteration The Muslim Kenyan Socialist is going to ruin in the series about a crew of wacky animated the world by 2016! Aiee! Save us, right-wing animals. Movies 10: 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:15 propagandist Dinesh D’Souza! Breckenridge: (2D), 12:05, 2:25, 4:45 (3D).

1:30, 4:20, 7:20, 9:25. Rave: 4:20.

Last Ounce of Courage (PG) — Feel-good rightThe Amazing Spider Man (PG-13) — Already? wing propaganda about how life is precious It’s like, jeez, Tobey MaGuire’s Spider Man’s and God and The Bible. Oh, and Christmas. body ain’t even cold yet. Starring Andrew Breckenridge: 4:05, 9:35.

Garfield and Emma Stone. Movies 10: 1:10, Lawless (R) — Set in the Prohibition era, a trio 4:10, 7:05, 10:00. of bootlegger brothers must navigate a vioSORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTEDlent FORcriminal THIS underworld, ENGAGEMENT Arbitrage (R) — Finance thriller in which Richard from director John Gere must juggle his crumbling hedge fund, Hillcoat. Brekenridge: 1:05, 7:05. Rave: 11:00 his mistress and a bloody crime. Market Street: a.m., 2:20, 5:05, 8:25, 11:20.

2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) — Avengers (PG-13) — Based on the Marvel The Dreamworks franchise rolls on, with Chris Comics superhero series. Movies 10: 1:00, Rock, Ben Stiller and other people who make 4:30, 8:30 (2D), 7:00, 10:05 (3D). stupid amounts of money as talking animals.

Barfi (G) — Bollywood comedy about a young Movies 10: 12:20, 2:45, 5:00, 7:20, 9:35. man’s relationships with two women. Rave: The Odd Life of Timothy Green (PG) — 8:05, 10:55.

Basically it’s Cabbage Patch Kids the Movie, but Bourne Legacy (PG-13) — Latest in the Bourne with just one Cabbage Patch Kid. Breckenridge: franchise, starring Jeremy Renner and not star1:20, 3:50, 7:10, 9:30. Rave: 11:55 a.m., 2:30, 5:35. ring Matt Damon. Breckenridge: 1:00, 7:05.

ParaNorman (PG) — Stop-motion animated Rave: 7:40, 10:50. film about a kid who talks to ghosts, from the

studio that made “Coraline.” Breckenridge: 1:50, 7:20 (2D), 4:50, 9:35 (3D). Rave: 12:30, 5:20 (2D), 2:55 (3D).

The Possession (PG-13) — A family must confront a terrifying something or other but more importantly, this stars Matisyahu. Yes, really.

Breckenridge: 1:15, 4:30, 7:30, 9:40. Rave: 12:45, 3:25, 5:50, 8:40, 11:05.

Resident Evil: Retribution (R) — Video game movie. Breckenridge: 1:45 (open-captioned), 7:40 (2D), 4:45, 10:00 (3D). Rave: 4:45, 11:00 (2D), 11:35 a.m., 12:40, 2:05, 3:10, 5:55, 7:45, 8:55 (3D).

Robot & Frank (PG-13) — Frank Langella stars as a retired cat burglar who enlists the help of his robotic caretaker to restarts his life of stealing jewelry from rich jerks. Also stars Susan Sarandon. Market Street: 2:00, 4:15, 7:00, 9:15.

Sleepwalk with Me (NR) — Based on the oneman comedy by Mike Birbiglia. Market Street: 2:15, 4:30, 7:15, 9:00.

Step Up Revolution (PG-13) — That’ll do, “Step Up” franchise, that’ll do. Movies 10: 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40.

Ted (R) — From the mind of the inescapable Seth MacFarlane, the story of a talking teddy bear named Ted. Movies 10: 2:55, 7:40.

Total Recall (PG-13) – This remake might be an elaborate excuse to show the three-breasted alien lady again. Starring Colin Farrell. Movies 10: 12:45, 4:00, 7:10, 9:50.

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection (PG13) — Latest product churned out by the Tyler Perry machine. Movies 10: noon, 2:35, 5:10, 7:45, 10:20.

Chenal 9 IMAX NO Theatre: 17825 Chenal SORRY, PASSES Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

ACCEPTED FOR Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain THIS ENGAGEMENT Blvd., 945-7400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Lakewood 8: 2939 Lakewood Village Drive, 7585354, 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.

Regal McCain Mail 12: 3929 McCain Blvd., 7531380, www.regmovies.com.

MOVIE REVIEW

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Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012 3 p.m.

LR River Market

‘RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION’: Milla Jovovich stars.

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‘Resident Evil: Retribution’: the least amount of story you’ll see in the multiplex all year.

BY SAM EIFLING

“R

esident Evil: Retribution” opens in reverse, with our heroine Alice (Milla Jovovich) submerged in the ocean. She rises, lands back on the deck of a tanker at sea, runs backwards as crashing attack helicopter un-crashes behind her. Bullets retreat from the pilot’s head into Alice’s guns as gasmasked thugs rewind up their suspension ropes to other helicopters. This scene, one of several seductive visual flourishes in a movie that has virtually nothing else going for it, runs in mesmerizing slow-motion.

What’s happening? Who cares. Like any other dream, the fifth “Resident Evil” turns from hypnotic episode to soggy tatters as soon as you start asking questions.

Wait, actually, no — here comes a huge slab of exposition, delivered on a twirly mobile of translucent screens. Alice explains (facing the camera straight-on, narrating with no regard for suspension of disbelief) the thumbnail setup: A huge evil germ lab called the Umbrella Corporation has infected the world with virulent zombieism and now almost everyone’s dead or un-. She’s really good at killing monsters and somehow she rounded up some survivors and took to sea with them. That’s when Umbrella dispatched the helicopter fleet to rat-a-tat-tat the lot of ’em and capture Alice. She wakes up in a former submarine fabrication facility in Siberia, now Umbrella’s test kitchen for outbreak scenarios in city-sized mockups of Tokyo, New York, suburbia and Moscow. Some dudes are coming to rescue her if she can get to the exit but she’ll have to fight her way out through those settings.

And that’s the whole deal. Spoiler: She kills a bunch of stuff and gets away. Now, it’s almost not worth complaining about such frivolity as story in a fourth sequel based on a video game, but at the risk of offending the 14-year-old boys whose wholesale lack of discernment keeps junkheaps such as this barging into multiplexes, we must note here that “Resi-

dent Evil: Retribution” sprinkles less story into more space than any other movie of recent memory. Aside from running, shooting, fighting, killing, there’s just not much happening here. The dialogue plods like a three-legged brontosaurus. The plot goes in one straight line and arrives in exactly the spot it announced it was going.

Attempted twists arrive at your seat via telegram.

While the movie lasts all of 95 minutes, so much of it is spent indulging in sultry slow-motion that it’s hard to gauge how much time actually elapses. A few “Matrix”-esque fight sequences do give the action a sense of digital weightlessness that harks to the best aspects of dinking around with a new PlayStation shoot’em-up. Mostly, writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson uses this installment to set up yet another sequel without defining why you’d need to see this particular “Resident Evil” to understand the jump from the fourth to the sixth movies. In other words, it’s disposable even by the standards of this disposable fare.

Ah, but Milla Jovovich! Since she fell into the sci-fi action genre 15 years ago with “The Fifth Element,” she has graced plenty of middling dramas and comedies, and maybe once she ages out of these physical, face-kicking roles she’ll put herself out to pasture with more rom-coms. Until then, Jovovich is Alice, ferocious and agile, as curiously bland as she is conspicuously beautiful. Now 37, she still cuts the figure of an everywoman-turned-zombie-killer just fine, and for Hollywood to veer against type to keep a mom-aged at the center of this bloody franchise partially redeems it. There are a few other draws littered among the cast — Michelle Rodriguez is back, at least — but your decision to see this movie will probably come down to whether you consider $10 equal to or less than the value of seeing Jovovich slinging guns, swinging chains and wearing very tight black outfits. www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

41

Dining AFTER BEING CLOSED for remodeling for nearly three months, Restaurant 1620 reopens Friday, Sept. 21, as 1620 Savoy, a name that pays tribute to Harlem’s first integrated jazz club and to the new look’s jazz-era flavor. Rick Qualls, who managed 1620 for former owner Evette Brady (she’s gone into catering), brought his musical theater background to bear on the main dining room design, with its art-deco inspired marble floors, white leather chairs, hidden blue lighting, antique French advertising posters and a bar done in black and white tile and zebra carpeting.

The restaurant also has a casual side now, where you can eat from the same menu — which includes 1620 favorites like filet mignon and liver and onions along with newly added dishes involving smoked duck, miso-glazed Tasmanian salmon, Dover sole and oysters — dressed in your cut-offs. There’s a bar menu (croque monsieur, smoked duck tacos) on the casual side as well, where nothing is more expensive than $12, and a walled patio where, Qualls said, “a water fountain flows into a fire pit.” The casual side will transform into the Club Savoy from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Friday and Saturday nights, with a DJ. The restaurant will be open for dinner daily except for its first Sunday, Sept. 23.

COZYMEL’S MEXICAN GRILL at 10 Shackleford Drive closed Sunday.

Marlin Clark, who’d been the general manager, said the restaurant was one of a small national group, but the Little Rock location was independently owned and the owners had decided to sell the property. He said he had no details on the future use of the property, whether for a restaurant or otherwise.

Clark, who’d joined the restaurant only a month ago, said business had been “slow but steady.”

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

ACADIA Unbelievable fixed-price, threecourse dinners on Mondays and Tuesday, but food is certainly worth full price. 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, CC. $$-$$$.

501-603-9630. D Mon.-Sat. BIG ORANGE: BURGERS SALADS SHAKES Gourmet burgers manufactured according to exacting specs and properly fried Kennebec potatoes are the big draws. 17809 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-1515. LD daily.

42

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

WHAT’S COOKIN’

WELL PREPARED: The Pan-Roasted Snapper.

Some good seafood, some so so At Jerry Barakat’s Oceans at Arthur’s.

I

t’s a little disingenuous to call one of Jerry Barakat’s restaurants “new.” New concept, maybe, and given the pace with which he’s moved things in, out and around in his multi-eatery complex off Rahling Road, you might want to move quickly if you find a concept you like.

Gaucho’s has gone full circle from its original upstairs home to another part of West Little Rock, back to a lower-level space on Rahling and now back upstairs.

There were a few other places in the oldnow-current Gaucho’s space, none particularly memorable. Downstairs we’ve seen/tasted Sesame’s, Jasmine, Jerry B’s — Arthur’s Prime Steakhouse has hung in there a good while — and now we’ve got Oceans at Arthur’s. And we’re probably forgetting some. It’s a bit dizzying.

The new-but-not-really-new is noticeable at Oceans. The tables and chairs have been recycled from former spots, and some are pretty scuffed up. The disco ball, speakers and screen with projector endure from the Jerry B’s karaoke days. Meanwhile flat screens show beach scenes with swaying palms and waves that gently lap the beach.

And classic rock plays over the sound system. It’s an odd juxtaposition.

Patrons all seem to know Barakat, who has always been masterful at working a room. And judging by the attire — one ponytailed older guy in a tank top and gym

Oceans at Arthur’s

27 Rahling Circle Little Rock 821-1838 www.arthursprimesteakhouse.com

QUICK BITE Don’t like the sides that come with your entree? Choose others on the menu and they’ll gladly substitute them. Don’t like what’s on the dessert tray? Order one of the fabulous souffles or another dessert from Arthur’s just across the wall. That flexibility is a nice touch.

HOURS 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 to 9:30 p.m.

Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday (brunch buffet 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.).

OTHER INFO Full bar, all CC

shorts, a young woman in artfully ripped up jeans — people are pretty comfortable and casual in a place that’s ostensibly a fairly high-end seafood restaurant.

First impressions of restaurants are always driven by menu choices. And given the fact we’d heard several good things about Oceans, yet were decidedly underwhelmed by the food we ate, maybe ours weren’t the wisest.

We’re big gumbo fans, so we had to try “Oceans Signature Seafood Gumbo” ($7), which the menu describes a bit oddly as “shrimp, classic gumbo, fresh greens.” We don’t know where fresh greens would fit in, but we found none involved here. Classic?

Not so much. This one had a tomato-based broth with green onion, okra, onion, rice and bell pepper. Shrimp? A total of five (FIVE!) tiny cocktail style shrimp. It was vegetable soup. Thumbs down.

The avocado rolls ($8) were more pleasing — four sections of egg-roll style wrappers stuffed with avocado, tart sundried tomatoes and onion, with a sweetish sauce that worked well with them.

The Seafood Mixed Grill ($20) teams hunks of salmon, medium shrimp, huge scallops, pineapple and red bell pepper on two skewers served over couscous. The big issue here was that the seafood was grilled but not seasoned much at all. Grilled seafood often is overcooked, but not here. It was perfectly moist and succulent — but almost tasteless.

We did like the preparation on the PanRoasted Snapper ($21), which was tender on the inside and almost crisped on the outside, topped with a rich, creamy chardonnay wasabi sauce. We didn’t get much wasabi taste, but the cream sauce accented the fish nicely. The white beans we chose to accompany it were large, firm, served cold and had a sharp vinegary dressing — a bit odd. The wedge of firm polenta was fine but not inspired.

The dessert tray was predictable to the point of being cliched — chocolate creme brulee, white chocolate creme brulee, five-layer chocolate cake, carrot cake, cheesecake, key lime pie, strawberry cake.

Our waiter said the brulees, strawberry cake and carrot cake are made in house.

We went for the chocolate brulee, which was served in a rectangular hunk vs. in a ramekin. It was creamy and rich — as brulee universally is — but the top had been flamed until scorched, which imparted a nasty, ashy taste.

We’re not sushi folks, but we’ve heard great things about quality and there certainly is variety. There are also five choices for oysters — though $20 for a dozen on the half-shell strikes us as steep — and broiled mussels. A large selection of sandwiches makes dinner more affordable, and the smaller lunch menu also is reasonably priced. The wine and specialty cocktail selection is almost as large as the menu, and we delighted in a $34 bottle of BV Carneros Chardonnay.

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.

BLACK ANGUS CAFE Charcoal-grilled burgers, hamburger steaks and steaks proper are the big draws. 10907 N. Rodney Parham.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-7800. LD Mon.-Sat. BOBBYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAFE Delicious, humungo burgers and tasty homemade deserts. 12230 MacArthur Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $.

501-851-7888. BL Tue.-Fri., D Thu.-Fri. BOUDREAUXâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GRILL & BAR A homey, seatyourself Cajun joint that serves up all sorts of variations of shrimp and catfish. 9811 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-6860. L Sat., D Mon.-Sat. BUTCHER SHOP Several menu additions complement the calling card: large, fabulous cuts of prime beef, cooked to perfection.

10825 Hermitage Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-312-2748. D daily.

CAJUNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WHARF The venerable seafood restaurant serves up great gumbo and oysters Bienville, and options such as fine steaks for the non-seafood eater. 2400 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5351. D Mon.-Sat. CAPERS Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never been better, with a menu that covers a lot of ground â&#x20AC;&#x201D; seafood, steaks, pasta â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and does it all well. 14502 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7600.

LD Mon.-Sat. COAST CAFE A variety of salads, smoothies, sandwiches and pizzas, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breakfast and coffee, too. 400 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-371-0164. BL Mon.-Sat. COPPER GRILL Comfort food, burgers and more sophisticated fare. 300 E. Third St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3333. LD Mon.-Sat. DAVEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PLACE A popular downtown soupand-sandwich stop at lunch draws a large and diverse crowd for the Friday night dinner. 201 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3723283. L Mon.-Fri., D Fri. DAVID FAMILY KITCHEN Neckbones, ribs, sturdy cornbread, salmon croquettes, mustard greens and the like. 2301 Broadway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-371-0141. BL Mon.-Fri., L Sun. DELICIOUS TEMPTATIONS Decadent breakfast and light lunch items that can be ordered in full or half orders to please any appetite or palate. 11220 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-6893. BL daily.

DIZZYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GYPSY BISTRO Interesting bistro fare.

200 River Market Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-375-3500. LD Tue.-Sat. THE FADED ROSE The Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734.

LD daily.

FLYING SAUCER 200 beers (including 75 on tap) and more than decent bar food. 323 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-372-8032. LD daily.

FRANKEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot strong on salads and vegetables, and perfect fried chicken on Sundays. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-2254487. LD Mon.-Fri. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-372-1919. L Mon.-Fri. FRONTIER DINER The traditional all-American roadside diner, complete with a nice selection of man-friendly breakfasts and lunch specials.

10424 Interstate 30. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-565-6414. BL Mon.-Sat.

BELLY UP

B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

FROSTOP A â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;50s-style drive-in has been resurrected, with big and juicy burgers and great irregularly cut fries. 4131 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-4535. BLD daily.

GADWALLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GRILL & PIZZA Mouth-watering burgers and specialty sandwiches, plus zesty pizzas with cracker-thin crust and plenty of toppings. 12 North Hills Shopping Center.

NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-834-1840.

LD daily.

HUNKA PIE A drive-up diner with burgers, other sandwiches, onion rings and a number of different pies, fresh baked daily. 250 East Military Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$.

501-612-4754. BLD Mon.-Sat., BL Sun. IZZYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Wholesome, all-American food

Check out the Timesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com

prepared with care, if rarely far from the middle of the culinary road. With full vegan and glutenfree menus. 5601 Ranch Drive. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-868-4311. LD Mon.-Sat. KIERREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S KOUNTRY KITCHEN Excellent home-cooking joint. 6 Collins Place. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-0903. BLD Tue.-Fri., BL Sat. MARKHAM STREET GRILL AND PUB The menu has something for everyone. 11321 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-2242010. LD daily, BR Sun. MOOYAH BURGERS Kid-friendly, fast-casual restaurant with beef, veggie and turkey burgers and shakes. 14810 Cantrell Road, Suite 190. No alcohol, All CC. 501-868-1091.

LITTLE ROCKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MOST AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANT 1619 REBSAMEN RD. s THEFADEDROSE COM

RED DOOR Fresh seafood, steaks, chops and sandwiches. 3701 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-8482. BL Tue.-Fri. D daily. BR Sat. REDBONEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Piquant Creole and Cajun food thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s among Little Rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best. 300 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-3722211. LD daily.

RIVERFRONT STEAKHOUSE Steaks are the draw here â&#x20AC;&#x201D; cooked quickly and accurately, finished with butter and served sizzling hot. 2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-375-7825. D Mon.-Sat. ROCKET TWENTY ONE Great seafood, among other things. With a late night menu.

2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$$-$$$$.

501-603-9208. L Mon.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. ROUTE 66 DINER Kid-friendly â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;50s diner with a menu of classics, including chicken and waffles.

7710 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-223-3366. BLD Mon.-Sat. RUDYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OYSTER BAR Good boiled shrimp and oysters on the half shell. 2695 Pike Ave. NLR. Full bar, All CC. 501-771-0808. LD Mon.-Sat. SO RESTAURANT BAR Call it a French brasserie with a sleek, but not fussy American finish.

3610 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-1464. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. TOWN PUMP A dependable burger, good wings, great fries, other bar food, plate lunches, full bar. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-9802. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

TRIOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Fresh, creative and satisfying lunches; even better at night. 8201 Cantrell Road Suite 100. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-3330. LD Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. VIEUX CARRE Specialty salads, steak and seafood. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1196. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat., BR Sun. YOUR MAMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GOOD FOOD Offering simple and satisfying cafeteria food, with burgers and more hot off the grill, plate lunches and pies. 215 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-372-1811. BL Mon.-Fri.

ASIAN

YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE IN GOOD COMPANY

arktimes.com / 501.375.2985

CHIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHINESE CUISINE Offers a broad menu that spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings. 5110 W. Markham St. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-604-7777.

LD Mon.-Sat. CRAZY HIBACHI GRILL Tapanaki cooking, sushi bar and sit-down dining with a Mongolian grill. 2907 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-812-9888. LD daily.

FANTASTIC CHINA The food is delicious, the presentation beautiful, the menu distinctive, the service perfect. 1900 N. Grant St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-663-8999. LD daily.

LILLYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DIMSUM THEN SOME Innovative dishes inspired by Asian cuisine, utilizing local and fresh ingredients. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-716-2700. LD Tue.-Sun. MT. FUJI JAPANESE RESTAURANT The dean of Little Rock sushi bars offers a fabulous lunch special and great Monday night deals. 10301 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-227-6498. LD daily. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-227-6498.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

SOURCE: THE MEDIA AUDIT, JAN. 2012 www.arktimes.com

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

43

CROSSWORD

DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ ACROSS 1 Andersson of “Persona” 5 Bilko and Friday: Abbr.

9 Pie choice 14 Black, to bards 15 Ritz look-alike of old 16 Simon of Duran Duran 17 Managed care grps.

18 Sch. type 19 Gut course 20 F.D.A.-banned weight-loss supplement 22 Next century’s end 24 Edinburgh’s locale, in poetry 25 It may be fit for a queen 29 Menu general 30 Some flights 32 Drop ___ 33 Blackens with chimney grime

34 Subway Series borough 35 What the six groups of circled letters represent 38 Ivy League sch.

40 Excessive 41 Girl in a Beatles title 42 Patronized a restaurant 44 Toward the rear 47 Close-fitting women’s garments 49 “In conclusion …”

51 People who valued vicuña wool 52 Hale telescope’s observatory 53 Words of denial 56 “Add to ___” (e-shopper’s button) 58 Wig style 59 Egypt’s Sadat 60 Sport with touches

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE B A E Z

C O L A

A M U R

L U A U

J A C O B

A D A N O

C L I M B D O W N

B O R N

A S T E R I S K

A M A Z O N

I S C I V A S M I N A X T B L E I O N N O S

R O N B O R E O B O O X I N C O N G A U F R I T S E E R T T E N S O E N T N S P E E B O R C A N O R A D I I A N E E D B O N D S

A R O N M A N I E N O N A N E N T E R O H O M E V A L H E U S O R I A O S D I Z E Z I A E M S D A Y

61 Sound like a banshee 62 Wonder Woman’s weapon 63 Takes night courses?

64 Zaire’s Mobutu ___ Seko DOWN 1 Urgent request 2 Cloned office equipment 3 [That’s such a shame!]

4 Cartographic detail 5 Marriott competitor 6 Arizona county or river 7 Everyday article 8 Elke of film 9 Baldwin and others 10 Atlanta’s main street 11 “Sesame Street” channel 12 Powell’s “The Thin Man” co-star 13 Doe in “Bambi” 21 Wash one’s hands of 23 Rx writers 25 Starters at some seafood restaurants 26 Lust, deified 27 Lo-o-o-ong time 28 Monkey suit 31 Cadillac model unveiled in 2012 33 Some Beethoven works

1

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BARBECUE

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51 54

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Puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski

34 Really, really tough 35 Hanoi holidays 36 ___ Chicago Grill 37 Really looks up to 38 Populous area, informally 39 More, on a score

42 Early nuclear org.

43 Uses as a pattern 44 Withdrawal charge 45 Distress signals 46 Old county of Northern Ireland 48 101 course, typically

50 Is in hot water?

52 Attend Choate, say 53 Proverb ender?

54 Evidence in paternity suits 55 Hammer-on-thethumb cries 57 “The Simpsons” merchant

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

OSAKA JAPANESE RESTAURANT Fine-dining Japanese dishes and a well-stocked sushi bar. 5501 Ranch Dr. $$-$$$. 501-868-3688. LD Sun.-Thu., D Fri.-Sat. SAIGON CUISINE Traditional Vietnamese with Thai and Chinese selections. 14524 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7770. LD daily.

SUSHI CAFE Impressive, upscale sushi menu with other delectable house specialties like tuna tataki, fried soft shell crab, Kobe beef and, believe it or not, the Tokyo cowboy burger. 5823 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9888. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

CHATZ CAFE ‘Cue and catfish joint that does heavy catering business.

8801 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-4949. LD Mon.-Sat. CORKY’S RIBS & BBQ The pulled pork is extremely tender and juicy, and the sauce is sweet and tangy without a hint of heat. 12005 Westhaven Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-954-7427. LD daily. 2947 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-753-3737. LD daily, B Sat.-Sun. WHITE PIG INN Go for the sliced rather than chopped meats at this working-class barbecue cafe. 5231 E. Broadway. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$.

501-945-5551. LD Mon.-Fri., L Sat. WHOLE HOG CAFE The pulled pork shoulder is a classic, the back ribs are worthy of their many blue ribbons, and there’s a six-pack of sauces for all tastes. 516 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-664-5025.

LD Mon.-Sat. 12111 W. Markham. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-907-6124.

LD daily 150 E. Oak St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-513-0600.

LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun. 5107 Warden Road. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$.

501-753-9227.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

CAFE BOSSA NOVA A South American approach to sandwiches, salads and desserts. 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-614-6682.

LD Tue.-Sat., BR Sun. DUGAN’S PUB Serves up Irish fare like fish and chips and corned beef and cabbage alongside classic bar food. 401 E. 3rd St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-244-0542. LD daily.

GEORGIA’S GYROS Good gyros, Greek salads and fragrant grilled pita bread highlight a large Mediterranean food selection. 2933 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-5090. LD Mon.-Sat. HIBERNIA IRISH TAVERN Irish and Southern food favorites and a crowd that likes to sing. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-246-4340. D Mon.-Fri., BR, L, D Sat.-Sun. LAYLA’S GYROS AND PIZZERIA Delicious Mediterranean fare. 9501 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-7272. LD daily (close 5 p.m. on Sun.).

TAJ MAHAL Offers upscale versions of traditional dishes and an extensive menu. 1520 Market Street. Beer, All CC. $$$. 501-881-4796. LD daily.

THE TERRACE MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN A broad selection of Mediterranean delights. 2200 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-217-9393. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat.

ITALIAN

GRAFFITI’S The casually chic and ever-popular Italian-flavored bistro avoids the rut with daily specials and careful menu tinkering. 7811 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-224-9079. D Mon.-Sat. RISTORANTE CAPEO Authentic cooking from the boot of Italy. Familiar pasta dishes will comfort most diners. 425 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-3463. D Mon.-Sat. ROCKY’S PUB Rocking sandwiches and a fine selection of homemade Italian entrees, including as fine a lasagna as there is. 6909 JFK Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine. $$. 501-833-1077. LD Mon.-Sat. ZAZA Wood-fired pizza with gorgeous blistered crusts, great gelato, callyour-own ingredient salads and other treats. 5600 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-661-9292. LD daily. 1050 Ellis Ave. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-336-9292. LD daily.

LATINO

BUMPY’S TEXMEX GRILL & CANTINA The menu includes Tex-Mex staples but also baby back ribs, fried fish and a grilled chicken salad. 400 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-379-8327. LD daily.

JUANITA’S Menu includes a variety of combination entree choices plus creative salads and other dishes. 614 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-1228. LD Mon.-Sat. ROSALINDA RESTAURANT HONDURENO A Honduran cafe that specializes in pollo con frito tajada. 3700 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-771-5559. LD daily.

TACO MEXICO Some of the best and cheapest tacos in Little Rock. 7101 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-416-7002. LD Wed.-Sun. TACOS GUANAJUATO Pork, beef, adobado, chicharron and cabeza tacos and tortas at this mobile truck. 6920 Geyer Springs Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. LD Wed.-Mon.

44

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

What’s the state of responsibility?

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

just dance

For 30 years, Anheuser-Busch has led the way in drunk driving and underage drinking prevention campaigns, and the efforts to educate the public about the dangers of not drinking responsibly have paid off. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, drunk-driving fatalities recently fell to their lowest level since alcohol record-keeping began in 1982 (a 52 percent decline from 1982 to 2010).

In addition, the University of Michigan’s 2011 Monitoring the Future Study reports that teen alcohol use is at an all-time low.

While national government surveys show significant progress in underage drink-

ing and drunk driving prevention, there’s still a ways to go, which is why Golden Eagle of Arkansas and Anheuser-Busch are partnering on A Nation of Responsible Drinkers, a national pledge campaign. All you have to do to sign the pledge is visit www.nationofresponsibledrinkers.com, verify your age, enter your first name, last initial and zip code. From there, you select where you are on a map of the state and can upload a picture. It’s time to step up and show the nation we are committed to enjoying alcohol responsibly.

What are you waiting for? Sign the pledge.

BY JANIE GINOCCHIO PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

A

North Little Rock dance institution is taking a back-to-basics approach under the leadership of a new owner.

Sally Insalaco, a former Broadway dancer and choreographer, opened Studio One Dance in 1974 and taught generations of dancers for 30 years. Some of her students and teachers went on to open their own dance studios in Central Arkansas.

Her daughter Elizabeth reopened Studio One and ran it for three years before moving back to California. Stephanie Slagle took ownership of the studio in July.

In the age of shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “Dance Moms”, it’s easy for a dance school to concentrate on flashy costumes and winning competitions. Slagle said her approach to teaching dance is to focus on technique.

“I want my students to really understand movement and music,” she said.

She also teaches what she described as dance’s core values: respect for others, teamwork and diligence.

Classes at Studio One range from standards like ballet, jazz and tap to hip hop,

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Contact Vianca Jordan at 501-255-4418 or email avjordan.myrandf.com Studio One ballet teacher Lisa Harper leads pre-teen students through a demipointe class.

musical theater, zumba and acting for film.

There are classes for ages 3 to adult.

Studio One is located in the Indian Hills shopping center, 6929 John F. Kennedy Blvd., in North Little Rock. The phone number is 833-6000.

hearsay ➥ “Get Hammered!” is the theme for HABITAT FOR HUMANITY’S THIRD ANNUAL RESTORE AND AFTER EVENT, which will be from 6-9 p.m. on Sept. 20 at Next Level Events beneath the Train Station downtown. The event will feature auction items from the organization’s own Restore outlet center in Little Rock and North Little Rock. Many local artists have volunteered their time and skills for the event by purchasing items from the ReStore and turning them into works of art for the silent auction. Tickets are $35 and include beer, wine, heavy hors d’oeuvres and the event’s signature cocktail, the “Hammer-tini.” Music is being provided by the Rodney Block Band, a local favorite. To purchase tickets, become a sponsor, or to learn more about the organization, visit www.habitatpulaski.org, call 501-379-1583, or email restoreandafter@gmail.com. ➥ GALLERY 26 presents the recent works of Jennifer Bryant, V.L. Cox and David O’Brien from now until Oct. 27. ➥ THE GOOD EARTH GARDEN CENTER is having its annual Pooches & Pumpkins Event at the garden center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 20. There will be many fall themed areas for family photo taking, a pet costume contest (so bring your pet in costume), a pumpkin carving contest (bring your entry with you), free hot dogs, popcorn, beverages, hayrides, balloons, face painting, live music, a fainting goat and much more. There also will be additional events announced on the Good Earth Facebook page. Local animal rescue groups will be there too, so maybe if you don’t have a pooch, you can meet one at The Good Earth Garden Center. ➥ ULTA BEAUTY, a makeup, skincare, and fragrance store, is now open at Midtowne.

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

45

First report from the Neck Poll

I

have the first results back from my quadrennial presidential poll taken at the House of Dominoes and the Pine Knot Nursing Home.

This is the sixth Domino/Pineknot poll, going back to the election of 1992 when respondents correctly predicted that the native son would win the presidency by a narrow margin.

As in the previous polls, respondents don’t so much answer questions as they use the format to pose their own, such as, “Why would you ask me something that stupid?” and “Don’t you have anything better to do?

Jesus said, Feed my sheep. Do you consider this feeding your sheep?”

I don’t know about feeding any sheep, but I know better than to get into a pissing contest with these people, so I just let them have their say. Here’s the say of one of them, for example, on the poll’s question concerning the continuing Obama birther controversy.

“I think it’s probably not a question of where somebody was born but where they were hatched. It’s like these rattlesnake eggs we used to find in the woods.

We’d bring them home and it might be two or three weeks before they hatched and

started slithering off.

So where would the birth certificate put their birthplace at — in the woods or in our shed out behind BOB our house with the LANCASTER rusting sheets of tin and old magazines and paint cans and wasp nests and screen wire?

“They say snake eggs are a myth and I might believe them if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. They hatch out about the size of a big red wiggler fishing worm and they’ll crawl off and disappear before you can say shazaam. Mother said some people are hatched like that too, and this wasn’t just her way of getting around having to talk to us about sex. She said it happened with our cousin Flossie, and they kept several big pieces of Flossie’s eggshell in their deep freeze for many years so they’d have some proof to show to any skeptics that came nosing around.

“Cousin Flossie and my petrified rattlesnake egg are the only direct, first-hand knowledge I have of the phenomenon, but if it could happen to them it sure could happen to Obama, and if the question became

where he was hatched instead of where he was born, the whole silly controversy would just dry up and blow away, in my opinion.

Especially if pieces of his shell were kept by one of those Kenya natives that played the drums for Tarzan or by a Hawaiian that the Jap Zeroes missed or by a hatching outfit somewhere in between.”

Most of the responses to my poll questions have been more succinct, if less imaginative. “Would you like to see Mitt Romney’s tax returns for the last ten years or not?” the poll asked.

One answer: “Yes, but I wouldn’t know what to make of them, as the numbers would be a lot larger than I am accustomed to working with.”

Another respondent simply inked out my question and wrote this response to one unasked: “I wouldn’t vote for a Negro or a Muslim. I don’t hate them or anything but I’m more comfortable with Christian white people, who provide the entertainment at our Thursday night and Sunday afternoon singalongs. But I wouldn’t vote for a Mormon, either. That is the silliest bunch of fairy tales I’ve ever heard tell of.

So I guess I’m s.o.o.l. as far as this election goes, wouldn’t you say?”

Yes, I would. And I put this response in the pile of the undecideds.

Another question: “Did you watch the party conventions and did anything happen at either of them that moved you particularly?”

Answer: “No, I kept it on RFD-TV, which has all of my shows. I would turn it over to CBS every once in a while, but it looked like the same old hooey, so I’d go right back to ‘Green Acres,’ which holds up a lot better than political conventions do.”

This being Arkansas, and the very nape of Neckery, I don’t need to tell you which presidential candidate is the leading votegetter so far. But it’s closer than I would’ve guessed, and the people’s choice with a clear plurality at this point is None of the Above. Undecided is running fourth but it’s a respectable fourth, ahead of Ron Paul and somebody named Dwayne, a well-liked local physical therapist who’s got six writeins.

The Domino/Pineknot poll has a plusor-minus accuracy rating higher than any other poll in this market, hovering around 30 per cent. It is nonetheless more reliable and less laughable than Rasmussen’s. More men than women have responded so far this year, and more nursing home inmates than domino players. None of those responding was senile, as far as I could tell, but there weren’t any Einsteins amongst them, either.

Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, is being credited with support whenever a respondent says he or she will likely vote for Flopsy, Goofy, Moneybags, or Dingleberry.

A vote for Barack Obama, the Democratic incumbent, is tallied whenever support is indicated for a racial epithet, which alas has been most of the time.

ARKANSAS TIMES CLASSIFIEDS Business Opportunities

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LIBRARIAN (Cataloging & Electronic Resources) The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) has an opening for a tenure-track faculty Librarian (Cataloging and Electronic Resources). This position performs original and complex adaptive cataloging in all formats, including electronic resources; collaborates with staff to develop policies and procedures for maximizing patron access to electronic resources and other materials; develop bibliographic descriptions; resolve database maintenance problems and provide training, direction and support to paraprofessional staff. Minimum Qualifications: Master of Science in Library Science or Library and Informtion Science from an ALA accredited program is required.

To apply: Submit a letter of application (reference R99641), a detailed resume and the names of three references to: Suzanne Martin, Director of Administrative Services, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Ottenheimer Library, 2801 S. University, Little Rock, AR 72204. Electronic submissions are preferred at csmartin@ualr.edu. Include R99641 in the subject line or fax to: 501-5698814. Official transcripts will be required at time of hire.

This position is subject to a pre-employment criminal and/or financial history background check.

A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication and/or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Criminal and financial background information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer and actively seeks the candidacy of minorities, women and persons with disabilities. Under Arkansas law, all applications are subject to disclosure. Persons hired must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States.

46

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

46 September 19, 2012 ARKANSAS TIMES

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Legal Notices NOTICE OF FILING APPlICATION FOR RESTAuRANT BEER AND WINE PERMIT Notice is hereby given that the undersigned has filed an application with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division of the State of Arkansas for a permit to sell and serve beer and wine with food, only for consumption on the premises at: 10700 Rodney Parham, Ste A2, little Rock, Pulaski County. Said application was filed on September 5, 2012. The undersigned states that he/she is a resident of Arkansas, of good moral character; that he/she has never been convicted of a felony or other crime involving moral turpitude; that no license to sell alcoholic beverages by the undersigned has been revoked within five (5) years last past; and, that the undersigned has never been convicted of violating the laws of the this State, or any other State, relative to the sale of controlled beverages. William Hans Oliver Guillermo’s Coffeehouse Sworn to before me this 6 day of September, 2012. Signed larry J. long Notary Public.

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AFTER DARK, CONT. Sun., $10 ages 12 and older, $8 ages 1-11, free under 1. 396-7050.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Growing Up in Arkansas” festival, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 22; “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. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

PAINT BOX GALLERY AND FRAME SHOP, 705 Main St., NLR: Paintings by Karlyn Holloway, reception 5-8 p.m. Sept. 21, Argenta ArtWalk.

374-2848.

THEA CENTER, 401 Main St., NLR: “Home Plate Heroes,” home-plate-shaped paintings to be auctioned to benefit the Jim Elder Good Sport Fund, through Sept. 27, online bidding at www. jimelder.org through Sept. 26, live auction 6-8 p.m. Sept. 27, open 5-8 p.m. Sept. 21, Argenta ArtWalk.

FAYETTEVILLE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: Paintings and drawings by Jean Vockroth and Emily Chase, sUgAR projects exhibition, 7 p.m.

Sept. 21; “The Art Director’s Club,” 91st annual advertising and interactive media traveling exhibition, through Sept. 21, Fine

Arts Center Gallery; photographs by Stan Strembecki and students of Michael Peven, through Oct. 5, hallway gallery. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 479-575-7987.

HOT SPRINGS ARTCHURCH STUDIO, 301 Whittington: “Gallery Talk,” with gallery owners Carolyn Taylor, Donna Donnahoe and Erin Holliday on professional development, 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 19; Altar Making Workshop in preparation for exhibit “Dia de los Muertos,” 1-5 p.m. Sept. 22; work

by Christopher Baber, Michael Bradley, Nicole Briscoe, Susan Julie Gonzales, Dan Grissom, Jeri Hillis, Marc Menefee, Sarah Jo Moore, Alex Oberste, Robynn & Morgan Sheets, Terri Taylor, and John Williams. 655-0836.

CALL FOR ARTISTS, SPECIAL EVENTS

Gallery 360, a new gallery at 900 S. Rodney Parham (where Gallery D used to be), is taking entries for its first exhibition, “Dia de los Muertos,” which will run Oct. 13-Nov. 11.

Proceeds from sales will benefit the Arkansas Foodbank Network. There will be a reception for show artists at 6 p.m. Nov. 1. For more information, e-mail Jay King at audiolingo@gmail. com or call 663-2222 or 993-0012.

Artchurch Studio in Hot Springs also plans to celebrate the Day of the Dead with an exhibit called Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). Artists may enter work until 7 p.m. Oct. 3. The show runs Oct. 4-Nov. 16. Call or e-mail Erin Holliday, 501-655-0838, artchurchorg@gmail.com, with dimensions of work or for more information.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER: “Formed from Fire: American Studio Glass from the Permanent Collection,” through Nov. 4. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute: “Art of Living,” artwork from the Rosalie Santine Gould Rowher Collection; “Hope and Despair: Farm Security Administration Photographs,” through Sept. 29, “Invasion or Liberation? The Civil War in Arkansas,” Concordia Hall; “Pattern in Perspective: Recent Work by Carly Dahl and Dustyn Bork,” through Sept. 29. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5790.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Poetic Transformations,” work by Alice Briggs, Sylvie Rosenthal, Jacqueline Bishop, Holly Laws and Jennifer Anderson, through Oct. 3, Gallery I, reception 5-7 p.m. Sept. 28; “Solitude,” prints and drawings by Win Bruhl, through Sept. 21,

Gallery II. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 569-3182.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITS

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Dorothy Howell Rodham and Virginia Clinton Kelley,” through Nov. 25; permanent exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Arkansas Contemporary: Selected Fellows from the Arkansas Arts Council,” work by 17 artists, through Nov. 4; “Barbie Doll: The 11 ½-inch American Icon,” through Jan. 6, 2013; “A Collective Vision,” recent acquisitions, through March 2013. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. 324-9351.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “A Voice through the Viewfinder: Images of Arkansas’ Black Community by Ralph Armstrong,” through Jan. 5, 2013; permanent exhibits on AfricanAmerican entrepreneurial history in Arkansas.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683–3593.

More gallery and museum listings at arktimes.com

www.arktimes.com 2012 47 www.arktimes.com SEPTEMBERSeptember 19, 2012 19,47

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