Lifestyle

RISON - The Pioneer Village and Rison Shine are partnering to launch a series of Food Truck Fridays throughout the summer.The first event will launch Friday, June 21 with subsequent events set for the third Friday each month through September.Food trucks, still to be determined for June, are expected to be available from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Village, located at 200 Yaney Drive.The first month of the series will also feature entertainment from musical duo Brian and Laura from 5 to 7 p.m. bringing together the best of country and classic rock. Comprised of Brian Mullen and Laura Caroline, they met competing against each other in 2009 and quickly became good friends.Laura Caroline, a singer with a heart for country gospel, has been performing since the age of four. Originally from Kingsland, her heartfelt delivery brings an authentic country charm to every performance.Brian Mullen has a rock edge with his love for classic rock and country hits. After spending several years performing in Nashville, he moved back to his home state where he plays numerous venues for his loyal fanbase.The entertainment is free to attend, but donations to the Pioneer Village and Rison Shine's Food Truck Friday fund are appreciated."Our hope is if these Food Truck Fridays build momentum through the summer, we will be able to increase the number of trucks each month and continue it through fall," the two organizations under Kickstart Cleveland County Community Development shared in a joint statement.More information, including participating trucks for June, will be available soon.

Gardner Nursing and Rehabilitation in Star City will host Barbecue Wars on June 22. The judging starts at 5 p.m., but participants who are grilling on site can set up anytime, according to a news release. The center invites the community to participate in the contest. There will be cash...

RISON - Anyone who happen to be surfing any kind of social media platforms early Friday night probably came across images similar to this one showing a very rare appearance of the “northern lights” (aurora borealis) across the Arkansas skies. This shot was made by the Herald’s Douglas Boultinghouse just north of the Woodlawn area about 9:15 p.m. Friday. While the colors are not as vibrant to the naked eye, Boultinghouse said there was pink haze in the sky that prompted him to pull out his smart phone camera to take a few shots. He and others also reported that there were visible streaks of light of the sky, and once photographed with a smart phone, the colors would come out. The colors captured on the photos that were made in Cleveland County ranged from pink to red to purple to green to blue. The nocturnal light show is caused by energized particles emitted from a solar flare on the sun slamming into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million kph), according to space.com. 

RISON - A Rison convenience store that was heavily damaged by a fire last year following a burglary is expected to open soon after being closed for about 11 months, the new operator of the store has announced.Uday Gaddam, who will be operating the store, said he expects inventory for the remodeled store to arrive this week, allowing him to re-open the store after being closed for nearly a year. Rison Fire Chief Alan Parnell reported last year that firefighters responded to a call at 5:03 a.m. Sunday, June 11, 2023, at the Rison One Stop located at the corner of Magnolia (Hwy. 35) and Pine Street in Rison.Parnell said firefighters were able to access the fire through the back door, but the fire had destroyed the inside of the building before it could be extinguished. He said it appeared the fire had been burning for some time by the time the fire department arrived. Parnell described the interior of the building as a total loss.Gary Young, chief deputy for the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department, said some items were found missing from inside the store which prompted an investigation. The sheriff's department subsequently arrested Heidi Cash and Kristal Kirkpatrick, both of Rison,and Justin Wright of Warren, and charged them with commercial burglary, theft of property, and arson.The store has been completely rebuilt inside since the fire, and the outside of the building has been improved with new paint and trim work.Renovations to the building include an expanded kitchen area and a larger counter space at the front, and new lighting has been installed throughout. Gaddam said he will have dine-in seating available inside the store, and is also considering the possibility of adding refrigerator space for fresh produce along the back wall.Gaddam said the store will continue to offer a hot deli as before, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner items including daily lunch specials and pizza. He already had some promotional pieces advertising "combo" specials attached to…

BRINGING 'HATCHET' TO LIFE - Corrie Coates, director of dining services for the Cleveland County School District, met with 5th graders from Rison Elementary last week to simulate some of the foods that the main character from the book 'Hatchet' would eat. The book is about a boy who is stranded in the Canadian wilderness. Mrs. April Matthews, their teacher, asked Coates to cook some of the food from the book. She served them "fool bird," which is actually ruffed grouse in the story, by preparing some chicken wings over a open flame while also serving them turtle eggs. (regular boiled eggs, soaked in tea) and allowing them to taste some raspberries since they are featured prominently in the book.

Jimmy Brown Elementary (JBE) plans to host a series of grade-level picnics in April. Each grade will have a designated date and time for their picnic. The 5th and 3rd grades will picnic on Friday, April 12, from 12:30-1:00 p.m. and 11:30-12:00 p.m. respectively. The 2nd and 1st grades will picnic on Friday, April 19, from 11:50 - 12:20 p.m. and 10:50 - 11:20 a.m. respectively. The 4th grade and Kindergarten will picnic on Friday, April 26, from 12:10-12:40 p.m. and 11:05 - 11:35 a.m. respectively.

RISON - The deadline to enter Rison Shine's Rison BBQ Cook Off and Pageant, is next Friday, March 29. Both events, set for Saturday, April 6, will take place in Downtown Rison. The Rison BBQ Cook Off will benefit the Rison in the Fall Festival, and the Rison Shine Pageant...

RISON - Braden Matthews, a junior at Rison High School submitted a photograph to the 2024 Governor's Young Artist Competition with the theme being 'The Natural State.'Matthews' photograph titled 'Sunrise Before the Hunt,' taken at DeWitt, was one of 53 finalists selected from over three hundred plus entries for the 2024 Mansion Exhibit. Matthews was one of two stu-dents selected from the south Arkansas area. He is the son of Mark and Amy Matthews of Kingsland.His photograph will be exhibited in the Governor's 2024 Mansion Exhibit at the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock, AR. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and First Gentleman Bryan Sanders will host a reception and awards ceremony May 3 for the finalists.

State archaeologist Dr. Mary Beth Trubitt presented a program Friday morning about the art of Arkansas' earliest residents for guests of the Dallas County Museum, 211 Main St. in Fordyce. The program, titled "Ancient Caddo Artists and their Descendants," explored the history of centuries-old ceramic artifacts created by regional Native...

RISON - The deadline to enter Rison Shine's Rison BBQ Cook Off and Pageant, is next Friday, March 29. Both events, set for Saturday, April 6, will take place in Downtown Rison. The Rison BBQ Cook Off will benefit the Rison in the Fall Festival, and the Rison Shine Pageant...

RISON - The Great South Arkansas Junk Hunt found great success this past weekend despite a rainy start, according to organizer Jennifer Via.This hunt marked the first run since the merger of the Historic Highway 35 Junk Hunt and the Highway 79-63 Junk Hunt Loop under the new name and expanded route."Unfortunately for the first time in nine years, it rained on the first two days of the hunt," said Via. "This delayed a lot of people from setting up until Saturday." Via said this made some peo-ple assume the hunt had either been canceled or that the expansion was too big that people were not setting up for the hunt."We had a huge Saturday all around," she said. "Once the rain cleared, people were out hunting and selling." Despite the rain, many indoor hubs, including the Pioneer Village at Rison, Old Country Store in New Edinburg, and the VA Arena in Sheridan had steady traffic the first two days.Vickie Padgett, who is one of four people Via relies on to manage the hunt, saw great success with her garage sale in Rison, even during the rain."We had a fantastic sale," she said "Harvy and I enjoyed visiting with the junkers." Padgett said her husband even popped popcorn for junkers.Douglas Boultinghouse, who manages the social media aspects of the hunt, also set up in the Woodlawn area with members of his family also having sales."We didn't get to set up until Saturday due to the rain, but it was by far the busiest and most effective hunt we've had over the years when it comes to clearing out junk," he said.Boultinghouse noted the addition of a fourth day to the hunt really helped."Jennifer, Vickie, Donna Farrer and I are glad we listened to the requests of those wanting Sundays added on," he said. "There was a great number of people who got out Sunday afternoon to shop." Boultinghouse said he got to visit with a couple from Iowa who planned their vacation to Arkansas around the Junk Hunt."It just goes to show that these Junk Hunts are a great way to bring people into…

The Dallas County Museum in Fordyce is hosting a gallery talk, “Ancient Caddo Artists and Their Descendants,” led by Dr. Mary Beth Trubitt, at 11 a.m. Friday, March 15 at the museum, 221 N. Main Street. Dr. Trubitt will present pottery and other artifacts in the Native American...

MONTICELLO - Dr. Rocky Lindsey, a graduate of Rison High School, has been awarded the Arkansas Veterinarian of the Year for 2023 during the winter meeting of the Arkansas Veterinary Medical Association (VMA) early this month in Hot Springs. Lindsey is an associate professor of animal science at the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources. This award is given annually to recognize the outstanding contributions and accomplishments of a member of the Arkansas VMA.Arkansas veterinarian Mike Beard of Animal Care Veterinary Center in Conway nominated Lindsey for this distinction. "I first met Rocky, I guess right after he graduated from veterinary school. He was the new graduate veterinarian on the Board of Managers for the Arkansas Veterinarian Medical As-sociation. It says Veterinarian of the Year. I always think of the award as a career achievement. It is based on what you have done for your community, association, and profession. Rocky checks all the boxes. He is at every meeting every year. He's our go-to guy for spiritual guidance as well. Those are the things that stood out to me." "I did not know that that award would be given to me that day. It was quite an honor," said Lindsey. "From what I understand, they appreciated the work I do with missions where we take a lot of pre-veterinary students. We go to Belize twice a year to do humanitarian veterinary work overseas. Many of my previous students here at UAM have a lot of experience that looks good on a resume. Then they appreciated the work that I did for the association over the years and the teaching compo-nent that I have here at the college," said Lindsey."The value that he contributes to the profession is bringing on the young people who want to be veterinarians, guiding them, and helping them get into veterinary school. He does such an excellent job at that." Beard said "Most of us in practice have some influence on the youngsters that are coming along and try to guide them. But we don't…

The Dallas County Museum in Fordyce will host a gallery talk on "Ancient Caddo Artists and Their Descendants," led by Mary Beth Trubitt at 11 a.m. March 15. The event is free and open to the public, according to a news release. Trubitt will discuss pottery and other artifacts in...

RISON - Rison Shine has announced the return of the Rison BBQ Cook Off and Pageant, set for Saturday, April 6 in Downtown Rison. Both events were formerly part of Rison in the Fall before interest and participation waned. "We know that many people wanted to see these events return,...

EL DORADO, Ark. - A robust sweetness, quickly followed by a sharp, tart pucker: this is the taste of Mayhaw jelly, made from a small, apple-like fruit grown in wetlands in the southern United States. Rhonda and Ken Rudder, owners of Richland Creek Farm & Market in El Dorado, hope to share their artisan Mayhaw jelly with more Arkansans through the Cooperative Extension Service's Share Grounds program based at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Rison. "Mayhaws were traditionally gathered by folks who lived in our part of the world going into the swamps in May, when the water levels were high, and they would take a dip net and skim the fruit off the top of the water," said Rhonda Rudder. "They'd carry it home, wash it and prepare this jelly." Mayhaw trees are part of the rose family, and the fruit usually ripens in early summer. Garry McDonald, associate professor of horticulture for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said Mayhaws are native to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and parts of southern Arkansas. "They're rather limited in distribution because they grow in more or less swamps or hardwood bottomlands," McDonald said. "The main reason they're not very well known is because of this limited area, and because a lot of their preferred habitat has actually been lost." McDonald said Mayhaw trees require a lot of moisture but can be successfully cultivated outside of wetlands. "They are adaptable to more open conditions, so they don't have to grow in boggy, wet soil," he said. "You can cultivate them, but they may not thrive under drought conditions. You're going to have to irrigate them for successful fruit production if you're growing them outside of their native habitats." Rudder said a local friend, Paul McLaughlin, taught her about grafting Mayhaw trees and how to raise them. Grafting is the act of joining two plants together, so they grow as one. "With these heritage recipes (continued from page 1) that get passed down,…

RISON - The CALL in Cleveland County, a Christian-based organization that supports local foster and adoptive families, and the Cleveland County Herald co-sponsored the Christmas in the Village Gingerbread House Workshop and Contest held this past Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Pioneer Village in Rison. Cash prizes of $40 to the winner, $25 for second place and $15 for third place were awarded. Lisa Prescott of The Call in Cleveland Count said there were a record 34 participants in this year's workshop.

RISON - The John Samuel Be ard house, an authentic dogtrot style house originally built in the 1870's, is starting to take shape at the Pioneer Village in Rison as contractor Phillip Grantham and crew were busy installing the front porch on Tuesday. Bob Abbott of Pine Bluff donated what was his grandfather's house to the Pioneer Village, and the house was moved to the Pioneer Village in August. The roof had to be taken off for the move and then reattached at its new location. The house is named after its original owner, John Samuel Beard, who is Bob Abbott's grandfather. It was originally located in Ouachita County before Abbott had it moved to his Traveller property on Pumpkin Hill Road outside of Rison several years ago. Abbott said he wanted the house to be in a place where it would be preserved and other people could get a glimpse of what would be a typical South Arkansas home in the 1870's. The house was nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places in 2012.

RISON - Local animal rescue Rison Paws for a Cause would like to shine a holiday spotlight on one of their rescue dogs, Happy, seeking a home. According to rescue volunteer, Penny Pitchford, on September 26, Rison Paws For a Cause was called into immediate action to save him. Pitchford said his owner had sold his home and left. Happy was not included. The new homeowners had dogs of their own and the result was not good. Happy was left in critical condition.

LITTLE ROCK - Plant hardiness zones have shifted in Arkansas, but there's no cause for alarm in the Natural State according to Anthony Bowden, extension ornamental horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains the Plant Hardiness Zones Map, a tool which gardeners and growers use to determine which perennial plants grow best in their area. The map divides the U.S. into zones based on the average of minimum temperatures, with zone 1a being the coldest and zone 13b being the warmest. In the past, Arkansas zones spanned from 6b to 8a. However, with the recent update each zone in the state has shifted up, with zones now spanning from 7a to 8b. Bowden said these changes are marginal and won't change much for Arkansas growers. Cleveland County was split between the two variations of Zone 8, with the western half being in Zone 8A (the slightly cooler section of the zone) and the eastern half in Zone 8B (the slightly warmer section of the zone). "Arkansas fared a lot better than other areas of the country," he said. "Florida and the Pacific Northwest both had some severe changes in their maps. While we saw a half zone shift, some places saw a full zone shift." With such a small change in Arkansas' zones, growers in the state will likely not need to make any changes in their current operations. "The difference between zone 7a and zone 7b is completely marginal," Bowden said. "We're still going to have those freak weather conditions like the freeze we saw earlier this year, and we're still operating business as usual. I don't see this having a huge effect on Arkansas." More Data, More Accuracy Although each zone in Arkansas did shift to a warmer zone, Bowden says this has more to do with available data than an overall warming of the state. "At the time of the last map update in 2012, there were over 7,000 weather stations across the U.S. Now we have over 13,000," Bowden said. …