Lifestyle

Plan Would Have To Wait Until 2025 For Answer On Partnership Money. RISON - Superintendent Jerrod Williams presented the Cleveland County School Board last week with an idea of how the district could build a new gym at the Rison School campus, and possibly have it partially funded through the state's "partnership program" in 2025. Williams presented his idea as the board was finishing up its workshop with Jason Holsclaw of Stephens, Inc., the district's financial adviser. That workshop gave the board members an overview of the district's revenue, debt, its revenue options and how the district compares to others that are of similar size or within the region. The idea presented by Williams was to build what he described as a traditional gym that could also be converted into a space used for other gatherings like graduation, student assemblies, prom and more. He also noted that this would be the sixth new gym project he has been involved with during his education career. He also oversaw the construction of a new gym at Sheridan, where he was previously the superintendent. Williams said the gym at Sheridan was used for multiple purposes as well. He said the put carpeted panels across the gym floor to protect the basketball court when the gym was being used for a non-basketball gathering. He said it took about an hour to put the carpeted panels in place.. As for Rison, he suggested building the gym in what is now the student parking lot. It would be situated between the existing gym and the Pride building. By placing it there, he said the new building could be backed up to the football field so the end that would have the concession stand and restrooms could be shared with the George Walker Field of Champions, if desired. During his presentation, it was brought up that Hampton has a similar arrangement between its gym and the football field. In addition, Williams said the concession stand area at that end of the gym would be slightly elevated above the floor. There would be an open space in front to the concession stand area facing…

RISON - A large line of trick-or-treaters can be seen in the background as the Poteet Family from the Randall area visit a "trunk" decorated in the Hocus Pocus theme during Rison Shine's annual Trunk-or-Treat event held Tuesday evening in downtown Rison for Halloween. Organizers of the event said attendance at least equaled what has been the largest crowds the event has seen. There were also Trunk-or-Treat events held at Rowell and Kingsland Tuesday evening. The Green House Cottages of Southern Hills in Rison held a Fall Festival before Rison Shine's Trunk-or-Treat began.

William and Michelle Golden won the Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash lookalike contest at the Kickstart Kingsland Johnny and June Chili Supper Saturday. (Photos by Wayne Cash)

KINGSLAND - Some of the people attending the Johnny & June’s Chili Supper and Music Event held last Saturday afternoon in Kingsland may have come across an unusual guest visiting the festival, a pot-bellied pig that has been nicknamed “Priscilla.” People in the Kingsland area had been making posts on social media about a seeing pot-bellied pig roaming around town in the days leading up to Saturday’s festival. The friendly pig turned out to be one of the major attraction at the event with people taking photos of it and trying to pet it. Priscilla roamed around the event area throughout the afternoon, munching on acorns in the Post Office parking lot and coming up to the picnic tables set up outside Kingsland City Hall. Ronnie Taylor, who a part-time worker for the city, said they did not know the pig’s real name but they decided to start calling in Priscilla.

(Left) Blake Jackson of Rison poses with his new griddle to go in the new house he recently bought in Rison while (right) Jeffie Hyatt poses with her new gas grill she won during the drawing held by the Cleveland County Cutters & Strutters Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) at Rison in the Fall. John Varnell, one of the organizers, said they raised about $1,300 that will go toward the Cleveland County Jakes Day that will be held next April at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Rison.

Kingsland Mayor Sharon Crosby poses with a set of paintings that were donated to the City of Kingsland by Resea Britt of Woodlawn, formerly of Kingsland. The paintings were created by Maggie Gavin Young when she was a sophomore in Mrs. Nicki Owen's art class at Woodlawn High School in 2016. Britt said she had Maggie do the paintings in hopes of using them in a center promoting Kingsland as the birthplace of the American music icon. Crosby said she plans to have the paintings displayed in Kingsland City Hall for now. Maggie, who still lives in Cleveland County, works for Key Realty in Warren. She said she continues to practice her art, doing door hangers and other handmade art/home décor she offers through Wilkerson's Trends & Treasures in Warren. Maggie said she loves Johnny Cash and country music, and since Mrs. Britt was one of her favorite teachers at Woodlawn, she wanted to do something for her that could be contributed to the center at Kingsland.

RISON - GRAMMY and Academy of Country Musicnominated, multi-platinum artist David Nail will headline this Saturday's Rison in the Fall Festival, Oct. 7, in downtown Rison. Nail will close out an evening of free performances at 8 p.m. on the Rison Up Rison stage following the Cleveland County Community Theater, Chad Marshall Band and Midnight South. The festival will also feature more than 40 vendors, food trucks and activities.

RISON - The Cleveland County Community Theater Talent Showcase at Rison in the Fall has announced its performers for this Saturday, Oct. 7 at 3:30 p.m. on the Rison Up Rison main stage: Angelica Glass - Angelica started singing with her church choir, and now she directs the choir as a worship leader! Using her talent for the Lord has been her greatest blessing. She has performed with CCCT Jamborees on several occasions. The Monticello native now resides in Pine Bluff. Her first performance was in Sister Act at the Pine Bluff Art Center where a star was born. Gage Cash - Gage is a graduate of Rison High School. He was born and raised here in Cleveland County where he still resides. He is engaged to Abigail Haycox, who he loves spending time with doing anything outdoors. Gage enjoys sharing his talent with others and singing when ever he gets the opportunity. He plays the guitar and has been known to write a song or two. He was a winner in the theater's Cleveland County's Got Talent Show and performed with CCCT in their Jamboree style dinner shows where he always entertains! Reagan Whitledge - Reagan is making her solo festival debut at Rison in the Fall. She has been singing since she was a child, and her passion for music is evident in every performance. She is known for her powerful voice, as well as her versatility and ability to sing in a variety of genres, including country, rock, and musical theatre. She is inspired by artists such as Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, and she strives to create music that is both whimsical and engaging. Reagan is a senior at Cabot High School, where she recently starred as Hope Harcourt in the musical Anything Goes. She also performed at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, where judges deemed her voice "perfectly on key at all times." Harley Rae Freeman - Harley Rae is 17 years old from Rison. She began her music career at the age of 12 with Jettway Performance. She has written and released two songs, with two additional that…

RISON - While Andrew Roshell was outside picking up trash in front of his house along Hwy. 133 last week, he encountered someone wearing a white shirt with a red arrow jogging southbound along the road towards Rison. Roshell said it is not that common to see someone jogging along the highway, and he certainly did not recognize him. So, doing what all good southerns do, Roshell struck up a conversation with him and offered him some water and Gatorade. It was during that chance encounter that Roshell learned he was visiting with ultramarathoner Anthony Battah of Montreal, Canada. Battah's jog through Cleve-land County was part of a 4,500 kilometer (nearly 2,800 mile) journey he was making from Montreal to Mexico to bring attention the Monarch butterfly and biodiversity. He departed Montreal on July 29 and plans to arrive at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in central Mexico on Nov. 1. His path follows the migratory route of the Monarch butterfly, which can travel up 2,800 miles or more from the northeast U.S./ southeast Canada to the mountain forests in central Mexico, according to the worldwildlife. org website. Central Mexico provides the right climate conditions for the Monarch butterflies to hibernate from the beginning of November to mid-March, the website stated. Monarch butterflies can be recognized by their brilliant orange wings with black vein(see "We need to add approximately 1.5 billion milkweed plants and an abundance of nectar-producing flowers along the migratory pathway of the monarch butterfly," Battah wrote on his website. Along his route from Canada to Mexico, Battah said he is planting milkweed and nectarrich flowers to create "aid stations" for future generations of monarchs. He wrote that he hopes to initiate a North American movement to create habitats for monarch butterflies, noting many schools and cities have committed to support the cause. According to worldwildlife. org, the species of milkweed that work best in Arkansas ans…

RISON - The reigning Arkansas Country Music Award-winning vocal group of the year Midnight South will perform at 6:30 p.m. on the Rise Up Rison Stage at this year's Rison in the Fall Festival, set for Saturday, Oct. 7. Midnight South will perform directly before headliner David Nail takes the...

RISON - This year's Rison in the Fall Festival just three weeks away, set for Saturday, Oct. 7 in downtown Rison. Prior to headliner David Nail closing out the festival at 8 p.m., Chad Marshall Band will take the stage around 5 p.m. Chad Marshall Band delivers the Electric Delta Blues that Rock was born from. Chad skillfully finger picks a strong rhythm and an outstanding freestyle lead equally. Carl Bass on drums and C. Roscoe Willis on bass brings together this professional and experienced power trio. This 'power trio' of experienced musicians is stirring and thoroughly entertaining. Originals and covers of blues and roots icons are exquisitely executed. Chad Marshall began playing guitar in his late teens as a left handed player. He met and began studying with his mentor 'Saint Thomas' Jenkins in the spring of 1997. After ten years playing guitar and three years of intense immersion with Saint Thomas, Chad faced a challenge in April 2000 that most would walk away from. He had gone to work a day job at a meat packing plant and there was an accident. The fingers on Chad's right hand, which he used for fretting, were nearly cut off. Despite a major surgery, within weeks he and his mentor had figured out how he would continue. Chad transitioned to be a right handed player (no change in strings). He was playing publicly at six weeks post-op with pins in his fingers. Saint Tomas passed away in October 2001. That morning he had called Chad to his bedside, held his hand and gave his marching orders to his student and best friend: "You know what you need to know. Continue and always remember what the blues has done for us." What he meant was that although they were generations, apart they connected. Both had similar childhoods without parents, on the streets and sometimes homeless. " The blues saved us both," says Chad. "We owe a debt to the blues for that. Blues also gave us each other to love and care about." Carl Bass started learning to play drums at 13. He was in…

The Film Honors Society will be hosting a "Portfolio Potluck," a filmmaking network event open to all students and staff at the U of A. The event will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at Kimpel Hall in room 209. The Film Society encourages student writers, actors, videographers and...

Long Caption Pictured are the cast members of the Cleveland County Community Theater production of 'Meet The Creeps' held Saturday, Aug. 26 at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. The show was directed by Dana Edwards, who also played the role of Aunt Witchita in the show (second row, far left). The cast includes Cheryl Kurz Young, Bailey Sanders, Margaret Sides, Jessica Persons, Christopher Hale, Randal Baker, Marena Tucker, Tiffany Jackson, Crystal Jennings, Karson Persons, Adalyn Puthoff, Lily Jennings, Will Young, Brandt Lunsford, Tristan Gates, Jacob Evans, Violet Jennings, Cheryl Kurz Young, Millie Montgomery, Kaleigh Persons, Olivia Jackson, Jeff Persons, Liz Hasley, MJ Sides, Cora Baker. A second production of the show will be held Saturday, Sept. 9 at the Grant County Theater in Sheridan.

RISON - With this year's Rison in the Fall Festival just over a month away, organizer Douglas Boultinghouse is announcing two activities for the Rison Shine-hosted festival set for Saturday, Oct. 7. Race to Rison in the Fall. The Race to Rison in the Fall will kick off the morning...

RISON - Tickets for the Saturday, Aug. 26 production of "Meet The Creeps" by the Cleveland County Community Theater are on sale now, Theater Spokesperson Stacy Walz has announced. “Meet The Creeps” features local cast members and tells the story of a loony, lovable household in a dilapidated mansion. There’s Sinbad, head of the bunch, his beloved wife, Tarantula, and Sally, their teenage niece. Lullaby Jones is their gorgeous maid, and their butler resembles a billy goat. Unfortunately for the Creeps, Flora Limetree, a local society dragon, hates them. “If you love The Addams Family, you’ll love the Creeps!” the theater says. This presentation is the introduction of Dana Edwards as a new director for the Community Theater. "Creeps" will begin at 7 p.m. at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Herald office on Main Street. In addition to the August show in Rison, an additional performance will take place Sept. 9 in Sherdan in partnership with the Grant County Theater. A third performance is being scheduled for White Hall. For more information, follow the Cleveland County Community Theater on Facebook.

A group of Cleveland County 4-Hers attended Veterinary Camp in Hot Spring County hosted by Agriculture Agent Staff Chair Rachel Bearden. The kids had a blast while learning a variety of veterinary skills, dissecting animals big and small, pet wound care treatments, and proper surgical attire such as a mask, hat, and shoe covers to minimize bacterial contamination. They also learned about the different types of veterinarians, while hearing from a variety of vet assistants, technicians, specialists, and a U of A student who is currently in Vet school.

KINGSLAND - Bubba Golden of Kingsland, "The Golden Boy," gestures to the crowd during his set Friday night at the Runaway Derailed: A Two-Night Acoustic Event held at the Kingsland School auditorium. A variety of bands and artists from throughout the region participated in event that featured country, rock and jazz. The event was held in conjunction with the Kickstart Kingsland community development group. Kingsland Mayor Sharon Crosby said turnout was low on Friday night but was better on Saturday. She called it a success overall.

RISON - The Roy and Christine Sturgis Library will close its Summer Series program at 10 a.m. Monday, July 24, when Lady Chops (Elizabeth Vidos) will bring her one-woman drumming show to the library. Her performances are energetic, interactive and fun for all ages.

RISON, Ark. – Attention all bargain hunters and vendors! Rison’s Pioneer Village is gearing up to host a lively Farmers & Flea Market this Saturday morning at its charming location on 200 Yaney Street. Whether you have surplus produce, delectable cottage foods, unique handmade crafts, or even some odds and ends cluttering your home, this event promises to be the perfect opportunity to find them a new home.