By FRED CONLEY
T-H Staff Writer
The East Arkansas Fellowship of Christian Athletes is getting ready to take its "first steps" toward a goal that has been on the table for the past year establishing an FCA office in this area.
Those first steps begin next Tuesday, April 8, at the "Evening of Challenge" banquet at the Forrest City Civic Center, sponsored by FCA.
The banquet serves as the backdrop for a nine-county campaign to establish the office. It also serves as a fundraiser for the office which will be manned by one staff person.
"This is a different kind of evening than last year's FCA 'Evening of Influence' rally held at Mustang Arena when Florida State Football Coach Bobby Bowden was here," said David Parker, director of development for North Central, Northeast and East Arkansas FCA. "That was geared toward the youth and to help fund last summer's Day Camp in Forrest City. Tuesday we are trying to target a completely different audience - that of administrators, clergy, coaches, businessmen and farmers. We want to give everyone the chance to know why establishing an FCA office in this area is vital to East Arkansas. Our goal is to have an office in this area open by Aug. 1. Once the office is open, it will be up to the person hired to work closely with the coaches, churches, youth pastors and others in the area to help share FCA with the youth."
Once the office is established, it will be no small task for whomever is hired.
The nine counties comprising the East Arkansas FCA, are St. Francis, Arkansas, Crittenden, Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, Prairie and Woodruff.
"We have to stay in contact with each county on a regular basis," Parker added.
Just like last year, the East Arkansas FCA is bringing in some big guns to help achieve this goal.
The keynote speaker for the evening will be NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, who played 16 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and is the winningest quarterback in NFL history.
Starr won five world championships in the 1960s and was the league's MVP in 1966. He was the MVP for Super Bowls I and II and was named the NFL Man of the Year in 1969. He is a member of the Alabama Hall of Fame, having played for and graduated from Sidney Lanier High in Montgomery, Ala., and then going on to being a four-year letterman at the University of Alabama. He was the 17th draft choice of the Green Bay Packers in 1956.
Former University of Arkansas football coach and current Rice University Coach Ken Hatfield will present a videotape presentation.
Former Wynne High School graduate and Yellowjacket basketball player Marlon Banks, now a senior at Lyon College, will be one of the featured speakers. Wynne High School basketball coach Bobby Gross will introduce Banks. Forrest City businessman, former coach and former athletic director Bill Baxter will give the FCA's Power Point Presentation, and Forrest City optometrist Dr. Dale Morris will serve as the master of ceremonies for the evening.
Dr. Ken Hamilton, state director for FCA from Fort Smith and T. Ray Grandstaff, senior vice president of FCA field ministries, from the National FCA office in Kansas City, Mo., will be at the banquet as well.
"We have made contact with people in all nine counties with hopes of making next week's banquet nothing short of a huge success," Parker said. "Ticket sales have been brisk in the Forrest City and West Memphis area, but we won't know the exact number of tickets we have sold until after the deadline Friday. We want to help each county realize the impact that FCA is having in this area and that the burden of opportunity is spread throughout all nine counties."
Parker also added that the full strategy for establishing the FCA office would be revealed at the rally.
The "Evening of Challenge" will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a silent auction. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $10 per person an are now on sale at several businesses in Forrest City, including Dr. Don Perkins' office, Machen Ford, Freeman's, Taylor-Casbeer, Dr. Frank Schwartz's office, Forrest City High School and Dr. Dale Morris' office.
Members of the newly formed regional airport committee met Wednesday in the first of many meetings as St. Francis and Cross counties work toward the idea of sharing a regional airport.
According to Dr. John Kerr, chairman of the committee, the eight-member board met in an informal session to elect board officers and begin the process of setting the bylaws. Kerr also said that a second meeting of the committee could be held next week to review the bylaws.
"This project has been in the works for the last 10 months, and we're taking steps now to make something happen. We're working on developing processes and bylaws and reviewing what's necessary so that we can get sanctioned to receive Federal Aviation Administration funds," Kerr said.
According to Kerr, the committee, which includes three members each appointed by the Forrest City and Wynne mayors, and the remaining two appointed by the county judges, plans to work together for the benefit of both counties.
"This committee was formed so that both communities can work together to make the idea of a regional airport work. The makeup of the board consists primarily of members of the Wynne and Forrest City airport commissions, with a few members from the community who have an interest in this project," he said.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The city's new Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee held its first meeting Thursday night at city hall.
"Basically, it was a get-together meeting," said Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant.
Members include Mike Morris, Kevin Lewey, Rausch Hodges, Rodney Echols, Jim Bailey and Rev. V.L. Faulkner.
The committee acts in an advisory capacity only.
"They discussed a multipurpose building as a top priority," said Bryant. He said members felt it would benefit citizens and also help attract industry.
"They also discussed the land we have at the Sports Complex and some of the uses that might be made of it," Bryant continued.
He said there was discussion of possible "collaboration with the school system to see if there are things we could work with cooperatively, to save money on both sides."
A track facility at the complex was one possibility.
He said there was also talk of a possible pond at the Sports Complex, and pavilions at the complex, South Side and Stuart Springs parks.
"One thing that came out was the need to invest in our city so we can have a better quality of life, and at the same time cause people to want to move here," said Bryant.
The diverse artwork of a mother and daughter will be on display during April and May in the St. Francis County Museum.
Barbara Helm Taylor and her daughter, Laura M. Taylor, of Palestine, will have their work exhibited in the front parlor of the museum.
The museum will also host a public reception honoring the two artists on Saturday, April 5, from 2-4 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Barbara Helm Taylor began taking classes at East Arkansas Community College, intending to pursue a major in communications. However, art classes steered her into the art world. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Arkansas State University, and eventually earned her Master's. She currently maintains a studio in Palestine, and teaches art appreciation part time at EACC.
Laura Taylor's artistic bent was encouraged by a junior high teacher.She entered EACC with an interest in drafting, but became interested in painting. She has had numerous shows in the Mid-South.
Both mother and daugther are memers of Artist Links inMemhis, Delta Artists Society in West Memphis and the Artists Registry. They've both been invited to join the National Musum of Women in the Arts.
The St. Francis County Museum is located at 603 Front Street in Forrest City.