By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The Arkansas chapter of the Trail of Tears Association (ARTOTA) will hold a public meeting this weekend at Village Creek State Park. One of the main topics that will be discussed is the inclusion of stories and history of the Trail of Tears, which runs through the park. ARTOTA chapter president Kitty Sloan of Paragould says that the meeting will be highlighted by three speakers who will outline what the Trail is and how to incorporate it into the park.
"The Trail of Tears Association is a group of volunteers from nine states that serve as a support network for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail," began Sloan. "The Arkansas chapter is the largest chapter because we have more sites in the state dealing with the Trail.
"The Trail of Tears is a metaphor," said Sloan. "Many people don't realize that it is not just one 'trail' that the Cherokee followed in the 1830's. The road that runs through the park is one of several land and water routes through Arkansas that were traveled by not just Cherokees but Creeks, Chickasaws and Choctaws as well. When they were forced to leave their homes east of the Mississippi River, some chose to travel over land because they had livestock they were bringing west with them.
"Many chose to use the Memphis to Little Rock Road," continued Sloan. "One of those who will speak will be Dr. Daniel F. Littlefield Jr. (the director of the American Native Press Archives at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock). He and his students are really opening up another chapter in Arkansas history with their research. They have found ferry tickets that show that a group of Chickasaws ferried across 4,000 horses. Document also show that travelers stopped atop Crowley's Ridge on the part of the road within Village Creek. The route through Village Creek was a very important land route on the Trail."
And that research , according to Sloan, will help the section of the Trail of Tears that runs through VCSP become recognized nationally.
"The Memphis to Little Rock Road that runs through Village Creek is not officially a part of the national historic Trail," stated Sloan. "Congressman Marion Berry has been working on getting the site recognized and the research of Dr. Littlefield and his students will help get this section nationally recognized."
According to Sloan, two supervisors from Arkansas State Parks will be on hand to discuss future development and interpretation of the Trail at the park. "Stan Graves, manager of planning and development, will talk about a long range development plan that includes construction of the golf course and lodge.
"Jay Miller (administrator for program services) will also speak," added Sloan. "He is the supervisor of the interpreters. He will talk about how the latest research will effect the park and how the history can be integrated into the story and history of the park."
The fall meeting of the ARTOTA will be held at VCSP on Saturday,
Sept. 11, from 1 to 4 p.m., in the park's Visitor Center. The
park is located 13 miles north of Forrest City on Highway 284.
For more information about the ARTOTA, contact Kitty Sloan at
870-239-4252.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
City leaders and members of the media received a preview of what's to come, Tuesday, when officials with the Arkansas Air National Guard met with a group at the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce.
Col. Dwight Balch, commander of the 189th Airlift wing, along with Sgt. Bob Odom, public relations director with the AANG and TSgt. Eddie McElyea, recruiting office supervisor for the AANG, met with a group including Forrest City Postmaster and AANG Chief Master Sgt. Normal Gilchrest, FCACC Board President Randy Pearson, Tiffany Billingsley of the Arkansas Community's of Excellence program and media representatives to discuss the Oct. 2 naming ceremony and dedication of one of the unit's C-130 transport planes as the Forrest City.
According to Col. Balch, the idea of renaming the unit's planes was conceived last year as a tool to bring attention to the AANG along with bringing recognition of the city's in the state to other areas.
"This all came about in the last year as a means to really let people across the state know about the Air National Guard. Everyone in the state knows that there is an Air Force Base in Little Rock, but not many people realize that the Air National Guard is based there as well," Balch said.
Balch also told the group that part of the reasoning for the selection of Forrest City was due to the lack of participation in the AANG from citizens in the Delta.
"We have three units in the state and more than 120 cities represented but we don't have much representation in this portion of the state," Balch said.
"We selected Forrest City after discussing it with Chief Gilchrest and decided that Forrest City would be a great selection for our first dedication outside of Central Arkansas. We could have chosen a larger city like West Memphis, but we've found better participation and better responses from the cities like Forrest City," he said.
According to Gilchrest, the opportunities available in Forrest City was the primary reason for his suggestion.
"We have so many untapped opportunities in Forrest City with the school district and the college and technical institute. We have to do something to give our children a reason to want to remain here in the Delta and in the state of Arkansas once they graduate and the Air National Guard offers some wonderful opportunities that no one knows about," Gilchrest said.
"We have a slogan that says that we're the best kept secret in Arkansas, because no one really knows about the Air National Guard. There are close to 2,000 members with our units as opposed to the Army National Guard which has about 10,000 unit members. When people hear National Guard they automatically think the Army National Guard and that's understandable because in most towns there is a National Guard Armory and that gives people an automatic name recognition," he added.
The dedication ceremonies on Oct. 2, will include a tour of the AANG base for 20 to 25 high school students and city and community leaders, the dedication of the plane and a tour and flight on the C-130. The flight will leave the base in Jacksonville and travel to Forrest City, flying over the city before heading back to the base.
The Forrest City contingent at Tuesday's meeting will now work to schedule an event where citizens can be on-hand to greet the plane, which will have the outline of the state over the door along with "Forrest City" and the Mustang logo, when it arrives. Suggested locations included the Forrest City Municipal Airport and Forrest City High School near Mustang Arena as sites for the flyover. The local group will meet again later in the week to continue planning for the day.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Colt Pioneer Days will return this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10 and 11, with plenty of fun and family entertainment.
The event is held annually at the historic William Stone House in Colt, and proceeds go toward the upkeep of the house, one of the oldest in St. Francis County.
"We'll kick it off with gospel singing Friday night from 5-8," said Walter Meals, one of the organizers of Pioneer Days. "We've got quite a few people lined up."
Some of those scheduled to perform Friday include Richard Hill, Maburn Cowan, Allene Laws, The South Side Singers and Tommy Talley.
There will also be food. Beans and cornbread will be served that night and there will also be hot dogs and hamburgers.
The Stone House will be open, featuring historical exhibits.
On Saturday, Sept. 11, craft booths and informational booths will open at 9 a.m., and music will begin at 10.
According to meals, booths will include the Delta Cultural Center from Helena, the St. Francis County Museum from Forrest City and the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department.
There will also be a meeting of the Northeast Arkansas Civil War Heritage Association, taking place at the Stone House during the morning, Meals said.
The St. Francis County Health Department will be checking blood pressure and giving out information. There will also be door prize drawings throughout the day.
Some of the individuals and groups who will provide music include The Harmony Trio, The Molded Clay Singers, Nathan Easter, The South Side Singers, Sharing Faith, The Midway Messengers, Iva Lawson and The Granny Kitchen Band.
There will be food available throughout the day.
"We're going to have beans and cornbread sold from the Stone House kitchen," said Meals. "And also on Saturday, our snack trailer will have hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos and soft drinks. And there will be all different kinds of displays."
He said there will be a watermelon feast at the end of the day, with melons provided by Happy Cowan.
In a brief meeting Tuesday night, the Forrest City City Council passed two resolutions and adjourned.
Mayor Larry Bryant had said there would be nominees for new members of the Civic Center Commission, but he was absent. Alderman Cecil Twillie, acting as mayor pro tem, said he had not been advised of the names, so no action was taken.
Alderman Steve Hollowell said he would like to be informed of the nominees before the next meeting, and asked if a resolution was needed. Twillie replied that he believed it would be enough to have that wish read into the minutes. He also said that the council, if it wished, could delay the vote if members thought more time was needed.
The first of the two resolutions authorizes the mayor to apply for a 50-50 matching outdoor park grant through the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. It was the understanding of the council members that the grant, if received, would go toward resurfacing the city's tennis courts.
The second resolution authorizes the mayor to apply for a 50-50 matching grant in the amount of $28,250, from the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics. The money, if received, will be used to remodel the terminal building at the Forrest City Municipal Airport.
Nearly 80 St. Francis County voters cast votes on the first full day of early voting for the school board positions in the county Tuesday.
Numbers provided at the SFC Clerk's office this morning stated that 79 voters had come in to take advantage of early voting. Early voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Monday, Sept. 20.