Diamond in the Rough
Maumelle's Cutchin elected as Auditor at Arkansas Boys State; This is 40; Kind of a Big Dill tournament; Plus headlines and sports
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MEETINGS: The School Board for the North Little Rock School District will have a special call meeting and workshop at 5:30 p.m. tonight.. For the agenda, click here. The majority of the meeting appears devoted to an executive session that will be closed to the public. The North Little Rock City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall.
EVENTS: Next Wednesday, June 11, North Little Rock will be having a groundbreaking celebration for the new Tempo by Hilton hotel downtown. Located at the former Greyhound Terminal, the hotel will also feature meeting space. The event starts at 11 a.m. and for more information, check out the flyer below.
This is 40
Maumelle City Hall will be hosting a day of celebration on Friday, June 20 as the city celebrates its 40th birthday. The event will give visitors the opportunity to “walk through history” with a 2 p.m. program in the council chambers where there will be speakers, and proclamations, among other things.
On Friday, the “drop-in” portion of the event will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Saturday, City Hall will be open from 9 a.m. to noon to give people another opportunity to check out Maumelle’s history.
For more, check out the flyer above.
Pickleball fans unite
North Little Rock is hosting a “Kind of a Big Dill” Pickleball Tournament this Friday and Saturday.
The tournament is a fundraiser for Special Olympics Arkansas and for more details, check out the flyer above.
As they say, “don’t miss out – it’s kind of a big dill!”
This is 20
The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a series of events that started on Wednesday and will continue through Sunday, June 8.
The USS Razorback will be open for tours through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Originally a U.S. Navy submarine, the Razorback was in the Bay of Tokyo for the end of World War II and then was purchased by the Turkish government and was in that country’s naval fleet before being acquired by then Mayor Patrick Henry Hays, with the held of Congressman Vic Snyder, as well as a host of local volunteers in 2004.
Commodore Hays added the USS Hoga, a tugboat at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and North Little Rock’s Navy was born. North Little Rock and Pearl Harbor are the only two locations in the country with active boats in use at the start of World War II.
The museum and Razorback opened on Memorial Day 2005.
Diamond in the rough
Going to the Crater of Diamond State Park in Murfreesboro for some Labor Day laboring is something of an Arkansas tradition.
That was true for Maumelle’s Kevin Kinnard, above, who made the trek to southwest Arkansas some five years ago, but what isn’t a tradition is actually finding a diamond.
Which is something Kinnard did. And it wasn’t just any oi’ diamond, it was the second largest ever found at 9.07 carats. Found, oddly, enough on Sept. 7 or 9/07.
A banker by trade, and amateur diamond miner, Kinnard said then he’d been going to the park regularly for a couple of decades but what was dubbed the Kinnard Friendship Diamond was the first one he had found.
“I only wet sifted for about 10 minutes before I started walking up and down the plowed rows. Anything that looked like a crystal, I picked it up and put it in my bag,” he said, and during that process was when he saw what he thought was a marble-sized piece of crystal. “It kind of looked interesting and shiny, so I put it in my bag and kept searching. I just thought it might’ve been glass.”
After several more hours of searching, Kinnard and his group of friends went to the park’s Diamond Discovery Center but, “I almost didn’t have them check my finds, because I didn’t think I had found anything. My friend had hers checked, though, so I went ahead and had them check mine, too.”
That’s when, much to Kinnard’s surprise, he was told he had found a diamond and the park’s second largest. The largest was the 16.37-carat white Amarillo Starlight, discovered in August 1975.
An employee identified Kinard’s rocks and minerals but sat his rounded, dimpled find aside to carry into the office for closer examination. After a few minutes, park managers brought Kinard into the office and revealed that he had discovered a diamond weighing more than nine carats. “I honestly teared up when they told me. I was in complete shock!”
The Kinnard Friendship Diamond is high on one of the three Cs of diamonds, carats. As for color and clarity, the stone, a brandy brown color, that’s a bit lower but, to be clear, nine carats is nine carats.
While this is a bit of old news, what it isn’t is that for the past years, Lauray’s The Diamond Center in Hot Springs has cut, cleaned and polished the stone, then set it into jewelry.
The newly cut stone will serve as the lead-in to the 12th Annual Prospectors’ Gemboree and Famous Crater Diamonds Exhibit on June 21, where it will be on display.
The event will be held at the park’s Visitor Center and admission is $15 for adults, $7 for children 6 to 12 and those under 6 are free.
It will also feature games, a treasure hunt and other activities. For more information, call 870-285-3113 or email CraterofDiamonds@arkansas.com.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is located at 209 State Park Road. Murfreesboro.
Education News
Maumelle's Cutchin elected as Auditor at Arkansas Boys State
Austin Cutchin of Maumelle and a rising senior at Maumelle High School was elected as the Auditor at Arkansas Boys State 2025, a summer leadership and civic engagement experience sponsored by the American Legion.
Cutchin, above, was one of 14 students elected by his peers to state office on Thursday, May 29, as part of the 84th annual session of Arkansas Boys State, where students build a mock government, including the state constitutional offices: governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor, land commissioner, treasurer, and chief justice and associate justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court.
The 14 students elected to state office, including Cutchin, won their party primary races for state office before advancing to the general election where they defeated their opposing party's opponent. More than 150 students ran for state office at Arkansas Boys State 2025.
"Being elected to state office at Arkansas Boys State is the highest honor our students could achieve," said Lloyd Jackson, executive director of Arkansas Boys State. "This election speaks volumes about his character and excellence of Austin and his desire to serve his community."
On Friday morning, Cutchin traveled to the capitol in Little Rock where he took office, met with constituents, and learned more about their respective roles alongside their elected counterparts.
"There are simply no words to describe the honor that Austin has earned," said Jackson. "This is what it's all about. From all of us - leadership, staff, and alumni - we share the most heartfelt congratulations to Austin, his school, his community, and his family."
Cutchin is one of more than 600 students from throughout the state attending Arkansas Boys State at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Students are mock citizens in eight different counties and congressional districts, sixteen cities, and two political parties.
Learn more at arboysstate.org.
Crystal Bluff climbing area at Big Rock Quarry Park officially opens
Rock climbing is not for us. We’ll leave that to the professionals and Tom Cruise, who always seems to be dangling off of something, but we understand the appeal, having done some rappelling and technical rescues back in the EMT days.
If you ask, I might tell the story of jumping off White Rock to save some unfortunate soul who had taken a tumble and went about 100 feet down, but not right now.
Anyway, it is kind of a big deal that the city of North Little Rock opened the Crystal Bluff climbing area at Big Rock Quarry Park for amateurs, hobbyists and professionals alike.
One of the few urban rock climbing spots in the county, the North Little Rock park features more 30 “bolted sport climbing routes” with some as high as 80 feet.
The park is a combo effort by the city and the Arkansas Climbers Coalition and was funded by volunteer labor and community donations.
The ribbon cutting was held last Friday, and the park also features a pump track, skate park, and trails for mountain biking and hiking.
If you want to know more, visit www.arkansasclimbers.org or email info@arkansasclimbers.org.
Splash Pad at Burns Park's Funland opens
While rain provides a natural splash pad, in the hot, and very dry, summer months, rain can be a rarity.
So what’s a child, needing to cool off, to do?
Well, for one, they could be taken to the Splash Pad at Burns Park’s Funland, which opened last Friday in North Little Rock.
Admission to it, and the train, and Funland are free and very much open to the public.
The Splash Pad is open Monday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Funland Playground is open Monday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to approximately 30 minutes after sunset.
The Train is open on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Monday and then open Tuesday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Upcoming Travs games
At Corpus Christi, June 3-8
Northwest Arkansas Naturals, six-game homestand
Tuesday, June 10, 6:35 p.m.
Barkansas Dizzys Week: Join us in celebrating Dizzy, "The Goodest Boy in Baseball," with a week of canine-related fun! Dogs are allowed inside the ballpark for all games this homestand (in the Berm areas only). | Presented By Farm Bureau Insurance
Dog Day: Human fans can get $3 Berm tickets by bringing their dog to the game (only available at DSP Box Office). NOTE: Dogs are only allowed in the Berm areas | Presented By Hollywood Feed
Wednesday, June 11, 6:35 p.m.
Barkansas Dizzys Week: Join us in celebrating Dizzy, "The Goodest Boy in Baseball," with a week of canine-related fun! Dogs are allowed inside the ballpark for all games this homestand (in the Berm areas only). | Presented By Farm Bureau Insurance
Dog Day: Human fans can get $3 Berm tickets by bringing their dog to the game (only available at DSP Box Office). NOTE: Dogs are only allowed in the Berm areas | Presented By Hollywood Feed
Thursday, June 12, 6:35 p.m.
Pitching Dizzy Bobblehead Giveaway: Presented By Dr Pepper | First 1,000 Fans (one item per person)
Barkansas Dizzys Week: Join us in celebrating Dizzy, "The Goodest Boy in Baseball," with a week of canine-related fun! Dogs are allowed inside the ballpark for all games this homestand (in the Berm areas only). | Presented By Farm Bureau Insurance
Friday, June 13, 7:05 p.m.
Post-Game Drone Show: Join us as we light up the sky over CHI St. Vincent Field at DSP after the game! | Presented By CHI St. Vincent
Barkansas Dizzys Week: Join us in celebrating Dizzy, "The Goodest Boy in Baseball," with a week of canine-related fun! Dogs are allowed inside the ballpark for all games this homestand (in the Berm areas only). | Presented By Farm Bureau Insurance
Saturday, June 14, 6:05 p.m.
Post-Game Drone Show: Join us as we light up the sky over CHI St. Vincent Field at DSP after the game! | Presented By CHI St. Vincent
Barkansas Dizzys Week: Join us in celebrating Dizzy, "The Goodest Boy in Baseball," with a week of canine-related fun! Dogs are allowed inside the ballpark for all games this homestand (in the Berm areas only). | Presented By Farm Bureau Insurance
Dizzy's Birthday Bash: Everyone's favorite ballpark pup is turning 8 (human) years old! (NOTE: Dogs are only allowed in the grass Berm areas) | Presented By Raising Cane's
Dog Bandana Giveaway: First 300 Dogs (one item per canine) | Presented By Raising Cane's
Sunday, June 15, 1:35 p.m.
Barkansas Dizzys Week: Join us in celebrating Dizzy, "The Goodest Boy in Baseball," with a week of canine-related fun! Dogs are allowed inside the ballpark for all games this homestand (in the Berm areas only). | Presented By Farm Bureau Insurance
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game! | Presented By First Community Bank
Operation: Military Appreciation: Service Members get $3 off General Admission and Field Reserved tickets by presenting a Military ID (only available at DSP Box Office) | Presented By Mid-South Ford Dealers
Health
Pandemic deaths unknown
The state Department of Health didn’t update the state’s dashboard this week, again, and deaths still total 532 for the past year. There’s no tab created for 2025 either and the virus has now killed 14,162 Arkansans since the pandemic began then. That would mean the pandemic death toll has now passed Marion’s 13,635 people, the state’s 29th largest city.
Covid toolkit
There’s now a one-stop shop to learn about vaccination sites and other Covid related information. Click here to learn more.
If you don’t want to get sick and die, there’s some things you can do:
Get vaccinated
Get boosted
Wear a mask
Avoid crowds