Maumelle's 4th Fest this Monday
Meeting on All-Inclusive playground tonight, Wildwood seeking adult actors for Oliver, Groundbreaking for new North Little Rock fire station today plus headlines
Note to subscribers: An annual or monthly subscription is billed to your debit or credit card as ARKANSAS.SUBSTACK.COM and if you have questions, please email arkansas@substack.com. Thanks for reading and subscribing!Death toll ticking back up
The weekly death toll from the ongoing pandemic is starting to tick back up as the total number of dead Arkansans was at 28.
The previous week it was at 24 and the week before that it was 17.
The total number of dead Arkansans is now at 11,580
As for the national trends, the forecast numbers from the Centers for Disease Control are below and through July 23.
As the weekly death toll is going back up, the forecasts are falling in line and gradually increasing the number of total deaths with number close to or exceeding 12,000.
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 crowdsThe Headlines
ICYMI: New weight loss treatment is marked by heavy marketing and modest results
Upcoming meetings: The Maumelle City Council will meet Tuesday night.
Upcoming holiday: The Fourth of July is Monday. Trash and recycling will be delayed a day next week as a result
Upcoming events: Maumelle's 4th Fest Celebration is this Monday with the parade starting at 4:30 p.m. and the route will be along Millwood Circle and Club Manor Drive. Parade awards will be handed out at 6:15 p.m. Music by Amie Bishop and the Slingers starts at 7:50 p.m. with fireworks starting at 9:30 p.m. All those activities will be at Lake Willastein. It will also feature an assortment of food trucks, games and something dubbed the "space walk inflatables." Admission is free.
If you want to enter the parade, click here.
Also that day, Pops on the River will be held on the banks of the Arkansas River in both downtown North Little Rock and Little Rock. Admission is also free.
SHINE-ola to be July 14: The Inaugural SHINE-ola will be held on Thursday, July 14 at South on Main. The show will start at 6 p.m. and is scheduled to run for four hours. The address for South on Main is 1304 Main St., in Little Rock. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased by calling 501-244-9660 or at the door the day of the show.
Covid toolkit
There’s now a one-stop shop to learn about vaccination sites and other Covid related information. Click here to learn more.
Travs on the road
The Arkansas Travelers are at Tulsa and return to North Little Rock next week. There’s a holiday twist to the schedule as Monday will have a game against Springfield and it has been dubbed, 4th Of July Furious Fireworks Finale. The game will start at 5:35 p.m. and then Tuesday is a day off with the regular grind resuming on Wednesday.
Road swing
Today... 7:05 p.m. ... at Tulsa
Friday ... July 1 ... 7:05 p.m. ... at Tulsa
Saturday ... July 2 ... 7:05 p.m. ... at Tulsa
Sunday ... July 3 ... 6:05 p.m. ... at Tulsa
Homestand
Monday ... July 4 … 5:35 p.m. … ... vs. Springfield; Promotions: 4th Of July Furious Fireworks Finale and USA Jerseys & Auction
Wednesday ... July 6 … 12:05 p.m. … vs. Springfield; Promotions: Summer Camp Day and Senior Day
Thursday ... July 7 ... 6:35 p.m. … vs. Springfield; Promotions: $3 Thirsty Thursday and Noche De Diamantes
Friday ... July 8 ... 7:05 p.m. … vs. Springfield; Promotions: Fireworks
Saturday ... July 9 ... 7:05 p.m. … vs. Springfield; Promotions: T-Shirt Giveaway and Kids Run The Bases
Sunday ... July 10 … 1:35 p.m. … vs. Springfield; Promotions: Kids Day Bash and Team Card Set Giveaway
Meeting on All-Inclusive playground tonight
The city of Maumelle will have a public meeting on the proposed All-Inclusive playground tonight. The meeting will be held at the Jess Odom Community Center and is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
City Clerk Tina Timmons said in an email that, “the purpose of the meeting is to identify potential inclusive playground needs and priorities. Following the identification process, city officials will select those priorities to be submitted to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism for an Outdoor Recreation Matching Grant application. Ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and special interest groups are encouraged to attend and participate.”
Comments can also be emailed to the city’s Park & Recreation Department at Phillip@maumelleparksandrec.com.
EDUCATION: Freed-Hardeman names spring graduates
Approximately 350 students received degrees on May 14 from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn.
North of the River graduates include: Jacob Williams, of Cato, who earned a Master of Business Administration in Business Administration.
Youngstown State names Spring President’s List
Youngstown State in Ohio recently names its President’s List for the Spring 2022 semester.
To be eligible for the President's List, honorees must be full-time undergraduate students with a 4.0 GPA for at least 12 semester hours of classes.
North of the River students honored include: Jillian McCray, of North Little Rock, who is majoring in Allied Health.
North Little Rock’s Silva recognized at UALR
Alexander Silva of North Little Rock, is a member of a class of graduating seniors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who learned the challenges of undertaking international construction projects as part of their year-long capstone project. To read more, click North Little Rock’s Silva part of international construction team
Wildwood seeks adult performers for Oliver, Spamalot
The Wildwood Park for the Arts is putting on Oliver this fall and they’re looking for actors.
Adult actors this time and not just for Oliver, as they’re also seeking adult actors for a production of Spamalot
The parts needed for Oliver are:
Fagin, 35 to 50, male, who is a strong singer can do accents and move. Fagin runs the training academy for young pickpockets.)
Bill Sikes, 30 to 45, male, who is a strong Bari-Bass Singer and can do physical acting. Will also need to be able to pull off a harsh Cockney accent. He’s the play’s villain.
Nancy, 23 to 30, female. Strong singer and actor with some dance experience. Described as a graduate of Fagin’s pickpocket academy.
Mr. Bumble, 45 to 65, male. Strong singer and actor, who can also dance. Described as a “large pompous man” and overseer of the workhouse.
Mr. Sowerberry, 30 to 60, male, Character singer, who can also move. He’s the show’s undertaker and has a sense of humor.
Mrs. Sowerberry, 30 to 60, female. Character singer and wife of Mr. Sowerberry.
Noah Claypole, 17 to 25, male. Strong singer, who can dance. Apprentice to Mr. Sowerberry.
Parts needed for Spamalot include:
King Arthur, 30 to 50s, male. Strong singer who can also move and has good humor.
Sir Robin, 25 to 40s, male. Character singer and actor.
Sir Lancelot, 30 to 40s, male. Strong Actor and singer, with some dance experience.
Patsy, 20 to 30s, any gender. Character singer and actor, Dance and tap experience preferred
Sir Galahad, 25 to 40s, male. Character actor with a physical presence. Strong Bari-tenor singing required and dance experience preferred.
Sir Bedevere, 18 to 40s, male. Character actor, with some dance experience.
The Lady of the Lake, 20 to 40s, female. Strong singer, dance experience and is described as needing to be “seductive.”
Ensemble parts include: Not Dead Fred, French Guards, Sir Robin’s Minstrels
Ages can be 18 to 35 and any gender. Dance experience is preferred as well as some singing.
Auditions will be Monday, July 18 and will start at 5 p.m.
They’ll be held at the Cabe Theater at Wildwood Park for the Arts.
Auditions are by appointment and to schedule email, Zachary Rhodes at at zach@wildwoodpark.org who will also provide instructions on what’s needed.
Oliver rehearsals will begin Sunday, Aug. 16. With shows starting on Oct. 14.
Rehearsals for Spamalot will begin on Sunday, Jan. 8 and shows will start on March 3.
Both shows will be directed by Bevan Keating and choreographed by Moriah Patterson. Supporting and main roles are paid positions. Ensemble and children’s roles will receive honorariums.
North Little Rock: New fire station to have groundbreaking today
Today is a big day for the North Little Rock Fire Department as Station No. 8 will have a groundbreaking near Burns Park at 9:30 a.m. this morning.
The station will be located at 501 W. Military Drive and is roughly across the street from the Hospitality House.
A rendering of the new station is below.
This new station will cost $2.8 million to build and will replace the current station at 6550 MacArthur Drive. The building’s costs are covered by the half-cent sales tax that was approved in 2017 by North Little Rock voters.
The new station will feature four sleeping quarters for crew, as well as being the quarters for the battalion chief. The department’s haz-mat and bicycle teams will also be located there.
The public is invited to attend.