Millwood Station to have grand opening
North Little Rock goes for sixth state title this Saturday, plus headlines and sports
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!The Headlines
The North Little Rock School Board will have a special call meeting at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the district’s administration building. The agenda has two items, both related to personnel and will be held in executive session. So you could go, but then they would just make you leave. The Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube and the public is welcome.
EVENTS: Banana Ball is this Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15 at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park. There’s still ways to get tickets and for more, click here. Next Tuesday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day. Avoid the bars, amateur night, but wear your green. Next Wednesday, March 18, is someone’s birthday and they’re especially happy about another trip around the sun.
Millwood Station to have grand opening
Maumelle’s new Millwood Station isn’t especially hard to find, given its prominent location on Maumelle Boulevard, but its purpose was lost to a recent visitor, who happened to be walking through while ArkansasNewsroom.com was there taking photos.
“Do you know what this will be,” she asked and seemed pleased given her enthusiastic “yes” when told it was the city’s new park and would have food trucks.
Courtney Dunn, the city’s Community Engagement Director said that Millwood Station would have a total of nine food truck spots and that six food trucks have already signed leases.
She said the six that have signed leases are:
Tacos Atilano
Phonzie’s 1 Stop Hog Shop(BBQ)
Lumpia Hut (Filipino inspired food)
Wing Krave
Shakes Frozen Custard
Travelin Coffee & Crepes
Given that three spaces are still available, Dunn said that, if a vendor was interested they would need “to fill out the Food Truck Interest form located at, https://maumelle.org/707/Millwood-Station.”
Millwood Station also features a covered pavilion as well as walking and biking trails that will connect it to other points in the city, and eventually across central Arkansas. The park features the bicycle and tire inflation stations that have become standard. There’s also bathrooms and water fountains.
Each of the food truck slots features hookups for water, electricity and sewer and should be happening spot after this Friday’s grand opening.
What follows is a lightly edited, and formatted Q&A with Dunn on Millwood Station.
What’s the total seating at the pavilion?
The pavilion is designed to be a flexible space, so seating may vary depending on how the area is being used. At times, picnic tables will be placed under the pavilion for public seating, while during vendor events and farmers markets the space may be left open to accommodate booths and foot traffic.
Currently, the park has 10 large picnic tables and 4 ADA-accessible picnic tables available for visitors to use throughout the park. The city will continue to evaluate seating needs and may add additional tables in the future if demand increases.
What was the cost of construction?
Total Construction cost is approximately $2.4 Million
How does the new park fit into the vision for Maumelle?
The opening of Millwood Station reflects Maumelle’s broader vision of strengthening community connections and creating welcoming spaces for residents of all ages. By bringing together amenities like food truck areas, a farmers market pavilion, and a small stage for events and entertainment, the park encourages people to gather, interact, and enjoy shared experiences.
This new shared space supports Maumelle’s goal of enhancing community engagement by providing a place where families, friends, and neighbors can come together for markets, performances, and local events. It helps foster a sense of community while offering activities and opportunities that appeal to people at every stage of life, making Maumelle an even more vibrant and connected place to live.
The walking trail around the park also ties into the upcoming Club Manor Drive improvements, which will help make this area of the city more walkable and pedestrian-friendly. Together, these features support Maumelle’s vision of creating accessible public spaces that encourage outdoor activity, connectivity, and community interaction.
Anything else you want to add?
Millwood Station is located at 100 Millwood Circle in Maumelle. The park offers on-site parking, including designated handicap-accessible spaces for visitors. Additional overflow parking is available through a shared parking agreement with First Baptist Church, located across the street. For those parking there, a marked crosswalk at the nearby stoplight provides a safe and convenient way to cross to the park.
The name “Millwood Station” reflects the site’s history in the community. The property was previously home to the Maumelle Department of Public Safety, which once housed both the city’s Police Department and Fire Department, making it a location with longstanding importance to Maumelle’s public service and community life.
Sports
Semifinal Saturday: North Little Rock wins one, loses one
North Little Rock’s quest for another state title in boys basketball came to an end on Saturday when the Cat’s lost to Little Rock Central, 70-63, at 6A state tournament host Bryant.
North Little Rock ends its season at 15-8 overall and had defeated Central once earlier this season, while another conference game was cancelled due to weather and was never rescheduled.
The ‘Cats were the No. 2 seed from the 6A-Central, while Central was the No. 4 seed.
North Little Rock’s Kevon Smith led all scorers with 21 points, while Elijah Bryant had 20 and Davian Withers added 13.
Central moves to face defending state champ Bryant in this Saturday’s 6A state title game
Despite the North Little Rock loss, it was still a helluva good day for central Arkansas basketball on Semifinal Saturday as Little Rock Mills will face Little Rock Hall for the 4A state title, while Little Rock Parkview will face Marion for the 5A state title, then Bryant and Central for the 6A state championship.
On the girls side, North Little Rock beat long-time rivals Fort Smith Northside, 44-39, as Daryl Fimple won the coaches’ duel with Rickey Smith.
Mia Hopkins led North Little Rock with 14 points, while Katie Fimple, the coach’s daughter, had nine points in the win. For the younger Fimple, basketball runs in her family with her dad having won five state titles, while Donnie Smith, her late grandfather, was also a career coach
North Little Rock is now 29-3 and will face Springdale Har-Ber at 6 p.m. this Saturday at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.
The ‘Cats are going for their sixth state title under Fimple, with wins in 2022, 2018, 2016, 2010, 2006 – and ninth state championship game with those three appearances coming this season and in 2023, 2017 and 2009.
North Little Rock defeated Har-Ber, 54-40, in a game played Dec, 31.
TV schedule
Arkansas TV, formerly Arkansas PBS, will broadcast this year’s state championships live from Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs beginning today
The games will air live:
1A girls – West Side Greers Ferry vs. Earle – Thursday, March 12, at noon.
1A boys – Clarendon vs. Earle – Thursday, March 12, at 1:45 p.m.
2A girls – Sloan-Hendrix vs. Quitman – Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m.
2A boys – Barton vs. Mount Vernon-Enola – Thursday, March 12, at 7:45 p.m.
3A girls – Manila vs. McGehee – Friday, March 13, at noon.
3A boys – Newport vs. Osceola – Friday, March 13, at 1:45 p.m.
4A girls – Pea Ridge vs. Pulaski Academy – Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m.
4A boys – Little Rock Hall vs. Mills University Studies – Friday, March 13, at 7:45 p.m.
5A girls – Farmington vs. Mountain Home – Saturday, March 14, at noon.
5A boys – Marion vs. Little Rock Parkview – Saturday, March 14, at 1:45 p.m.
6A girls – Springdale Har-Ber vs. North Little Rock – Saturday, March 14, at 6 p.m.
6A boys – Little Rock Central vs. Bryant – Saturday, March 14, at 7:45 p.m.
Stats from the basketball championship games will be available at aaabasketball.gamedaypreps.com/.
Funding for Arkansas TV Sports is provided by the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Image One. Arkansas TV also recognizes AAA’s sponsors for the state high school basketball finals, including Centennial Bank, Arkansas Farm Bureau and Everett Buick GMC.
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