El Centro Hispano and DCC partner to preserve Hispanic heritage
JONESBORO — El Centro Hispano Community Resource Center, 211 Vandyne St. in Jonesboro has partnered with The Delta Cultural Center (DCC) in downtown Helena to help preserve the history and heritage of Hispanic people who call the Arkansas delta home.
Residents of the delta who are of Mexican and Central American descent are asked to donate items of cultural interest which will be cataloged and eventually placed on display at the DCC.
There is a long-standing presence of Spanish-speaking immigrants throughout the Arkansas delta, especially in the towns of Jonesboro, Stuttgart, Dewitt, Blytheville and West Memphis. Yet, it is also a population that is somewhat underrepresented in many of the region’s museum collections. One objective of this collaborative project is to assist in filling this void.
Items will be collected between 10 a.m. and noon Aug. 22 at El Centro Hispano.
Donations may include but are not limited to the following items:
• Those brought or sent from Mexico (or other nations);
• Those created here as formal or informal mementos of cultural identity;
• Those used in traditional celebrations such as Dia de los Muertos, Quinceañeras and Cinco de Mayo observances; • Clothing, religious/devotional items, photos, crafts, furniture and toys;
• Naturalization documents; expired passports and visas;
• Native kitchen utensils; musical instruments and heirlooms.
For more information, or to make arrangements for them to be picked up, contact Drew Ulrich, DCC Museum curator at 870-338-5649, or drew.ulrich@arkansas.gov.
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HELENA-WEST HELENA — With heavy hearts, the King Biscuit Blues Festival board and staff have made the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 event. “We sincerely believe the ongoing pandemic potentially threatens the safety of our musicians, patrons, volunteers and staff, and we cannot take that chance,” said Munnie Jordan, executive director of the festival. “As fate would have it, the “Biscuit” was chosen as the Arkansas Times’ Best Live Music Festival for 2020,” added Jordan.
Since 1986, the King Biscuit Blues Festival has presented a remarkable lineup of blues from the Delta and around the world, and this year would have marked its 35th anniversary celebration.
Fans and performers alike recognize the unmistakable influence of this indigenous art form that permeated rock music of the 1960s and ‘70s and whose influence can still be felt today.
Next year’s event promises to be the best ever, and keeping with tradition of it being the weekend before Columbus Day, the dates will be October 6-9, 2021.
Artists who were scheduled for 2020 have been invited back, and they include headliner Mavis Staples and perennial favorites Bobby Rush, Billy Branch, Lonnie Shields, Anson Funderburgh, Reba Russell and Paul Thorn.
All sub-events and programs that have become King Biscuit’s hallmark will return in 2021: Sonny Boy Blues Society’s Battle of the Bands (August), Blues, Bloodies & Biscuits, the 10th Annual Call and Response Blues Symposium, 5K Run, Tour da’ Delta Bike Ride, and Kansas City-sanctioned BBQ and Blues on The Levee Competition.
Cancelling this year’s event has many repercussions, one of which means losing
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most of the festival’s annual operating revenue.
Because of that, 2020 ticketholders are being offered three options: they can (1) roll over their tickets for next year’s show (October 6-9, 2021); (2) receive a complete refund; or (3) choose to donate their ticket money to help sustain King Biscuit operations towards its future success.
The board is asking those who have purchased tickets to choose one of the options at kingbiscuitfestival. com/tickets by Wednesday, August 12, 2020, or the ticket(s) will automatically be rolled over to 2021. Questions can be addressed to operations@ kingbiscuitfestival.c om.
The King Biscuit Blues Festival is an annual pilgrimage for blues fans from all over the world, and the board, staff, artists and volunteers who make it happen appreciate the continued support and look forward to a brighter 2021.
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LITTLE ROCK — Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $3.2 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to eight EDA Economic Development District organizations across Arkansas to update economic development plans and fortify programs to assist communities in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Trump Administration is eager to allocate these essential CARES Act funds and deliver on our promise to help American communities recover from the impact of COVID-19,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “I am proud of the perseverance and strength shown by our communities coast to coast throughout this pandemic, and these funds will help provide Arkansas with resources to make a swift and lasting economic comeback.”
“These investments come at a crucial time to help Arkansas’ and our nation’s economy come roaring back and provide hardworking Americans with new opportunities,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “We are pleased to make these investments in Arkansas’ EDA Economic Development Districts to help them prevent, prepare, and respond to coronavirus.”
“The economic harm COVID-19 has brought to communities across Arkansas has been readily apparent,” said Senator John Boozman. “Investing in development organizations and strategies to help our communities recover and prepare for future growth opportunities makes perfect sense, and I applaud the administration for announcing these grants and prioritizing economic resiliency,” Boozman said.
“The pandemic has created many challenges, but Arkansans are resolute in pushing forward and emerging stronger,” said Congressman Steve Womack (AR-03). “As we work to safely reopen, these strategic investments through the CARES Act will provide Third District small businesses with critical resources to support recovery efforts and reinvigorate the economy. I thank Secretary Ross and the Economic Development Administration for their work to quickly allocate these funds throughout the Natural State.”
The EDA investments announced today are:
• Central Arkansas Planning & Development District, Lonoke, Arkansas, will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic through focused research into the economic impacts, job losses, and business disruption resulting from the pandemic, and by developing strategies to enhance their region’s capacity to recover from the immediate crisis and prepare for future economic growth opportunities.
• East Arkansas Planning & Development District, Jonesboro, Arkansas, will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by providing technical assistance to the cities, counties, businesses, and other development organizations in their region to boost economic development initiatives.
• Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, Harrison, Arkansas, will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by hiring additional staff to focus on implementing strategies to help the region’s economy continue to grow despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19.
• Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by hiring additional staff to increase its communication platforms and support disaster resiliency efforts for their region.
• Southwest Arkansas Planning & Development District, Magnolia, Arkansas, will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by increasing capacity to assist with training, strategic planning, and project development and implementation.
• West Central Arkansas Planning & Development District, Hot Springs, Arkansas, will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by supporting the region’s public and private sectors with identifying and accessing resources necessary to build a more resilient economy.
• Western Arkansas Planning & Development District, Fort Smith, Arkansas, will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by enhancing capacity to respond to workforce needs, conduct additional outreach for current and future pandemic response, and to hire additional staff to coordinate communication efforts.
• White River Planning & Development District, Batesville, Arkansas, will receive a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to respond to the coronavirus pandemic by dedicating staff to implement strategies to grow the region’s businesses and manufacturing sector, and to support rapidly growing workforce needs.
These eight entities, all EDA-designated Economic Development Districts (EDD), are some of the more than 850 existing, high-performing EDA EDD, University Center, Tribal, and Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant recipients invited to apply for supplemental funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The CARES Act, signed
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into law by President Donald J. Trump, provides EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
On May 7, Secretary Ross announced that EDA is accepting applications for CARES Act Recovery Assistance funding opportunities.
the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) (PDF) program, provides a widerange of financial assistance to communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit our recently updated EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.
About the U.S. Economic Development Administration
The mission of the U.S.
Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.
