NORTH LITTLE ROCK — An Arkansas resident who hosts a pair of popular gardening television shows is sponsoring a tulip festival in North Little Rock's Argenta district that will raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
P. Allen Smith said at a news conference Monday that the "Plant it Pink Festival" next year will include the planting of 25,000 pink tulips in the Argenta Arts District.
Organizers say sponsorships of flower beds and pots in the area could raise up to $30,000 for breast cancer treatment, research and awareness through Komen.
Smith said he hopes the festival helps launch similar efforts across the country.
"We're going to follow this with our television programming that airs nationwide," he said. "We hope millions of people see what goes on here in Argenta and they'll be inspired to maybe take this model to their communities in the future."
The weeklong festival, which begins March 25, also includes a discussion and a walk down Main Street led by Smith, a reading of short stories about the impact of breast cancer on several writers' lives and a speech by a UAMS physician who specializes in breast surgical oncology.
Smith is the host of P. Allen Smith's Garden Home on public television as well as the syndicated P. Allen Smith Gardens. He has a line of books, including one due out next month, and is a regular contributor to NBC's TODAY Show.