LITTLE ROCK — FINAL CHAPTER:
Now for an update on the story of Thomas Walker and his beloved dogs that appeared here in early September. As he was traveling east through Arkansas on Aug. 8, the 76-year-old Axton, Va., resident, suffering from a medical condition, pulled off I-40 near the North Hills Boulevard exit in North Little Rock, collapsed and died.
Since Walker’s death, his traveling companions - Jake, a male chow mix;
Chicot, a female Australian shepherd; and Jimmy, a male Chihuahua - were cared for by several Arkansans, including the North Little Rock Animal Shelter.
Walker’s pets are now home. A week ago, Art Taylor of the Just Us Beagles and Friends rescue group in Alexander and Mike Ebbs delivered the dogs and Walker’s personal belongings from his car to his family in Virginia.
TUNING IN:
Paste magazine includes an Arkansas radio station - the 470-watt KXUA-FM, 88.3 of Fayetteville - in its “The 40 Best Little Radio Stations in the U.S.”
When the University of Arkansas radio station’s format changed to NPR, students organized to form a new station, and six years later, in 2000, KXUA went on-air with an array of new music not found on commercial stations and local live music.
TIME TRAVEL:
Call it horsing around with history. As the recently restored circa-1924 Overthe-Jumps Carousel continues to carry generations of children (and adults) on the backs of its bejeweled and painted ponies, pieces of the past are now tucked inside one the wooden horses. During a gathering yesterday, preservation artist Becky Witsell of Little Rock, who’s labored on the horses for years, placed a time capsule into one of the final horses being restored - Smarty Jones, adopted by donors Chappy and Pat Chapman and Team Smarty.
What’s inside? An old ride ticket for the carousel, a zoo map, passes and an article about the restoration from the December 2007 issue of Carousel News & Trader Magazine.
The carousel was donated to the zoo in 2007 by Friends of the Carousel after a 15-year restoration project.
A recent grant from the Department of Arkansas Heritage and City of Little Rock paid for more recent restoration for wear-andtear and outdoor exposure, and for more protective coats.
HOLIDAY TREAT:
Crooner Michael Buble is set to perform at Verizon Arena on Dec. 7. Tickets, ranging from $51.50 to $91.50, go on sale 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 1 via Ticketmaster.
HOT MESS:
Lewis Curtis, executive chef at Lulav restaurant in Little Rock, didn’t make it past the season premiere of Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen cooking competition show. Curtis was the second competitor chef Gordon Ramsay threw out of his kitchen and off the show.
Paper Trails appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact Linda Caillouet at (501) 399-3636 or at lcaillouet@arkansasonline.com.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 09/24/2010