MacArthur Museum widens grant access
The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in Little Rock is expanding its field trip grant program in the new year to include community colleges.
The program offers grants up to $500 to allow public school students to visit the museum and learn about the two World Wars and broaden their knowledge of the historic Arsenal Building and the Civil War in Arkansas.
Starting in 2017, community colleges also will be able to access that funding.
"The expansion will allow the museum to share its collection, which includes over 4,600 World War II press photographs and more than 60 original American World War I propaganda posters, with a broader student audience," museum director Stephan McAteer said.
Applications for the Helen T. Leigh Museum Field Trip Grant are available through the Arkansas Humanities Council at 407 President Clinton Ave., Suite 201, in Little Rock. Deadlines to apply are the first of each month, excluding December.
Applicants must schedule their field trips before applying for the grant by contacting Museum Program Assistant Shane Lind at (501) 376-4602.
The grants are funded by Leigh in memory of her late husband, Lt. Col. Gilbert Leigh, U.S. Air Force.
The military museum is located at 503 E. Ninth St. in MacArthur Park.
Historic-sites map has added features
Little Rock has added an interactive map to the "Historic Things to do in Little Rock" portion of its website.
The historic-sites map is an ongoing project. It includes information about each site and the National Register of Historic Sites nomination forms submitted for those locations.
"Eventually, there will be additional photos of the properties and links to other articles to read about these properties," said Brian Minyard, an urban designer with the city. "The goal is to have information on historical road name changes, additional buildings in National Register Historic Districts, and historical markers."
Users can toggle between the base map, the current 2015 aerial map and a 1943 aerial map of the city.
"This is the first phase," Minyard said, adding that people would later be able to submit more photos.
"Right now, we are focusing on buildings and structures that are extant, however a later phase may focus on buildings that have been destroyed," Minyard said. "This map will work on your home computer as well as mobile devices such as tablets and iPhones."
The city also added information to the page about its Arkansas Civil Rights History tour mobile app, which is available to download on smartphones and takes users to sites in Little Rock that pertain to the civil-rights movement. The tour's audio is available in English and Spanish.
The last update to the historic website was the inclusion of a 1965 article titled "Traffic Survey Plans Freeways to Surround Area," where visitors can see 51-year-old plans for freeways I-30, I-430, I-440, U.S. 67 and U.S. 167.
Children's Theatre to stage Stone Soup
The Arkansas Arts Center's Children's Theatre will perform Stone Soup in January.
The play is about a lonely and hungry wanderer who comes upon a house at the end of a road. A woman lets him inside the house to discover "a treasure even more precious than a pot of delicious soup," a news release says.
"Earnest charm, playful imagination and heart-warming music are the key ingredients in this fresh, tasty, nourishing new play," the release said.
The production will run at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 and at 2 p.m. on Jan. 21 and Jan. 22. Tickets are $8 for Arts Center members and $10 for the general public.
The cast includes Sharon Combs of Little Rock; Kenneth Barron of Ferrum, Va.; and Rebecca Taylor of Bloomfield, Mo.
Metro on 12/25/2016