Helaine Williams
Stories by Helaine
LOTS OF HEART
posted: 05/20/2012 4:34 a.m. Discuss
It was a sea of red — attire, that is — at the 2012 Go Red for Women Luncheon. Presented by Arkansas Heart Hospital and co-sponsored nationally by organizations including the American Heart Association, the event was held May 9 in the Grand Ballroom of the Peabody Little Rock hotel. Debi Barnes was luncheon chairman.
PARTYING BY CANDLELIGHT: There’s no place like homes in the Quarter, tour suggests
posted: 05/20/2012 4:08 a.m. Discuss
Luckily, the rain stopped and the clouds parted to allow early-evening sun to shine on the Candlelight Tour, held May 12 during the first day of the Quapaw Quarter Association’s 48th Spring Tour of Homes in Little Rock.
LET’S TALK: Friendship, submission can block 7-year itch
posted: 05/20/2012 4 a.m. Discuss
Dre and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary May 7.
DRESSING ROOM: Summer denims get lift from colors, technology
posted: 05/13/2012 4:31 a.m. Discuss
There’s a whole lot of bright and pastel denim going ’round. Blue Essence, Michael by Michael Kors, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and CJ by Cookie Johnson are just some of the labels to be found on jeans whose colors resemble a spring flower garden.
HOT, COLD AND OLD: Boiling for buildings
posted: 05/13/2012 4:30 a.m. Discuss
It was all “hot bugs, cold beer and old buildings” at Preservation Crustaceans, a fundraising crawfish and shrimp boil for the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas.
WHITE HOT: Pre-tourney benefit raises racket for families
posted: 05/13/2012 4:13 a.m. Discuss
A hot day segued into the perfect breezy evening for Wimbledon White, a tennistheme benefit for The Centers for Youth and Families. The event — a prelude to the Centers Court Tournament — took place May 4 on the front lawn of the Country Club of Little Rock. Guests turned out in their best casual white attire to be treated to special cocktails, hors d’oeuvres at several stations and music by Charlie Mars.
LET’S TALK: Ignorance undercuts citizenship, author says
posted: 05/06/2012 3:36 a.m. Comment 1
So... could you pass the United States citizenship test if you needed to?
PINSTRIPE PARTY: Seersucker Social swings support toward museum
posted: 05/06/2012 3:14 a.m. Discuss
Outside the ornate front fence of the Old State House Museum, the 21st century rolled on. But a few onlookers interrupted their downtown strolls to get a closer look at a classic Southern scene taking place on the museum’s expansive lawn.
GETTING FESTIVE: Artists get chance to bow before first Thea festival
posted: 05/06/2012 3:04 a.m. Discuss
The Thea Foundation — which advocates the importance of art in the development of youth and encourages participation in such — kicked off its first Arts Festival with an April 27 artists’ reception at its studio in North Little Rock’s Argenta District.
Living history
posted: 05/05/2012 2:28 a.m. Discuss
There comes a time of year when, for the price of admission, one can take a peek behind the curtains of finely restored historic homes and admire the work and tenacity of those who have braved the daunting task of fixing up a stately residence and triumphed.
Four gardens to accept national get-in-free coupons Friday
posted: 05/05/2012 2:25 a.m. Discuss
Four Arkansas gardens, along with 500-plus other public botanical gardens, arboretums and zoos affiliated with the American Public Gardens Association, will celebrate Friday as National Public Gardens Day.
Sneaking a peek into historic homes
posted: 05/04/2012 11 a.m. Discuss
This time of year for the price of admission, Helaine R. Williams writes, you can take a peek behind the curtains of finely restored historic homes and admire the work and tenacity of those who have braved the daunting task of fixing up a stately residence — and triumphed.
DRESSING ROOM: Full-figure fashion gets a Kurvy week of events
posted: 04/29/2012 4:39 a.m. Discuss
Little Rock seems to be sprouting not only major fashion shows, but multi-day fashion events, such as Little Rock Full Figure Fashion Week. It begins Monday and runs through May 6 on its third go-round.
DESIGNER PARTY: Women’s Foundation gala spotlights 3 honorees’ skills
posted: 04/29/2012 4:24 a.m. Discuss
A graphic designer, a costume designer and a photographer were honored April 17... by design.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: Forest Park alumni, pupils hail school with a parade
posted: 04/29/2012 4:23 a.m. Discuss
Pupils and teachers from yesteryear and now — along with parents, grandparents and groups from other schools — came together on a sunny April 19 afternoon to kick off Forest Park Elementary School’s Centennial Celebration in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood.
LET’S TALK: 20 percent not caught in the Net
posted: 04/22/2012 3:47 a.m. Discuss
Every once in a while, I write a column about how much catching up I still have to do, technology wise, with my peers.
LIVING AND GIVING: Diabetes group gets some sugar
posted: 04/22/2012 3:44 a.m. Discuss
Little Rock’s Radiology Associates, represented by Drs. Ben Bartnicke and Bill Deaton, was honored with the Living and Giving Award at the 2012 JDRF Gala, held April 14 in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center.
PASSING THE PLATE: Benefit attendees delight in grazing for good cause
posted: 04/22/2012 3:38 a.m. Discuss
Mingle, sip... and nosh, nosh, nosh. A pretty good idea — not just for the beginning of a fundraiser but for the whole thing, to which members of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary would attest.
DRESSING ROOM: Retin-A product goes skin-deeper
posted: 04/15/2012 3:31 a.m. Discuss
I’m always up for investigating a new cosmetic and skin-care line. And when former co-worker Vanessa Thomas Russell — once fashion section editor for this newspaper, now a makeup artist at B. Barnett — told me about an ooh-la-la line new at the upscale Little Rock boutique, I had to pay the store a visit.
STRUTTING THEIR STUFF: By special design
posted: 04/15/2012 3:27 a.m. Discuss
Children whose runway struts would put grown supermodels to shame. “Conehead” hairdos. Fashions accentuated with everything from “raccoon” eyes to tattoos, some including the designer’s name.
LET’S TALK: Yellow Pages just get dusty as fingers walk on keyboard
posted: 04/15/2012 3:23 a.m. Discuss
So I see that AT&T is throwing its venerable Yellow Pages book to the dogs.
STANDING ROOM ONLY: Easter Seals event poses super lively fashion statement
posted: 04/15/2012 3:08 a.m. Discuss
Little Rock’s Chenal Country Club could barely hold the phenomenal, celebrity-studded turnout for The Fashion Event, a fast-paced, superherothemed Easter Seals Arkansas fundraiser held April 5.
Slam Jam spotlights black fiction
posted: 04/10/2012 2:28 a.m. Discuss
The Arkansas Literary Festival will not be the only book-related extravaganza going on this week in Little Rock.
Milton Pitts Crenchaw
posted: 04/08/2012 3:34 a.m. Discuss
Milton Crenchaw really doesn’t talk that much about his career as one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, the first Arkansan to be called by that name.
DRESSING ROOM: Artist has bath salts, scrubs to moon over
posted: 04/01/2012 3:39 a.m. Discuss
Jeri Warlick, a Little Rock artist and designer, announces Love & Light, her new line of body salts and scrubs. The eight-blend line includes Luna Love (lavender) and seven blends named for the body’s seven chakras (defined by thefreeonlinedictionary.com as “centers of spiritual energy in the human body, according to yoga philosophy” ): Root Chakra (cedar and cloves); Solar Plexus (sandalwood and orange); Naral (lavender and rosemary ); Heart (jasmine and rose); Throat (peppermint and eucalyptus ); Third Eye (clary sage and lavender); and Crown (sandalwood and patchouli). I tried the Solar Plexus scrub and enjoyed its subtle scent and combination of gentle exfoliation and skin-pampering oil.
Nia mixes it up with yoga, martial arts and dance
posted: 03/26/2012 2:38 a.m. Discuss
Six women, most of them barefoot, gear up for a Saturday morning fitness class at the Jesse Odom Community Center in Maumelle.
LET’S TALK: Insurance rate hike a rude bit of reality
posted: 03/25/2012 5:41 a.m. Discuss
I called my automobile insurance agent the other day. The corporate office had sent notice of yet another rate increase.
DRESSING ROOM: Professional help to put your best brow forward
posted: 03/18/2012 3:45 a.m. Discuss
I checked out a bar recently. Not the kind that beckons with garish beer signs, talented cocktail mixers and corny pick-up lines. Rather than brewskis, this bar dispenses brows.
LET’S TALK: How about some madness for nonsports, Irish zealots?
posted: 03/18/2012 3:20 a.m. Discuss
The schoolers have spring break. The Irish-blooded and Irish-minded have St. Patrick’s Day. The garden/flora enthusiasts are planting their spring beds and enjoying the sight of baby leaves and blossoms taking over those bare branches.
Second chances
posted: 03/14/2012 3:06 a.m. Discuss
A life cut tragically short. Other lives saved as a result. Mourning, for the family that lost. Rejoicing, for the families that gained. An inevitable bittersweetness.
Donation by the numbers
posted: 03/14/2012 3 a.m. Discuss
A few statistics about organ donation, according to the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency and the Health Resources Services Administration: One organ donor can save as many as eight lives and improve many more through eye and tissue donation.
LET’S TALK: Actor’s address hits close to home
posted: 03/11/2012 5 a.m. Discuss
One of my favorite actors came into town several weeks ago. And I’m still thinking about what he said.
THEATER REVIEW: The Wiz cavorts, captures hearts
posted: 03/10/2012 3:54 a.m. Discuss
The Wiz is a wonderful hodgepodge of Africa, Motown, old-timey gospel and ’70s disco and funk, overlaid with Afro-Caribbean accents, fantastic wigs, even more fantastic hats... and glitzy, feathery, playful and regal costumes, some of which would make some really wonderful outfits. Really.
Potluck asks donors to stay home
posted: 03/04/2012 4:06 a.m. Discuss
Soon you may receive a snazzy-looking invitation in the mail. An invitation that appears to be heralding a black-tie event for which you’d have to buy a pricey ticket or two, rent a tuxedo, buy an evening gown, hire a sitter, drive to and from while burning heaven-knows-whata-gallon gas, pay and tip for valet parking, and all that.
DRESSING ROOM: Serengeti, Bolle sunglasses exemplify spring forecast
posted: 03/04/2012 4:05 a.m. Discuss
The Vision Council (eyecessorize.com) has sent its spring 2012 eyewear-trends forecast, and it looks like it will be a fun season in sunglasses.
Golly gee Wiz!
posted: 03/04/2012 3:48 a.m. Discuss
You don’t just make, or sew, a theatrical costume. Rather, you build a costume, says Rafael Castanera, production manager for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.
GREEN WITH IVY: Dinner and dancing
posted: 02/26/2012 5:18 a.m. Discuss
Not missing a beat after its Feb. 11 Founder’s Day celebration, the Beta Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. once again teamed up with the Ivy Foundation of Little Rock on Feb. 18 to host the 17th annual Ivy Ball. The event took place at Embassy Suites in Little Rock.
HOMECOMING: Huckabee returns to give speech to NLR Chamber
posted: 02/26/2012 5:17 a.m. Comment 1
Mike Huckabee — former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential candidate — was keynote speaker at the 27th annual meeting of the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, held Feb. 15 at Verizon Arena.
DRESSING ROOM: Wal-Mart takes a shine to Arkansan’s nail lacquer
posted: 02/19/2012 5:27 a.m. Discuss
A Bentonville woman who created a brand of nail lacquer for little girls has hit the retail jackpot: She has gotten her line in Wal-Mart.
LET’S TALK: With easy access rises temptation
posted: 02/19/2012 4:44 a.m. Discuss
Back in the good ol’ days, before personal computer ownership, we were regaled with tales and depictions of how computers would enable us to shop, pay bills, communicate and do a lot of other things that, at the time, we had to get off our duffs to do.
Social eyes: Repairing the world
posted: 02/12/2012 4:32 a.m. Discuss
Former President Bill Clinton received a Tikkun Olam Lifetime Achievement Award Feb. 4 during a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Jewish Federation of Arkansas.
LET’S TALK: Learning, lurching along the Soul Train line of life
posted: 02/12/2012 4:07 a.m. Discuss
One of the many comments made about Don Cornelius — creator of the syndicated dance show Soul Train and who died of an apparent suicide Jan. 31 — is that he took the Soul Train line to every party, wedding reception, class/family reunion, and other celebrations that included dancing.
UCA to scatter 12 seed swaps across Arkansas
posted: 02/11/2012 3:04 a.m. Discuss
Arkansans are encouraged to sow a seed in order to reap a seed... and a harvest that goes beyond one yielded from the literal planting of seeds.
Out to pasture?
posted: 02/07/2012 2:32 a.m. Discuss
A group of Thoroughbred horses — sleek, magnificent, four-legged beasts mounted by diminutive jockeys — breaks out of the starting gate at the beginning of a race at Oaklawn Park. Little more than a blur to the betting spectators who cheer them on, they eat up the furlongs, their hooves kicking up dirt as they gallop toward the finish line.
DRESSING ROOM: Chemical engineering career path to cosmetics
posted: 02/05/2012 4:06 a.m. Discuss
Last column I shared the story of Nakia Dedner of Little Rock, whose natural-hair-care line, Nakia Amour, recently made its debut at Whole Foods Market in Little Rock. Today I bring you the story of Dedner’s friend Leah Patterson. Patterson also lives in Little Rock. She, too, created a line of products with a natural bent, and they also can be found at Whole Foods.
FLYING HIGH: Famed Tuskegee airman takes bow on his birthday
posted: 01/29/2012 3:26 a.m. Discuss
Milton Pitts Crenchaw — one of the original members of the noted Tuskegee Airmen and the last living supervising squadron commander of the elite group — was honored at a meet-and-greet event Jan. 20 after the earlyevening showing of the film Red Tails at the Rave Motion Pictures Colonel Glenn 18 theater in Little Rock. The event was also a celebration of Crenchaw’s 94th birthday, which occurred Jan. 13.
LET’S TALK: Age brings, at long last, embrace of unsavory ’80s
posted: 01/29/2012 3 a.m. Discuss
It finally, finally, finally happened.
Rx for reading
posted: 01/25/2012 3:41 a.m. Discuss
Sara Sanders of North Little Rock has taken her four children to the Little Rock Pediatric Clinic for nearly eight years — in exchange for benefits that go beyond just physical health.
DRESSING ROOM: Hair products designed to aid return to natural state
posted: 01/22/2012 4:51 a.m. Discuss
Nakia Dedner of Little Rock has introduced her line of natural hair care products to a store that specializes in natural things.
AND THEY’RE OFF: Oaklawn Jockey Club saddles up for fifth year
posted: 01/22/2012 4:44 a.m. Discuss
The Oaklawn Jockey Club held its fifth annual kickoff banquet Jan. 11 at the Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock. The event, presented by the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Frank Fletcher Racing, was preceded by a reception during which guests sipped libations and perused various silent-auction items.
