When my travel agent Nick mentioned he had a group from Iowa coming through Little Rock and was looking for a place to have dinner, I jokingly said they should come to my house for a cocktail party. The more we talked about it, the better the idea sounded. 24 members of the Hoover Presidential Foundation group were slated to see Central High upon arrival to LR, then off to check into their hotel. Once they had freshened up, they came to my house, where we wined and dined them with great food and fellowship. Their main goal (the next day) was to visit the Clinton Presidential Library, but we decided to show them some southern hospitality and get to know them a bit more.
The group arrived in two LR trollies.
since their charter bus was not allowed to go on residential streets. My son catered the food
and we provided drinks. We gave them Arkansas pulled pork, Arkansas strawberries,
and of course cheese dip, which originated in Arkansas, plus a whole host of other goodies.
I had a few friends who helped us entertain them and it was a delight for all of us. The group was friendly and seemed quite pleased to have a break in their normal tour.
They brought me a lovely scarf in honor of Lou Henry Hoover, the wife of Herbert Hoover. She was known for her fashion sense and love of scarves.
We set up a table of Arkansas things
--showcasing our natural state, from diamonds, Arkansas quartz, a bee hive, Central High, a Mockingbird, Pine trees, rice, and a slew of Arkansas products that we gave them to take to eat on their bus ride. We also printed out some interesting fun facts about Arkansas for them to read.
As someone who leads a lot of tours, I think it was a unique "personal touch" and hopefully showcased our city in a fine light. I think the 5 of us who helped got as much out of it as the attendees. We all moved around to various groups as they ate and got to visit with them. I think all of us would do this again in a heartbeat. It was nice being ambassadors for our city and state, and we love meeting new people.