Main Street Arkansas Update - April 7-11, 2008

UPCOMING EVENTS OF NOTE:

April 24 – PRESERVATION CRUSTACEANS – ANNUAL CRAWSFISH BOIL TO BENEFIT THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ALLIANCE OF ARKANSAS – NLR 6:30 PM

NEW – MAY 6-7, 4-POINT TRAINING IN NLR

ALL RELATIVELY NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS SHOULD PLAN TO ATTEND. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND BOARD & COMMITTEE MEMBERS, IF ONLY TO ONE SECTION. AGENDA ATTACHED.

The Alliance is also accepting nominations to Arkansas’s Most Endangered Places list. Nominations are due April 25. More information here:
http://www.preservearkansas.org/index.php?page=most-endangered-places

OCTOBER 6-8, DESTINATION DOWNTOWN, BAY ST. LOUIS, MS
October 21-25 - National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference, Tulsa, OK

I’ll be on annual leave all week, but back in time to go to the SoMa event late Friday.

Main Street Arkansas Calendar April 11-16
***************************************************************************************************************
MONDAY Caroline & Mark – Texarkana (HR work)
TUESDAY Caroline in Texarkana (maybe) - Susan & Mark – Heber Springs Window Display Workshop
WEDNESDAY Greg – Legislative Review
THURSDAY
FRIDAY Cary, Greg & Susan – South Main P.M.
***************************************************************************************************************
IN THIS ISSUE:
**************************************************************************************************************
Various Main Street Press
DPZ Comes to AR
ADA & Arkansas Buildings
Arkansas DeltaMade Press (RHDI project)
Good Morning America features recipe from the Arkansas Delta
Preserve America Grant
PPS April Fools
IDA Awards Call
LR Mayor Announces Tourism Committee
Conference Announcement
**************************************************************************************************************

Good Main Street Harrison Press:
http://www.harrisondailytimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19446965&BRD=1815&PAG=461&dept_id=516928&rfi=6
- MSH is following Main Street Argenta’s lead here. Nice cooperation.
More Harrison Press (Hotel Seville)
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/221404/

Good Main Street Rogers Press:
http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/60261/

Good Main Street Batesville Press:
http://www.guardonline.com/?q=node/44748

DPZ comes to Arkansas
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=103718.26766.115862

ADA and Arkansas Buildings
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=103714.13541.115858&view=all

DeltaMade Market Place a Big Success
http://clintonschoolblog.com/cblog/?p=436
http://www.arkansas.com/blog/
http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/index.asp?bid=2076#Arkansas

Alton Brown on Good Morning America sharing recipes from Nana Deane's Pecan-Coconut Pie in Burton, AR (Arkansas Delta)
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/Story?id=4539079&page=1

Preserve America Grant Opportunity:
The Preserve America matching-grant program provides funding to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education, and historic preservation planning. Eligible applicants include Designated Preserve America Communities and Neighborhoods, State Historic Preservation Offices, Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, and Certified Local Governments in the process of applying for Preserve America Community Designation.
Applications are due June 30, 2008.
Guidelines and applications are available on our website, at: www.nps.gov/history/hps/hpg/PreserveAmerica/index.htm

The Preserve America Communities in Arkansas are:
Blytheville
Dumas
El Dorado
Eureka Springs
Fort Smith
Helena
Little Rock
Osceola
Van Buren

I say again: Obtaining PA status is fairly easy. And once you obtain it, there’s grant money available. Ask Osceola, which has a $100,000 PA grant.

April Fool’s From the Project for Public Spaces
http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/april2008/

IDA Call for Achievement Awards
http://www.ida-downtown.org/eweb/docs/awards08/Call%20For%20Entries%20-%20Announcement.pdf

LR Mayor Mark Stodola Convenes Tourism Committee
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aid=104155.54928.116284
LR & NLR were named one of the Nation’s Distinctive Dozen Destinations in 2007. Mark is a former MSA & HPAA board member.

Community Conference Showcases Connections to Global Economy May 1 in LR

The annual Breakthrough Solutions Conference will take place May 1 in Little Rock with the theme "It's All Connected - Linking Your Local Economy to Global Opportunities". This conference will focus on successes - how communities and businesses are taking advantage of opportunities in this new era, by working together, by being innovative, and by using broadband connectivity to connect to the world. Keynote speaker Jane Smith Patterson, Executive Director of e-NC in North Carolina, will address “Building a 21st Century Economy in Rural Arkansas”. We will gain insights about how your community or region can move forward in this era. The conference will be held at the Hilton Little Rock Metro Center, I-630 and University Ave., from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Registration information is available at http://www.vworks.org/conference.