Clinton Center speakers<\/strong><\/p>\nHistorian and Pulitzer Prize winner Annette Gordon-Reed, best known for her work at Thomas Jefferson\u2019s residence, Monticello, and for exploring hidden American history, discusses her historic research and how it applies to the world today in a program titled \u201cFacing the Past, Shaping the Future,\u201d 6 p.m. Thursday at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. KARK-TV, Channel 4, reporter and morning anchor Gary Burton Jr. moderates. The program is part of the Clinton Center\u2019s commemoration of America250 and is in conjunction with the center\u2019s current exhibit, \u201cMaking Amends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other April Clinton Center speakers (except as noted, all programs at 6 p.m.):<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f Wednesday: \u201cDon\u2019t Tell the President: The Best, Worst, and Mostly Untold Stories from Presidential Advance\u201d with authors and former staffers to President George H.W. Bush Jean Becker and Tom Collamore. The program covers some of the wackiest, scariest and most heartfelt stories of presidential events from the previous 60 years, according to a news release. A book signing will follow.<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f April 15: \u201cFounding Friends, Founding Foes\u201d explores the complex relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson during their 51-year friendship. Panelists include historian Nicole Brown of the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello; Kurt Graham from the Adams Presidential Center; and Kathleen Pate with the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. Part of the Clinton Center\u2019s commemoration of America250 in conjunction with the \u201cMaking Amends\u201d exhibit.<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f April 20: The Clinton Foundation and Clinton School of Public Service host \u201cThe Intersection of Peace Building and Public Service.\u201d David Fern\u00e1ndez Puyana, ambassador and permanent observer of the United Nations University for Peace to the United Nations in Vienna and Geneva will discuss how institutions and individuals can strengthen dialogue, cooperation and sustainable peace in an increasingly complex world.<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f April 28: \u201cA Conversation with Susan Page,\u201d with the veteran political reporter and author discussing her new book, \u201cThe Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History.\u201d It chronicles the diplomatic relationships and interactions between Queen Elizabeth II and the 13 American presidents who served during her reign, including President Bill Clinton. Page will sign copies of the book afterward.<\/p>\n
Admission is free; register at clintonpresidentialcenter.org\/events. The programs will also be available to stream on demand at youtube.com\/clintonpresidentialcenter.<\/p>\n
Dreams not deferred<\/strong><\/p>\nMarquese McFerguson, author of \u201cConversations in Color: Poetry, Prose, and Paintings\u201d and assistant professor of Intercultural Communications at Florida Atlantic University, will discuss\u00a0\u201cWhat Happens When a Dream Isn\u2019t Deferred,\u201d\u00a011 a.m. Saturday in the Education Building at First Missionary Baptist Church, 701 S. Gaines Street, Little Rock. The church\u2019s pastor, Reverend Cameron Mitchell, will be the moderator. It\u2019s part of Say It Loud!\u2019s monthly Tell the Story Literary Series. Admission is free. Visit speakloudly.com.<\/p>\n
ETC.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nGarden Fest<\/strong><\/p>\nThe William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock, hosts\u00a0Garden Fest 2026, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, with poetry walks, plant swaps, hands-on crafts and scavenger hunts, plus expert-led lectures on foraging, beekeeping and birding. Admission is free. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.<\/p>\n
\u2018Read to Succeed\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nArkansas TV, formerly Arkansas PBS, hosts free reading events, April through August, as part of \u201cRead to Succeed,\u201d an initiative to provide literacy resources and encourage family engagement through educational activities.<\/p>\n
The lineup of April public events:<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f 11 a.m. Wednesday, Springdale Public Library, 405 S Pleasant St., Springdale<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f 5 p.m. April 21, Calhoun County Library and Museum, 115 S. Second St., Hampton<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f 5 p.m. April 30, Laman Library, 2801 Orange St., North Little Rock.<\/p>\n
Each community event includes a free meal and story time, followed by a discussion and activity. Admission is free. Families who attend will receive an Arkansas TV literacy resource bag, including a book, family engagement activities, a journal and a snack bag to take home. Spanish versions of materials will be provided as needed.<\/p>\n
Read to Succeed is made possible by the Joan R. and Charles M. Taylor II Memorial Endowment Fund. Visit arkansastv.gov\/events.<\/p>\n
Nature walks<\/strong><\/p>\nThe North Little Rock Library and Pinnacle Mountain State Park are offering\u00a0Know Your Roots, a series of free guided nature walk Saturdays in April, starting this week with a 4-5 p.m. walk along Isabella Jo Trail in Cook\u2019s Landing Park, 4100 Cook\u2019s Landing Road, North Little Rock.<\/p>\n
Led by Pinnacle Mountain State park interpreters, the program explores a different Central Arkansas hiking trail each week and teaches participants how to identify Arkansas\u2019 native plant life.<\/p>\n
The rest of the lineup:<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f April 11, 1-2:30 p.m., Arkansas Arboretum Trail, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, 12820 Pinnacle Valley Road, Little Rock<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f April 18, 4-5 p.m., Emerald Park Trail, behind the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College, in the parking lot off Marge Gardner Lane. The campus entrance is 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock<\/p>\n
\u25fc\ufe0f April 25, 1-2:30 p.m., Kingfisher Trail and Owl Pass, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, 9600 Arkansas 300, Little Rock.<\/p>\n
Walks are free and open to all ages. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and take along a notebook and a water bottle. Walks are smoke-free and pet-free. Registration is required for all, including children, via tinyurl.com\/yvkd6997. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.<\/p>\n
Art & essay contest<\/strong><\/p>\nArkansas students in grades 5-8 can submit art and essays for the\u00a0Arkansas Historic Preservation Program\u2019s 2026 \u201cPreserve Our Past\u201d Art & Essay Contest, with the goal of exploring the state\u2019s \u201crich architectural and cultural history through creative expression,\u201d according to a news release.<\/p>\n
The contest is in conjunction with National Historic Preservation Month, observed each May, and \u201caims to foster an appreciation for Arkansas\u2019 historic places and the importance of preserving them for future generations.\u201d This year students can also consider themes relating to the U.S. Semiquincentennial \u2014 for example, featuring Arkansas historic sites with national significance.<\/p>\n
The competition is open to students in public, private and home-school settings. Entries are divided into grades 5-6 and grades 7-8. All submissions must focus on an Arkansas property that is at least 50 years old. Original artwork must be 11-by-14 inches on paper (no stretched canvas or oil paints) and able to fit into in a standard 11-by-14-inch frame. Art submissions must be mailed or hand-delivered; digital entries are not accepted. Original essays should be no longer than 500 words and may be submitted via mail or email.<\/p>\n
All participants will receive a certificate of participation. First-, second- and third-place winners in each category will receive trophies; two honorable mentions will receive ribbons. Winning artwork will be professionally framed and displayed at the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, May-August. Submitted works may also be featured in Preservation Program social media.<\/p>\n
All entries must be postmarked or submitted digitally by 11:59 p.m. April 15.<\/p>\n
Full contest guidelines, entry forms and mailing instructions are available at arkansasheritage.com<\/a>; call (501) 324-9786.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.arkansasonline.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Let us read it for you. Listen now. Your browser does not support the audio element. FUN Cherry Blossom Festival Samurai sword demonstrations by Yoshi Amao, whose presentations combine history, discipline and storytelling; drumming by Dallas Kiyari Daiko; and performances and demonstrations highlighting martial arts, traditional music and cultural storytelling are part of the Hot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2354631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2354630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ENTERTAINMENT-Hot-Springs-festival-celebrates-cherry-blossoms-The-Arkansas.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2354630"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2354632,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354630\/revisions\/2354632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2354631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2354630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2354630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2354630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}