Designating the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year began in 1947 and soon Clay County joined to honor one local family. The program was initiated to recognize the importance of the farm family and agriculture within the state of Arkansas. It is the longest- running farm family recognition program in the country.
“Hallie understands the food chain,” commented mom Jade Simpson in response to a question about naming animals and considering them pets. Hallie Clair Simpson has always participated in her parents’ family farm and its routines. Currently, she’s responsible for checking on the chickens, gathering the eggs, and grooming her show pigs. Even though Hallie names her animals, works with them daily, her goal does not include keeping them as pets. She understands farming and showing animals, the best part for her, she says, “is winning.”
Two accomplished rodeo athletes from Northeast Arkansas are headed to the national spotlight this summer. Reba Smart, 15, of Piggott, and Jaylee Hollis, 13, of Rector, have each qualified in all of their events to compete in the National Little Britches Rodeo Association (NLBRA) Finals, to be held June 29 through July 5 at the legendary Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
“Gathering: At the Kitchen Table,” a juried exhibition of regional Arkansas artists, will open to the public on Saturday, June 28, at Bradbury Art Museum (BAM). Also opening will be “Breaking Binaries: Hybrid Processes” and “Bridging Geographies of Labor,” solo exhibitions from Hannah Keats and Ebenezer Nketsiah Mensah.
The Piggott School Board met in regular session on Tuesday, June 10 with all board members present. Before the meeting started the board elected Jacob Richardson as board president, Fallon Winscott Boshoff as vice-president and Rob Chandler as secretary.
The Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Museum is proud to announce an interesting new display, new trustees and new employees.
Arkansas 4-H hosted its annual District O’Rama events this week, and members from across the Delta District came together to compete and showcase their talents. Clay County, which is part of the Delta District, was proudly represented by the Rector Cougar 4-H Club.
Rector School Board met in regular session on June 9 at the Administration building, declaring a quorum and approving minutes to include the special meeting on June 3 where the board approved the hiring of Chandler Taylor as a math teacher and selecting Stewart Construction to move the bus shop to the new location on Pine Street.