Newsletter-Late-Week

“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.

On a warm June afternoon, three rising Rector High School seniors met at Caffeinated Cow to share tales of 2025 Boys and Girls State. For the first time in program history, the separate events were held the same week but on different campus locations. Jaxon Burns spent the week in Conway at UCA while Naomi Liljenberg and Jaydin Stirnaman were housed at Harding University in Searcy.

RECTOR - The Rector Public Library kicked-off their Summer Reading Program with Hometown Heroes on Wednesday, June 4. “Over 180 children and adults attended our Hometown Heroes program, ready to explore, learn, and meet some of our local champions,” commented Virginia Shipley, Rector Public Library Assistant Director.

Emma Holmes, a 2025 graduate of Rector High School and Marley Moran Speer, a 2025 graduate of Greene County Tech High School, are recipients of a $2,500 MFA Foundation scholarship. The scholarship was sponsored by MFA Incorporate – Midsouth Group.

Finished in top 10 earning ninth place