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| Super sizzlers Bigger burgers abound. But be prepared to get stuffed. Date: 6/2/98 Category: Features Page: E1 Big food is back in a big way -- big hamburgers, especially. Big bad burgers. Cow in a bun, hold the moo. Every big hamburger chain has some burger the size of a spare tire on its menu, like Hardee's $4.39 bacon-cheese Monster and Wendy's $3.99 triple with cheese. McDonald's claims 98 billion sold -- big numbers in a business that would have fried down to nothing by now if people really cared about whopping calories (844 in the Burger King double Whopper) and cholesterol (don't ask). Big is the measure, and Arkansas eats big as the nation's fourth fattest state -- heavy status that is, thanks to a Southern fried diet of chicken and catfish, doughnuts, cheese grits and big, big burgers. But which is the biggest burger in Arkansas? Cotham's Hubcap? New Cheeburger Cheeburger's Famous Pounder? Big Buford? Big Daddy? Big question. This reporter set off like a starving knight in search of what the Holy Grail could have been if it came with fries. Trouble is, the knight has been struggling to keep on a diet. The knight doth vow his armor shalt not exceed a 34-inch waist. So, day after day, I glumly glugged my can of lukewarm Ultra Slim-glop, and then went looking for succulent big hamburgers to weigh and measure untasted. Plainly, I looked like I didn't belong. I stuck out like a raisin on a cheeseburger "You must be, um ... hungry," the waitress eyed me up and down as I called for the biggest burger they had, maybe imagining I would look like the snake that swallowed a beach ball. Twice, I went through hamburger drive-ins and tried to get a Coke along with their meanest monster burger. A car with a broken air conditioner buys a lot of drinks. Twice in a row, the woman at the drive-through window gave me a screwy look and forgot the Coke. "Should've seen him," she probably said later. "There he was, face the color of ketchup, pouring sweat, eyes bugged out like onions, and him swearing he was born to eat things bigger than his head." But I had to know. The biggest burger of all -- where is it? What is it? I found them and brought them back, these beefy contenders, and weighed them on a postal scale that still says a stamp costs 22 cents, and measured them with a plastic ruler. Weight to the closest ounce. Diameter edge-to-edge of the widest part, be it meat, trimmings or bun. Height measured on the highest side in case of a lopsided burger. (Height is tricky. I'm pretty sure the Cheeburger Cheeburger Famous Pounder lost altitude on the way from Fayetteville to Little Rock in an ice cooler. That drive takes the wind out of everything.) Co-workers finally gave up wondering. They asked what had got into me as I hunkered intently over yet another hamburger -- like trying to say which side is up on a Moon Pie. But here's what I found -- the biggest burgers and then some: O Cheeburger Cheeburger Famous Pounder: 1 pound, 10 ounces, 61'2-inch diameter, 21'2 inches high, $9.95. "Big is better," a sign proclaims just inside the door of this finger-poppin"50s-style diner, a recent addition to Fayetteville's Dickson Street smorgasbord. That door better be a loose fit on your way in, or you'll never squeeze through again after you sock away a Famous Pounder that starts sizzling with 20 ounces of raw meat. Standard toppings are lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayonnaise and cheese (American, Swiss, bleu ... ). Sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions and bacon ring up an extra 75 cents each. Chow it all down, and they'll stick your picture on the wall along with dozens of other "Cheeseburger Hall of Famers" who look as stuffed as hibernating bears. Top it off with a chocolate malt and add $3.95 for a full order of onion rings made with "colossal onions," it says here in Cheeburger's neon-pink take-out menu. In this place, a puny l'il quarter-pounder is called The Sampler, maybe because it leaves room to sample other heavyweights: O Cotham's Hubcap: 1 pound, 5 ounces, 6-inch diameter, 21'2 inches high, $6.63. The big burger is a speciality at Cotham's mercantile and home-cookin' restaurant in tiny Scott, east of Little Rock, and it comes with a heavyweight recommendation. When President Clinton left Washington for a folksy visit to home state Arkansas in 1995, he went out of his way to stop for a Cotham's Hubcap. In fact, the president bustled his whole entourage including press corps into the rustic restaurant with its creaking wood floors and stock of everything from pickles and Christmas lights to plumbing supplies. He proclaimed of the big burger, "You ought to order one just to look at it." While his fellow Washingtonian power mongers learned that it takes more than two hands and high office to handle the Hubcap, Clinton showed how to get the best of it. Cut that puppy in half. • Frostop Big Daddy, 1 pound, 4 ounces, 61'2-inch diameter. 21'2 inches high, $5.50. Around and around goes the giant root beer mug, never spilling a drop in front of this North Little Rock hamburger diner that announces itself "Home of the Big Daddy." Order one, and you can sit there and hear it sizzling for a good long time, this burger that shames the Frostop's $3.85 Lot a Burger and practically the big mug, too, for sheer size. They have a $2.95 veggie burger for the trimmer appetite, but why go to the home of the Big Daddy and call for the weak sister? O Crossroads Grill Hubcap: one pound, I ounce, 51'2-inch diameter, 21'2-inches high, $6.45. Crossroads is hardly a pickle's throw from the Frostop on North Little Rock's John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Some of its kitchen help came from Cotham's, and the menu is similar, including the hubcap-size hamburger. Crossroads' burger weighed less than Cotham's, but it's hard to imagine anyone downing this juicy jumbo and saying emptily, "You know, it sorta missed a spot." O Burger King Double Whopper: 12 ounces, 5-inch diameter, 21'2 inches high, $2.69. Whop-whop. The Whopper is Burger King's signature entree, and no question about it. Anyone who gets hold of this thing expecting a light meal is going to say, "Whup." • Feltner's Whatta-Burger double meat, double cheese: 111'2 ounces, 41'2-inch diameter, 2 inches high, $3.18. Feltner's is a 31 -year Russellville landmark where toys dangle from the ceiling and a sign on the wall says, "We guarantee fast service no matter how long it takes." Regulars know the system. The customer line zigs past Feltner's hamburger factory-like line of grillers and hamburger assemblers in their green caps and T-shirts. White-sacked burgers leave the line and shoot past you like a puzzling parade of identical bags on an airport luggage carousel. So many are take-out orders, it's hard to guess which bag is yours, but then finally it's -- yes, (whoof!) this one. Rally's Big Buford: 10 ounces, 41'2-inch diameter, 2 inches high, $1.99. Rally's serves up big and fast. Big, fast. Hold the hype. O Hugo's Traditional: 10 ounces, 4-inch diameter, 2 inches high, $4.25. Hugo's is no place to gobble a big burger in Fayetteville. It's the place to dine on one -cool, private, soft jazz drifting over red-and-white checkered tablecloths, lots of beer and wine choices, all this downstairs just off the courthouse square. The burger? Of notable size but discreet about it, more like Kate Winslet than Jennings Osborne. O McDonald's Double Meat Big Mac: 9 ounces, 31'2-inch diameter, 23'4 inches high. Evidently, they don't sell too many of these whoppers -- correction: big-big burgers at Mickey D's. The guy at the register was stumped for how to ring it up, and the order set off pandemonium in the kitchen. "Double Mac!" "Double?" "Double?" "Some guy wants a double." "Double! Double!" But that extra beef patty makes all the difference. The double Mac isn't the heaviest grease grenade on the list, but it's the highest. ~ Mountainburg Dairy Dream Mountainburger: 41'2 ounces, 31'2-inch diameter, 1 1'2 inches high, $1 . 10. The Mountainburger's big name got it into this contest. It turns out to be not so mountainous, more a bump-size burger compared to the Cheeburger Cheeburger Famous Pounder. But it comes from a nostalgic stop by the side of the road, where you can call for a Red Rover and get a strawberry drink or a Silver Saddle and get a Sprite. And when the meal's done, you can still leave the car. Know a place where they make a burger bigger and heavier than a pound and a half as a regular thing? Grab a mighty big spatula and flip the news to Ron Wolfe at 399-3633, or email: ron_wolfe@adg.ardemgaz.com Photo: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/BENJAMIN KRAIN Burgers to the sky start with a Frostop Big Daddy at the bottom and go up: Big Buford, Whopper, Hugo's, Big Mac, Mountainburger. |
| 400 with police group convene in LR Officers' association promotes police academies for civilians Date: 6/4/98 Category: News Page: B2 JIM BROOKS ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE It's a good week for criminals to avoid downtown Little Rock. The city center is teeming with more than 400 police officers and police-trained community leaders from more than 30 states as Little Rock plays host to the first convention of the National Citizen Police Academy Association. Buck Tatem, president of the group, is pleased with the reception his group has received. "Two years ago, when we initiated this idea that Little Rock would host the first national conference, we knew they would be great hosts," said Tatem, a 32-year officer with the Gainesville, Texas, Police Department. "But we couldn't have dreamed it would be this good." The four-day convention began Tuesday with a golf tournament and tour of the city, culminating in an evening barbecue at the Governor's Mansion. "The governor and Mrs. Huckabee were more than gracious in opening up their home to us," Tatem said. "And I'm from Texas, where barbecue is a way of life. But Mr. Jennings [Osborne] knows how to do it right." Wednesday's and today's agendas are more educational, with seminars detailing how departments can start citizen police academies and dealing with issues such as gangs and drugs. The convention's last day is Friday. "The whole idea behind the concept of the citizen police academies is to break down the barriers and misconceptions between police officers and the citizens we're sworn to defend," Tatem said. "We stress a two-way communication, and police officers end up learning as much as the citizens do." Jim Ponzini, director of the Little Rock Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association, said organizers began planning the convention more than 18 months ago. The Little Rock Police Department has also provided several officers to help teach the convention sessions. Next year's national convention will be in Lombard, III., Tatem said. |
| Notes Date: 6/11/98 Category: Sports Page: C8 Democrat-Gazette Osborne lends hand for youth program Jennings Osborne, the Little Rock entrepreneur whose Christmas lights fervor has spread to other civic endeavors, has become hooked on fishing. He is joining the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas Education Department and Gov. Mike Huckabee in promoting the Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs educational program. Osborne, along with the G&FC and the governor, will hold a family picnic and barbecue Sunday at Andrew Hulsey Fish Hatchery on Lake Hamilton, just outside Hot Springs. The event will be from noon until 5 p.m. and is free. The governor, an avid bass fisherman, will be on hand to mingle with young anglers and to talk with them about the program. Through teacher, parent and community involvement, youngsters in grades K- 12 can learn about safety on the water, how to fish, angling ethics, fish behavior and fish biology. Officials hope the program will encourage children to develop respect and responsibility for themselves, their community and the environment. The program is voluntary at all levels. Anyone interested in learning more about Hooked On Fishing-Not On Drugs may phone Grant Tennille at (501) 223-6313 or write him at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 2 Natural Resources Drive, Little Rock, Ark., 72205. Bears to be subject of public meeting Southeast Arkansas bears, the small number of the state's original bears, will be the subject of a public meeting June 25 at DeWitt. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Arkansas County Cooperative Extension Service building. Landowners of the area, especially those whose holdings border the White River National Wildlife Refuge, are especially invited to attend. The Louisiana-based Black Bear Conservation Committee and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are hosts for the meeting. These agencies and others are involved in an extensive research project on the bears of southeast Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Also involved are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Heritage Commission. Bears were once so numerous that Arkansas was called the Bear State. But the population dwindled to a few dozen animals living on the lower White River. Then an extensive restoration program brought in bears from northern states and southern Canada to new homes in the mountain areas of the state. Arkansas now has about 3,000 bears in the northwestern and western parts of the state. The original bears, those on the White River refuge, also have increased in numbers. Some of the bears have moved out from the refuge to adjacent private lands. But there is no hunting of them like in the Ozark and Ouachita mountain sections of the state. There is no hunting of bears in Louisiana, Mississippi or Texas, either. In neighboring states, a subspecies of black bear, the Louisiana black bear, is the object of concern by conservationists and wildlife biologists. Information will be presented at the DeWitt meeting on findings from studies at the White River refuge and at the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Louisiana. For more information on the DeWitt meeting, contact David Goad, the Game and Fish Commission's bear coordinator, at (501) 478- 1043 or Neill Hunton or Larry Mallard at White River National Wildlife Refuge at (870) 946-1468. Trout fishing seminar slated at Greers Ferry Arkansans who want to learn more about bait fishing for trout are invited to a seminar July 18 at the Carl Garner Visitors Center at Greers Ferry Dam, just north of Heber Springs on Arkansas Highway 25. The free workshop runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is conducted by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's aquatic education program and the visitors center. Anglers are invited to bring their own fishing gear for hands-on instruction during the program. Class size is limited. Advance registration should be made by phoning the visitor center at 362-9067. G&FC crews stock lakes around state Arkansas Game and Fish Commission crews stocked 368,055 fish in Arkansas lakes and rivers in May, said Mike Gibson, assistant chief of fisheries. That figure includes 25,000 fingerling walleye in DeGray Lake in Clark County, Gibson said. Other May stockings: v White River, Baxter, Stone, Izard and Marion counties, 107,209 catchable rainbow trout. v North Fork River, Baxter County, 9,712 catchable rainbow trout. v Little Red River, Cleburne and White counties, 32,100 catchable rainbow trout. v Spring River, Fulton County, 10,346 catchable rainbow trout. v Beaver Lake Tailwaters, Benton and Carroll counties, 13,600 catchable rainbow trout. v Mirror Lake, Stone County, 1,700 catchable rainbow trout. v Jack Nolen Lake, Sebastian County, 9,374 adult threadfin shad and 3,000 yearling blue catfish. v Sproles-Pickthorne Lake, Lonoke County, 7,500 adult threadfin shad. v Family Park Lake, Garland County, 500 catchable channel catfish. v Camp Robinson Lake, Pulaski County, 500 catchable channel catfish. v Tuckerman Ditch, Jackson County, 350 catchable channel catfish. v Lake Greeson, Pike County, 400 catchable channel catfish. v Lake Charles, Lawrence County, 500 catchable channel catfish. v Lake Monticello, Drew County, 300 catchable channel catfish. v Gillham Lake, Howard County, 13,700 fingerling saugeye. v Lake Wilhelmina, Polk County, 2,000 fingerling saugeye. v Blue Mountain Lake, Logan County, 11,780 yearling blue catfish. v Waldron City Lake, Scott County, 3,000 yearling blue catfish. v Ouachita River, Hot Spring and Clark counties, 13,139 fingerling walleye. v Lake Catherine, Hot Spring County, 15,000 fingerling walleye. v Saline River, Saline County, 34,000 fingerling walleye. v Tri-County Lake, Calhoun County, 1,500 yearling blue catfish. v Champagnolle Creek, 1,500 yearling blue catfish. v Little Johnson Lake, Ouachita County, 500 yearling blue catfish. v Woodard Lake, Ouachita County, 500 yearling blue catfish. v Webb Lake, Ouachita County, 500 yearling blue catfish. v Bragg Lake, Ouachita County, 1,500 yearling blue catfish. Long Lake, Calhoun County, 1,000 yearling blue catfish. v Blytheville City Park Lake, Mississippi County, 750 catchable channel catfish. v Caraway City Lake, Craighead County, 500 catchable channel catfish. v Sager Creek, Benton County, 750 catchable channel catfish. v Harrison Lake, Boone County, 400 catchable channel catfish. v Shepherd Springs Lake, Crawford County, 3,150 yearling blue catfish. v Horsehead Lake, Johnson County, 500 yearling blue catfish. v Crystal Lake, Benton County, 1,500 yearling crappie. v Cove Creek, Searcy County, 400 catchable channel catfish. v Camp Robinson Shooting Range, Faulkner County, 750 catchable channel catfish. v Lake Fayetteville, Washington County, 750 catchable channel catfish. v Heritage Park Lake, Clay County, 400 catchable channel catfish. v Bob Kidd Lake, Washington County, 750 catchable channel catfish. v Lake Hindsville, Madison County, 400 catchable channel catfish. v Dierks Lake, Howard County, 750 catchable channel catfish. v Bull Shoals Lake, Marion and Baxter counties, 28,500 fingerling walleye. v Fairview Memorial Pond, Washington County, 400 catchable channel catfish. v Pinnacle Mountain Pond, Pulaski County, 600 catchable channel catfish. v DeWitt City Lake, Arkansas County, 250 catchable channel catfish. v White Oak Lake, Ouachita County, 750 catchable channel catfish. v Lake Wedington, Washington County, 750 catchable channel catfish. v F.P. Baugh Park Lake, Jefferson County, 500 catchable channel catfish. v Newport City Lake, Jackson County, 300 catchable channel catfish. Turkey shoot scheduled June 20 in Star City A turkey shoot that could lead to national competition is planned June 20 at Lincoln County Veterans Memorial park in Star City. The event is sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2746 and the Cane Creek Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Winners of the Star City competition who are members of the Federation will be eligible to compete in the National Wild Turkey Shoot in Atlanta. A breakfast will begin at 6:30 a.m., with registration from 8 to 9 a.m. Competition will be in 12 gauge open, 20 gauge open, ladies 20 gauge and Jakes 20 gauge for youths age 17 and younger. Shooters may bring their own guns if they can use 3-inch ammunition that will be furnished. For more information, contact Judy Story, Wild Turkey Federation regional director, at (8700 628-1222 or (870) 818-3530. |
| Outdoor calendar Date: 6/18/98 Category: Sports Page: C7 NOTE To add events, write Steve Bowman, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, 72203. JUNE 19-20 King Cotton Big Bass Classic, from Toad Suck to Dumas Pool on Arkansas River. Entry fee $55 a day. $75,000 guaranteed payback. Travis Creed 1-800-545-4640. 20 Fly fishing class, 1 p.m., Yellow Dog Trading Co. (501) 312-2500. 20 Ozark Masonic Lodge Open Charity Bass Tournament, Ozark City Park, Ozark pool of Arkansas River. Entry fee $50 per boat, $10 big bass, top prize $1,000. Benefits the Masonic Lodge Children's Fund. (501) 667-4097. 20 Turkey Shoot Lincoln County Veterans Memorial Park Hwy. 425 S Star City Entry fee $10 Judy Story (8700 628-1222 or (870) 818-3530. 21 Mr. Bass of Arkansas Pro-Am Tournament, Lake Dardanelle. Entry fee $150 (pro), $75 (amateur). Ronnie Everett (501) 565-4684, (501) 847-6036. 21 Angler's Choice Couples Team Tournament, Dardanelle Bay on Lake Dardanelle. Vince Miller (501) 834-5733, (501) 945-7685. 26 Regular monthly meeting of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 9 a.m., Oil and Gas Building, El Dorado. (501) 223-6305. 26-28 Fourth annual Great Outdoors Festival of Ducks Unlimited, Agricenter at Memphis. (901) 527-6163. 27 Rollin on the River Festival, open buddy bass tournament on the White River, Clarendon. (870) 747-3319. 27 Jennings Osborne's Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs family picnic, 5-8:30 p.m., Murphy Park, Springdale. (501) 223-6313. 27-28 American Red Cross, Lake Dardanelle Big Bass Bonanza. Top prize $10,000. Lake Dardanelle State Park. (501) 968-3498. 28 Angler's Choice Team Tournament, Arkansas River at Dumas. Vince Miller (501) 8345733, (501) 945-7685. 30 Deadline for applying for deer hunting permits on designated wildlife management areas. (501) 223-6359. JULY 12 Arkansas Anglers Bass Club draw tournament, Dumas. Cliff Stewart (501) 758-9304. 12 Operation Bass Red Man Arkie Division tournament, State Park on Lake Dardanelle. 12 Boating Education Class, Mountain Pine, 1 -7 p.m., Lake Ouachita State Park Visitor Center. 14 Boating Education Class, Little Rock, 16, 6-9 p.m., Game and Fish Commission auditorium. 18 Hunter Education Class, Fort Smith, 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Faith Assembly Church, North 50th and O Streets. http://library.ardemgaz.com/LibrarySearch.asp 18 Lake Erling Night Bass Tournament, Lake Erling. Steve's Outdoor Sports and Marine 234-BASS. 18 Free clinic on bait fishing for trout at Carl Garner Visitors Center, Greers Ferry Dam, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Make reservations at (501) 362-9067. 19 Arkansas Guys and Gals bass tournament, Arkansas River at Fort Smith. (501) 6460616, (918) 626-3903. 25 Fly fishing class, 1 p.m., Yellow Dog Trading Co. (501) 312-2500. 25 Veterans Charity Bass Fishing Tournament Arkansas River Early registration $100 per boat Late registration $110 per boat. Jon Bailey (501) 568-8579 or Perry Kincade (501) 3302139 or (501) 455-0154. 26 Angler's Choice Team Tournament, Regional Park in Pine Bluff. Vince Miller (501) 834-5733, (501) 945-7685. |
| UALR senior new Miss Arkansas Erin Wheatley wins scholarships, lands spot in Miss America Pageant Date: 6/21/98 Category: News Page: A1 CHARLIE HAMMOND ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Associated Press contributed to this story. HOT SPRINGS -- Erin Wheatley, who wowed the crowd and judges by singing and dancing to George and Ira Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm," is the new Miss Arkansas. A senior at University of Arkansas at Little Rock competing as Miss White River, the 21year-old Wheatley was crowned Saturday night. Doing the honors before a cheering audience at the new 5,062-seat Hot Springs Civic & Convention Center was Stacy Freeman, Miss Arkansas 1997. Wheatley -- a radio, television and film major who will receive about $46,000 in scholarships and prizes as Miss Arkansas -- laughed with joy when she heard the news. She will go to Atlantic City, N.J., in September, aiming to be the third Miss Arkansas to win the Miss America Pageant, which has been staged in the resort city since 1921. More than $300,000 in scholarships, grants and awards will be up for grabs at the national competition, whose finals will be televised Sept. l9. "Erin is what the Miss America program is all about," said Sharon Noble, a friend in Saturday's enthusiastic audience. "She is a class act. Erin is Erin." Wheatley's platform -- the theme each contestant is required to develop -- has an environmental thrust: "One earth, one chance: reuse, recharge, respect." First runner-up was Kerry Jucas of Little Rock, 23, Miss Greater Little Rock. Other topranked competitors were second runner-up Chrisna George of Batesville, 23, Miss Northeast Arkansas; third runner-up Sara Harris of Forrest City, 18, Miss South Arkansas; and fourth runner-up Ashley Guilbert of Texarkana, 21, Miss Texarkana. Forty-seven contestants took part in the four-day Miss Arkansas Pageant seeking about $ 100,000 in college scholarships, prizes and awards. Five of Saturday night's 10 semifinalists had been semi-finalists last year -- but that was not the case for Wheatley. This year's semi-finalists, in addition to the top finishers, were: Karen Wood of Magnolia, 21, Miss Magnolia; Brandy Rhodes of Hot Springs Village, 21, Miss Johnson County; Shari Payne of Hot Springs, 21, Miss Southwest Arkansas; Brandi Watkins of Brinkley, 19, Miss East Central Arkansas; and Traci Sims of White Hall, 22, Miss Diamond Lakes. TALENT COMES FIRST The semi-finalists went through repeat judgings during a Disney-themed program Saturday in the talent, swimsuit and evening-wear competitions. Their private interview scores from the preliminaries earlier in the week were carried over. The judging is weighted 40 percent for talent, 30 percent for personality based on the interviews, 15 percent for swimsuit, and 15 percent for evening wear. Singing was the runaway talent choice among this year's 47 Miss Arkansas hopefuls, 28 of whom rendered a vocal performance of some kind. Seven contestants played the piano, six tap-danced and two performed ballet. One each did cha-cha, clog, flamenco and jazz dancing. Eight of the 10 semi-finalists advanced their cause with vocal acts. Winners in the three evenings of preliminary talent competition were Guilbert, Payne and Wheatley, while the preliminary swimsuit accolades went to Watkins, Rhodes and Jucas. "Erin has worked her entire life for this moment," her father, George Wheatley of Hot Springs told reporters after Wheatley's preliminary talent victory on Friday. "You know the saying, 'Seize the moment.' I told her this in a note shortly before she went on stage." One prominent Miss Arkansas scholarship donor, Little Rock millionaire Jennings Osborne, told reporters he has withdrawn his annual $25,000 contribution because pageant rules are too rigid in forbidding winners to spend their money outside a college setting. The issue came to light when a previous winner who already had earned an academic degree wanted to use her scholarship proceeds to record a music album. Elizabeth Farris, the pageant's director, told Associated Press that national rules require scholarship money to be used for educational expenses -- tuition, room, board, books and student fees. She said this year's pageant expects to disburse some $45,000 in scholarship funds, about $7,000 less than 1997. "These things could be worked out," Osborne said. "The funds are there, but they just can't get them." Osborne added that he still believes in the pageant's goals. "It has helped so many people," he said. "We love the pageant. We love what it does for the girls." AXUM AND WARD In the last 35 years, two Miss Arkansas titlists have reached the Miss America pinnacle. Only Kansas and Oklahoma, with three Miss Americas apiece, can boast more national winners over the same span. Six states besides Arkansas have had two Miss Americas since 1964, while states with images as glamorous as California, Hawaii and Florida have managed only one laureate. Twenty-six states have had none at all in the 35-year period. Miss Arkansas and Miss America for 1964 was El Dorado native Donna Axum, who later earned a master's degree in speech and drama from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Married to her third husband, an Oklahoma oil executive, Axum is an image and beauty consultant with a book on that subject to her credit. The 1982 Miss Arkansas and Miss America, Ozark native Elizabeth Ward, established an acting career in Los Angeles in the late '80s, adding Gracen to her name. She appeared in an eight-page nude pictorial in Playboy in 1992, following rumors that she and Bill Clinton had been sexually involved -- reports she vigorously denied. She has appeared on the ABC series Extreme and the syndicated Highlander. Associated Press contributed to this story. |
| Calendar Date: 6/25/98 Category: Sports Page: C8 NOTE To add events, write Steve Bowman, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, 72203. JUNE 26 Regular monthly meeting of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 9 a.m., Oil and Gas Building, El Dorado. (501) 223-6305. 26-28 Fourth annual Great Outdoors Festival of Ducks Unlimited, Agricenter at Memphis. (901) 527-6163. 27 Rollin on the River Festival, open buddy bass tournament on the White River, Clarendon. (870) 747-3319. 27 Jennings Osborne's Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs family picnic, 5-8:30 p.m., Murphy Park, Springdale. (501) 223-6313. 27-28 American Red Cross, Lake Dardanelle Big Bass Bonanza. Top prize $10,000. Lake Dardanelle State Park. (501) 968-3498. 28 Angler's Choice Team Tournament, Arkansas River at Dumas. Vince Miller (501) 8345733, (501) 945-7685. 30 Deadline for applying for deer hunting permits on designated wildlife management areas. (501) 223-6359. JULY 12 Arkansas Anglers Bass Club draw tournament, Dumas. Cliff Stewart (501) 758-9304. 12 Operation Bass Red Man Arkie Division tournament, State Park on Lake Dardanelle. 12 Boating Education Class, Mountain Pine, 1 -7 p.m., Lake Ouachita State Park Visitor Center. 14 Boating Education Class, Little Rock, 16, 6-9 p.m., Game and Fish Commission auditorium 18 Hunter Education Class, Fort Smith, 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Faith Assembly Church, North 50th and O Streets. 18 Lake Erling Night Bass Tournament, Lake Erling. Steve's Outdoor Sports and Marine 234-BASS. 18 Free clinic on bait fishing for trout at Carl Garner Visitors Center, Greers Ferry Dam, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Make reservations at (501) 362-9067. 19 Arkansas Guys and Gals bass tournament, Arkansas River at Fort Smith. (501) 6460616, (918) 626-3903. 25 Fly fishing class, 1 p.m., Yellow Dog Trading Co. (501) 312-2500. 25 Veterans Charity Bass Fishing Tournament Arkansas River Early registration $100 per boat Late registration $110 per boat. Jon Bailey (501) 568-8579 or Perry Kincade (501) 3302139 or (501) 455-0154. 26 Angler's Choice Team Tournament, Regional Park in Pine Bluff. Vince Miller (501) 834-5733, (501) 945-7685 AUGUST |
| SUNDAY BEST WHERE TO BE THIS WEEK Bubbles, fireworks and Weekend Comedy Date: 6/28/98 Category: Features Page: E5 TIM STANLEY ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE In achieving their ends, artists often experiment with a variety of media. Tom Noddy's medium of choice may be about as impermanent as they come, but it's no less expressive when plied by the supple hands of a master. Tom Noddy's Bubble Magic Show, part of the Museum of Discovery's Bubblefest, blows into town for shows Thursday through Saturday. Noddy has performed on the Tonight Show, The Disney Channel, Newton's Apple and various programs all over the world. Working with his specially-concocted soap solutions and a bubbly sense of humor, Noddy will create everything from caterpillars to geometrical oddities of every size and description. The bubble maestro will also instruct visitors in a few how to's of his skill so they can try it at home. Friends will be amazed and the neighbors will whisper. Before you dismiss the practical relevancy of all this, you should note that many of the principles Noddy employs in his performance are basic to the studies of bubble structures used in undersea and space exploration. Tom Noddy's Bubble Magic Show, 10:30 a.m., 1, 3 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m., 1, 3 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Museum of Discovery (formerly Arkansas Museum of Science & History) Museum Center, 500 E. Markham St. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-6 p.m. Sunday. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. first Fridays. Admission: $5, $4.50 children under age 12 and senior citizens. Members free. 396-7050, (800) 880-6475. FIRE IN THE SKY If you espy dancing lights in the skies of central Arkansas on Friday, there'll be no need to alert Mulder and Scully. The source is seasonal and for that matter, entirely terrestrial. With two fireworks exhibitions in the mix, the folks in Hot Springs are igniting the holiday weekend in true pyrotechnical fashion. The first, Friday at dusk, will be at the Oaklawn Jockey Club on Central Avenue. No coolers will be allowed and free parking will be provided starting at 6 p.m. The second will be at the same time Saturday, at the harbor adjacent to Just Add Water on Lake Hamilton at the Arkansas 7 causeway. Saturday's clambake is sponsored by those longtime dispensers of light and spectacle, the Jennings Osborne Family. Spectators may attend via car or boat. Fireworks shows, dark Friday-Saturday, Oaklawn Jockey Club, Central Avenue, Hot Springs, and Lake Hamilton at the Arkansas 7 Causeway. Free. (501) 372-3001. DINNER DELIRIUM If a few rounds of delectable yuks sound like just the thing to cleanse your palate, Murry's Dinner Playhouse lays the table for their latest theatrical entree, Weekend Comedy, starting Tuesday night. Aptly titled, the production concerns the actions of two diametrically-opposed couples who are compelled to adapt when thrown unwittingly into each other's company on a weekend getaway. The show stars Glen Gilbert and Julianne Chapman as Frank and Peggy, the middle-age couple. Joel Gordon and Tonya Dugger Gordon headline as the younger couple, Tony and Jill. The play will continue every night this week and through July 26. Weekend Comedy, Tuesday through July 26. 6-7:35 p.m. dinner, 7:45 p.m. show, TuesdaySaturday; l l a.m.-12:40 p.m. dinner, 1 p.m. show, Sunday; 5:30-6:40 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. show, Sunday, Murry's Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Asher Ave. Tickets: $20 matinee, $22 Sunday-Thursday, $24 Friday-Saturday. 562-3131. HERBAL ALTERNATIVES The movement for natural and alternative remedies to age-old conditions like depression is no longer the realm of quacks. In fact, it is gaining in credibility and momentum, and Thursday at Beans, Grains & Things, Dr. Stephen Hathcock will present a free program titled "Anxiety and Herbs." Hathcock recently opened The Center for Integrative Medicine in Little Rock. Seating is limited and preregistration is required. You may do so in the Beans book department, or by calling 221 -2331. "Anxiety and Herbs" with Dr. Stephen Hathcock, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Beans, Grains & Things, 10700 Rodney Parham Road. Free. 221-2331. |
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