Murfreesboro, Arkansas, USA

 

American Gun Culture ~ Exhibit E: Holding true to family values means having children and slinging guns. Not only have these parents commissioned an etching of the Weatherby Mark V on their departed son's headstone, they named the boy after the bolt-action rifle. [2012]

Arkadelphia, Arkansas, USA

If A = geography, and B = haircut-ology, then A∩B = getting shod in different places around the world, a Geographically Yours hobby for most of the 21st century, but systematically documented every December 30 only since 2014. So, here's to one barber in Arkansas who lowered my ears before 2014. [2012]

Crossett, Arkansas, USA

Do you have your Christmas tree yard set up yet? Some of us remember the days when we would build a Christmas village from plastic snap-together buildings, add some miniature trees and ornaments, lay down the tracks and let Lionel liven up the holidays. Or maybe you just laid the tracks around the base of your tree. [2018]

El Dorado, Arkansas, USA

The classic red telephone box belongs in Britain, but here it is in Arkansas. Since no one uses pay phones anymore, El Dorado has turned it into a "Downtown Book Exchange." Even re-purposed, however, it makes this small town feel more like a world city. [2018]

El Dorado, Arkansas, USA

El Dorado is Arkansas's original boom town thanks to the oil, gas, chemical and timber industries. They are still plodding along, but the golden age is long gone. It is commemorated on the landscape now by some industrial era relics that remind post-industrial generations what the industrial-era looked like. [2018]

Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

This is one of the newest memorials on the grounds of the Arkansas capitol building: erected in memory of fallen firefighters. It helps to keep the capitol relevant and complements a national trend honoring groups other than the military who devote their lives to public safety. Happy Birthday, Arkansas! You've been around as a state since 1836. [2018]

Crossett, Arkansas, USA

Hamburger and french fries: It's the epitome of American cuisine. Availability: ubiquitous! So, there are two things to look up: (1) the meaning of ubiquitous, (2) the rules for capitalizing French. Two questions follow: (1) What does uniquitous (UNIQUitous) mean? (2) Why do we capitalize French in French fries when they have nothing to do with France? [2018]

Crossett, Arkansas, USA

An empty lot on Main Street now provides a quasi-permanent place for a trendy (though folksy) food truck. Big Daddy flips the burgers as customers assemble outside for a business meeting over lunch. "The food is wonderful and so are the owners": so says a post on Facebook. [2018]

Hope, Arkansas, USA

Imagine being one of the pioneer drivers on America's roads. You would have had a lot to learn about railroad crossings. Burma-Shave to the rescue! From 1941:
     Remember This
     If You'd Be Spared
     Trains Don't Whistle
     Because They're Scared
     Burma-Shave
[2012]

Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA

How many ads can you add to a single wall? As many as you want if you just keep painting over old ones. Do you see Coca-Cola struggling to make a come-back? Look closely, and you will discover layers of history reintegrated into contemporary narratives. [2012]

Fulton, Arkansas, USA

Posies always make good subjects for paintings. These yellows started out roadside in rural Arkansas. Then, subjected to a paint program, they were distorted into a flowering crown with a radiance all its own. [2012]

Texarkana, Arkansas, USA

"Producing Fresh Produce for the Hungry" is an objective of many community gardens in urban America. In Texarkana, the churches have banded together to put some vacant land to good use. For geographers out there: How could you use a GIS to zero in on the best place to begin a community garden in your city? [2012]

Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA

"I believe I can fly!" But, if not, I'll just hitch my spirit to a kite and touch the sky. Public art gives everyone a lift and renews everyone's subscription to childhood memories. [2012]

Texarkana, Arkansas and Texas, USA

In Texarkana, the city too big for one state, stands the only federal court house and post office that straddles a state line. It's promoted by the locals as the "second most photographed court house" in the country. What's the first? [2012]