WELCOME TO ARKANSAS
Letter from Richard Davies
Dear Friend:
Thanks for your interest in Arkansas! If you've not yet visited The Natural State, please accept this as my invitation to personally inspect our fine piece of real estate. And if you haven't been to Arkansas in a while, come on back and see for yourself how we've grown and prospered.
Good things are happening across Arkansas from one corner to the next. Our extensive interstate highway rehabilitation program is nearly finished. The new $32 million lodge and cabin complex at Mount Magazine State Park is now open. The Natural State Golf Trail has been expanded to 15 top courses. Construction of Bentonville's Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art - one of the biggest announcements in the art world - is coming along nicely. In 2007 Arkansas and the rest of the country will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the country's oldest national park, Hot Springs.
But Arkansas is more - much more - than a travelers' paradise. Our public schools are leading the way in test score gains, and enrollment in institutions of higher education has never been higher. Meanwhile, our medical facilities continue to offer world-class health care. And rewarding job opportunities can be found throughout the state.
Come stay with us for a day, a weekend or a lifetime.
Sincerely,
Richard W. Davies
Executive Director
Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
Mary Steenburgen Interview
Arkansas native and Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen was born in North Little Rock, where her mother and several family members still reside. She and husband Ted Danson visit as often as they can and even own a condo in the River Market area of downtown Little Rock.
"There's a vibrancy about Little Rock, especially the downtown area, that makes it fun and inviting," she says. "With the Clinton Library and Heifer International, there's a lot of energy in and around downtown. Those places are drawing many forward-thinking people to the area — both to visit and to live."
Mary Steenburgen has had the fortune to work on location in many cities and states, and yet she remains "inspired by the people who live and work to make Little Rock such a passionate place."
Everywhere she goes, she is proud to be an ambassador for her home state. "The majority of people I know are dying to visit Arkansas," she notes. "They have a real respect for the state and often wonder just what it is about this state that produces such passionate, progressive people."
"I recently met a woman who lived here briefly after Hurricane Katrina," continues Mary Steenburgen. "She raved about the physical beauty of the state, the warmth and friendliness of the people, and even the quality of the schools that her son attended while they were here."
When in town, Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson take advantage of the area's many attractions — dining in their favorite restaurants, riding the River Rail trolleys and taking in nine innings of Arkansas Travelers baseball at Dickey-Stephens Park. "This city is very user-friendly," she points out. "I think it's wonderful that it has the sophistication of a big city with the character of a small Southern town."
-by Jennifer Pyron
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