Raised in a small home near Dyess in the cotton fields of Mississippi County, Joanne Cash Yates made it clear last Friday night at the Clinton Center that she’s proud to be from Arkansas. You might have heard of Joanne’s older brother. He was known in his adult years as Johnny and played a little music.
Read MoreA new preservation ethos
posted by rexnelson on January 16th, 2014Grapette: A legendary Arkansas brand
posted by rexnelson on January 10th, 2014The nondescript metal building is on Industrial Drive in Malvern, just a mile or so from busy Interstate 30. There’s a small sign out front, but most of those who drive by likely don’t know that it’s now the home of one of the country’s iconic soft drink brands, Grapette.
Read MoreCurtis King: Arkansas’ legendary coach
posted by rexnelson on January 8th, 2014Sometimes you strike a chord with people. I did that with my weekly newspaper column when I wrote about Coach Curtis King, who was the coach at Augusta High School from 1944-73.
Read MoreAll aboard the Gus Bus
posted by rexnelson on January 3rd, 2014Do you want to understand what makes Gus Malzahn tick? Well, don’t spend the weekend in Pasadena. Don’t head to east Alabama to visit Auburn, either. Drive instead through the rice, soybean and cotton fields of the Arkansas Delta and visit the poor farming community of Hughes.
Read MoreWar Memorial Stadium memories
posted by rexnelson on December 23rd, 2013I look forward to the first two weekends of December. It has become a tradition of mine to spend large parts of those weekends at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, watching the state high school championship games. This year, Mother Nature did her best to ruin that tradition.
Read MoreCliff Harris Stadium: A family affair
posted by rexnelson on December 18th, 2013When they dedicate Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia next fall, I have no doubt that O.J. “Buddy” Harris and Margaret Harris will be there in spirit. I also have no doubt that Cliff will be thinking about them that day.
Read MoreCollege football: Week 14 (the gray edition)
posted by rexnelson on November 25th, 2013I realize I’m past the age of 50. I realize I’m a traditionalist. I realize that I probably don’t understand what young athletes want today. But this native Arkansan has a sincere plea for the folks in Fayetteville.
Read MoreRex’s Rankings: The final edition
posted by rexnelson on November 25th, 2013Strange things can happen in football when it rains. It rained Friday night. And it was cold. Yes, strange things happened.
Read MoreCollege football: Week 13 (cold weather edition)
posted by rexnelson on November 22nd, 2013It’s going to be cold at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday morning when the Razorback game begins. With duck season starting and Thanksgiving just a few days away, Arkansans will have plenty of excuses to miss a contest between a 3-7 team and a 4-6 team that are a combined 1-11 in Southeastern Conference play. But I’ll be there, just as I have been at so many other games at War Memorial Stadium during the past 50 years.
Read MoreRex’s Rankings: The playoffs continue
posted by rexnelson on November 18th, 2013One week down in the high school football playoffs. What do we know? In Class 7A, we know that Fayetteville (which had started the season 8-0) proved to be a pretender rather than a contender. Cabot, Bentonville, North Little Rock and Conway all have the talent necessary to win the title.
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