Taylor Field to host exhibition game
Taylor Field in Pine Bluff will celebrate its 85th birthday with a fall collegiate exhibition baseball game next month.
Southeast Arkansas College will host Lemoyne-Owen College from Memphis at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 4.
The stadium, which currently hosts Pine Bluff High School games, is one of the oldest minor league parks in the country. It was completed in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration under President Franklin Roosevelt. It previously housed the Pine Bluff Judges and Pine Bluff Locomotives in its minor league days.
“We look forward to having current/former baseball players, coaches and all the many fans who once stepped onto Historic Taylor Field to come back for this celebration,” Taylor Field director of baseball operations Jeff Gross said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Gates open at 10 a.m. for pre-game activities. Kids are invited to arrive early and play catch in the outfield, meet players, take photographs and get autographs until 10:45.
The concession stand will be open.
SEARK is entering its third season of baseball competition.
Ribbon cutting for YEAH8 set
The partnership between the city of Pine Bluff and YEAH8 Arts & Motion will officially launch with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon Sept. 12 at the Chester Hynes Community Center, 2101 W. 11th Ave. Open house is available from 4-6 p.m. Sept. 12.
The City Council on Aug. 4 approved a resolution granting Mayor Vivian Flowers authorization to enter into the partnership.
YEAH8 is a youth-centered enrichment initiative dedicated to fostering creativity, mindfulness and academic growth.
YEAH8 Arts & Motion provides innovative opportunities for young people to explore science, technology, the arts and personal development through hands on immersive programming. The mayor’s office says the collaboration represents a major step forward in the city’s ongoing commitment to providing youth with positive outlets, skills development and pathways to success.
“Investing in our youth means investing in the future of Pine Bluff,” Flowers said. “This partnership with YEAH8 Arts & Motion will help equip our young people with the tools they need to thrive — academically, socially, and creatively.”
Election board will meet
The Jefferson County Board of Election Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 8 at the election center, 123 S. Main St. Michael Adam is chairman of the election commission.
The agenda includes public comments on new business (two minutes per speaker), according to a news release.
New business includes approval of a special election by candidate for the White Hall School District and Pine Bluff School District and a presentation on the state Board of Election Commissioners’ State Monitor results of the 2024 General Election.
Trail of Tears project unveiled
“Drops That Filled the River: Blood, Sweat and the Trail of Tears” was officially unveiled during the Arkansas Chapter Trail of Tears Association’s (ARTOTA) Annual Meeting Aug. 16 in Little Rock.
The unveiling commemorates more than one year of coordination on this project between ARTOTA, the National Park Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Arkansas, cities of Dardanelle, North Little Rock, Little Rock, Pine Bluff and the Sequoyah National Research Center.
Funded in part by the National Park Foundation, the project’s goal is to amplify awareness of and enhance visitor experiences at significant sites along the Water Route, according to a news release.
Also during the meeting, Jefferson County native Jason Irby was elected president of ARTOTA. This past year, he finished the term of the organization’s past president.
Irby said the grant project is based on a poem that he wrote.
“This is my 10th year anniversary with the Trail of Tears Association and I am honored to have ‘Drops That Filled the River’ as a major project,” Irby shared. “The collaboration, support, and effort among various individuals, federal, state, county and municipal departments have been incredible.”
The cooperation among the Arkansas Chapter and the tribes who suffered and endured Indian Removal (1830’s Indian Removal Act) has been a powerful relationship.
The Arkansas Chapter of the Trail of Tears is committed to sharing the stories and educational opportunities to preserve the history surrounding this era in U.S. history.”
Details: https://artota.org/.