Downtown Pine Bluff featured activities centered around the city’s historic past and its path for the future.
The activities were co-sponsored by the Pine Bluff Historic District Commission and Explore Pine Bluff in conjunction with Preserve Arkansas.
At 8 a.m. Oct. 3, attendees began registering for the Historic Preservation Symposium in the ARTSpace on Main. Guests were welcomed by Pine Bluff Historic District Chairman Maryann Lee and Explore Pine Bluff Executive Director Sheri Storie. Ian Montgomery was also on hand representing Arkansas Historic Preservation Project.
“Pine Bluff has well over 100 historic structures included on the National Historic Registry, both individually and as part of historic districts,” Lee said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
She explained how the downtown historic district runs from Highway 65B to Alabama Street and from Walnut Street to 10th Avenue.
Mayor Vivian Flowers offered a few special remarks before historic preservation specialists from across the South held a panel discussion titled “Local and Statewide Perspectives on Historic Preservation.”
Panelists included architect Ryan Biles of Lonoke’s Shine Interior Design Studio and founder of Kudzu Collective; Betsy McGuire, chair of Russellville Historic District Commission; Hannah Ratzlaff, planning manager for City of Little Rock; and Angelisa Henry, executive director of Pine Bluff Downtown Development.
Following an hour of discussions by panelists, the floor was opened for audience comments and questions.
A midday lunch break convened followed by keynote speaker Belinda Stewart, an architect from Eupora, Miss., specializing in historic preservation consultation. Stewart spoke on the importance of preserving historic perspectives to the life of small towns in the rural South.
Memphis lawyer T. Kevin Bruce gave a brief lecture on using tax credits to fund historic preservation projects.
Jimmy Cunningham, the Delta Rhythm and Bayous director, spoke on the path to bringing the Delta Rhythm & Bayous Cultural District to life and the many tourism prospects it offers. Upon conclusion of the afternoon presentations, guests were treated to a trolley tour of select downtown historic sites.
Oct. 4 began with a 20-plus-mile bicycle ride sponsored by Little Rock’s Major Taylor Cycling Club. Club President Marion Carter explained how their club is named after the first African American international cycling champion, Marshal Walter “Major” Taylor, who won fame in the 1890s by setting numerous world records in both bicycling and track events. The regional club has better than 80 active members with regular cycle rides every Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday during the normal summer biking season.
The day also saw a 21.6-mile ride, open to all, beginning at the Indigo Blue Coffeehouse, proceeding toward the river port before traveling to Paper Mill Road. The path continued along a route by the rail yard and on to Saracen Casino before turning up Harding Avenue and back to Main Street.
Other activities included a 1.3 mile ride, run, walk as well as a 5.3 mile ride, run, walk tour around points of interest beginning at Sixth Avenue and proceeding down Main Street.
The Outdoor Health Empowerment Expo ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., containing numerous exhibits in the Donald W. Reynolds Community Services Center parking lot. Offerings to the public included disaster preparedness, voter registration, mental health awareness, Social Security benefits information and various health screenings including diabetes and blood pressure testing.
“These two days are all about presenting Pine Bluff as a tourist destination,” Lee said. “The theme of the health expo is fitness through encouraging people to ride, run and walk self-guided tours throughout downtown Pine Bluff. We intend this to be our first annual Historic Symposium and Outdoor Health Empowerment Expo. We want to continue to encourage economic and community development for the city of Pine Bluff.”
