The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program will hold a training on the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
The training will address questions such as: What does it mean to have my property listed on the National Register? What are the criteria to have a property added to the National Register? Does National Register listing limit how I can remodel my house? How do I nominate my property for listing?
Leading the training is Ralph Wilcox, national register and survey coordinator and deputy state historic preservation officer for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. “The National Register of Historic Places is a program of the National Park Service that is administered in Arkansas by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program,” notes Wilcox. “The National Register is the country’s official list of historic resources that are worthy of preservation, and listing a property on the National Register brings recognition to a property’s architectural or historical significance. In addition, listing a property on the National Register often opens up financial incentives for historic preservation.”
To register for the training, please contact Ralph S. Wilcox of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program at (501) 324-9787 or by email. The training is free but is limited to 20 participants.
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra opening night
The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (ASO) presents its first concert of the 2026-2027 Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks season, “America 250,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Robinson Center in Little Rock.
ASO leaders expect the performances to be among the most significant artistic events in Arkansas’ America 250 commemorations. The program features Little Rock native Florence Price’s “Ethiopia’s Shadow in America,” George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and Aaron Copland’s “Symphony No. 3,” which incorporates the iconic “Fanfare for the Common Man.” “The ASO opens the season with iconic sounds of Americana,” ASO Music Director Geoffrey Robson said. “Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ has thrilled audiences with its jazz inflections for more than a century; Florence Price’s music is poignant, reverent and soulful, reflective of her life in Little Rock; Aaron Copland’s third symphony is like an emblem of American music, powerful, accessible and written to be enjoyed by all. I invite everyone to come kick off a great year of live music with your Arkansas Symphony Orchestra!” The orchestra’s performance of “Rhapsody in Blue” will feature composer and pianist Stewart Goodyear, who calls Gershwin’s iconic work “the timeless soundtrack of New York.” “The blue theme, first played by the clarinet, sets the tone, and all the other musicians follow his/her queue,” Goodyear said. “The solo piano part represents Gershwin himself, taking the listener on a tour of his hometown, reveling in its optimism, drive, high-voltage energy, urban romance and an attitude unique only to this city.” Composed by Price in 1932, “Ethiopia’s Shadow in America” is a three-movement work depicting the arrival of enslaved Africans, their endurance through faith and the blending of African heritage with American identity. Long overlooked after Price’s death in 1953, the work was rediscovered in 2009 and has since gained national recognition. ASO will become the first professional American orchestra to record the work for later release.
Metal Recycling of Little Rock is the concert sponsor for ASO’s opening night, and Goodyear’s appearance is made possible through an anonymous gift in memory of E. Lee Ronnel. Masterworks tickets are $19, $30, $50, $77 or $92 (pricing subject to change), and active-duty military or college student tickets are $15. Thanks to Bank OZK of Little Rock, all Arkansas kids 18 and under get free admission with the purchase of an adult ticket. Tickets can be purchased online at arkansasymphony.org, at the Box Office in the Robinson Center an hour and a half before the concert or by phone at (501) 666-1761, ext. 1.