Little Rock notebook

Vote set on funding restrooms for park

City directors on Tuesday will vote on whether to appropriate $517,000 to build restrooms at Two Rivers Park on the south side of the Arkansas River Trail.

Funding of $175,000 for the project will come from a grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Another $175,000 will come from a city grant matching account. Additional funding will come from a tax that funds capital improvements to city parks.

Three meetings for public input on the project were held in 2016.

Clinton School hosts talks, Chicago cast

The University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service will host three events this week at Sturgis Hall downtown.

Barry Rassin, president of Rotary International, will speak Monday at 6 p.m. Rassin has been involved with the organization since 1980 and has received various humanitarian awards for his work leading Rotary International's relief efforts in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

At noon Thursday, the cast and crew of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre's upcoming production of Chicago will lead a panel discussion about the musical.

Tonya Allen, the school's Center on Community Philanthropy scholar in residence, will speak at noon Friday. Allen is described as a serial "idea-preneur" and is president and chief executive officer of the Skillman Foundation, a Detroit charity.

Admission is free and open to the public. Reservations are available by calling (501) 683-5239 or emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu.

Community center site of career fair

The city will host a career fair Saturday at the West Central Community Center .

There will be an Arkansas Department of Workforce Services mobile workforce center on-site and immediate interviews for select positions. People ranging from new members of the workforce to experienced professionals are invited to attend.

The event will last from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The community center is at 8616 Colonel Glenn Road. The list of the city's full-time, part-time and summer positions are available at lrjobs.net.

Field-trip aid again offered at museum

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will again offer travel grants to help students visit the museum for interactive learning programs.

The downtown museum reopened to the public last fall after being closed for renovations during much of 2018. The city announced last week that the grant program would resume.

Programs that enhance learning about the two world wars are available, as well as the opportunity to learn about the Civil War in Arkansas and about the historic U.S. Arsenal Building, which houses the museum.

"These grants allow the museum to share its collection, which includes more than 4,600 World War II press photographs and more than 60 original American War I propaganda posters, with a broader student audience, as well as help schools with the increasing costs of field trips," Stephan McAteer, the museum's director, said in a release.

The grants offer up to $500 to public schools and community colleges for field trips and are available during the fall and spring semesters. Grant applications are available through the Arkansas Humanities Council. Deadlines are the first of each month except December.

Field-trip scheduling and grant applications are available from museum program assistant Shane Lind at (501) 376-4602 or alind@littlerock.gov.

Doggy Mardi Gras set for its 3rd run

The third annual "Barkus on Main" Mardi Gras parade will take place March 31, the Downtown Little Rock Partnership has announced.

The parade along the downtown "Creative Corridor" will kick off at noon and feature live music from Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe, a beer garden, a hurricane station, gumbo, a crawfish boil, and plenty of beads.

The main event is a parade of furry, four-legged friends, which will begin at 2:30 p.m. at Seventh and Main. It will travel up Main Street to its intersection with Fourth.

After the parade, a block party will be hosted in the 300 block of Main Street.

Online registration for the dog parade is $20 per pet. Same-day registration will be $25. Registration and more information are available at barkusonmain.com or from the downtown partnership at (501) 375-0121.

There is no admission fee for the family-friendly event, which is presented by Hounds Lounge Pet Resort and Spa.

Writer Iles to sign his book at theater

Author Greg Iles will be signing books in downtown on March 7.

Iles will sign copies of his new novel, Cemetery Road, and a limited number of back-list books with the purchase of Cemetery Road. Books will be available for purchase on-site.

Iles spent his youth in Natchez, Miss. His latest book follows the return of a Washington, D.C., journalist to the hometown from which he fled after a trauma in his youth.

The book-signing will take place at noon at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 Rock St. The Central Arkansas Library System is hosting the event, which is free and open to the public. More information is available from (501) 918-3098 or by email at bmooy@cals.org.

Metro on 02/17/2019

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