Just yesterday, we posted an article talking about the need for sponsorships to keep our Lum and Abner comic strip running.
Artist Donnie Pitchford had an idea to make the idea of sponsorships more appealing — sponsors who give at least $50 will receive some original artwork from the series. That’s right — even a small donation of $50 will net you some of the original gorgeous artwork which has made the comic strip so appealing. If you’re a Lum and Abner fan that’s looking for a unique keepsake, here’s your …

My how time flies. It was almost a year ago that we launched our Lum and Abner comic strip here at First Arkansas News.
Why is this series important? Because Lum and Abner is an Arkansas institution. Those two boys from Mena have had a major impact on the Natural State and we’re proud to run a comic strip that we hope honors them suitably.The artist on the series is Donald Pitchford, who is both a fan of the team and the president of the National Lum and Abner Society. He’s …

The Oklahoma Video Game Exhibition (OVGE) debuted in Tulsa in 2003 and it’s set coming again to that city on June 16.
The event, as always, will center on vintage video games, classic computers, standup arcade consoles from the golden age of arcades and even a pinball machine or two. Jesse Hardesty started the OVGE after noticing there were plenty of classic game expos on the East and West coasts and in Las Vegas, but few such gatherings in the southwest. Rather than waiting for someone to start an event dedicated …

The annual Benton Kite Festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 14 at Watts Field in Benton.
Watts Field is the former Saline County Airport and is located off I-30 exit 116 on Airlane Drive near the Saline County Fairgrounds.
The event will feature professional kite flyers demonstrating their bag of tricks and perhaps handing out some advice, concessions and free water. Attendees can bring their own kites or use one of the 500 free ones given out on a first come, first served basis. For more information …

Donnie Pitchford — the creator of our weekly Lum and Abner comic strip — will appear on Sunday, April 8 on “Same Time, Same Station,” an Internet broadcast.
Pitchford will discuss a bit about the history of Lum and Abner (Arkansas’ own old time radio stars), the National Lum and Abner Society (NLAS), how the comic strip came into being through his partnership with First Arkansas News and a host of other subjects. Pitchford, by the way, is the president of NLAS and that group of fans/preservationists is always looking for …

For one day last week, I had the opportunity to be a college student again.  On Tuesday, I went to the campus of John Brown University (JBU) in Siloam Springs to attend chapel.  Why?  Well, last week was leadership week at JBU, and they invited Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales and Big Idea Productions, to come and speak to the students.  If you know me well, you know I’m a big fan of Veggie Tales – have been from the beginning when a tomato named Bob and a …

Back in April, First Arkansas News posted an article about a great Mexican food cart in Benton called El Taco Loco.
Things have changed a bit. Since the first of the year, the name of the establishment has changed to the very Anglicized The Crazy Taco, the cart is smaller, the menu is similar and the management has reverted back to Louis Romero who started the company in the first place.
Confused? Don’t be. Romero started his business with a hot dog cart in Haskell two years ago. At the time, he …

Yep!  The U of A has a hockey team.  It’s a club sport, but these guys are good!  They’re so good, in fact, that when I went to their game against Tulane Friday night, I found out that the Tulane team decided it was better to forfeit the game than play these guys.  I later heard that Tulane was planning to show up for Saturday night’s game or else they could get kicked out of the league.  Instead of disappointing their fans who showed up to see a hockey game, …

The past week was a somewhat busy one, so it would be no surprise if you missed a post or two here at First Arkansas News.
There are, of course, ways to prevent missing posts around here. It’s a simple matter to subscribe to our RSS feed, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to email updates. It is free to use any of those services, so pick your favorite one and take advantage of it. Oh, and you can always get a recap of the week’s events …

We’re continuing with a report started Friday about CBS Radio Mystery Theater. That program was started by Hiram Brown in 1974 and ran through 1982, thriving on both nostalgia for old time radio and new fans of the program, which aired every weeknight throughout its run. Paul Chester founded CBSRMT.com so that visitors can listen to the original 1,399 shows produced for the series. There is no charge to listen to the shows or find out more about the series through CBSRMT.com.
Fans of CBS Radio Mystery Theater have their favorite …