Between Editions

Marty Stuart rocks.

I’ve heard cheers and jeers about the lineup for MusicFest this year. What say ye, my fellow music lovers?

I feel like the lineup is decent, but there is not a true headliner in the bunch. To me, Marty Stuart is the closest to a major act as it gets this time around. Uncle Kracker has never stirred my senses, and I have to admit I don’t know of Pat Green, Radney Foster or Jonathon Tyler and the Northern Lights.

I hope that all acts perform well, and that lots of folks show up on Oct. 1 and 2 downtown. This is a great event to boost our local economy. And I will continue to support it, even though I think getting one or two major stars would be better than trying to spread the money out for multiple second tier acts.

Also, MusicFest folks, you need to update your Web site, please.

All this begs for a poll. So here we go. Let’s hear from you.

Festival organizers are saying that they will not move activities to the El Dorado/Union County Recreational Complex, even in the event of inclement weather.

Activities will take place in and around the John Newton House, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday (May 1).

Click here for a full schedule of events.

The public is invited to attend the announcement of this year’s MusicFest headliners at 5:30 p.m. on May 12 at the Rialto Theater.

I’m told I will “be impressed” by the announcement. We shall see.

Let’s hope not. But just in case, Mayhaw Festival organizers say that they will move the festival to the El Dorado/Union County Recreation Complex in case of rain.

The decision will be made Saturday morning.

One thing that makes a town or region great is a great festival. It doesn’t have to be a big or glamourous event, it just has to offer good family fun and entertainment that’s actually entertaining.

The South Arkansas Mayhaw Festival fits the bill.

If you missed the article I wrote about the festival this past Sunday, here are the highlights:

This year’s event will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 1 at the John Newton House, 510 N. Jackson, El Dorado. This circa 1849 home was built by John and Penelope Newton, who relocated to El Dorado from Alabama in 1843.

The festival kicks off with an 8 a.m. breakfast featuring sausage and biscuits served with mayhaw jelly. For lunch, fish plates from Abe’s Old Feed House will be sold.

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John Worthen/Between Editions

I sold El Dorado this weekend. I mean, really sold it. My friend Shannon from Springdale stopped in for a visit, and I wanted to show her everything that’s good about this city. My role was part tour guide, part chamber of commerce representative and part friend.

Shannon rolled into town around 5 p.m. Friday and stayed at the Country Inn and Suites on West Hillsboro. It’s a nice hotel with reasonable rates in a safe location. I picked her up and we headed downtown for dinner at Fay Rays on Oak Street.

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If you’re like me, then all things Elvis are fascinating. An exhibit of “young Elvis” photographs is currently making the museum rounds throughout the U.S. and will stop at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock next year.

The above photo captures Elvis in the lavatory of a train bound for Memphis in 1956.

Click here for more photos and here for more information on the exhibit.

Hot wheel cars helped occupy many hours of playtime during my childhood. And remember those awesome plastic tracks that would send the little buggers flying through loops?

Well, what if you could do that with a real car?

You can. And these folks did.

News-Times reporter Tim Kessler is working on a post-MusicFest  story this week and it will include, among other things, the amount of beer consumed. Let’s just say it was several thousand cans, or nearly 94,000 ounces. *Burp* Pardon me.

Also, News-Times City Editor Janice McIntyre shared these photos she snapped at the event. Did you go? Did you have a good time? Let’s hear about it. Unfortunately, a toothache kept me from attending Friday, and Saturday I was consumed with other activities, including the Razorback game. Woo Pig!

Below: John Popper of Blues Traveler.

I figure most of you already know who is playing and where, considering we have had extensive coverage in the print edition.

But in case you need more, click here.

I had high hopes that I’d be able to attend, but it looks as though I probably won’t be able to. I will be curious to see how many folks show up this year.

I don’t care what organizers say, last year’s attendance seemed down from previous festivals. Hopefully this will be a record breaking year. El Dorado needs a good booster shot in its economic arm.

If you saw today’s Weekend Section of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, you probably noticed that El Dorado’s Showdown at Sunset is listed as the number one weekend “to do” item.

The problem is, the next Showdown at Sunset won’t happen until Aug. 29.

The event, which reenacts a famous 1902 gun battle that happened on the old Union County Courthouse steps between Marshal Guy Tucker and the Parnell brothers, used to be held every weekend during the summer, as the ADG’s article notes.

Showdown at Sunset, sponsored by Main Street El Dorado, was scaled back recently to just one show a month due to budgetary constraints.

I decided this weekend to stay in El Dorado for entertainment since an old friend and I both wanted to see Willy Wonka at the South Arkansas Arts Center  (more on that in a moment).

We started the evening at the new Italian restaurant downtown, La Piazza. I have had high hopes for this place since I heard they were coming to town. Italian food is one of my favorites, and I always enjoy new interpretations of it.

The decor is bright and fresh feeling. For an Italian bistro, though, the lighting was a bit too bright. The front windows bleed way too much light inside, and in the early evening, the flickering candles sitting on the tables are barely noticeable.

The food was good but not excellent. I ordered the Ziti, and my companion had a chicken dish with mushrooms and white cream sauce. The sauce in my Ziti was way too runny, and the Ziti noodles were a little chewy.

Another disappointment was the wine list, or lack there of. La Piazza advertises several wines, from whites through reds. After ordering a glass of Chianti, our waiter gave me a puzzled look. I pointed to the wine menu. “See, right here,” I told him, smiling.

He said he had never heard of it. I found this a bit strange, considering that he was working there. But I let him off the hook since he was new, as is the restaurant.

It turns out that they didn’t have Chianti anyway, so I ordered a glass of Chardonnay that tasted like it probably came out of a box.

The Cabernet, thankfully, turned out to be much better.

Each food order comes with tasty buttered bread, and a small menu of salads is available, from Caesar to Greek. We opted for the salad bar, a small, hotdog-cart-sized station that features lettuce, mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes, onions and an array of dressings.

Some of the lettuce appeared wilted and brown, though we managed to sift through and find edible chunks. It’s all iceberg, sadly. It would be nice if they’d step it up a bit and use a fresh mix of greens — romaine, spinach, etc.

Overall, I was mostly pleased with my visit to La Piazza. I’m planning to return after a few weeks, when they’re a bit more settled.

Prices seem reasonable. Lots of dishes are under $10. I understand they are open for lunch as well. Location: The old Einstein’s building across from Sports Alley in downtown El Dorado.

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