Arkansas Tourism Partners

Tourism Henry Awards Finalists Named

The 2010 Henry Awards winners will be revealed at the 36th Annual Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The ceremony will take place during the Governor’s Banquet on the final night of the conference, Tuesday, March 9, 2010, beginning at 7:15 p.m. at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs. The Henry Awards honor Henri de Tonti, the man historians consider to be among the first “Arkansas Travelers.”

Governor Mike Beebe has been invited to address the tourism industry. Miss Arkansas Sarah Slocum will present awards to the recipients and Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism Executive Director Richard W. Davies will preside at the ceremony.

The awards and respective finalists are:

THE MEDIA SUPPORT AWARD . . . presented annually to a distinguished individual or organization for extraordinary attention to and/or support of Arkansas’s tourism industry through the use of media.

Bob Moore, Rust Communications, Cassville, MO
Jimmy Sledge, Warren
Newport Independent, Newport

THE BOOTSTRAP AWARD . . . presented annually to an individual, organization, or community that has achieved significant success “on a shoestring,” having limited means to work with, either in resources or finances.

Argenta Downtown Council, North Little Rock
Sunken Lands Regional Chamber of Commerce, Tyronza
Whitton Farms, Whitton

THE ARKANSAS HERITAGE AWARD . . . presented annually to an individual, organization, or community that has made a significant contribution toward the preservation of some aspect of Arkansas’s natural, cultural, or aesthetic legacy.

Crossett Historical Society, Crossett
David Bogle and the Museum of Native American History, Bentonville
Eureka Springs Parks & Recreation Commission, Eureka Springs

THE GRAND OLD CLASSIC SPECIAL EVENT AWARD . . . presented annually to a festival, fair, or other special celebration which has “stood the test of time” and become an established example for the more than 1,200 special events held in Arkansas each year.

Frisco Festival, Rogers
Opera in the Ozarks, Eureka Springs
Terrapin Derby, Lepanto

THE OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD . . . presented annually to a community, individual, or organization that, through outstanding volunteer spirit, has made a substantial contribution to Arkansas’s tourism industry.

Bert Turner, North Little Rock
Bull Shoals Powerhouse Tours, Lakeview
Lori A. Spencer, Paris

THE COMMUNITY TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AWARD . . . presented annually to an individual or organization which has achieved substantial success in the enhancement of its local resources through imaginative and innovative development efforts.

First Ever Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Hot Springs
Pumpkin Hollow, Piggott
Southern Bancorp, Helena-West Helena

THE NATURAL STATE AWARD . . . presented annually to a community, organization, special event, or attraction which “stands out in the crowd” because of its unique appeal, media coverage, creative approach, and/or enhancement of community pride, thus benefiting the state’s quality of life.

Battle of Prairie Grove Civil War Reenactment, Prairie Grove
Caroling in the Caverns, Mountain View
Heifer International’s Heifer Village, Little Rock

THE TOURISM SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD . . .presented annually to an individual or organization that has contributed to the tourism industry through leadership “above and beyond” the normal requirements of their jobs.

Nashville High School Travel & Tourism Program, Nashville
Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Springdale
Ross Moore, Clinton

During the Henry Awards ceremonies the 2010 inductees into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame and the 2009 Tourism Person of the Year will also be announced. The Hall of Fame honor is presented annually to individuals who have been actively involved in tourism for many years and who have made substantial contributions to the betterment of the industry as a whole. Selected by former honorees, the Tourism Person of the Year Award is presented annually to an individual who has been actively involved in tourism and who has made a substantial contribution, within the past year, to the betterment of this industry as a whole.

For more information on the 36th Annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism, contact the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism at (501) 682-1120. For specific information on the Henry Awards, contact Donna Perrin or Kristine Puckett at (501) 682-5240.

Clinton School Student Launches Volunteer to See in Little Rock, Combining Service, Tourism

An organization linking travel, tourism and service was launched Monday, January 11th by Nicholas Hall, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, in partnership with the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau and several area nonprofits.

Volunteer to See (www.volunteertosee.com) enables individual, business, group and convention travelers to participate in volunteer service activities while visiting Little Rock. Hall will initially administer the program as part of his Clinton School studies.

People visiting Little Rock for meetings and conventions as well as leisure travel can now access Volunteer to See on the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau (LRCVB) web site, www.littlerock.com.

“Volunteer to See provides a unique opportunity that we can market to both group and individual travelers,” said Dan O’Byrne, CEO of LRCVB. “We believe that travel organizations and major hotels are going to be very interested in it. Nicholas Hall has done a great job executing this idea.”

With the expansion of programs like AmeriCorps, Teach for America, Peace Corps, City Year and many others, there is a growing interest in public service across the country, O’Byrne said.

Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford agrees. “Volunteer to See has enormous potential,” Rutherford said. “It can do for tourism and public service what Teach for America is doing for education and public service. It's very exciting to see an idea from a Clinton School student piloted here in Little Rock.”

Central Arkansas organizations participating in the program include Habitat for Humanity, Arkansas Rice Depot, The Ronald McDonald House, Little Rock Parks and Recreation, and Volunteers in Public Schools.

Interested travelers to Little Rock can sign up for these volunteer opportunities through the Volunteer to See Web site.

“The program is designed to accommodate the needs of the group or individual traveler,” Hall said.

“Some may want to spend a day building a home with Habitat for Humanity, while convention travelers may choose to donate supplies to a local school or bring necessities for the Ronald McDonald House. The volunteer opportunities and possibilities are unlimited, and we'll work with interested individuals and groups to tailor their experience.”

Hall, a native of Genoa, Ohio, and a graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., came up with the idea for Volunteer to See in 2006 when he worked with AmeriCorps in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.

"My coursework and field project work at the Clinton School provided me the tools to turn an idea into a reality," Hall said.