Happenings at Hobbs State Park

Sallyann Brown to Head Fly Fishing Workshop

Those who wish to learn the basics of fly casting will want to attend the Fly Casting 101 workshop to be held at the Hobbs State Park, Conservation Area visitor center from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday April 29.

Two hours of instruction will be in the classroom, and two hours will be outside. Participants will learn four basic casts, the six basic types of flies, (lures) how to cast and "play" the flies in the water, how to read water, how to wade, how to purchase and assemble your equipment, how to store your equipment, as well as how to tie the four basic knots used by fly fishers. All equipment will be provided.

The workshop will be taught by Sallyann Brown, past recipient of the "Woman of the Year" and the "Federation of Fly Fishers Educator of the Year" awards from the Federation of Fly Fishers, Inc.

When: Sunday April 29, 2018

Time: noon to 4 p.m.

Minimum age is 12 yrs. Cost: $35 per person plus tax. Reservations and pre-payment required. For questions, and to register call: 479-789-5000.

Walk on the wild side with Tamara Walkingstick:

Edible trees and plants workshop slated

Many of our grandparents and parents used wild plants for food and medicine. We all know about sassafras tea and the glorious taste of wild blackberries, but we have perhaps forgotten how extensively wild plants can be used as food sources. In the early 1970s, information on native wild foods and medicinal uses of wild plants became very popular. The well-known naturalist, Euell Gibbons, told us, "My love affair with nature is so deep that I am not satisfied with being a mere onlooker, or nature tourist. I crave a more real and meaningful relationship. The spicy teas and tasty delicacies I prepare from wild ingredients are the bread and wine in which I have communion and fellowship with nature, and with the author of that nature."

Dr. Walkingstick, who will conduct the Wild Edibles Workshop at Hobbs State Park, has worked for the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Co-operative Extension Service as an Associate Professor of Extension Forestry since 1996.

Walkingstick said: "In this comprehensive four-hour workshop, you will not only learn to identify some edible species of Arkansas native and non-native vegetation, you will also have the opportunity to sample tasty dishes including crepes with persimmon ice cream, acorn scones, and roaster Jerusalem Artichoke soup. The presentation covers concepts of conservation, history, culture, and plant identification. Even weeds can have value, but know your plants before you try any edible. Thirty pages of wild edible recipes are included as well."

When: Saturday May 5, 2018

Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cost: $15 per person: Check or cash accepted on day of workshop: Participants must pre-register. For information and to register, call: 479-789-5000

Local Historian to Visit Hobbs State Park to Describe

"Hipbillies and Guerilla Presses:

Forging a Social Network Across the Ozarks and Beyond in the 1970s"

Local historian and PhD, Jared Phillips, hails from Prairie Grove, Ark. He is currently writing "Hipbillies: Back to the Landers in the Arkansas Ozarks," under contract with the University of Arkansas Press.

Phillips describes his upcoming program at Hobbs State Park: "This presentation discusses the varied forms of communication utilized by the back-to-the-land community of the Arkansas and Missouri Ozarks during the 1970s. These in-migrants inserted themselves into regional and national conversations. Hipbillies were central to national policy shifts regarding pesticide use, cultural preservation, and more."

"Utilizing publications like the Ozark Access Catalog, Living in the Ozarks Newsletter, Mother Earth News, letters, and memoirs, this presentation shows how hipbillies, while living remotely, were not isolated in the hills. Indeed, they forged regular connections across the Ozarks in Arkansas and Missouri (and beyond) through these publications, all the while discussing high profile issues. Not only did they comment on these major topics, but they utilized the newsletters and magazines as a proto-social media system in order to ask questions about farming, Ozark folk culture and customs, land purchasing, childbirth, and more. This aided the creation of a vibrant community intent on forging a deep revolution aimed, in part, at breaking free from the mainstream, capitalist systems.

"Such an interpretation of the back-to-the-land community helps broaden our understanding of this unique social movement while further illustrating that the Ozarks were never truly isolated, nor isolating, for those who chose to move into the hills and hollows in the Arkansas-Missouri border country."

You will not want to miss this program on a very, very interesting time in our northwest Arkansas history.

When: Sunday, May 6, 2018

Time: 2 p.m.

Cost: Free

For information, call: 479-789-5000