Free Range Conversations

At the third meeting as part of a series of community-focused efforts, Rison Shine has set two dates to clean up properties along the main routes of Rison with hopes to make them more attractive to visitors. Clean-up dates have been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 4. The goal is to have properties cleaned up in advance of the Rison in the Fall Festival (Oct. 18) and additional events being planned for the fall and the upcoming Christmas holiday season. Rison Shine volunteers are working with Mayor Charles Roberts to identify the properties that need to be cleaned up, and notify owners of unkempt and/or abandoned properties. To discuss the mission, Rison Shine President Kristy Strother and Secretary/Treasurer Douglas Boultinghouse joined Free Range Conversations podcast hosts Britt Talent and Roy Phillips to invite the community to join the clean up efforts.

RISON - With the annual Cleveland County Fair kicking off next month, Fair President Roy Phillips and Fair Manager John Appleget joined the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast. Chatting with co-hosts Britt Talent and Douglas Boultinghouse, the fair officials break down the schedule, answer exhibit questions and shares how much money you could make by entering the fair.

Rison Shine Community Development will kick off the fall season and fair month with the Rison BBQ Cook-Off Saturday, Sept. 6 at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. The unique event combines a classic barbecue cook-off (and $1,000 prize) with a concert from the popular Arkansas-based band Midnight South. The band, which previously performed at the Rison Fall Festival in 2023 opening for David Nail, is known for its blend of original music and covers that harken back to the sounds of 90s country and Southern rock. Rison in the Fall Director Douglas Boultinghouse, as well as co-hosts Britt Talent and Roy Phillips, welcomed BBQ Expert and Rison Mayor Charles Roberts, as well as Matt Sammons and J.L. Jones from Midnight South to the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast.

Is the Cleveland County Courthouse at Rison haunted? Paranormal investigator Larry Flaxman thinks it is. Flaxman, who describes himself as a “paranormal theorist” on his website, recently conducted an investigation at the courthouse one Saturday and came away with what he called some of the best evidence he has come across in his 30 years of looking into the paranormal.

During his career, Flaxman has appeared on several national television and radio shows related to the paranormal, and has also written several books on various topics related to the subject. With a background in physics, Flaxman said he likes to take a scientific approach to his investigations. He revealed the findings of his courthouse investigation to hosts Britt Talent and Douglas Boultinghouse, and County Judge Jimmy Cummings and County Clerk Brandy Herring during a recording of the Free Range Conversation podcast.

Common interests in biking and fitness brought together a group of friends across Cleveland County. What started as casual bike rides gradually rolled into the formation of the Cleveland County Cyclopaths club. Three of the clubs members, Les Walz, Bruce Grubb and Alicia Woody, sat down for the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast with hosts Britt Talent and Douglas Boultinghouse. Roughly four years ago, Walz began riding bikes with Travis Bell, alongside Lauren Threlkeld who was training for The Broken Sword sprint triathlon in Clarksville.The Cyclopaths aim to ride at least twice a week, typically Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings prior to attending church.

According to Grubb, the Wednesday rides range from 8 to 12 miles, but the Sunday rides go longer around 20 miles. Looking for longer rides, they have been frequent riders in the Cruisin’ Cleveland County Bike Ride, which held its third annual event this past June. The local group of riders will be part of the planning for next year’s event.

Rison Shine will be hosting a community meeting on business development within the City of Rison at 6 p.m. Monday, July 28, at the Hall-Morgan Veterans Building in Rison. In advance of the meeting, Rison Mayor Charles Roberts sat down for the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast with hosts Britt Talent, Douglas Boultinghouse and Roy Phillips. The four delved into Rison Shine's community development efforts, stemming from the renewed interest and excitement as a result of the last community meeting held in June.

Caring for animals is a trait most people share. Caring for several animals at one time is not as common, but that’s what Mark and Penny Pitchford are doing with local rescue nonprofit, Rison Paws for a Cause.

Penny Pitchford shared some of the tales (and wagging tails) of the animal rescue’s efforts in-and-beyond Rison in this week’s episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast.

Chatting with co-hosts Britt Talent, Douglas Boultinghouse and Roy Phillips, Pitchford said the rescue currently provides for around 25 dogs.

Six of the dogs are housed in the rescue’s kennels provided by the City of Rison, some are fostered by individuals because the kennels are full, which leaves the majority of the animals living with with Pitchfords at home.

Since announcing plans to create a “farm stop” in Rison in the near future, there has been an uptick in interest for local produce and craft sales. Britt Talent, publisher of the Herald and organizer of the Arkansas Homesteading Conference, shares more about this adventure in the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast with co-hosts Roy Phillips and Douglas Boultinghouse. With the regular Rison Farmers Market wrapping up its season with the Food Truck Friday events in August, having another outlet for vendors to sell their products on a regular basis will be the primary perk of the farm stop.

Following the public interest meeting held Monday by Rison Shine Community Development, the moderators of the three topics sat down for a recap episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast with Rison Mayor Charles Roberts.

Britt Talent, Les Walz and Douglas Boultinghouse discussed their findings from the groups they spoke with at the meeting. With the podcast, they gained the mayor’s perspective on what the next steps might be to make them a reality.

The mayor shares that new business opportunities could be seen as soon as six months. The discussion also leads to a semi-debate over the pros and cons of allowing alcohol within city limits and whether the community would be open to the idea.

Rison’s premier event, the Rison in the Fall Festival will celebrate its 35th year Saturday, Oct. 18 with a headlining show from acclaimed country artist Sunny Sweeney bringing her honky-tonking Rhinestone Requiem Tour to Rison, Arkansas. Rison Shine Community Development, Inc. is excited to welcome Sunny Sweeney to Rison, where she will perform her hits “From A Table Away,” “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving,” and new music such as “Diamonds & Divorce Decrees,” from her new album “Rhinestone Requiem” to be released August 1 prior to the festival. Sweeney will be joined on the Rise Up Rison stage by special guests Thom Shepherd, Coley McCabe and Ernie Halter, as well as Arkansas-based talents Copper Flats and Laura Caroline. “We’ve got a great lineup of music planned for this year’s festival,” said Douglas Boultinghouse, festival director. “We’ve got one of traditional country music’s torch-carriers with Sunny, a powerhouse hit-songwriting duo with Thom and Coley, the brilliant multi-genre crooner Ernie Halter, rising trio Copper Flats making their mark in Nashville, and Cleveland County’s own Laura Caroline!”