Little River County, the city of Ashdown and the Little River County Courthouse will be the centerpiece of a sesquicentennial celebration Thursday and Friday.
"In addition to the county being 150 years old, Ashdown city will be 125 years old and the Little River County Courthouse itself will be 110 years old," Little River County Clerk Deanna Sivley said.
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LR Touchdown Club Banquet
Honoring college football players all over the state. Held at the Embassy Suites in West Little Rock, Thursday January 10.
Little River County got its name from the Little River, which flows into the Red River near Texarkana.
At 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the courtroom of the courthouse, the Ashdown High School drama class will perform a dramatization of a trial that could have been from that era. Tickets are $5.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sivley said a festival is scheduled at the courthouse square in downtown Ashdown with vendors and displays. School students are scheduled to perform.
A birthday cake for the county celebration will be served and state dignitaries will attend at 11 a.m. Friday.
Some workers from Historic Washington State Park will be on site for the event. "We plan to have a guide representing a U.S. Colored Troop of the federal army during the reconstruction days," said Leita Spears of Historic Washington State Park. "He will be dressed in uniform with accouterments and will demonstrate his equipment including loading and firing (blanks) during the day."
A Dutch oven cooking demonstration of typical food common in the South while recovering from the Civil War will be offered, Spears said.
"Games and toys of the period will be demonstrated so that young and old can try them out," she said.
"Twice during the day, 19th-century dances will be taught, and all will be encouraged to join in. The Ashdown High School theater department spent some time at Historic Washington State Park recently learning the dances so they can have a great time encouraging others to join in. And park staff will be dressed in clothing of the late 1860s," Spears said.
The Two Rivers Museum includes exhibits and artifacts of Southwest Arkansas and is home to a Civil War gun exhibit.
The Will Reed Museum in Alleene will also offer a variety of historical exhibits and will be open Friday from noon to 4 p.m.
The Rocky Comfort Museum in Foreman will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday.
For more information on the town, and events, call Sivley at 870-898-7210.
"Vendors are welcome. Just let me know," Sivley said.
Tickets for the trial will be available at the county clerk's office in the courthouse.