History will come home to Hempstead County when former President Bill Clinton serves as the guest speaker at the Chamber of Commerce awards banquet April 6 in Hope, Ark.
"This event reignites a sense of community; a sense of pride in the fact that we can claim Hope as the birthplace of a U.S. president," said Beckie Moore, executive director of the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce.
"The planning and implementation of anything of this magnitude does not happen if a community works in 'silos,' so this event calls for a lot of moving parts cooperation, collaborative efforts, partnerships, teamwork."
The media recognition alone is a plus for Hope and Hempstead County, but the event is also a chance to share the Chamber's mission and information with the audience, she said.
Each year, the Chamber raises funds through sponsorships and tickets for the annual meeting and banquet. When the community heard the news of the keynote speaker, the tickets to the banquet sold out in less than 12 hours. The revenue generated from this night will allow the Chamber to continue growing its programs and services throughout the county.
"People in Hope are extremely proud of our history. On this night, history will come home and will receive an outstanding welcome," she said.
Clinton is serving as guest speaker at no charge. "Think about this night as a true gift to our community because that is exactly what it will be," Moore said.
"This night is, once again, a reminder to many who might have forgotten that Hope is the birthplace of President Clinton. His birthplace is now known as the 'Birthplace Home National Historic Site,' she said.
"Since it has been a few years since the Clinton presidency, many people have become complacent in what that actually meant for our city, county and state. His homecoming generates a renewed passion and pride in our community and could cause eyes and ears to open as to the possibility of living and working in such a historic place. How far-reaching the impact of this night will be is yet to be seen," Moore said.
"The banquet sold out in less than 12 hours. We are staging the entire program in Hempstead Hall due to the amount of seating provided (1,600 seats). Therefore, it was quite evident that most people are ready to see President Clinton in Hope, Ark.," she said. "It is difficult to go anywhere without someone talking about the evening."
The theme of the evening is "Press On," she said.
Long before the Chamber invited President Clinton to return as keynote speaker, people in Hope and Hempstead County were "pressing on" towards a bigger and brighter future, she said.
In 2018, it was a yearlong bicentennial celebration for Hempstead County. Historic downtown Hope became a part of the Main Street Arkansas Program, "which allows us to press on towards downtown business revitalization and historic preservation."
"We have celebrated industrial growth, retail development, city and county projects, educational endeavors, advancements in health care and the recent soft opening for our new Hempstead County Library. We have also applauded the services provided by a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Hope and Hempstead County know what it means to press on towards the betterment of the community. We are, in fact, in the beginning stages of a five-year strategic planning process," she said.
Moore expects Clinton's speech to inspire the Chamber to focus even more on its goals.