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South Arkansas
June 25, 2014
EADER Splash
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MusicFest XXVII Kick-Off Party scheduled for tomorrow night
SMACKOVER — The Smackover Chamber of Commerce hosted the 43rd Annual Oil Town Festival last weekend from June 19 to June 21, featuring a number of events, attractions and contests. The Oil Town Festival is one of Arkansas’ oldest festivals, launched in the early 1970s to commemorate the area’s oil boom heritage, featuring contests such as the Drill Bit Toss, Pipe Tote and Rod Wrenching. Other festival contests include the 5K Oil Run, Oil Town Dog Show, Turtle Race and Arm Wrestling Competition. As well, the festival is home of the famed Yellow Duck Race down No Name Creek, with Taking the Plunge: Alyssa Atkinson
FEST
Blood drive scheduled – p. 8
Town Festival’s Tug of War competition on Saturday, June 21.
takes one for the team as she splashcontinued on Page 7 es into No Name Creek during the Oil
— Brooke Burger / South Arkansas Leader
Murphy USA sends Special Olympics athletes to N.J. On the first day of summer, June 21, five Special Olympics Arkansas athletes returned home to El Dorado to a welcoming crowd after a week-long trip to represent the state in the national 2014 Special Olympics USA Games in New Jersey. Murphy USA sent the following athletes to and from the event on its Cessna Citation jet: Chase Burns, of for track and field; Charles CrockParkers Chapel, for Unified Sports ett, of Magnolia, for power lifting; softball; Dion Rose, of Magnolia, Drake Hornton, of Little Rock, for
Unified Sports softball; and Derek Smith, of Cabot, for Unified Sports softball. The athletes flying on the Murphy USA jet represented five of 85 Special Olympics Arkansas athletes attending the national games. The group left El Dorado on June 14 for the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games, the third Special Olympics National Games
Olympics continued on Page 12
Main Street El Dorado will host a MusicFest Kick-Off Party, announcing the title sponsor and headline acts for the 27th annual MusicFest El Dorado at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, June 26. The announcement will be made via a video presentation at 6 p.m. at the South Arkansas Arts Center, located at 110 East Fifth St. The event is free and open to the public with a special invitation from MSE to all past and present sponsors and volunteers. Refreshments will be served. In 2013, MusicFest XXVI attracted record crowds and was awarded Arkansas Festival of the Year for a record fifth time, winning in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Last year’s MusicFest was highlighted by performances from Bret Michaels, Justin Moore and Julie Roberts. El Dorado Chemical Company has served as title sponsor of the event for the past seven years. For more information, contact Main Street El Dorado executive director Mark Givens at 870.862.4747 or mainstreet eldorado@suddenlinkmail.com. More information can also be found at mainstreeteldorado.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/ mainstreeteldorado.
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