Free Range Conversations

Sheriff Candidate Brad Young talks his campaign and law enforcement history ahead of the March 3 election.

Cleveland County's Chief Deputy Clerk Rosemary Sinclair talks her campaign for the position of County Judge in the upcoming March election.

The 2026 Republican primary for Cleveland County Sheriff marks a significant turning point as long-time Sheriff Jack Rogers prepares for retirement. On the Free Range Conversations podcast, candidate Keden Shrum—a former Oklahoma law enforcement lieutenant and current minister for the Church of Christ in Rison—outlined his vision for the department. Shrum’s platform centers on community policing,...

Free Range Conversations Podcasts Hosts Britt Talent, Douglas Boultinghouse and Roy Phillips recap some of the biggest stories of 2025, plus look ahead to things coming in 2026.

The annual "Christmas in the Village" event in Rison is shifting from a Saturday to a nighttime weeknight celebration to boost participation, starting on Thursday, December 4th. This main night includes a $20 Leon’s Catfish Fish Fry Fundraiser, a free Holiday Vendor Market (donations appreciated), and Cleveland County Cares Christmas Bingo. The evening will also feature Christmas Concerts by the R...

The Cleveland County Cares fund is launching its annual campaign to support local children and families, extending its aid far beyond the holidays. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit, operating under the Pioneer Village umbrella, began as an initiative to buy Christmas gifts for foster children but has since expanded to serve the entire county, including the Woodlawn and Kingsland areas. Melinda McKnight, a...

The historic Wesley Chapel Church in Randall, Arkansas, is being saved from potential demolition by a dedicated community restoration effort, spearheaded by Morgan King, whose late grandfather was the last person buried there. Motivated by a love for preserving old things and the fact that the 1872 church remains on its original site, King "crashed" a reunion considering the demolition to rally su...

Rison Shine Community Development, Inc., is kicking off a Shop Local Christmas Campaign beginning Tuesday, Nov. 4 with the Holiday Open House and Market on Main Street. The campaign also includes a continuation of the popular scavenger hunt from the Rison in the Fall Festival. Host and Rison Shine officer Douglas Boultinghouse navigates this special Christmas episode including guests Malinda Berry...

Superintendent Davy King and the Cleveland County School Board held its second community meeting on the proposed 6-mill tax increase to fund construction of a new gym Monday evening inside the Rison gymnasium. King was a special guest on the Herald’s Free Range Conversations podcast this week to provide details about the millage and how it would support the construction of a new gym at the Rison S...

Country music star will headline this Saturday’s Rison in the Fall Festival with a free concert to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the festival, and the release of her newest album, Rhinestone Requiem. The country music traditionalist will take the Rise Up Rison Stage at 7 p.m. to wrap up the festival. Sweeney recently joined Festival Director Douglas Boultinghouse and Festival Founder Roy Phill...

Musician Ernie Halter joined Douglas Boultinghouse, Director of the Rison in the Fall Festival, along with festival founder Roy Phillips and Rison Shine Community Development President Kristy Strother, for the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to discuss his upcoming performance on Saturday, Oct. 18, and his career. When asked about his musical style, Halter admits it's hard t...

While the community meetings that began over the summer were initially hosted by Rison Shine, the final meeting held Monday evening expanded more into an overall Kickstart Cleveland County mission focusing on events and recreation countywide. Recapping the meeting for the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast, Britt Talent is joined by Douglas Boultinghouse, an official with Rison...

Thom Sheppard and Coley McCabe, the dynamic duo known as Thom and Coley, are gearing up for a performance at 35th annual Rison in the Fall Festival. The couple will be bringing their unique blend of country, folk, and "Beach Country" music to the stage, Saturday, Oct. 18. In this week’s episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast, the pair discussed their journey, from their separate paths to...

The Rison in the Fall Festival is excited to bring rising country trio, Copper Flats, to the Rise Up Rison stage at this year’s festival on Saturday, October 18 with a performance at 2:30 p.m. The Arkansas-based band, which formed earlier this year as a side project, has quickly made a name for themselves, securing a deal with Rock Ridge Music Nashville, two booking agents, and even performing at...

One of Cleveland County’s own will be making the leap from attendee to performer at this year’s Rison in the Fall Festival, set for Saturday, Oct. 18 in Downtown Rison. Laura Caroline was born in Rison, but grew up in Kingsland attending elementary school, before her family relocated to Northern Arkansas. Despite the move, Laura never lost her Cleveland County roots where she learned to sing in ch...

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...

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, i...

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...

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...

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 co...

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...

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 r...

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 perspectiv...

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...