Free Range Conversations

Current Editor/Publisher Britt Talent sits down with former publisher Stan Sadler to discuss the rich history of the newspaper which is Cleveland County's longest-running business. The two, along with co-hosts Douglas Boultinghouse and Roy Phillips, cover topics ranging from the founding in 1888, to the changes in technology over the past century, and where they see the newspaper going in the futu...

RISON - Memories are a funny thing… and that’s what spurred this week’s Thanksgiving-themed episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast. With Thanksgiving feasts on many people’s minds, podcast co-host Roy Phillips thought he remembered a “turkey drop” happening from the old Phoenix Hotel on Main Street in Rison. What he thought was a turkey drop, not unlike those in Yellville, Arkansas or tho...

Lt. Wesley Hogan of New Edinburg recalled sitting in his office at the Fordyce Police Department around noon time on Friday, June 21, discussing possible lunch options with Police Chief Chad Hubanks and another officer when a call came across his radio about an active shooter at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce. All three officers sprang into action as Hogan recalled putting on his armored...

With the Christmas season quickly approaching, the Cleveland County Cares organization is gearing up to help children and families in need over the holidays. Melinda McKnight, director and fundraiser for the organization, joins in for a special episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast. Over the past several years, the fund has supplied hundreds of children and adults in the county with Chri...

Hosts Britt Talent and Douglas Boultinghouse discuss music icon Johnny Cash with his cousin and local historian Wayne Cash, alongside County Judge Jimmy Cummings. Topics include the Man in Black's landmark bicentennial concert in Rison and how the suit he wore that day has made its way back to the county. Wayne and Jimmy also share stories of being at the unveiling of the legend's statue at the Na...

Herald Editor Britt Talent, former Publisher and Historian Stan Stadler, and Man About Town Roy Phillips discuss the decades-long football rivalry between the Rison Wildcats and the Fordyce Redbugs!

People seeing ghosts? Bigfoot roaming the back roads of Cleveland County? Those are a couple of the stories discussed in this week’s episode. With the Halloween holiday fast approaching, the Free Range Conversation hosts decided to take a look at some the spooky stories from Cleveland County.

You never know what a casual conversation can lead to. Just ask Dustin Prescott and Brian Phillips, this week’s guests on the Herald’s Free Range Conversations podcast. While watching a preseason junior high football practice this summer, Prescott and Phillips said they were remembering some of the great players who have come through the Rison Wildcat football program when they came up with an ide...

The origins of this week’s Rison in the Fall festival can be traced back to an idea by the late Bill Ripling, the former mayor of Rison. Roy Phillips, who served as the lead promoter of the Rison in the Fall Festival for about 30 years, said Ripling wanted to do something special to celebrate the City of Rison’s 100th birthday after it was formally incorporated in August 1890. He appointed a commi...

Charles Esten is the star of many of your favorite movies and TV shows, but after his upcoming visit to Rison, he may just be the singer of one of your favorite songs too. The acclaimed actor, singer and songwriter sits down for the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast, joining Festival Director Douglas Boultinghouse, Festival Co-Founder Roy Phillips and Cleveland County Herald P...

During this week’s episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast, GRAMMY-nominated country music star Rissi Palmer recalls her first performance in Arkansas as she prepares to head to Rison as one of the featured performers at the Rison in the Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 12. Palmer chats with Festival Director Douglas Boultinghouse and Cleveland County Herald Publisher Britt Talent and remembe...

The guest on this week’s episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast may be making a name for himself on television and in Music City, but he grew up just a “hop and a skip” from Rison. Grant Bias, known professionally as BIAS, is a White Hall native who competed on the 2023 cycle of NBC’s The Voice making the Top 9 under the coaching of mentor Gwen Stefani. Bias joins podcast co-hosts Douglas...

RISON - As the Rison in the Fall Festival draws near (Oct. 12), rising star Marybeth Byrd joined in on the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to share some of her musical origins, and what she is looking forward to at this year’s festival. Byrd chats with Festival Director Douglas Boultinghouse, one of the festival’s founders, Roy Phillips, and podcast host and Cleveland County...

One of the newcomers at this year’s Rison in the Fall Festival, Matt Wilkerson of the band Last Call, joined in on the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast. Wilkerson, a White Hall resident, joins host Douglas Boultinghouse, who is the director of the festival, and festival founder and podcast co-host Roy Phillips. Rison Shine President Celeste Beatty fills in for host Britt Tale...

Rison Mayor Charles Roberts sits in to discuss all things Rison - past, present and future. Podcast host Britt Talent is joined by co-hosts Roy Phillips and Douglas Boultinghouse. Reflecting on growing up in Rison, Roberts and Phillips recall a time when there were five restaurants on Main Street, and just as many grocery stores. There were multiple service stations downtown and along the highway....

Marty Bowlin, president of the Pioneer Village, joins in on an episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast focusing on the historic property in Rison. Bowlin, affectionately dubbed the “Leader of the Village People,” by some of her volunteers has been on a mission to revive the property and get awareness out about the buildings and events featured at the Pioneer Village that date back to the 1...

Cleveland County Cares Coordinator and cancer survivor Melinda McKnight is urging current and former smokers to get a Low-Dose CT scan (LDCT) to screen for lung cancer in this week’s episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast. McKnight credits the preventative screening for saving her life as she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023 and is now in remission. She has since become an advocate...

In this episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast, Rison native Herschel S. Garner shares stories from his time as a U.S. Marshal during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Garner sits down with podcast hosts Britt Talent, Roy Phillips and Douglas Boultinghouse to tell how he ended up in history books as part of the school integration at McDonough #19 School in New Orleans, plus protecting Mart...

It’s not uncommon to come across people visiting Rison compare it to Mayberry, the fictional town that was the setting for the Andy Griffith Show. But there was a time, especially right after Prohibition ended in 1933 and the sale of alcoholic beverages was allowed nationwide, that Rison was anything but Mayberry. Stan Sadler, the former publisher of the Cleveland County Herald and the county’s un...

Les Walz, the former Cleveland County Cooperative Extension Service agent shares why he ran head first into competing in obstacle course and endurance events across the country. What started as a way to get in shape and bond with his son caused him to “catch the fever” and he has now completed events in Texas, at Notre Dame and more. He 'll head to Nashville this fall for another race, then hit th...

Not many people have floated the entire length of the Saline River from its origins north of Benton to its confluence with the Ouachita River, but Pat Jo Keegan of Cleveland County's Mt. Carmel community is among them. In this episode of Free Range Conversations, Keegan, who is the District 4 Justice of the Peace on the Quorum Court, explains how she developed a passion for the outdoors at an earl...

An in-depth conversation with one of the fall festival's founders, Roy, and current director, Douglas. Learn how Roy and others launched the event in 1990 for the town's 100th birthday, and how Douglas has transformed it into the premier event in Cleveland County as a music festival bringing names like Twitty & Lynn, Julie Roberts, Erin Enderlin, David Nail to Rison! Plus get all the details on th...

Meet your hosts, Britt, Roy and Douglas.