Free Range Conversations

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...

Beginning this week, the Rison Clinic of Mainline Health Systems will welcome a new addition with Dr. John Austin Beatty joining the staff full-time. Dr. Beatty joins renowned Dr. Kimberly Golden, who was named 2024 Best Medical General Practitioner by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, at the clinic as a second provider. He has previously worked for Mainline’s Warren clinics since 2023. His move to R...

When it comes to first aid, people may not think about the the need to administer first aid to an animal. Kim Bradley recently relocated to Southeast Arkansas from the Bay area of California and brought her Paws4Safety mission with her, “Because moments matter.” To reach more people with tips and safety advice geared towards caring for pets, Bradley has launched a weekly column in the Cleveland Co...

This week marks five years since Malinda Berry opened her florist My Berry Patch in the Emerson House on Main Street in Rison - the oldest structure in town still standing, built in the 1890s. To reflect on the past five years, as well as her childhood memories of Rison before moving to Arizona with her family at age 14, Berry joins the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast. After...

One evening of highlighting a decade of accomplishments for Kickstart Cleveland County reignited a spark for Dr. Mark Peterson. The retired professor of community and economic development from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service had more wisdom and ideas for the kickstart initiative. After speaking at the celebratory banquet, the professor stayed in the county for a special ep...

The third annual Cruisin’ Cleveland County Bike Ride is set to roll Saturday, June 14. Co-organizers Darren Austin and Rison Mayor Charles Roberts, join the latest episode of Free Range Conversations to talk about the ride and share some exclusive news regarding the event! The ride itself begins at 7 a.m. at Rison’s Pioneer Village. After checking in at 6:30 p.m., riders will take off on one of fi...

Lauren Threlkeld returns to the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to share her experience competing in the IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon last month, and a glimpse at her next adventure. Threlkeld set out for Galveston, Texas to conquer the triathlon series, which is the world’s premier half-distance series consisting of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run. Mother n...

Woodlawn High School Principal (and Woodlawn School Alum) TJ Hill joins hosts Britt Talent and Douglas Boultinghouse to discuss the upcoming May 13, 2025 school election which asks for a millage increase to help fund projects at the school including a new career technology center.

RISON - When you’re in need of help during an emergency - such as a fire or a car accident - the local firefighters are the ones most likely coming to your rescue. And now, the firefighters are the ones needing your help. Assistant Fire Chief Bruce Grubb and Firefighter Keden Shrum join the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to talk about some of the needs for the Rison Volunte...

For anyone who has ever been interested in selling their own food products in retail stores, or even locally at markets and events, a resource to make it happen is right here in Rison. David Hill, a program associate with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension in the Food Systems and Food Safety Division, joins the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to discuss the Sha...