Small Town Tour

As they gallop across the field like young mavericks, it is no wonder that cousins Aaron Doddy and R.J. Williams are taking Hooks, Texas by storm.

I’ll be honest. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to feature about a community while tackling new places on our Small Town Tour. That’s why I love our listeners and the members of our online community! When in doubt, they take the reins and give us the scoop!

For many, Ramage Farms is synonymous with the thick steaks or mouthwatering barbecue their restaurants used to serve up. On Oct. 5, 2011, however, the Hooks restaurant burned to the ground when a grease fire started in the barbecue pit. Since then, residents, customers and old family friends have wondered if Brent Ramage would rebuild and start all over again.

As a teenager, I’d always heard how big the fish were at Millwood State Park, just nine miles northeast of Ashdown. But I don’t recall anyone mentioning the size of the alligators!

Located at the corner of Constitution Avenue and Main Street, the Two Rivers Museum welcomes visitors beneath a charming black sign with fanciful scrollwork. This place showcases the diverse story of a county caught between the Red and Little rivers, a community rich in history and abundant in earthy, hard-working people.

There’s something about the careful lines of a charcoal drawing, the expressive strokes of oil on canvas or the imaginative collaboration of mixed medium art that captures our imagination. Now is your chance to come connect with art on an emotional level during one of the biggest art shows in the region.

The paper mill has been a part of Ashdown living since 1968. It provides jobs to residents within a 100-mile radius of the community and is a valued contributor to its economic growth. But as changing technology threatens the future of the paper industry, will Ashdown lose one of its biggest assets?

Two women. Two missions. One town. The future of Ashdown, Ark. may lie in their hands.

When Herb McCandless opened Herb’s Creamland in Ashdown, Ark. in 1954, he could not have known that he would fuel the heart and soul of his community, one meal at a time.

For the past 41 years, New Bostonians have looked forward to August with great anticipation. No, not because of the sweltering heat, but because of the annual Pioneer Days and Rodeo, an event many proudly refer to as ‘The Hottest Festival in Texas.’

Folks love to talk about the people that came before them, whether they’re infamous outlaws, respected citizens or simply beloved kin. Sometimes, if we’re very lucky, we discover a treasure trove of old time photos that help tell the story of the community, like these from the early days of New Boston.

For a community with nearly 5,000 residents, New Boston has a great resource in their public library. But the facility is in dire need of either a new home or a major overhaul on the current building.