What’s New for 2016 in Arkansas’s Upper & Lower Delta

Bradbury Art Museum
Formerly known as the Bradbury Gallery, a generous donation by the Bradbury family allowed the space to be redesigned into a 5,200 square-foot exhibition space featuring five separate galleries. Now collections of artwork will be shown on a rotating basis, allowing a greater number of exhibitions and broader variety of artwork. Located on the ASU Campus in Jonesboro.
CONTACT: 201 Olympic Dr., Jonesboro, AR 72401, 870-972-2205, www.BradburyArtMuseum.org.

Sultana Disaster Museum
On the early morning of April 27, 1865, the Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis. It became America’s greatest maritime disaster, killing nearly 1,800 of the almost 2,400 passengers onboard. Many of those were former Union soldiers, on their way home following the end of the Civil War. The boat sank near Marion. The Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion is now in an interim facility that will be open until the permanent museum is completed. It houses a large, detailed replica of the Sultana, as well as photographs and artifacts relating to the tragic event.
CONTACT: 104 North Washington St., Marion, AR 72364, 870-739-6041, www.SultanaDisasterMuseum.org.

Visitor Center at Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home
The second phase of the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home project is slated to open in spring 2016. It includes a visitor center in the re-created Dyess Theatre and Pop Shop that once stood adjacent to the restored Dyess Colony Administration Building.

The front façade is restored and the remainder of the structure is being rebuilt. It will include a gift shop, additional exhibits and a multi-purpose space for orientation films, classes, meetings and special events. The theatre was built in 1947, after fire destroyed the original Dyess Colony Café and Shops building, and the Pop Shop was added shortly thereafter. In later years, Johnny Cash recalled that the Dyess Theatre was “where I went to the movies on Saturday night to see favorite pictures of Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, and all of them.” Cash reportedly sold popcorn at the theatre for a time, and later his brother Tommy served as a projectionist while in high school.
CONTACT: 110 Center Dr., Dyess, AR 72330, 870-764-2274, DyessCash.AState.edu.

Americana Music Triangle
Arkansas is a proud partner in the Americana Music Triangle, the first-ever comprehensive collection of historical, musical and cultural attractions that define the birthplace of our country’s greatest cultural export. Nine genres of music were “born” in the southeast section of the United States — Blues, Jazz, Country, Rock ‘N’ Roll, R&B/Soul, Gospel, Southern Gospel, Cajun/Zydeco and Bluegrass. The region is overflowing with the stories and songs, legends and landmarks, struggles and triumphs that created the country’s most powerful cultural export: the music heard all over the world.
CONTACT: www.AmericanaMusicTriangle.com.

Storm Creek Lake Recreation Area
In 2015, the Mississippi River State Park in Marianna began planning, developing and operating the recreational areas within the St. Francis National Forest, including the Storm Creek Lake Recreation Area in Helena-West Helena. The 425-acre Storm Creek Lake was constructed atop Crowley’s Ridge in east central Arkansas in 1938. It lies within the south end of the St. Francis National Forest, and two national scenic byways, the Great River Road and the Crowley’s Ridge Parkway, pass nearby. Swimming, fishing and hiking are available as are 14 campsites. A bathhouse with showers is located in the day-use area adjacent to the lake, which also has a barrier-free fishing pier.
CONTACT: 2955 Hwy. 44, Marianna, AR 72360, 870-295-4040, www.ArkansasStateParks.com/MississippiRiver.