Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Auditions Set For Area Youth

The Double `C' Extension Homemakers Club met Wednesday, June 19. Ruby Wicker called the meeting to order.

Mary Reaves was asked to tell about the trip our club sent me on to the EHC state meeting at Harding University in Searcy. Charlotte Gorman, our county Extension agent, Ruby Wicker and myself rode together. I brought back a stained glass angel, which I had made to show everyone. We went to meetings, curtain calls and classes.

We finished our business part of the meeting, then the hostesses, Carolyn Hicks, Celia Karmel, Margie Reed and Betty McBride, Carolyn and Celia talked on the state of Arkansas. Like they said, we know so little about our state.

On the shield of our state seal are a steamboat, a plow, a beehive and a sheaf of wheat, symbols of Arkansas industrial and agricultural wealth. The angel of mercy, the sword of justice and the goddess of liberty surround a bald eagle. The eagle holds in its beak a scroll inscribed with the Latin phrase "Regnal Populus" our state motto which means "The People Rule."

The seal was adopted in its basic form in 1864 and in its present form in 1907.

Our state flag was adopted in 1913. The 25 stars indicated that Arkansas was the 25th state admitted to the United States. The three large stars in the center stand for the three nations that have ruled Arkansas, Spain, France and the United States. Also, Arkansas was the third state formed from the Louisiana Purchase. The large star above Arkansas symbolizes the Confederacy which Arkansas was a part of from 1861-1865. The diamond formed by the 25 stars represents Arkansas as the only diamond-producing state in the union.

The state gem is the diamond; state tree -- the pine tree; state bird -- mockingbird; state flower -- apple blossom; state insect -- honey bee; state fruit and vegetable -- tomato; state instrument -- fiddle; state beverage -- milk; state mammal -- whitetail deer; state rock -- bauxite; state mineral -- quartz crystal; and state American folk dance -- the square dance.

We have 75 local governments called counties. We were given a lot of literature on Arkansas including an Arkanss map.

The hostesses served 13 members. We visited a while and were dismissed to go to our homes a lot wiser about our wonderful state of Arkansas.

-- Mary Reaves}