Rex and Paul offer end-of-summer musings, describe their recent farm-to-table expeditions, and discuss Paul’s award-winning pig from 4H days. Rex utters the oddest statement in the history of Chewing the Fat in reference to eating, “We had had enough,” as the boys celebrate dining experiences at Greers Ferry Lake, Palestine, Des Arc, De Valls Bluff, Pine Bluff, Pickens, McGehee, and Lake Village. And they tell about a couple of Mississippi and Tennessee trips, to Civil War battlegrounds at Vicksburg and Shiloh, and related foody experiences. As Paul says, “There may have been salads.” Paul’s haunting harmonica playing at Shiloh has stayed with Rex. If you listen, you can just make it out.

End of Summer Musings

In a special edition of Primary Sources, James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic, speaks about his book Our Towns, a vivid, surprising portrait of the civic and economic reinvention taking place in America, town by town and generally out of view of the national media.” This CALS’ J.N. Heiskell Distinguished Lecture for journalism took place Sept. 27, 2018.  The event was also sponsored by the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

James Fallows

This time, Rex and Paul chew the fat about their sojourn in western Arkansas (part one), starting at Texarkana and heading north. And admiring four beautiful lakes, checking out the museum at Ashdown, pondering the origins of the name De Queen and admiring cool things going on there, humoring Rex’s sore feelings about a football state championship of long ago, looking for Tom Cruise around Mena, not finding him but finding Ouachita Baptist University people everywhere, considering the uniqueness of border towns, and—of course—finding some great places to eat all along the way, especially Cattleman’s Steak House and Johnny B’s Grill in Texarkana and Stillwell’s Restaurant in De Queen.

Western Arkansas Sojourn, Part I

CALS Podcasts are a production of the Central Arkansas Library System.