Arkansas State Archives Fall 2025 Symposium

On Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm, the Arkansas State Archives will hold its fall symposium titled, “Tales and Tunes: A Celebration of Arkansas Music.” The symposium will be held at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and will feature a variety of speakers and performers who will explore Arkansas’ history of music from African American gospel music to Ozark folk music.

Brooks Blevins, Professor of History from Missouri State University, will discuss the Arkansas origins of the Grand Ole Opry. Jeff Gover, co-host of Ozarks Highland Radio and staff member at the Ozark Folk Center, will play archival recordings of performances by legendary folk musicians at the Ozark Folk Center and talk about the historic background of those recordings. Thomas Jacques from the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas, will tell the story of the King Biscuit Radio Hour and its impact on the development of Delta Blues music. Music duo, the Creek Rocks, will give a presentation about field recordings of folk musicians in the Ozarks they have studied and then perform their own interpretations of the songs. Stephen Koch, host of the radio show Arkansongs, will give an account of the life of the legendary early rhythm and blues singer Louis Jordan of Brinkley, Arkansas, and will perform some of his most widely known songs.

Lunch will be provided and registration is required. Those interested in attending can register here: The event is free to the public and free parking is available at the museum. Teachers can receive up to three hours of continuing education credit for attending the symposium.

One of the oldest existing state agencies in Arkansas, the Arkansas State Archives was created as the Arkansas History Commission (AHC) by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1905 to serve as the official archives of the state. Since then, the Arkansas State Archives has been responsible for collecting and preserving the official records and historical materials for the State of Arkansas. In 2005, the state archives acquired the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives (SARA) in Washington, Hempstead County, Arkansas, as its first branch location. The state archives' second regional branch, the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives (NEARA), was built in 2011 in Powhatan, Lawrence County, Arkansas.

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