30 Apr 2018 501 LIFE marks 10th anniversary

Posted at 6:15 PMh in News by

This month’s edition of 501 LIFE celebrates the 10th anniversary of the magazine’s launch.

“It’s been 10 years since the creation of a magazine that celebrates greater Central Arkansas, its wonderful people, its scenic places and all the incredible things that make the 501 an outstanding place to live, work, worship, do business, get an education and play,” said Sonja J. Keith, editor and co-publisher.

501 LIFE is celebrating its 10th anniversary with its May edition, which features on the front some of the Top 10 covers as voted on by the magazine’s editorial boards, contributors and advertisers.

501 LIFE was launched on April 21, 2008, in an event in Downtown Conway. Initially, the magazine was 60 pages and 8,000 copies were printed.

“Going back to 2008, the economy was less than appealing,” said Donna Spears, co-publisher. “We quickly found that the relationships we built over the years in the business world and the encouragement to move forward would ultimately help us make our final decision. Our friends, family, contributors, editorial boards, designers and everyone in between would be ‘our village.’ They would be our eyes and ears in the 501 communities.”

The May edition, which features 96 pages with 14,000 copies printed, was unveiled at an anniversary celebration on Thursday at the new Legacy Acres near Conway. At the event, Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry read a proclamation naming April 26 as “501 LIFE Day.”

“What a beautiful place to celebrate our 10th anniversary,” said Sonja. “We really appreciate the mayor for his proclamation and our wonderful editorial board members who put the event together. Guests were treated to music provided by Jim Skelton and the Conway Institute of Music, wonderful food by Jill McCollum and a delicious cake from Julie’s Sweet Shoppe. We had a wonderful time celebrating with our 501 Team, advertisers, friends and family.

“Donna and I have much to be thankful for as we reflect on the last 10 years – our faithful readers, our talented team, our supportive editorial boards and our fantastic advertisers. We have also been blessed with dear family and friends who have shared this journey with us. We want to express our appreciation to each for their support.

“We are ‘Loving LIFE’ and are excited about the next 10 years and beyond. Happy birthday 501 LIFE!”