31 May 2022 Holyfield Place in Morrilton Dedicated

Posted at 6:58 PMh in News by

By Morgan Zimmerman

Members of the community, city and county officials, and the Morrilton Eclipse Planning Committee officially kicked off the 2024 eclipse planning effort with a ribbon cutting on April 8 at 1:30 p.m., exactly two years from the day and time that Arkansas cities in the path of totality will experience four minutes of total darkness. Morrilton is one of those cities.

Morrilton 2024 Eclipse planning committee co-chairs Former Conway County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Trafford, safety and logistics(from left); Conway County Judge Jimmy Hart; Arkansas Sky Observatory Director Dr. Clay Sherrod; Morrilton Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer; Main Street Morrilton Board President Courtney Martin, small business support; Morrilton Rotary Club Vice President and Morrilton Civic Alliance Representative Jenny Night, lodging; and Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce Chair Stephanie Lipsmeyer, infrastructure planning.

Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer unveiled an electronic eclipse countdown sign that will be on display at city hall, and Conway County Judge Jimmy Hart called on the community to volunteer. The crowd then heard from Dr. Clay Sherrod, Arkansas Sky Observatory director, about the significance of the astrological event. “This is the exact time in two years that it will get instantly dark,” Sherrod said. “There’s no twilight in an eclipse. It’s going to last four minutes and 16 seconds. That’s what is so special about this one. This is the longest eclipse on American soil in centuries … four minutes of total darkness in the middle of the day.”

Main Street Morrilton Board President and committee co-chair Courtney Martin closed the event by echoing words from Arkansas Parks and Tourism’s Kim Williams. Martin said, “Communities across Arkansas are all going to be working together. We are not going to be competing against each other because there will be so many people and so much love to spread around.”

Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce Director and committee co-chair Stephanie Lipsmeyer also explained the significance of the location that was chosen for the kick-off event. The now-vacant lot, where the historic Mitchell building once stood before burning down in 2009, is the future site of Wayland Holyfield Place. Holyfield Place is a planned mixed-use park being constructed downtown. The park is one of many improvement projects taking place across the city and the county to prepare for the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected for the eclipse.

Rendering of Holyfield Place

“Wayland Holyfield is a songwriter who has penned 14 No. 1 country hits in his long career,” Lipsmeyer said. “He now lives in Nashville, Tenn., but is a native of Conway County and is still very much engaged here and calls this place his home.” She added that Holyfield also wrote “Arkansas You Run Deep in Me,” the state song, and in 2021 he donated the rights to the song to the Arkansas Community Foundation.

The Wayland Holyfield Place project will pay tribute to Holyfield and his contributions to the music industry with commemorative plaques and educational installations. It will feature a covered pavilion/stage, splash pad, play structures, and outdoor eating areas. The park will be accessible to the public year-round and will serve as a gathering place for people who are shopping, eating, and working downtown. Future programming planned for the space includes the Main Street Morrilton First Thursday Farmers’ Market, the Annual Munchin on Main Street Food Truck Festival, and other outdoor events.

The project is a joint effort between the Conway County Economic Development Corp., the Chamber, Main Street, and the City and is being funded by a combination of grants, private donations, and public funding. 

Anyone interested in volunteering for the eclipse planning committee can contact the Chamber at 501.354.2393. For more information about the Wayland Holyfield Place project, visit mainstreetmorrilton.org/hplace.