Aug
18
Dreamland Ballroom Mentioned in the Arkansas Democrat – Gazette
Filed Under AFB in Print, Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
The AR Democrat Gazette mentioned us in the paper this morning. It can be found on the front page of the Arkansas section –
PAPER TRAILS:
By Linda Caillouet
LIVIN’ THE DREAM:
Seems like a lifetime ago when, back in 1992, I wrote a feature on Kerry McCoy buying the historic Taborian Hall to house her business, Arkansas Flag and Banner.
She’s since dreamed of completely restoring it, especially the third-floor Dreamland Ballroom.
Renovation on the ballroom is set to begin Sept. 13. First on the list?
Leveling and securing the ballroom’s floor.
THANKS FOR SPREADING THE WORD!
Jul
21
Have you Noticed all the Flags at Half-Staff? New State Law Requires Flags to be lowered more often.
Filed Under AFB Press Releases, AFB in Print, AFB's Community Service, Current Events | Leave a Comment
Little Rock, AR – July 16, 2010 – As your driving around our wonderful state this summer you might have noticed how often the flags, both the US and Arkansas are at Half-Staff. A new law on the books requires that the Arkansas flag be lowered upon the death of a soldier killed in action.
Arkansas Code Annotated, Section 1-4-128, states “The State of Arkansas shall honor and pay tribute to a member of the armed services who is killed in action by lowering all state flags located on public buildings to half-mast from the time notice of the death of a member of the armed services is received and for a period of three (3) days thereafter.”
So with this new law and the existing Federal flag code, requiring the US flag be flown at half staff on the day of interment for a soldier killed in action, we are seeing both flags down much more often.
Kerry McCoy, President of Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com says, “Calls about the flag being at half staff is one of the questions we get the most. I really think it is wonderful that we now have a law that honors our fallen heroes, but it is hard for people to stay informed.”
Because of this law, Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com now offers flag alerts for Arkansas to go along with their national flag alerts.
“We have offered notifications for when to fly the US flag at half staff for years and it just made sense for us to now offer the state flag notifications for Arkansans that want to honor our fallen heroes”, says Kerry McCoy.
You can sign up for either of Arkansas Flag and Banners Half Staff Flag Alerts at http://www.flagandbanner.com/mlsubscription.asp or email brian@flagandbanner.com and ask to be added to their list.
For information: http://www.flagandbanner.com or
Contact: brian@flagandbanner.com
Phone: 1-800-445-0653
# # #
Jul
7
AFB on Fox16 News
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Fox16 News came out on last Saturday and did a nice story about Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com and the current state of the flag business.
You can see it HERE!
Jul
1
The Climate of the Flag Industry? It’s HOT!
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Little Rock, AR – July 1, 2010 – The 4th of July marks the un-official end of the flag season and this one has been a great one. Arkansas Flag and Banner, based in Little Rock, has experienced the best flag season in a number of years.
Kerry McCoy, owner of Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com says, “This is the best flag season we’ve had in several years. Considering we ship all over the country, our increased sales lead us to believe that the economy is improving.â€
“We do a large portion of our business in the months leading up to the 4th of July, what we call the flag season… that’s Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and then Independence Day on the 4th. The last few years have been off; we have not seen the type of growth we have become accustomed too. This year is different, we have seen a significant up-tick in sales.†says Kerry.
Arkansas Flag and Banner was established in 1975, is headquartered in Little Rock, AR, and has 25 employees.
Want to find out more, come down to Arkansas Flag and Banner this Saturday, July 3rd to visit with Kerry McCoy; she will be in the showroom personally helping customers with their last minute decorating needs. Kerry says, “I am expecting a banner day on Saturday!”
Their store is located at 800 W Ninth Street in downtown Little Rock.
For information: http://www.flagandbanner.com or
Contact: kerry@flagandbanner.com
Phone: 1-800-445-0653
# # #
May
13
PAPER TRAILS: Retro fun rolling into Little Rock
Filed Under AFB in Print, Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
BY LINDA CAILLOUET – Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
LITTLE ROCK — DATE WITH A DRIVE-IN: Back in the late ’80s, this columnist, then a young reporter, embarked on a quest to find a mystic relic from the past her generation had missed – the then-nearly extinct drive-in theater. Success was found at the Galaxy Drive-In in Hammond, La. Pity the younger generations who’ve never experienced one!
But the folks at Arkansas Flag and Banner and nonprofit preservation group Friends of Dreamland Ballroom, in their thinking-outsidethe-box quest to restore the historic ballroom atop the business’ downtown building, Taborian Hall, are reviving this American icon.
Beginning last Saturday and running through July 24, at 8:30 p.m. every other Saturday night, the parking lot behind the building at 800 W. Ninth St. will be transformed into an oldtime drive-in. Gates open at 7:30 p.m. and concessions of beer, soft drinks, hot dogs and more will be sold.
$20 a car or $5 a person for walk-ups. May 22, Reefer Madness/Sex Madness; June 12, Night of the Living Dead; June 26, The Outlaw; July 10, The Little Princess (Family Night); and July 24, The Fast and the Furious.
Paper Trails appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact Linda Caillouet at (501) 399-3636 or at lcaillouet@arkansasonline.com.
This article was published May 12, 2010 at 4:28 a.m.
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 05/12/2010
May
13
A Night of Blues with the Unseen Eye
Filed Under Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
Little Rock, AR-May 11th, 2010- Want to hear some blues from local musicians and an old timer that actually played the Dreamland Ballroom? The Friends of Dreamland Ballroom (a non-profit working to restore the ballroom at the top of Taborian Hall) presents “A Night of Blues” on Thursday, May 13 in Doc’s Pool Hall at 800 W Ninth St. (Arkansas Flag and Banner building).
The featured performers include: blues singer Gil Franklin; the Unseen Eye, with band members Chad Carter, Jobe Kara, and “Chicken” James Dorris, who performed in the Dreamland Ballroom during its glory days.
“Not only will this event be fun,” says Dreamland Chairman Kerry McCoy, “but we’re also hoping that we can educate people about the musical significance that Dreamland once played in Little Rock’s Jazz and Blues community.”
Doors open at 8pm and bands will go on at 9pm. It’s $7 at the door (and maybe bring a little extra cash for the donation bar!). All proceeds will go toward the Dreamland Ballroom renovation efforts.
Take a look at our Facebook Event
For information: http://www.dreamlandballroom.org or
Contact: friends@dreamlandballroom.org
Phone: 501-255-5700
May
10
Another perk of buying a brick for the Dreamland Ballroom is you have access to the Dreamland for photo shoots! Take your prom pictures, wedding pictures, fashion show photo shoots, theater and arts photos, and so much more. Unfortunately we can not do car shows in the dreamland, but you could try and drive a motorcycle up there (We want pics of that!!!)
Here are some recent shots of Chase Reid and his girlfriend, Sara Eldred for prom. Chase is a junior at Parkview High School and Sara is a senior at North Little Rock High School. These photos were taken April 23, 2010 the same day as the prom.
So buy a brick today and support the Dreamland Ballroom! We want you to enjoy it as much as we do. Help us bring the party back!
To book your photo shoot please call 1-501-255-5700.
Buy a brick here: http://www.flagandbanner.com/fab/productpage.asp?id=DREAMBRICKBIG
or print this off and mail: http://www.dreamlandballroom.com/images/stories/paver-proof.jpg
May
5
Drive-In Movies are Back in Little Rock
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Drive-In Movies are Back in Little Rock
May 5, 2010 12:00 AM
Kerry Kraus
NaturalStateBlogger@gmail.com
http://www.visitmyarkansas.com/kerry-kraus/default.aspx?id=573
How long has it been since you’ve been to a drive-in movie? For some people, the question is, have you ever been to a drive-in movie? Experience the nostalgia of the drive-in movie while helping a good cause this Saturday as the Friends of Dreamland Ballroom hosts the first of six showings.
The May 8 showing of Charade begins at sundown, approximately 8:30 p.m. The 1963 romantic thriller stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Concessions selling hot dogs, soft drinks, bottled water, Yarnell’s ice cream and Diamond Bear Brewery beer are on-site.
The screenings are projected on the back of the historic Arkansas Flag and Banner building, also known as Taborian Hall, with the audio broadcast through your car radio, courtesy of AV Arkansas. Viewers should find their spot in the rear parking lot behind Arkansas Flag and Banner.
The subsequent movies are going to be shown every second and fourth Saturday from May through September. According to Friends of Dreamland Ballroom, the movies to be shown cover a broad spectrum in hopes of having something for everyone.
Taborian Hall is one of Little Rock’s most important historic structures. During its heyday, the ballroom played host to Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra, B.B. King, Duke Ellington, Arkansas-native Al Hibbler, Nat King Cole and his Trio, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzie Gillespie, and Arkansas’s-own Louis Jordan.
Admission is $20 per car or $5 for walk-ups, who should bring their own lawn chairs. Arkansas Flag and Banner is located at 800 West 9th Street in downtown Little Rock. More information on the ongoing work on the ballroom, visit www.dreamlandballroom.org/.
Proceeds from the movie series go toward restoration of the ballroom. Other scheduled showings are:
May 22: Reefer Madness/Sex Madness (1936/1938 – two exploitation films)
June 12: Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero’s 1968 cult favorite)
June 26: The Outlaw (1943 Howard Hughes-directed film starring Jane Russell)
July 10: The Little Princess (1939 classic starring Shirley Temple)
July 24: The Fast and The Furious (1955 starring John Ireland)
Mar
4
Old ballroom to get new life
Filed Under AFB on TV, Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
By: Melissa Dunbar-Gates, Today’s THV
A famous old ballroom on top of the Arkansas Flag and Banner building in downtown Little Rock will soon be renovated.
THV’s Melissa Dunbar-Gates took a tour and spoke with building owner Kerry McCoy.
A non-profit group has been established to revive the facility; but they have a long way to go.
The room has incredible history. Can’t you just see a packed house, a full dance floor, and hear the trumpets of Luis Armstrong blaring. This room has been all kinds of things.
Originally built in the late 1800′s, it served as an African American USO club in both world wars; according to building owner McCoy a black fraternity used it to house women and children here in the great depression.
McCoy says, “I’ve had offers to turn it into a restaurant, turn it into apartments, to make a school out of it, but I’ve refused them all because I think it needs to stay exactly like it is be an event center for the community to use.”
According to McCoy the whole 9th Street corridor, where her building sits, used to be known as Little Rock’s “Little Harlem.” she said the street was lined with African America owned businesses on one side, and homes on the other side; and it is inside that old ballroom that African America entertainers came to play.
McCoy says, “A lot of the entertainers would perform at Robinson hall for the white people then stay in the hotel right next door and come up here to the ballroom and jam all night long.”
McCoy says, “I don’t want to do one single thing to it except make it safe and get an elevator up here. I want it to look exactly how it does.”
McCoy’s non-profit group needs more than a million dollars for the renovation. For a price you can have your name put on one of the box seats above the stage, or can have your name put on the stage, or the balcony in the back; and be a part of bringing the music and dancing back to the dreamland ballroom.
You can help make the Dreamland Ballroom renovation a reality by logging onto its website. There you can buy a brick for the new front sidewalk. Your name will be engraved in your brick.
Click Here to see the Video!
Mar
1
LR fundraiser among steps to revive historic ballroom
Filed Under AFB in Print, Current Events, Dreamland Ballroom | Leave a Comment
By L. Lamor Williams, Arkansas Democrat Gazette
LITTLE ROCK — A fundraiser for the Dreamland Ballroom didn’t go so well Saturday, but that didn’t dampen the spirit of a group working to raise $50,000 to restore the historic venue that’s hosted such icons as Duke Ellington, Etta James, Cab Calloway and Ella Fitzgerald.
“I forgot about the Razorbacks game,” Kerry McCoy said, laughing and slapping her forehead with her palm. “We’re going to swap out our PowerPoint presentation on Dreamland for the game.”
McCoy owns Arkansas Flag and Banner, which takes up the first two floors of 800 W. Ninth St. in Little Rock. She bought the historic building in 1992 and has been trying to restore the Dreamland Ballroom on the building’s third and top floor.
The ballroom was a social hub in segregated Little Rock when Ninth Street was home to a thriving black business district. Then, McCoy’s building was known as Taborian Hall.
McCoy said she’d hoped to have the ballroom reopened by 2000 but realized that she’d never be able to afford it on her own. Now, the nonprofit Friends of Dreamland board is working to raise money and restore the facility.
She said the $50,000 is to install sturdy hardwood flooring so that fund raising events can be held in the space. Saturday’s event was to feature paid tours of the historic venue, but only a handful of people stopped by between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the tours were offered.
“The reason I love the Dreamland Ballroom is because it’s the only building like it in Little Rock. I’ve had offers to turn it into apartments, a club, a school, but it really needs to stay an event center open to the public. There’s been times when I thought ‘boy I wish I’d gone ahead and turned it into apartments’ because I know events centers aren’t real profitable. But I’ve got a lot of energy, and I’m willing to put all that energy into making it work.”
Ann McCoy, Kerry’s mother-in-law said, while standing in the front hallway near the store, that the building has already come a long way.
“There used to be a big hole all the way through,” she said, noting that a person could see from the third floor down to the first through the opening. “My favorite thing now is the views from the big windows. You can see the Capitol building, Philander Smith [College], it just has a beautiful view.”
Today, the floor is covered with plywood panels, some not completely secured. The walls have peeling paint and exposed brick, and some of the 1930s-style architecture is still evident along the box seats and molding above the stage in the 8,000-square-foot space.
Kerry McCoy said she mailed 1,000 invitations to the event and invited another 400people via the online networking Web site Facebook. She said several people pledged donations but didn’t attend.
Information on how to donate or schedule a tour, and receive a history of the facility, is available at dreamlandballroom.com. Among the opportunities is purchasing a brick for $100 that will be engraved with the donor’s name and used to pave the walkway to the ballroom.
“We just need 500 people” to buy bricks, Kerry McCoy said. “But, hey, we’ll take what we can get. There’s not a single person that doesn’t come up here and see the Dreamland and fall in love with it. And I hope we can get some really community-minded people behind it. I love to tour it. I never get tired of showing the Dreamland Ballroom to people.”
This article was published February 28, 2010 at 6:04 a.m.
Arkansas, Pages 1 & 5 on 02/28/2010
Here is a link to the video that accompanied the story on Arkansasonline.com – VIDEO HERE