By Janie Lee  
Senior Marketing Student at the University of Central Arkansas and Arkansas PBS intern

Wilmar June Dinner: A Juneteenth Celebration

By Guest Blogger Janie Lee

The small town of Wilmar, located in southeast Arkansas, holds one of the longest-running Juneteenth celebrations in Arkansas history and has been celebrated since the late 1800s. Arkansas PBS captured the history and relationships that draw people back to Wilmar year after year in a new documentary short, “Wilmar June Dinner,” produced as part of the Arkansas PBS series "Celebrating Arkansas."

In support of National Autism Acceptance Month, Arkansas PBS will present “Autism Amplified: Acceptance Through Communication,” a special designed to inform and raise awareness about autism, Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m., and livestreaming at myarpbs.org/watch or in the PBS App.  

The solar eclipse was TOTALly amazing! Arkansas PBS Passport gives you a chance to relive that moment, as well as take informed journeys through space. Go back in time with Apollo 11; learn the history of the rocket; and discover the secrets of space with Arkansas PBS Passport.

HOW TO WATCH

Did you know April 7 is National Public Television Day? We’re proud to celebrate with all of you! YOU are the reason for the work we do to serve Arkansas - and the reason that 350 other public television stations across America do the same. You are the support system that keeps us going each day.  

For our history buffs and PBS super fans, we thought we’d share a bit about how public television started, and some little known or new facts about Arkansas PBS. And don’t miss the end where we give you a sneak peek at what’s coming up!  

ABOUT PUBLIC TV

We are beyond excited for the total solar eclipse headed over Arkansas on April 8. We’ve all heard about it, but what is it about?

We’ve put together a little bit of background information for you, and a run-down of how you can make the most out of this monumental event with a special broadcast and livestream from four strategic Arkansas locations.

See more of your favorite fifth-grade detectives this Spring Break with encores of all 20 episodes of “Mystery League.”

Follow the adventures of Millie, Mike and Marta as they attempt to solve the never-ending mysteries of the fictional small Arkansas town of Mulberry Springs. Episodes will air through the next seven days on Arkansas PBS, giving you another chance to catch these detectives in action.

Learning from Children
“Why are we doing this?”

I sometimes heard the question “Why are we doing this?” from students when I taught in the classroom. And it’s a valid question. Sometimes, learning takes place when we don’t even know it.

What does learning look like to you? As a teacher, I tried to engage my students in learning by designing relevant content, creating interactive learning experiences and making real-world connections. It worked most of the time, but my students were most engaged when I listened and learned from them.

The Big Time
Writers’ rooms are places of legend. For shows like “Saturday Night Live,” “Seinfeld” or countless others, writers’ rooms are where colorful and storied careers begin. For TV writers, the chance to work in a writers’ room is “The Big Time.” This is what made the formation of Arkansas PBS’ “Mystery League” writers’ room such a special occurrence.

Purple Mystery Mash. Robot Teachers. Helpful Heroes. Crop Circles. Whew! The “Mystery League” detectives have been busy going places and solving cases, but who I am is no mystery. My name is Prentice Dupins, Jr. I work at Arkansas PBS as an education and instruction coordinator, and let me tell you, being part of “Mystery League” was a blast! Come with me now to learn all about how this amazing Arkansas PBS-original series was created.

Doing My Part