Red River symposium will be ‘ZOOMED’

WASHINGTON – The 14^th Annual Red River Heritage Symposium will take place on Saturday, July 25 via a ZOOM meeting and will be hosted by Historic Washington State Park. The conference topics will focus around the topic of the migration of different groups of people, with emphasis on the “Trail of Tears” of the 1830s and its impact on the Great Bend Region of the Red River. The event will take place online via ZOOM.

Cost for attendance to the symposium is FREE. The timeframe for the event is 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm. Due to the online meeting, the Teachers Workshop and Symposium have been combined on the same day. Each speaker will have an hour session via ZOOM that you will be able to join online. Teachers attending all six sessions are eligible for six credit hours. Registration is required. Contact the park at 870-983-2684 to register by July 23 and provide a valid email address.

The morning sessions beginning at 9:00 a.m. are focused on resources for teachers for the classroom. Topics include: “Choctaw Youth Advisory Board and Students” by Angia Smith of Choctaw Nation, Oklahoma; “Universal Design for Students in the Classroom” by Melanie Thornton of Fayetteville, Arkansas; and “African American history in Arkansas History” by Christen Stanley of Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The afternoon sessions beginning at 1:00 p.m. are focused on research by different scholars. Specific topics and speakers include: “Choctaw and Chickasaw Removal through the Red River Region” by Dr. Dan Littlefield of Little Rock, Arkansas; “John Drennen: Immigrant and Agent of Immigration in Early Arkansas” by Tom Wing of Van Buren, Arkansas; and “Fort Smith: Migration and Morality” by Cody Faber of Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Registration is required to attend the sessions. Contact the park at 870-983-2684 to register by July 23 and provide a valid email address to attend the 14^th Annual Red River Heritage Symposium online via ZOOM on Saturday, July 25.

Historic Washington State Park, a restoration village preserving one of Arkansas’ most prominent 19^th century towns, is located on US 278 nine miles north of Hope and can be reached by taking Exit 30 off Interstate 30. For more information visit www.HistoricWashingtonStatePark.com or call (870)983-2684.