NCEW's big convention in Little Rock: members may be rubbing elbows with presidential wannabes, couldabeens

Masthead, The,  Summer, 2008  by David Barham

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As of this writing, Mike Huckabee isn't on the ticket. Yet. Nor is Hillary Clinton. Yet. Nor Wesley Clark. Yet. Or the guy who hangs out at the gas station in Sherwood, Arkansas, waving at traffic and mumbling to himself. Yet. But you can hardly swing a dead cat around these parts without hitting somebody running for president, or at least vice president, these days. And 2008 being an election year, what better time to be in Arkansas in the fall?

We will, of course, invite General Clark, Chelsea Clinton's parents, and that part-time Saturday Night Live comic, Mike Huckabee, to the NCEW conference September 17-20. Theme: "The Next South, The Next America:' We have confirmation for Juan Williams to speak, and hope to get a few Karl Rove types, like Karl Rove himself, on the agenda as well.

But the pols and the commentariat are only half the story. If that.

Conference attendees will tour Central High School and its museum, discuss the effects of the newest wave of immigration, and tour the William J. Clinton Library. There will be discussions on the Little Rock Crisis of '57 and its continuing significance in law, history, and emotions; editorial endorsements (or non-); and a presentation of the NCEW Opinion Pool by our own Eddie Roth.

Of course, the convention will begin with the always-useful critique sessions (however painful and unflattering). NCEW University will be held again for early arrivers--Rick Horowitz is the dean. We've also hired a few bands to play during dinners and receptions. We're prepared to show off Arkansas' distinctive brand of food, music, and even the trolleys that'll get you around and about in downtown Little Rock.

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Bringing your Significant Other? It's a good year for that. The Spouse Tour will visit Hot Springs--an old haunt for Al Capone and Owney Madden, among other notoriosi, when they were taking a vacation from their deals you couldn't refuse in Chicago and points East. The tour will also take in bucolic Garvan Woodlands Gardens, McClard's mouth-watering barbecue, and our very own Oaklawn Race Track. Not a bad day, not a bad day at all. The walkers amongst you might want to try the Big Dam Bridge over the Arkansas River--reputed to be the longest pedestrian bridge in the country, world, and universe. It's surely the prettiest on a perfect fall day.

In Little Rock this year, expect a convention featuring many of Arkansas' favorite pastimes, from politickin' to singin', good eatin' and arguin' what's the best barbecue, and, of course, story telling. (Did we mention we're inviting both Clinton homme and femme?) And you might even see some dead cat swingin'. Come on down. There's not another place quite like it. We'd like to describe Arkansas in more detail, only it's kind of indescribable.

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David Barham is editorial writer for the Arkansas DemocratGazette. Email: dbarham@arkansasonline.com

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