Saturday, April 15^th:  Activities from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Celebrate the 53^rd anniversary of Earth Day and the 100^th anniversary of Arkansas State Parks! Food trucks will be selling food and drinks.  A percentage of sales benefits the park.

9:00-11:00 a.m.: Birds and Breakfast: See live songbirds captured in the park by ornithologists and then help release the birds after learning more about them.   Breakfast snacks and beverages will be provided.  Event sponsors:  Bluebird Shed, 3-D Pet Products, and Friends of Hobbs.

9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.: Educational booths and kids crafts.  Come and go as you please.  Booths will be on the Ozark Plateau Trail next to the park’s visitor center.

11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Musical performance by WildHeart: Jan and George Syrigos love nature and singing!  Jan is a professional singer/songwriter with over 20 years’ experience, while George has been a professional vocalist for over 18 years.  Ribbit and roll with Jan to award-winning, toe tappin' nature tunes like Reptile Rap, Hairy not Scary and Jabber Jaws from their Critter Rock album.   They also produced an Emmy Award winning music video of six favorite Critter Rock tunes, which is also a winner of the Association of Conservation Information National Award.  WildHeart, their latest self-titled CD features Jan & George's wild variety of tunes including jazz, pop, swing, bluegrass, and rap - chock full of facts and fun about our natural world.  Wiggle with the Armadillo Alphabet, dance like an insect to the Buzzy Wuzzy Buggy Boogie, and make your mom squirm with Scit, Scat, Diddily Doo!   They will be selling their CD’s and DVD’s as well, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the park.

12:00-12:45 p.m.: Centennial recognition by Jeff King, Deputy Director of Arkansas State Parks, and Jay Schneider, Asst. Superintendent of Hobbs State Park.  Afterwards there will be free cupcakes and a ceremonial planting of Ozark chinquapin tree seeds.

1:00-1:45 p.m.:  Musical performance by WildHeart (see above for details)

2:00-2:45 p.m.: 100 Years of Arkansas State Parks: Join Park Interpreter Chris as we take a journey back to 1923 and the founding of the first Arkansas State Park, Petit Jean. Learn about our mission and how this state agency has grown over the past 100 years to include 52 parks.

For more information about this program, call the park office at 479-789-5000.

Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area

Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area is the largest of Arkansas’s 52 state parks. This day-use park includes a 54-mile trail system and is the only state park in Arkansas to allow regulated hunting.

Arkansas State Parks

Arkansas State Parks is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Arkansas state parks and museums cover 55,006 acres of forest, wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation facilities, and unique historic and cultural resources. Established in 1923, Arkansas State Parks preserve special places for future generations, provide quality recreation and education opportunities, enhance the state’s economy through tourism and provide leadership in resource conservation. Connect with ASP on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and visit ArkansasStateParks.com and ArkansasStateParks.com/media to learn more.

Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism

The Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism protects and promotes our state’s natural, cultural and historic assets, contributing to a thriving economy and high quality of life. It is made up of three divisions: Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Heritage and Arkansas Tourism. Mike Mills serves as the cabinet secretary for the department.