Riceland Hotel to get upgrades

[Erik Sine]

Riceland Hotel to get upgrades

By Bill Shrum

Daily Leader

Tue Oct 20, 2009, 02:37 PM CDT

Stuttgart, Ark. -

With the 74th Annual Wings over the Prairie Festival coming in Nov. 21 through Nov. 28, Marty Simpson, the Rules Chairman of the festival came up with an idea.

Simpson, who grew up in Stuttgart knew that with all of the local citizens and with the visitors coming from all over the country attending the festival, he wanted to do something special for them.

"We on the Grand Prairie know the importance of the Riceland Hotel as to what it means to history," Simpson said. "And Next year the festival will be 75 years old."

Simpson said he wanted to have the lights on the Riceland Hotel sign to be lit up during the festival for the visitors and the Grand Prairie citizens all to see.

"I just thought it would be a good thing for everyone involved," Simpson said. "That sign is well known by everyone young and old."

The first thing to do after the initial idea was to call Pat Ward, the owner of the hotel to inform her what he wanted to do and call the Historic Alliance, who is also in charge of the renovation to get the ball rolling, Simpson said.

"I then called Garland Derden of Derden Inc. and he had me to contact Arkansas Sign and Neon Co. in Little Rock," Simpson said. "I called them and they came to pick it up and service it."

Simpson said they are going to place the original color of the sign to make it authentic and the sign will return for the lighting ceremony in a few weeks for the unveiling.

"We are going to make a presentation to the chairman this year in a ceremony," Simpson said. "This is for everyone for Stuttgart and the Grand Prairie to see."

"The front of the Riceland Hotel will be cleaned before the lighting of the sign," Stephen Bell, executive director of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce, said.

The idea was originated from Simpson's love of the community and for everyone to become involved whether they were young or old with a sense of pride for the Grand Prairie.

"Everyone in the country knows about the Wings Over the Prairie Festival," Simpson said. "This just gives an extra special thing for it."