Days in El Dorado

Local educational icon dies at 91 Marzell Smith remembered as soft-spoken sage who inspired community with love By: Joan Hershberger – El Dorado News-Times   A chapter in El Dorado history came to a close on the final day of 2013 with the passing of Marzell Smith at the age of 91. A soft-spoken woman, she impacted the community through her passion for education and

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Paying back: El Dorado native honors mother, community with annual food giveaway By Tia Lyons tlyons@eldoradonews.com Giving back and helping others were principles that were instilled in Rance Olison while growing up in the Fairview Addition in the 1960s. Under the watchful eye of his mother, the late Carrie Buggs, and the adults in the tight-knit community, Olison absorbed the many lessons they taught, and he is passing     them

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By JOAN HERSHBERGER For The Sunday News     EL DORADO — Go back in time to a smiling shop keeper who works from dawn to dusk, doing whatever it takes to support his family. Go back in time and remember when real leather shoes could be repaired, re-soled or re-heeled to wear again. Go back — but only for a couple of more weeks — to the Trinca Shoe Shop in El Dorado, opened in 1936

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Outstanding students make local history Davis and Griffin EHS’s first black valedictorian, salutatorian By: Tia Lyons – El Dorado News-Times Victoria Davis, left, and Cordell Griffin, both of El Dorado High School, were honored at a reception at the Elks Club Friday evening. Davis was valedictorian and Griffin was salutatorian of this year’s graduation class at EHS. When Victoria Davis and Cordell Griffin walked

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‘The pride of South Arkansas’ CNN story lists El Dorado among ‘best small town comebacks’ By: Tia Lyons – El Dorado News-Times   A view of downtown El Dorado at the corner of Main Street and Jefferson Avenue shows the Bradford Pear trees in full bloom. On Monday, El Dorado was listed by CNN Travel as one of America’s best small town comebacks. Despite

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Alexandria Barber, Cleaning & Pressing Liberty Street Amos Chicken Shack Liberty Street Andrews Funeral Home Hill Street / East Main Streets Barnes Radio service 1444 South Jackson Grady Brown Hotel Cook Street???? Bucket of Blood Fordville L. B. Burks, Tailor Liberty Street Calluns Grocery 731 South Smith Street Candley Grocery Hawthrone Street Coats of Colanthis Lodge Hall Liberty Street The Continential Club Liberty Street

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In its heyday, the St. Louis addition attracted such notable jazz and blues artists as Louis Armstrong and B. B. King to El Dorado. Establishments such as The Plaza were popular night spots for the black community, drawing large crowds from all over South Arkansas to the neighborhood, located just off of North West Avenue. While many businesses catered to the area’s entertainment needs,

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Life for Blacks was hard.  I can truly say there was no welfare as we know it today.  We were taught to share whatever we had with others.  There were no locks on doors or anything.  I don’t have the time to share with you about hog killing time, churning the milk to make butter and all those good things we did.  All I

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