Let The Festivities Begin!


This week we finally finished the installation and activation of festive lighting over Marr Street in front of Lesmeister Guesthouse. This is a project I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and the weather and the availability of good help finally made it possible.

We have hopes that occasionally the street can be blocked off at night and tables set up in the street so we can enjoy community meals together under the lights.

The lights over the street were a cooperative effort:

  • Lesmeister Guesthouse donated the strings of LED lights and paid for the labor to install them and the electrician to route power to them. The Guesthouse is also paying for the electricity to power them. Since we used energy-efficient LED lighting, they only draw 300 watts of power, and since they are on a photocell, they only burn at night.
  • GNC Industries of Pocahontas donated the steel cable to which the lights are attached.
  • Barnes Signs & Graphics provided the use of their bucket truck for the installation work.
  • Bella Piazza Italian Restaurant and Gypsy Girl Boutique let us attach the lights to their buildings.
  • The City of Pocahontas gave the permission to do the installation over the city street.

Downtown Pocahontas includes a 17-block national historic district. The City of Pocahontas recently designated a section of North Marr Street, within the historic district, to be the North Marr Arts and Entertainment District (called NoMa, which stands for “North Marr”), and the lighting adds to the festive feel of it all. NoMa consists of 8 blocks of North Marr Street, and a half-block to either side, and includes:

  • The R.J. Reynolds art gallery
  • The Downtown Playhouse – live Broadway and off-Broadway plays
  • Marr Street Productions/Marilyn’s Clogging – dance and music
  • Bella Piazza Italian Restaurant and private club
  • The Silhouette Wall – part of the wall is visible on the left in the photo above. Visitors enjoy posing or mimicking these images for fun photos.
  • The Rendezvous Event Center (opening fall 2017) – performances, lectures, receptions, parties, small conventions, corporate retreats, etc.
  • Lesmeister Guesthouse upscale suites and vacation rental apartments
  • Our 1872 courthouse
  • Randolph County Heritage Museum
  • The oldest barber shop in Arkansas
  • Gypsy Girl Boutique – trendy clothing and accessories
  • Generations – body art
  • The North Marr Art Park (opening fall 2017) – outdoor art display
  • A 4-block neighborhood of historic homes from the 1890’s.

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