Big Country 107.3

10/12/2024

10/12/2024

Country Music Hall of Fame member Buck Owens ruled the country music scene for a period in the mid-1960s, producing a clear, twangy, danceable sound that he repeated across dozens of chart-topping singles.

A fixture on television as a co-host of "Hee Haw," Owens is also remembered by fans and the artists he has influenced with hits such as “Act Naturally” ( #1, 1963), "Love's Gonna Live Here" ( #1, 1963), and "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail" ( #1, 1965) —three of his string of twenty between 1963 and 1972.

Owens’s name became synonymous with what would become known as the Bakersfield Sound. He played lead guitar and sang lead in the house band at Bakersfield, California's Blackboard nightclub in the 1950s, working marathon shifts and playing anything to get folks dancing—including country, R&B, rockabilly, rhumbas, polkas, and even sambas.

After many career highlights, including shows at New York's Carnegie Hall and the Fillmore in San Francisco, Owens’s recording career wound down around 1980, though he remained busy with his business interests and his hosting role on "Hee Haw." He was coaxed out of retirement in 1988 by Dwight Yoakam, with whom he recorded the #1 duet “Streets of Bakersfield.” Two albums followed: “Hot Dog!” (1998) and “Act Naturally” (1989), the latter including a duet with Ringo Starr.

Owens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.

Read more: https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/buck-owens

10/12/2024

⛸️ The 4th Annual Synthetic Ice Rink is now OPEN at Hunt's Park (3000 Dodson in Fort Smith)! Visit https://www.fortsmithiceskating.com for the full operating schedule + rates to skate! All proceeds go to support Community Rescue Mission & the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs.

10/12/2024

Are you ready for a Grinchy Good Time??

Holiday in Whoville is this Saturday, December 14th, followed by the Christmas 🎄 Parade

10/12/2024

10/12/2024

All aboard for the 2024 Holiday Express at Creekmore Park! Leave a 🚂 in the comments if you love the Holiday Express!
The Holiday Express will run until December 28th. The train will be closed December 24th and 25th. The hours of operation will be Monday-Saturday from 5:30 PM-8:30 PM. Please call (479) 784-2368 for more information.

05/12/2024

Ever wondered how much a Deputy US Marshal was paid to bring someone to trial at Fort Smith?

Judge Parker once commented, "Without these men I could not hold court for a single day." But these men didn't receive a salary for their important work - they had to rely on a fee system. The fee for bringing in an outlaw, regardless of their crime? $2.00. And for serving a subpoena or finding a witness? Only 50 cents!

Being a deputy marshal wasn't exactly lucrative, despite how essential their work was. To learn more about how deputy marshals were paid, visit our website: go.nps.gov/marshals-payments

📸 Pictured here: Front row left to right are Capt. GS White, Charles Copeland, Paden Tolbert, Heck Bruner, and Dave Rusk. Back row left to right are Tom Johnson, Bill Smith, John Tolbert, Abe Allen, and Wes Bauman.

05/12/2024

Starting this weekend…

05/12/2024

04/12/2024

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park will commemorate the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Prairie Grove with a two-day reenactment event on Dec. 7-8.

04/12/2024

Happy December! Today is CHILLY! 🥶 If you are wanting to plant some cold-season vegetables, here are a few things you can plant in your garden this month:

Strawberries, garlic, salad greens (protected), cabbage, and Swiss chard.

Looking for some winter color? Sasanqua camellias, deciduous hollies, and hellebores (a.k.a. Lenten rose) are extremely showy this time of year. These will need to be planted either in spring or fall, but there are still plenty of ornamentals you can plant in December:

Spring bulbs (last call!), garlic, wildflowers ,pansies, violas, flowering kale, and purple mustard

Learn more about what to plant in Arkansas in Master Gardener Coordinator Randy Forst's blog The Arkansas Garden ➡️ https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/arkansas-garden/garden-guides/december.aspx

04/12/2024

04/12/2024

📢 Every Wednesday, the Fort Smith Police Department tests the tornado sirens throughout the city. We try to do so on a clear day when there are no actual related weather threats to the area. The next test will take place today, December 4, at 12 PM. We thank you for your patience as this test is conducted.

04/12/2024

03/12/2024

Horse and mile sale coming Dec 21.