37 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK - From the files of the July 24, 1991, Dumas Clarion:
Months of planning and preparation will be culminated in the 11th Annual Ding Dong Days, named for the popular 1920’s song, “I’m a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas.”
“”Dumas” down-home festival is designed to provide fun for all ages” reports J. D. Martin, general chairman. “We want to bring everyone together for a good time.
The Arkansas State Highway Commission has opened bids on a project to improve a portion of Highway 165 in Desha County, according to Highway Commissioner L. W. “Bill” Clark of Hot Springs. The apparent low bidder of the project was Graves and Associates, Inc. of Pine Bluff. Their bid totaled $814,551. 12.
The project will overlay Highway 165 between Highway 65 and Highway 277 near Dumas.
Highway 65 from Missouri to the Louisiana border is one of the number of roads selected by the Federal Highway Administration to become part of a new National Highway System, pending congressional approval.
After months of study, the FHA has selected the highways from across the national which are to form the starting point for the 185,000 National Highway System.
Ronald McDonald will be here at 12 noon Saturday to greet children at the Ding Dong Days festival.
Service men and women who served during Desert Storm will received certificates of appreciation from The City of Dumas at the opening dinner of the Ding Dong Days festival Thursday night.
While temperatures continue to rise into the 90s, the Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas is seeking assistance from the community and businesses.
Fans are needed to answer requests the agency is receiving from elderly in Southeast Arkansas. These fans will be distributed to those who are without air conditioning or fans.
Three teachers from Dumas attended the 70th annual National Education Association Representative Assembly in Miami Beach, Florida June 29-July 7. Flora Simon, Barbara Webb, and Katherine Powell were among the 8,500 delegates attending the convention.
Vanessa K. Jones, of Dumas and Terry Stroud of Winchester are getting an early start in college in the Transition-Retention Minority Engineering Program (TRMEP). The program is held annually each summer at the college of engineering University of Arkansas.
This year 18 percent of high school graduates from across the state are attending the eight week program.
