Calendar of Events

Welcome to the Delta Cultural Center's Calendar of Events page. The museum hosts special blues music events and programs throughout the year, such as Delta blues festivals, gospel festivals, folk art exhibits and much more. Don't miss the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival in October, formerly known as King Biscuit Blues Festival. This Delta blues festival is the largest blues festival in the nation!

Please check back often to find upcoming events at the Delta Cultural Center, or subscribe to our Delta Currents E-Newsletter to get regular email updates.

King Biscuit Time
Each weekday
Helena-West Helena - DCC Visitors Center 141 Cherry Street Helena-West Helena
12:15 p.m.- 12:45 p.m.
http://www.deltaculturalcenter.com
“King Biscuit Time,” the nation’s longest-running blues radio program, is hosted each weekday at the DCC Visitor’s Center by “Sunshine” Sonny Payne, from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.

Admission is free; the public is welcome to attend.

“Delta Sounds,” hosted by DCC Assistant Director Thomas Jacques and Payne, is broadcast each Friday at 1 to 1:30 p.m.

Gallery hours at the DCC Visitors Center at 141 Cherry Street and the nearby DCC Depot at 95 Missouri Street are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

For more information, interested persons can contact the Delta Cultural Center at (870) 338-4350 or toll free at (800) 358-0972, visit the DCC online at www.deltaculturalcenter.com, or email info@deltaculturalcenter.com.
"Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War"
April 17th through May 31st
Helena, AR - 141 Cherry St.
9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
This traveling exhibition is composed of informative panels featuring photographic reproductions of original documents, including a draft of Lincoln’s first inaugural speech, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment. The DCC is one of only 200 sites around the country to host the exhibit.

An opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, May 5, from 4:00-5:30 at the DCC Visitors Center in conjunction with the Warfield Music Festival. Additional programming includes the following films and lectures with Civil War themes:

• May 10 – Showing of the 2012 Steven Spielberg film, “ Lincoln”, at the Malco Theatre; 7:00 p.m.
• May 15 – Trey Berry, vice president for academic affairs for Southern Arkansas University, will present a program titled "Abraham Lincoln and Arkansas: The President's Influence and Interest in the State" at the Beth El Heritage Hall; 6:00 p.m.
• May 17 – Showing of the 1939 John Ford film, “Young Mr. Lincoln”, starring Henry Fonda at the Malco Theatre; 7:00 p.m.
• May 22 - . Mark Christ, community outreach director for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, will discuss the Battle of Helena at the Beth El Heritage Hall; 6:00 p.m.
Battle of Helena 150
May 24th through May 26th, 2013
Helena-West Helena - Historic Downtown Helena
http://www.deltaculturalcenter.com
BATTLE OF HELENA 150
Join us May 24-26 in historic Helena. This observance of the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Helena is sponsored by the Delta Cultural Center, the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, and the Helena Advertising and Promotion Commission.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, May 24:
Spectators are encouraged to visit the camps during the day. Registered food and merchandise vendors will be open for business.

All Day Reenactor, Artillery and Vendor set up

9 AM – 5 PM Participant Registration Open
Delta Cultural Center Depot

Noon-7 PM Vendors Open at Cherry Street Pavilion
Noon-5 PM Moore-Hornor Home Open for Tours
Noon-Sunset Camps Open for Visitors
5 PM After-hours viewing of “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” exhibit
Delta Cultural Center Visitors Center
7 PM Battle Briefing at Beth El Heritage Hall
(Open to Reenactors and the Public)

Saturday, May 25:
Designated areas will be provided for viewing the assault on the Fort. Some activities are restricted to registered Reenactors only. Spectators will hear distant gunfire moving closer to town as the morning progresses and the activity nears Fort Curtis.
Battle of Helena Reenactment Event:

9 AM-Sunset Camps Open for Visitors

8 AM-10 AM Participant Registration Open
Delta Cultural Center Depot

9 AM-Noon Moore-Hornor Home Open for Reenactment Tours
Living History & Civil War hospital interpretation

9 AM Confederate Army begin their march through Crowley’s Ridge toward Helena

9 AM-11 PM Skirmish atop the ridge road toward Battery C
10 AM-9 PM Vendors Open at Cherry Street Pavilion
10 AM First shots of the Battle of Helena 150
(Confederates start driving in Federal pickets)

11AM-1PM Spectators Witness the Battle of Helena 150 reenactment
Designated viewing area near Fort Curtis

11 AM-11:30 AM Skirmish on historic Battery C
11:30 AM-Noon Attack on Battery C and Fort Curtis
(Federal retreat from Battery C to Fort Curtis – Confederates pursue)

Noon-5 PM Moore-Hornor Home Open for Regular Tours

Noon-1 PM Final charge onto Fort Curtis
1 PM Battle of Helena Reenactment concludes
3 PM-7 PM Artillery training in Fort Curtis
(Registered Reenactors Only)
Battle of Helena 150 Lectures:
The reenactment will be followed by a series of Civil War lectures at Beth El Heritage Hall 406 Perry Street in Historic Downtown Helena. The lectures are free and open to the public.

2 PM Music by Harmony
3 PM Dyan Bohnert: “Food and Medicine of the Civil War and Before”

4 PM Mark Christ: “The Battle of Helena”

5 PM Music by Harmony
6 PM Jack Myers: “U.S.S. Tyler”

Downtown Evening Events:
Spectators are encouraged to attend the artillery demonstration and free outdoor concert.

Sunset Artillery demonstration on levee near Cherry Street Pavilion

8:30 PM Civil War concert and dance at the Cherry Street Pavilion

Sunday, May 26:
Spectators are welcome to observe the reenactment along the banks of the Mississippi River in the Helena River Park.

Secondary Battle of Helena 150 Reenactment:

8:00 – 9:30 AM Battle at Fort Curtis

10:00 AM Worship Service at Cherry Street Pavilion

11:00 AM Battle of Helena 150 Concludes
11:15 AM Artillery training in Fort Curtis
(Registered Reenactors Only)

Notes:
Some activities and events are for reenactors only.
Spectator areas will be designated.
Please bring your own lawn chairs.
Registered food and merchandise vendors will be set up.
"Landscape Poem...Delta - The Photography of G. Moore Carpenter"
June 4th through August 31st
Helena - DCC Visitors Center,141 Cherry St.
9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
http://www.deltaculturalcenter.com
An exhibit of the beautiful landscape photography of Gary Carpenter of Elaine, AR (south Phillips County).