Argenta Plaza's Christmas Tree Has a New Neighbor in Johnny Cash

A long, narrow pavilion inspired by a chapel in Eureka Springs is set to anchor one end of Argenta Plaza. Its centerpiece is planned as an 8-foot bronze of Johnny Cash, an exact replica by Kevin Kresse of his 2024 statue in the U.S. Capitol. That statue is one of two works representing Arkansas there, and it's the first in the collection to honor a musician. The North Little Rock city tree gets lit on the same plaza on November 17, which makes this the first holiday season with the pavilion part of the scene.

What is going up on Main Street

The structure is called the atg Pavilion, and the city scheduled its grand opening for Friday, October 30, with live music, food trucks, family activities and interactive exhibits. The city's opening flyer also uses the name Mashburn Gallery of Americana Music.

The Argenta Arts District describes the pavilion as an outdoor, publicly accessible addition to Argenta Plaza. When finished, it will hold 21 large bronze sculptures by Kresse honoring Arkansas musicians whose work shaped gospel, rock, soul, country and blues. North Little Rock Tourism's project page lists the full roster:

• Delta and blues: Albert King, Howling Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Bill Broonzy, Levon Helm
• Gospel, soul and R&B: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Al Green, Louis Jordan, Al Bell
• Country and rockabilly: Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Glen Campbell, Lefty Frizzell, Charlie Rich, Ronnie Hawkins
• Folk and Ozark tradition: Jimmy Driftwood, Granny Almedia Riddle
• Jazz, ragtime and concert music: Pharoah Sanders, Scott Joplin, Florence Price, William Grant Still

Some names on that list come from towns within a couple of hours' drive. The Argenta Arts District page points to Sister Rosetta Tharpe of Cotton Plant, Al Green of Forest City, Glen Campbell of Delight, Levon Helm of Marvell and Louis Jordan of Brinkley. The plan also includes original sculptures in each artist's hometown, with maps and signage planned to encourage visitors to explore those communities.

The busts are going in over time. AY Magazine reported in September that Kresse is sculpting them in phases, with Cash as the full-size centerpiece. If you walk over this month expecting all 21 faces, you may find a gallery that is still filling in. The lineup should look different every time you come back.

Why it looks like a barn crossed with a chapel

The building's shape came out of the reasons it was built. John Gaudin is the investment manager whom AY Magazine says many in North Little Rock consider "the godfather of Argenta." He told the magazine he knew of "a strip of property on the Argenta Plaza that would be an ideal place for something." The strip was long and narrow, which pointed toward a pavilion instead of a building. Scott Landers, founder of the design software company atg (short for Advanced Technology Group), became a major financial backer and lent his company's design team to draft it.

In the same AY Magazine piece, Gaudin explained the thinking:

"Kevin was saying a lot of these musicians played in old barns and churches and stuff like that, so we didn't want a real building. We really wanted a structure."

The design team's answer was a nod to E. Fay Jones's Thorncrown Chapel. Kresse described the result to AY as "almost like a temple meets a barn" and said he could picture "the way the light could really do some wonderful things" at night.

That matters for November. The pavilion was designed with nighttime in mind, and it sits on the same plaza where the holiday crowds gather after dark.

How the plaza's job changed

Argenta Plaza was not originally built for concerts. Chris Kent, executive director of the Argenta Downtown Council, said so directly to AY Magazine: the plaza was "a gathering place, not really designed to be activated as a musical venue." Kent said a new plaza stage is also being built alongside the pavilion so the district can host bigger regional and national touring acts. The pavilion itself will offer cover from sun and rain for smaller events.

Karen Trevino, president and CEO of North Little Rock Tourism, told the magazine the pavilion and Argenta Plaza together complete what officials are calling the Argenta Music Complex. She described the pavilion as both a covered setting for smaller events and "a living classroom and gallery." The project is a public/private partnership between North Little Rock Tourism and the nonprofit Argenta Arts Foundation. North Little Rock Tourism lists $1 million in pavilion funding from Tourism and atg, plus a separate $2 million capital campaign for the sculptures at the pavilion and in the 21 hometowns.

For anyone who lives within walking distance, the practical change is this. The plaza used to be a place you went because an event was happening. Now it also has a permanent reason to stop by on an ordinary Tuesday. The holiday events below still list Argenta Plaza and 510 Main Street as their locations, not the pavilion itself.

November in Argenta, in order

The month's events cluster within a few blocks of the new pavilion, and most are free.

1. Turkey Trails, Saturday, November 7, 8 a.m. The race starts at River Front Park, 120 Riverfront Park Dr. Distances include a kids' dash, one mile, 5K, 10K and a half marathon. Registration details are on the Turkey Trails race page.
2. Piccolo Zoppé's Winter Circus, November 13 to 22. North Little Rock Tourism presents the circus at Argenta Greens, at Bishop Lindsey Avenue and Magnolia Street. The Zoppé family has performed since 1842. Guests start in a gathering tent with performers, European pastries, popcorn and cotton candy before moving into a small main tent.
3. Mayor's Tree Lighting, Tuesday, November 17, 6 p.m., Argenta Plaza. The evening includes carols and the lighting of the city Christmas tree. The city asks attendees to bring canned goods for the unsheltered community or supplies for the North Little Rock Animal Shelter, and a QR code on the city's notice links to the shelter's list of needs. The Animal Mobile Unit will be on site, and THV11 will broadcast live.
4. Northern Lights, Saturday, November 21, 3 to 7 p.m., 510 Main St. This free festival includes a holiday market, photos with Santa, live music and the city's 38-foot Christmas tree. Food trucks and Flyway Brewing will sell food and drinks. Details are on North Little Rock Tourism's holiday page.
5. Mid City Christmas Tree Lighting, Tuesday, November 24, 6 p.m., 16th and Main Streets. The city hosts this second tree lighting with the Mid City Neighborhood Association and Full Counsel Ministries Metrochurch, a little farther up Main Street.

The schedule continues into December with the North Little Rock Christmas Parade on December 13, organized through the Elks Lodge 1004 parade page.

Planning a visit around the busy nights

The two plaza events fall four days apart, and both draw crowds that may make it hard to spend time with the sculptures. The circus at Argenta Greens fills most of the same stretch, from the Friday before the tree lighting through the day after Northern Lights. If you want to read the plaques and see the Cash statue up close, a quieter weekday visit before November 13 or after November 22 avoids the overlap. The city hasn't published regular gallery hours. The pavilion is described as outdoor and publicly accessible, so the North Little Rock Tourism and Argenta Arts District pages are the best places to check for programming updates.

For Northern Lights, North Little Rock Tourism's holiday page notes that restaurants and bars in the Argenta Outdoor Dining District offer to-go drinks to consume within the district's boundaries, which include Argenta Plaza. Check that page for the exact boundaries before you go.

Landers told AY Magazine what drew him to the project: "introducing the general Arkansan and the visitor to how impactful music has been out of Arkansas." This November, the people most likely to make that introduction are neighbors walking a few blocks to see a tree.

Krystina will have a camera with her in Argenta this month, because a lit pavilion, a 38-foot tree and a bronze Johnny Cash in one frame is the kind of scene she loves to shoot. If a new landmark down the street has you curious about how Argenta's changes affect your own home, Lindsey & Krystina Realtors can help. Schedule a free consultation or get your free home valuation, and we'll walk you through it.