By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Twenty-one candidates for local, county, state and national offices had agreed as of Monday to tip their hats to reviving a tradition by speaking atop a stump at a political rally on Saturday in a Sherwood park.
The Stand on the Stump Old Fashioned Political Rally will be held from 10 a.m. until noon at Delmont Park on the corner of Delmont and Sherwood avenues.
The following candidates have confirmed that they will speak for a few minutes each while standing on a donated tree stump:
• French Hill, the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress, Dist. 2;
• Debbie Standiford, a Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress, Dist. 2;
• Pulaski County JP Karilyn Brown, the Republican candidate for state representative of Dist. 41;
• Danny Knight, the Democratic candidate for state representative, Dist. 41;
• Rep. Tim Griffin, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor;
• Christopher Olson, candidate for lieutenant governor and a Libertarian;
• Jacob Holloway, a Libertarian candidate for secretary of state;
• Pulaski County JP Phil Stowers, a Republican who is up for re-election to the Dist. 13 seat.
• Pulaski County JP Dist. 13 candidate William Brackeen, a Libertarian;
• Pulaski County JP Dist. 12 candidate Jeff Rollins, a Democrat;
• Pulaski County JP Dist. 15 candidate Luke McCoy, a Republican;
• Pulaski County JP Dist. 15 candidate Jesse Macom-Teague, a Republican;
• Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman, who is up for re-election;
• Sherwood mayoral candidate Don Berry,
• Alderman Toni Butler, who is up for re-election to her Ward 3 seat;
• Beverly Williams, candidate for Sherwood alderman in Ward 3;
• City Clerk Angela Nicholson, who is up for re-election;
• Barry Hyde, candidate for Pulaski County judge and a Democrat;
• Phil Wyrick, candidate for Pulaski County judge and a Republican.
• Land Commissioner candidate Elvis Presley, a Libertarian;
• Land Commissioner candidate Mark Robertson, a Democrat;
Organizer Darrell Brown said, “I think this is an important event because this is what democracy is all about. It’s about meeting the candidates hearing what they stand for and making an informed decision come November.”
The candidates are Democrats, Republican and Libertarian, he noted.
“It covers the political spectrum, so to speak,” Brown said, adding that any candidate who has not given an RSVP but attends the rally will still be allowed to speak.
The Pulaski County Democratic Committee, Pulaski County Republican Committee and Libertarian Party of Arkansas will have booths at the rally, he said.
Candidates will be allowed to pass out literature, stickers or other promotional items.
The Sherwood Young Professionals, which is co-hosting the rally with the Sherwood History and Heritage Committee and Sherwood Chamber of Commerce, will run a voter registration table.
Bernard Olds, 93, who was elected as one of the city’s first aldermen and participated in the first rally at the park, will lead those who attend in the Pledge of Allegiance.
That first rally was held at Triangle Park — now known as Delmont Park — on July 19, 1948, the same year Sherwood was incorporated as a city.
The park was also the site of Sherwood’s first town hall.
Subsequent political rallies were held in the city for several years after incorporation, and Saturday’s event will pay homage to that tradition.
Steve Perry, a former Sherwood chamber president, will sing the National Anthem.
The Wall Agency–Allstate Insurance, 7600 Hwy. 107, is providing cookies and lemonade, while Centennial Bank is giving away free handheld patriotic fans.
Parking will be available at the Duran Youth Center and by the tennis courts on Sherwood Avenue.
An overflow lot is located on Wildwood Avenue at Victory Baptist Church.
