Clinton Library 10th Anniversary Events Kick Into 10-day Mode

The 10-day celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Clinton Library in Little Rock has city officials reminding the state and nation of the significance of the 42nd President’s landmark library investment.

The back story of Bill Clinton choosing a site in east Little Rock to anchor his presidential library is the subject of a cover story in the latest magazine edition of Talk Business & Politics. Writer John Brummett explores how the location site was chosen and what it has meant for a downtown renaissance that has lasted a decade.

Gretchen Hall, CEO of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, says this week’s and next’s celebration of events, which you can read about here, is a way to honor the decade of progress, but also hype how much the capital city has to offer.

“I think it’s two-fold. One, we’re hoping to get some additional press and publicity about the 10th anniversary, remind people about how much we’ve grown and progressed over 10 years as a tourism destination,” Hall said. “The second thing it really does is it brings together all of our arts and cultural attractions to work together collectively on this 10-day celebration.”

Hall, who appeared on this week’s TV edition of Talk Business & Politics, can recite a litany of statistics to highlight the presidential library’s impact on Central Arkansas, but two truly stand out for their significance.

“It put us on the map… As we look back 10 years ago, our annual tourism visitation has increased 33%,” Hall noted. “Our tourism tax – our A&P [advertising and promotion]tax – in Little Rock has increased 65%. So you’ve seen massive increases in the tourism product and the tourism numbers.

Watch Hall’s full interview in the video below.