Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – The 24th annual Arkansas Delta Byways Awards will be held on Friday, Feb. 6, at Cooper Alumni Center, located at 2600 Alumni Blvd., on the campus of Arkansas State University.  

The silent auction and mixer will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Arkansas Delta Byways, based on the A-State campus, is a nonprofit organization recognized by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism as the official tourism promotion association for 15 counties in Eastern Arkansas.

Counties are Arkansas, Chicot, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Drew, Greene, Lee, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett and St. Francis.  

Tickets for the event are $40 each or $300 for a table of eight. Tickets are available at Eventbrite here. Each year a silent auction is held at the event that features items from the counties that make up Delta Byways. If you would like to donate to the silent auction, contact Catherine Combs at catherine.combs@arkansas.gov.  
 
The 2025 Delta Byways Award nominees are as follows: 

Hospitality: Holy Grounds Community Coffeehouse in St. Francis County, Red Wagon in Chicot County, and Taylor’s Steakhouse in Desha County. 

Entrepreneur: Helena Adventure Company in Phillips County, Lorado Smokehouse and Grill in Craighead County, and Native Brew Works in Craighead County. 

Tourism Support/Promotional Award: Arkansas Aeroplex in Mississippi County, Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center in Craighead County, and Helena-West Helena Mural Trail in Phillips County. 

Festival/Event of the Year: Osceola Heritage Music Festival in Mississippi County, The Skirmish: A Delta Gravel Festival in Craighead County, and Wilson’s CottonFest in Mississippi County. 

Boot Strap Award: City of Cherry Valley in Cross County, Corning Fourth of July Celebration in Clay County, and the Leachville Beautification Corporation in Mississippi County. 

Cultural Heritage Award: Friends of John H. Johnson Museum in Desha County, Helena Museum of Phillips County, and the World War II Japanese American Internment Museum in Desha County. 

Two special awards will be presented at the event, including the Silent Auction Superstar and Tourism Person of the Year.