Pre Events

Come Early and Stay Late: Opportunities to participate in a variety of activities will be offered before and after the Annual Event begins and as an off-site workshop on Friday. Details will be available when registration opens in September. Click on picture for a pre-view of what Little Rock has to offer.

The Little Rock Nine and Central High National Historic Site Tour
(Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday)

Little Rock’s Central High became the national epicenter for the school integration struggle in 1957. The Little Rock Nine immerged to become our nation’s most prominent example in the implementation of Brown vs the Board of Education. We have arranged a guided tour of both the high school and national historic site visitor center. The school is quite impressive and the visitor center experience allows history to come alive. Cost $15.00.

https://civilrightstrail.com/attraction/little-rock-central-high-school-national-historic-site/

More Than a Camp: Tour & Talk at Ferncliff
(Tuesday)

Get outside the hotel and visit a Presbyterian camp less than 20 miles away that has consistently grown by thinking outside the box. Ferncliff is a GEM. It is Green, Entrepreneurial and Missional. They have incrementally increased from 400 to 1600 campers over the past 20 years and host over 200 groups each year. You will tour and talk with staff about the varied ministries and see how Ferncliff has found ways to thrive in partnership with churches and mission agencies. Take home ideas and principles you can use. Cost $15.00

Ferncliff Nature Preschool Immersion plus Condensed Ferncliff Tour
(Wednesday)

Description: Ferncliff Nature Preschool started 3 years ago and now serves 50 families within a 30-minute radius of the camp. It uses an early childhood curriculum with an emphasis on a child’s connection with nature. The program follows the forest kindergarten model and is “child lead” with teachers acting as facilitators for learning. Children come dressed for the weather of the day and spend 75% of the day immersed in the natural environment at camp. Daily activities include nature walks, group meetings, interacting with farm animals and the onsite garden, observing the changes of the season, creating natural structures, and using natural materials to create works of art. We will meet with the teachers and observe the program before concluding with a condensed tour of the rest of the camp. Dress to be outside some of the time. Cost $15.00
https://ferncliff.org/nature-school/nature-preschool/

Heifer International Tour of Heifer Village, Urban Farm & Headquarters (Tuesday)

For 75 years, Heifer International has worked to end hunger and poverty by assisting millions of small-scale farm families with resources and training in sustainable agriculture; and from the very beginning this has been done in partnership with churches living out their Christian faith. Heifer’s amazing international headquarters campus is just blocks away from our hotel and will give you an opportunity to learn more and glean more educational tools. There will be back-to-back tours featuring (1) creative hands-on exhibits plus Urban Farm with livestock at the Heifer Village, and (2) the innovative “green” office building, a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum building. Come early or linger afterward and enjoy Heifer Café and Gift Shop!

Heifer International: Outside the Box and Beyond the Cow
(Wednesday and Friday)

Christian Educators and churches have long worked with Heifer International to help end hunger and poverty by assisting small-scale farm families with resources and training in sustainable agriculture. Take a trolley (or a 15-minute walk if you want a stretch) to Heifer’s award winning international headquarters campus where you will get lots of ideas and resources (many of them free!) on how to engage your whole congregation. You will learn about Heifer “beyond the cow” and how their high-impact programs provide dignified livelihoods that lift entire communities to living incomes. The workshop will include a short “Heifer 101” primer, a virtual visit to Heifer Ranch (their 1200 acre ranch an hour west of Little Rock), free faith-based resources for all ages, some fun educational activities, and more. Stick around for shopping at the International Gift Shop or lunch at either Heifer Café or 42 Bar and Table, the restaurant next door at the Clinton Presidential Library. (Trolleys return about every 10 minutes.)

https://www.heifer.org/

The Toddy Trolley
(Tuesday)

We have the designated driver covered so hop on our exclusive Toddy Trolley with your APCE friends and get acquainted with three of Little Rock’s best local craft breweries. You can decide what and when you want to pay for any drinks and food. Leave from the front door of the Marriott at 5pm and return at about 8:30 pm. Cost is $20.

http://www.toddytrolley.com/