On Wednesday, September 3, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders spent roughly ten hours in Helena-West Helena. Delta Magic was in the room for several of the day's conversations, and we think you should know what was said. This post is our attempt to lay out, as plainly as we can, what the visit was about, what Delta Magic's role was, and where things go from here. This is not a full recap of every meeting or conversation, only those for which Delta Magic was present.

Celebrating the Arkansas Foodbank Community Resource Center

The Governor's first stop was to celebrate the state's first Arkansas Foodbank Community Resource Center, coming to the old West Horner car dealership downtown. If you've read our most recent post, you know the plan: two retail storefronts, a home for wraparound services like legal aid and workforce development support, a food pantry designed to feel more like a grocery store, and additional space for potential partnerships with Goodwill and local farmers.

Delta Magic participated in the celebration as a community partner with the Arkansas Foodbank. That partnership is not a one-day thing. We will be working with the Foodbank on a regular basis between now and the grand opening, which is slated for Fall 2027.

The Governor then visited JF Wahl Elementary School, where she celebrated the new outdoor classroom and playground and visited with students, teachers, and admin.

Next, as most saw, she hosted a Meet & Greet at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas.

The Delta Heritage Trail: a site visit and a roundtable

Roundtable Discussion on the Delta Heritage Trail, photo by Kevin Martin-Arnold

Next, our Co-Founder and Managing Director, Drew Smith, joined a site visit of the Delta Heritage Trail, along with Co-Founder and Board Vice President Harvey Williams and Board President Kevin Martin-Arnold, followed by a roundtable on the trail and the economic opportunity it represents for our area. Delta Magic is active in preparations for the trail with Harvey Williams serving as a Commissioner for Arkansas State Parks and Delta Magic working with Arkansas State Parks to help communities and businesses along the trail get ready for its opening, currently slated for December 2026.

The Governor set the tone early. "We don't want to just finish the trail and then pack up and leave," she said. She was clear that her intention is to plan for ongoing support and improvements so the Delta is positioned to capture the opportunities that come with a finished trail, not to cut a ribbon and move on.

Connecting downtown Helena to the trail

One of the bigger ideas on the table was what it would look like to connect downtown Helena directly to the Delta Heritage Trail. Right now, the Crowley's Ridge Gravel Trail runs 249 miles from Piggott and ends in downtown Helena with no clear path forward and no acknowledgment that a rider's journey could continue on to the Delta Heritage Trail.

Fix that connection, and a visitor could ride 334 miles of continuous trail with Helena sitting right in the middle of it. Add the Mississippi River, where we are the only Arkansas town directly on the water, with boating, paddling, camping, and fishing, and Helena has a real claim to being a destination for outdoor tourism. Helena-West Helena Mayor Joseph Whitfield and Studio Drift Founder Martin Smith both advocated for this connection, with Martin saying that Studio Drift already has the connection points mapped out.

Small businesses and the capital gap

The conversation then turned to small business. Drew spoke to the energy entrepreneurs and business owners are feeling right now. In just a few weeks, Delta Magic has helped more business owners file applications for the NSI Opportunity Zone tax credits than in all of the previous few years combined.

But excitement and creativity only get you so far without upfront capital. As Drew put it during the discussion: "Market research shows that the trail could bring up to 200,000 visitors and $6.5 million in annual revenue to the region, but that's only if there are businesses ready to capture that revenue and provide the amenities and experiences that visitors look for.”

Drew advocated for a specific policy change: allowing NSI Opportunity Zone tax credits to be converted to capital, the same way Historic Tax Credits can be converted to cash. In practice, that would return 25% of a business owner's investment directly as cash they could use to pay down upfront lending, helping projects cash flow that otherwise stall at the starting line.

Mayor Whitfield added a related ask: extending the Opportunity Zone to include the Crowley's Ridge Gravel Trail, so Helena business owners have new avenues to open up the capital needed to revitalize downtown properties.

Co-Owner of Delta Dirt Distillery, Harvey Williams advocated for more awareness and education about the trail. He believes that communities and businesses need to know what the opening of the trail represents, and what resources are available to them to meet the moment.

Thrive Inc. Executive Director Will Staley made the case for more experiences for visitors and residents alike, consistent live music chief among them. Will has long been an advocate and partner for outdoor recreation in the community. Thrive has hosted bike giveaways, co-led bike races, led student workshops to put up several murals around the community, many of which are outdoor themed, and has even built and maintained the Harbor View Trail through the Helena River Park.

Voices from around the region

This was not just a Helena conversation. Elaine Mayor Lisa Hicks Gilbert and Arkansas City Mayor Carolyn Blisset both spoke to the excitement in their communities about the trail's opening, including the upcoming Arkansas Graveler, which is expected to bring around 300 visitors to Arkansas City.

Also in attendance were Arkansas State Parks, the Walton Family Foundation, and Delta Circles.

Governor Sanders took notes throughout the meeting. Her closing encouragement to the community was to engage young people as much as possible in outdoor recreation and live music so that they can feel a sense of ownership and empowerment in the development of the community.

You can read more about the Delta Heritage Trail by clicking here.

Before her final stop she visited the Helena Family Health Center, for which we were not present.

The Utilities Roundtable

For her last stop of the day, Delta Magic hosted the Governor, members of her cabinet, and local officials for a roundtable on local utilities. In the interest of transparency: we provided the space, but Delta Magic was not officially part of that discussion, so we can't speak to its substance here.

Conversations in Between

Throughout the day, we also had the chance to speak with cabinet members and various department leadership about ongoing projects, including the Cleburne Hotel. That project is currently waiting on the state's Brownfield Program to begin remediating hazardous material on the property, and we used the visit to keep it on the state's radar.

Where this leaves us

After the utilities roundtable, the Governor said her goodbyes and wrapped up a ten-hour whirlwind tour of Helena-West Helena. A few things are worth holding onto from the day:

The state is publicly committed to supporting the Delta Heritage Trail beyond its completion, not just through it.
Connecting the Crowley's Ridge Gravel Trail and the Delta Heritage Trail through downtown Helena is a live idea with real numbers behind it.
Local businesses need capital to meet the moment, and there are now two concrete proposals on the table: converting Opportunity Zone credits to cash and extending the zone to cover the Crowley's Ridge Gravel Trail.
The Foodbank Community Resource Center is moving forward, and Delta Magic will be working alongside the Arkansas Foodbank through its opening in Fall 2027.

We'll keep sharing what we learn as these conversations continue. If you have questions about anything above, or ideas about how Helena should prepare for the trail, we'd like to hear from you.

Pictured at the Delta Magic office from left to right, Co-Founder & Managing Director Drew Smith, Intern Nyla Rattler, Director of Operations and Community Engagement Shay Ziggler, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, City Chief of Staff and Delta Magic Board President Kevin Martin-Arnold, Program Manager Kyron Williams, and Co-Founder & Board Vice President Harvey Williams

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be an endorsement of any political candidate. This post is for informational purposes only.

Inside the Governor's Visit: The Trail, the Foodbank, and the Capital Gap