Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised Cabot’s growth, schools, businesses and community pride during Wednesday’s Capital for a Day visit, telling ArkansasRadio.com that the city is a booming community and an important asset to the state.
Cabot became Arkansas’ Capital for a Day Wednesday as Governor Sanders and senior state officials spent the day in the Lonoke County area meeting with local leaders, visiting schools and businesses and talking with residents.
A strong turnout welcomed the governor throughout the day.
ArkansasRadio.com General Manager and CEO Bob Connell talked with Governor Sanders during the visit for a special Open Mic interview. You can hear the full interview below:
Asked what it was like to spend the day in Cabot and receive such a warm welcome, Sanders said the visit had been amazing.
She said the energy, excitement and growth taking place across the Cabot area were easy to see.
“We’ve had a great day in Cabot. You can see the energy and the excitement and a lot of the growth that is happening in this area.”
Sanders described Cabot as a booming community and said she had the opportunity to visit schools and businesses during the day.
She said it was clear that people are proud to call Cabot home and described the community as a great value to Arkansas.
The governor also talked with Connell about education and improvements she says Arkansas students are making.
Sanders said education has been a major priority for her administration and said student performance has improved across tested grades and subjects.
She told ArkansasRadio.com that putting more students on pathways to success remains an important goal.
Another stop that stood out to the governor was an elementary school garden program in the Ward area.
Sanders said students there are learning how to grow vegetables, prepare food and understand where their food comes from.
She described the program as special and said it helps students better understand the work involved in getting food from the ground to the plate.
Sanders also said the program gives students a greater appreciation for agriculture, which she called Arkansas’ number 1 industry.
“They’re leading the way in helping kids not only understand the hard work that goes into getting food from the ground to their plate, but a greater appreciation for our state’s number 1 industry.”
The governor said seeing students get outside the classroom and into the garden was one of the special moments of the visit.
Connell also asked Sanders about efforts to get children away from screens and to the outdoors.
Sanders said her administration has worked to encourage children to spend more time outside.
She pointed to agriculture and tourism as major parts of Arkansas’ economy and said the 2 industries go hand in hand.
Sanders said she wants children to have a greater appreciation for Arkansas’ natural resources and the opportunities available across the Natural State.
“We want kids to have a great appreciation for God’s epic creation and that Arkansas is one of the most beautiful states in the country to call home.”
Sanders said she hopes more Arkansans will get outside and experience what the state has to offer.
Wednesday’s Capital for a Day visit gave Cabot an opportunity to showcase its continued growth while giving local residents and leaders direct access to the governor and members of state government.
Cabot became the 24th Arkansas community selected for the Capital for a Day program under Governor Sanders.
The program is designed to bring state government directly into communities across Arkansas and allow state officials to hear directly from local residents and leaders.
For Connell, the visit also provided an opportunity to talk one-on-one with the governor about Cabot, Arkansas schools, agriculture, tourism and the future of the state.
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