On Monday night Mayor Don Still accepted the Hope‑Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Citizen of the Year award at the podium in the Blevins Room of Hempstead Hall, using his time to put the spotlight on the volunteers who keep the city running. 

He told the audience, “I want to first of all, thank my wife,” commending her for taking part with him in so much volunteer work over the years. “Like I said, I love Hope and I love serving,” he continued, thanking the city board for the chance to represent them.  

He also reminded the room of the unpaid work that makes community projects possible, “One thing I've learned from being mayor is that it takes many hands, many volunteers.  And there are so many volunteers that give freely of their service to the community.”

Jamie and Ben Gresham, 2025 Citizens of the Year, introduced Mayor Still and framed the award as recognition for decades of steady civic investment. Ben Gresham noted the honoree’s role as a second‑generation business leader and a sponsor of community events, saying the recipient “has been a cornerstone of Hope” and has supported festivals and fireworks for years. The Greshams emphasized the honoree’s behind‑the‑scenes work and his habit of stepping in when time or talent was needed.

The program moved through the chamber’s slate of recognitions with presenters making very clear why each recipient was chosen. 

The Hope Rotary Club was named 2026 Nonprofit of the Year for projects that reach students and first responders. Presenter Judee Gunter, representing last year's winner, the Evening Lions, named the Rotary Club's Teacher banquet, the annual Police Banquet and literacy initiatives that place a dictionary in every third‑graders' hands.  She also praised the club’s steady volunteer work on festival parking and downtown improvement projects.

Emma Cooley received the 2026 Young Leadership Award after being introduced by last year’s youth winner, Haley Rae Bane. Bane told the capacity crowd that Cooley, a childhood cancer survivor, “has gone above and beyond when it comes to caring about others,” and highlighted Cooley’s years of collecting and delivering Legos and other gifts to children in area hospitals. The chamber honored Cooley for sustained, hands‑on compassion that brightens hospital stays for local children.

Ronald “Captain” Smead, principal at Spring Hill High School, was named 2026 Educator of the Year. His presenter, Robin Townshend who presented in the stead of 2025 winner Virginia Moore, described him as “an encourager, a supporter and a mentor to both staff and students” and credited him with improving school culture and academic outcomes. The award recognized Smead’s day‑to‑day leadership, his balance of firmness and kindness, and his willingness to lead by example in the community.

Ivan Smith Furniture was chosen as 2026 Business of the Year for sustained civic engagement and local investment. Presenter Lindsey Honea of Main Street Cleaners, the 2025 winner, praised General Manager Becky Williams and the store’s record of showing up for downtown projects and supporting local events. Honea said Smith Furniture is “more than just a place of commerce” because it invests time and resources in Hope’s quality of life.

Before the featured speaker came out, he was introduced by Steve Lance, Voice of the Hope Bobcats.  Then Bob Fisher came to the front and led a rousing call of the Hogs.

Former Arkansas Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt delivered his speech with a mix of memoir, locker‑room detail and blunt assessment of the modern college game. He opened by saying, “It’s a privilege to be here in Hope, Arkansas,” and he credited mentors such as Jimmy Johnson and Lou Holtz for teaching relentless preparation and accountability. Nutt returned repeatedly to three demands he asks of those he leads--trust, commitment and care--and tied those demands to concrete practices: showing up on time, doing the work when nobody is watching (an example of this was Brandon Burlsworth practicing his footing alone late at night) , and exerting yourself to support your teammates.

Nutt told the story of the night he realized coaching was his calling, when he was working as a dorm assistant at Oklahoma State and the freshmen hung on his every word about what the practices would be like, and he used letters from former players who call their time on a team “the best days in my life” to illustrate the long‑term payoff of demanding high standards. He described the small, exacting habits, repetition, attention to detail, that build character and team culture over time. He argued those lessons apply beyond sports to business, family and duty to community.

During a short question and answer period, Nutt addressed the upheaval he sees in college athletics and the effect of NIL money and the transfer portal on team culture and on the athlete's personal development. 

He warned that the multimillion sums now paid to famous skills players have changed incentives and that the transfer culture can short‑circuit lessons in perseverance. He said, “Now these quarterbacks are making up to $5 million, and what I don't like about it is the left guard makes $10,000,” and he added, “What I don't like is when they transfer three, four or five times.  [The athlete] loses one of the greatest experiences there is about perseverance.”

Nutt praised some programs that try to preserve team unity by distributing NIL money more evenly among roster members, saying, “I like what SMU does. They get each member a certain amount, which will be $35 or $45,000.” He also raised practical concerns about sustainability, warning that some  programs “are getting up to $30 million just for the budget of an NIL program. So what that means is more money from y'all. We need more money.” This drives up ticket prices. 

Nutt also answered questions about where he lives and about family priorities, saying he and his wife had recently moved to Rogers.  He said he is hoping that two of their four children can move nearer the area in the future.  Two are already living in or near the area. He said when he plays with his grandchildren, he gets them away from their screens and outdoors to break a sweat.

Organizers closed the evening, which was themed Boots, Bling and Business, with an announcement by way of the overhead video screens: Gretchen Wilson, who was shown singing in a recent video, was named the Saturday night concert entertainer for the 50th Hope Watermelon Festival, a booking that drew audible approval from the crowd and capped a night of Amigo Juan's fajitas and high honors for volunteers, teachers, businesses and civic leaders.