By Kayla Carrick, Arkansas Democrat Gazette

June 17,2007...Four years ago, the barren shore of Lake Saracen in Pine Bluff attracted just a few fisherman on a typical day.

“There wasn’t really a draw to this lake before,” said James House, who lives in Pine Bluff and works with the state Highway Department.

Pine Bluff leaders decided to change that.

On Saturday, about 600 people attended the official dedication of Saracen Landing, a $4.2 million waterfront project that aims to keep the shoreline bustling.

U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., whose 4th District includes Pine Bluff, said the new landing will spark the economy for Pine Bluff and the surrounding communities.  Ross gave the keynote address at a dedication ceremony attended by Gov. Mike Beebe and other Arkansas leaders.

The recently constructed 10,080-square-foot pavilion and concrete pier, which stretches over the lake, will create “countless commercial endeavors,” Ross said, comparing the landing to the biofuels industry: a spark for the Delta’s economy.

“We have a new Pine Bluff, “ he said.  “We have a united Pine Bluff, and that’s good for everyone.”

Commericial activity was already flourishing at the landing on Saturday.  The Pine Bluff Farmers Market, which relocated to the pavilion from Third and Walnut streets downtown, offered fresh produce and crafts.  The market will be open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

On Saturday, William Madden of Dumas, who had a booth at the downtown market for the past 15 years, sold tomatoes, green peppers and other vegtables at the landing Saturday.  The new location gives vendors more room to display their goods, he said. 

With a farmers market and a body of water, the area has the potential to grow into an attraction similar to Little Rock’s River Market, said Betty Hayes, associate athletic director of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Hayes, a Pine Bluff native, said the view from downtown looks like “big city stuff.”

“To see this come about is like a dream,” Hayes said while she had her picture taken in front of the fountain, which shoots lake water 40 feet high, near the pavilion.

“Just think of what can happen out here.  I’m just so proud,” she said.

In addition to the farmers market, plans for the pavilion include concerts, fishing derbies, sporting events, and class and family reunions.

Several residents already have planned to get married at the pavilion overlooking the lake.

The Pine Bluff Parks and Recreation Department also will move to Saracen Landing.

Leaders say the addition will give Pine Bluff businesses a much-needed boost.

“Had this not happened, I really think the downtown area would have continued to decline,” said Susan Harris, a Pine Bluff resident and manager of Saracen Landing. It’s been incredible.”

The landing is part of a long-term plan to develop the 500-acre lake’s shoreline, said Mayor Carl Redus Jr., who grew up on Saracen Street, near the lake.

On Saturday, Redus mentioned a potential project for the future: a pedestrian bridge across U.S. Highway 67 to allow people to travel safely between downtown and the landing.

The Saracen Landing project, a private-public partnership, was funded by a $100,000 donation from Simmons First National Bank, other corporate and private donations, the city of Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, and federal and state grants and appropriations.

The Lakeshore Pavilion Project Association members logged 200 hours in planning meetings over the course of four years to construct the landing on the lake formerly known as Lake Pine Bluff.

The landing and lake were named after the 19th-century Quapaw chief Saracen, known for rescuing two children stolen from settlers by a Chickasaw raiding party.  Saracen’s camp was located on the spot where the pavilion sits.

“Chief Saracen took a risk and today is a culmination of taking risks, and I’m grateful that so many people who worked on this project became risk-takers,"said Joy Blankenship, the executive director of Pine Bluff downtown development.  Blankenship served on the Lakeshore Pavilion Project Association.

Beebe called on leaders in other communities in southeast Arkansas to take a risk similar to Pine Bluff’s.  When one city in Arkansas succeeds, it helps the entire state, he said in a speech Saturday.

Said Beebe: “For those people who give up hope - for those who think it’s too late - I say: Let them come to Pine Bluff.”