“Historic Bridges of Arkansas,” a 2005 production of the Arkansas Educational Television Network, has been nominated for an Emmy in the Historical Documentary category in the 2006 annual awards competition of the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

   The awards banquet will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, in St. Louis. In addition, the documentary has been selected for a screening at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Sunday, Oct. 22, at 4:35 p.m. at the Malco Theatre.

   “This double recognition by our peers in the television industry is shared by every person in Arkansas who loves history,” Carole Adornetto, director of production, said. “This wonderful state is full of amazing stories, and AETN is proud and fortunate to be able to tell them.”

   “Historic Bridges of Arkansas,” produced in conjunction with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, was designed to heighten viewers’ awareness and appreciation of these structures and preserve these monuments and memories for the future.

   Featured in the program is Hendrix College Assistant Professor of Art Maxine Payne, an artist and photographer who photographed and chronicled historic bridges in the state for the highway department for three years. Accompanying Payne’s aesthetic impressions of these bridges, Robert Scoggin, historic resources coordinator for the Arkansas Highway Department, offers commentary on the more “hard facts” about the structures, the importance of preservation, locations and their historic significance. Also included in the program are interviews with individuals with strong connections to and vivid memories of the various bridges.

   The NATAS Mid-America chapter, which includes television markets primarily in Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri, was chartered in 1962 and began honoring outstanding achievement in this region with local Emmy awards in 1976. The organization’s mission is to encourage excellence in the television community.

   The Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute (HSDFI) strives to provide cultural opportunities, entertainment and cinematic education to audiences through quality documentaries on a variety of topics and themes. It is also a goal of the HSDFI to provide a venue for new and established documentarians from across the nation and abroad; and to provide support for other community and cultural organizations through film programming and other educational outreach efforts.

   Now celebrating 40 years of service to the state, the Arkansas Educational Television Network (www.aetn.org) provides lifelong learning opportunities, improves and enhances Arkansans’ lives and celebrates the unique culture of Arkansas through its programming. AETN’s five transmitters and numerous cable system connections give it statewide reach.