North Little Rock, Arkansas

Festival of the Senses will present An Evening with the Man Known as Craig O’Neill in its free performing arts series at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 4106 JFK Boulevard in North Little Rock.

Like all Festival of the Senses presentations, the event is free and open to the public. Following the program in the church sanctuary, a reception will be held in the Parish Hall. The event will be livestreamed and available later for viewing at www.facebook.com/frcarey.

Craig O’Neill is the stage name of Randy Hankins, one of Little Rock’s best-known media personalities, who retired at the end of 2023 after 54 years in broadcasting. His irreverent sense of humor, resonant voice, and boisterous laugh, coupled with his knowledge of Arkansas lore and history, sports savvy, and journalistic versatility, have endeared him to generations of Arkansans.

Randy, who is a member of Little Rock’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, will be reading a chapter from “Whatever Happened to Craig O’Neill?,” his recently completed autobiography, which encompasses “a lot of Arkansas history.”

A native of Little Rock and a graduate of Pulaski Heights Elementary, Central High School, and Arkansas State University, Randy decided early on that he wanted to be the next Johnny Carson. He got his first on-air job during college at a Jonesboro radio station in 1969, moved back to Little Rock after graduation, and made a name in radio over several decades before moving to television in 2000 as the sports director for THV11, later becoming its evening news anchor. In 2023 he was inducted into the Gold Circle of the Mid-America EMMY Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of his 50 years in broadcasting.

Through the years Randy has visited scores of Arkansas schools giving readings in support of childhood literacy, and has appeared in his signature tuxedo and Air Jordans as the emcee for some 9,000 charitable events, raising more than $40 million for various causes. He is now back on the air as a guest on KABZ Sports Talk radio, sharing experiences and anecdotes about sports and life every Wednesday from 7:15 to 8:00 a.m.

Festival of the Senses was created in 2011 as a gift of the arts to the community to enlighten, entertain, and inspire. It is the only concert series of its kind in North Little Rock showcasing the region’s most distinguished and dedicated musicians and performing artists in a wide range of genres, from instrumental and vocal music to dance, comedy and drama. All events are free and open to the public.

Our next event will be a concert of holiday music by the Natural State Brass Band on Friday, December 6, at 7:00 p.m. Updates with current details about Festival of the Senses performances may be found on the church website at www.stlukeepiscopal.org.