PARAGOULD, Ark. (AP) - Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is celebrating its 50th anniversary and one of the companies celebrating along with it is a Paragould business whose furnishings are found in many a Wal-Mart store.

The L.A. Darling Co. has been operating in northeast Arkansas since 1966 and has been supplying shelving for store displays for about that long. On Monday, the company hosted a luncheon for its employees and for area Walmart managers.

The Paragould Daily Press reports (http://is.gd/LVJTWH ) there is a photo of a Darling truck outside the first Walmart in Rogers.

In a ceremony during the luncheon, company representatives released 51 balloons, saying the extra balloon represents the future.

Darling also has a plant in nearby Corning.

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