AY About You April 2024

ON

THE PULASKI COUNTY SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT is committed to providing a quality and equitable education to all students, and this includes finding highly qualified and committed staff. In addition to teachers and substitutes, PCSSD is always hiring for support staff positions, including bus drivers, student nutrition staff, para professionals, office staff, and more.

Pulaski County Special School District is student-centered in every area of employment across the District and offers a family-oriented work environment for all of our employees.

“Our schools and District offices provide supportive administration and provide an excellent benefits package,” says Dr. Yolaundra Williams, assistant superintendent for human resources at PCSSD. “We also employ a diverse staff that mimics our student population so that students see themselves in every role within PCSSD.”

PCSSD works with new teachers through its novice mentor teacher program to help them grow in the profession. This program pairs new teachers with a veteran teacher and hosts regular check-in sessions over the course of their first three years with the District. Programs like this help our new hires feel welcome and comfortable in the classroom.

“Employees are surrounded by a supportive and informative team at our District office,” Dr. Williams adds. “If you work in the schools in any capacity, you’ll encounter encouraging school administrators and fellow staff members. Our parents are

very engaged in our schools and we value their input and participation in student success.”

There are also plenty of opportunities for growth within our District. Whether it’s a current support staff employee working toward becoming a teacher, a teacher advancing into a leadership role or growth within our support staff departments like student nutrition, maintenance and security. Are you the right fit for PCSSD?

“An ideal candidate to work with us in PCSSD would be one who is studentcentered, knowing that a student’s success should be the ultimate goal in our job,” Dr. Williams explains. “We also love to hire life-long learners and people who are data-focused - no matter your area of expertise.”

There are current job openings in the Maumelle feeder for custodians, para professionals, teachers, bus drivers, and more. All job openings and the application can be found at www.pcssd.org/careers. Applications are reviewed by hiring managers before setting up interviews with an interview committee. If a person rises to the top, then they are recommended to the School Board for approval.

ABOUT PCSSD

9AM-12PM

Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 26 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927.

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Heather Baker hbaker@aymag.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Dwain Hebda dwain@aymag.com

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Sarah Coleman scoleman@aymag.com

Mak Millard mmillard@aymag.com

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Darlene Hebda darlene@aymag.com

STAFF WRITERS

John Callahan jcallahan@aymag.com

Sarah DeClerk sdeclerk@aymag.com

MANAGING DIGITAL EDITOR

Kellie McAnulty kmcanulty@aymag.com

ONLINE WRITER

Kilee Hall khall@aymag.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Mike Bedgood mbedgood@aymag.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Lora Puls lpuls@aymag.com

Jenna Kelley jkelley@aymag.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Linda Burlingame lindaaymag@aol.com

Mary Funderburg mary@aymag.com

Karen Holderfield kholderfield@aymag.com

Jona Parker jona@aymag.com

Dana Rodriguez dana@aymag.com

Bethany Yeager bethany@aymag.com

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Jessica Everson jeverson@aymag.com

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

Angela-Maria Jones ads@aymag.com

CIRCULATION circulation@aymag.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Mark Carter, Lindsey Fisher, Ryan Parker, Todd Traub

ADMINISTRATION billing@aymag.com

Vicki Vowell, CEO

TO ADVERTISE:

501-244-9700 or hbaker@aymag.com

TO SUBSCRIBE:

501-244-9700 or aymag.com

Please submit press releases & news to press@aymag.com

Joe David Rice, born in Paragould and reared in Jonesboro, probably knows Arkansas as well as anyone alive. The former owner of an outfitting business on the Buffalo National River and the state’s former tourism director, his Arkansas Backstories is published by the Butler Center.

Jason Pederson spent 20 years as KATV’s Seven On Your Side reporter. He is now deputy chief of community engagement for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. He and his wife, Mary Carol, have two biological children and one bonus son. They are longtime members of Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock.

Amy Gramlich is a wife, mom, blogger and public school educator proudly planted in Arkansas. She loves to celebrate all occasions big and small with fun outfits, creative recipes and fresh home decor (which must always include plants). She enjoys all the details that go into planning the next trip or party.

Angelita Faller is the news director for the office of communications and marketing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. A native of Newton, Ill., Faller holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in digital storytelling from Ball State University.

Kelli Reep is a writer and public relations practitioner in central Arkansas. When she is not looking for the best pie in the state, she is being ordered around by three cats. She likes to read, cook, sleep and help out when she can.

Lori Sparkman, owner of Lori Sparkman Photography, has traveled the globe to work extensively with beautiful brides and grooms, fierce fitness clients, growing families, as well as high-profile and corporate clients. She prides herself in capturing their personalities with a sophisticated and lighthearted style.

Jamie Lee is a native of southwest Louisiana now residing in Little Rock. She is a freelance photographer and writer who focuses on food and restaurants. Jamie has been a photographer for 15 years, shooting seniors, families, portraits, branding and food. She also has more than 25 years of experience with marketing in the travel and tourism industry.

Chris Davis was born and raised in Sherwood, but now resides in North Little Rock with his wife and 7-year-old son. When his son was born, his wife asked for a new camera to take pictures of their little one. From there his love of photography grew and he is proud to be one of the contributing photographers for AY magazine.

For more than 40 years, Gary Houston Electric Company has served Central Arkansas with affordable, quality and timely Commercial and Residential electrical contracting services with a strong emphasis on customer service. We service both new construction and existing structures needing electrical repair or being remodeled.

Walking on Sunshine

Springtime is special to me because it is the season of the year that I celebrate two important anniversaries: my wedding and my time at AY Media Group, through which I have met so many loyal readers and worked with so many wonderful advertisers who I am proud to now call friends.

There is a lot to celebrate in this issue of the magazine. Our “Bucket List” takes us to one of our favorite cities, North Little Rock. For years caught in Little Rock’s shadow, Dogtown is nobody’s mutt anymore. Check out our section to discover places to eat, raise a pint, catch a show, or even find a new place to live and work.

Also in this issue, we celebrate brides with our wedding section, which offers tips and suggestions for the ideal dress, venue, bling, food and honeymoon. Having just celebrated our first anniversary, Ryan Parker and I love looking back on our fairy tale wedding in Italy, and we wish the same magical day for all the couples out there.

As you look through the magazine, you’ll no doubt notice the “Best of” logo in many ads, which reminds us that we’re very close to revealing the results of the “Best of 2024” reader’s poll. Among the thousands of small businesses that operate in Arkansas, the very best in our state will advance in hundreds of categories thanks to you, the AY About You readers. Making the ballot in the poll is a major accomplishment, and with tens of thousands of votes cast last month to determine the winners, “Best of 2024” truly reflects the voice of the people. Stay tuned!

Speaking of best of, check out our top choices for outdoor dining to take advantage of Arkansas’ lovely spring weather, and meet the Delta Diamond Chefs, some of the best in the state, who are preparing for battle this month to advance to October’s final head-to-head competition in Pine Bluff.

There is so much going on in the Natural State, and we love bringing it to you. Get out and enjoy all the events and attractions in your own backyard, and drop us a line — we are always down for new adventures.

Heather Baker, President & Publisher hbaker@aymag.com / heatherbaker_ar

•

•

•

•

•

READER FEEDBACK INSTAGRAM

A LIFETIME OF SERVICE: PANTRY WEST BOASTS ONE OF LITTLE ROCK’S BEST

"Great article about a great guy!"

Steve Bowlan

SKOT COVERT TO LEAVE THV11 FOR PROMOTION AT 5NEWS

“Congratulations! Well deserved. I appreciate all you’ve done for us here in central Arkansas and I’ll miss you but wishing you the best in your new adventure.”

Judy Hughey

ARKANSAS SURGICAL HOSPITAL — NORTH LITTLE ROCK

“All of my surgeries here was awesome!! And now I go to pain management here and my doctor is the best of the best!!”

Martha Billiot

WELCOME HOME: SERVER AT THE TERRACE TREATS

EVERY GUEST LIKE FAMILY

“I agree. Thomas is the best!!! Always friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable about the menu. Wonderful caring person.”

Debbie May

THE PEOPLE BEHIND YOUR NEWS: JUSTIN ACRI

“Justin Acri is by far the best at what he does.”

Michael Dampier

TRIO’S FIXTURE HAS SEEN A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING DURING SERVING CAREER

"Long term employees are family! Great article.”

Karla Farley

NOT HIS FIRST RODEO: EXPERIENCE PAYS OFF FOR CYPRESS SOCIAL SERVER

“He’s been my server there and was wonderful. I felt like we were best friends.”

Becca Snider

Cabot Man and His Village Demonstrate Strength of Community

Actress, singer and all-around soulstress Capathia Jenkins recently brought her smooth grooves to Robinson Auditorium for two dates on her “She’s Got Soul” tour.

5Top you just can't miss!

TOTAL ECLIPSE EVENTS IN ARKANSAS

April 8

Several locations

The rare total eclipse has been much anticipated for its path of totality running right through Arkansas. Make this eclipse count, as the next total solar eclipse will not take place until 2044. Go to aymag.com for a list of events to choose from.

BABY SHARK’S BIG BROADWAVE TOUR

April 9

Robinson Center — Little Rock

Families are encouraged to head out to Baby Shark’s Big Broadwave Tour for one night only at Robinson Center in Little Rock. Interactive, this production is fit for the entire family and sure to create precious memories.

HARPER LEE’S TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

April 16-21

Walton Arts Center — Fayetteville

This musical is an Aaron Sorkin adaptation of Harper Lee’s PulitzerPrize-winning masterwork and has been called phenomenal by many reviewers. With Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch and several other notable actors, this production is a must-watch.

BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL

April 17-27

Argenta Contemporary Theatre — North Little Rock

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical showcases the one-of-a-kind story of Carole King and her life before fame as Carole Klein. Inspired by the trailblazer, this production is a whirlwind that takes the audience through the life of the girl who became King.

HOZIER: UNREAL UNEARTH TOUR 2024

April 26

Walmart AMP — Rogers

Hozier, the singer, songwriter and instrumentalist behind hits such as “Wasteland, Baby!” and “Take Me to Church,” will bring special guest Allison Russell to Rogers for the Unreal Unearth tour stop in Arkansas.

LIGHT THE FUSE THIS SUMMER AT SILVER DOLLAR CITY

This summer, the heroes of today spark the heroes of tomorrow at Silver Dollar City with the all-new Fire in the Hole indoor family coaster, the largest in the Heartland. Families are invited to sound the alarm, answer the call and board their very own “pumper” as they embark on a journey to save the 1880s town from the notorious Baldknobbers — Bugs, Patches and Wiley. Along the way, riders narrowly escape a collapsing burning bridge, encounter a close call with a steam locomotive and even blast a water tower, saving the town with a water splash finale. The whole adventure, housed in a five-story building, was built from the ground up with families in mind to create a ride experience everyone can take part in.

Fire in the Hole is the centerpiece of the Fire District, a firefighter-themed collection of 10 family rides and attractions focused on the spirit of volunteerism that offer fun for “volunteers” of all ages. That means there are more than 40 rides and attractions with something for everyone across the theme park.

The fun keeps heating up at The City’s Summer Celebration. The Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience will take center stage when numerous canines show off their best flips, dance moves and big air stunts — all with plenty of crowd participation. Be on the lookout for the Rainmaker as he tries yet again to flood The City streets with his newest water-conjuring contraption — just don’t get wet! For even more entertainment, stop by the Silver Dollar Saloon for laughs and tomfoolery and see a show by the park’s own Rivertown Ramblers.

Be on the lookout for the park’s two-story canopy sky, the World’s Largest Tomato Can, giant yard games and the rocking chairs at Rocker Garden. New savory meals and sweet confections are around every corner, too, including homemade cinnamon sugar

pretzels at the all-new Sadie’s Pretzel Cafe, grilled pineapple skewers, strawberry crunch funnel cake and much more.

Plus, there is plenty of time to take part in this new adventure during Summer Nights. Starting July 13 and going through Aug. 4, The City will be open until 10 p.m. Each day of fun is capped with a dance party on the Town Square, set for the whole family to dance the night away under the moonlight.

For more info on summer happenings, along with a special Newsboys performance on June 15, visit silverdollarcity.com.

Summer Adventures Close To Home

Discover world-class rides, entertainment and food this summer in the Ozark Mountains at Silver Dollar City! Step back in time for rides on the All-NEW Indoor Family Coaster—Fire In The Hole, plus record-breaking coasters and water-filled thrills. And, join in our Summer Celebration with performances from The Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience and The Rainmaker, play largerthan-life oversized games and take in unique trail stops. Plus, special concerts and fireworks finales to end the summer. Plan your family’s ultimate vacation today!

Honoring Craft

the

Ron Harris launched Summerwood Homes in North Little Rock in 1997.

Old-fashioned care and craftsmanship

a hallmark

of Summerwood Homes

By DWAIN HEBDA // Photos

provided

The term “craftsman,” especially when applied to the art of building something with one’s hands, comes only with time, practice and the belief that something good can always be made better. Such has been the mantra and business model of Ron Harris, founder of Summerwood Homes in North Little Rock.

Harris, who comes from a line of craftsmen, launched the company in 1997 after years working for Entergy Arkansas in Little Rock. From the very start, it was a venture as personal as it was professional.

“My oldest daughter is named Summer, and my middle name is Woody,” he said. “We came up with Summerwood.”

From the earliest days of the company, Harris envisioned being the kind of builder that other craftspeople wanted to associate with, working shoulder to shoulder with people who were the best at what they did in various areas of construction. That vision carries through to today, and each category of subcontractor pushes the others to measure up by doing their best work at all times.

“We like to talk about Summerwood Inc. as not being just Ron Harris,” he said. “My trim carpenter has my painter’s phone number. I don’t have to sit there and worry about people not doing their job. Everybody calls each other. Everybody calls each other and says this is ready, this is ready, this is ready. Everybody has fun critiquing everybody else’s work.”

Harris’ focus on quality and craftsmanship led the company into the realm of custom homebuilding, where he relishes the challenges of taking on whatever a client can envision in all styles of design and architecture.

“One of the things that we do differently is we just don’t go out there and do the ordinary. We like to take on these crazy designs and make them a reality,” he said. “We’ve done some really great houses in Rockwater in North Little Rock, for instance, that we’re really proud of. We also did 12 cottages for the city of Conway — the Spruce Street cottages across from Hendrix Athletic Field. It was a partnership between the city of Conway and Summerwood Inc.”

Harris’ attitude toward embracing challenges has found a willing audience among clients, many of whom are not only better prepared than they used to be at a project’s outset, but are not shy about throwing curveballs during the build itself.

“Clients today have done a lot of research, most of it being online,” he said, then added jok-

Beautiful appointments abound in every room.

One of the things that we do differently is we just don’t go out there and do the ordinary. We like to take on these crazy designs and make them a reality.

— Ron Harris, founder of Summerwood Homes

Special touches, quality materials and unparalleled workmanship come standard in a Summerwood home.

ingly, “I would love to have a paragraph in my contract that says, ‘You’re not allowed to search Pinterest during this project.’ People get all these ideas, and they’ll say, ‘What about this? What about that? Do we have that in the budget?’ It keeps things interesting.”

A native of Pine Bluff, Harris studied electrical engineering at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, marketing at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, and business administration at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In addition to contributing to the area economy as a business owner, he has also directly served the citizenry of North Little Rock in his role as alderman of Ward 3, a post he has held since being elected in 2017. As he told the press at that time, he built a campaign the same way he builds homes: the old-fashioned way by walking neighborhoods, knocking on doors and attending community events to make personal connections.

“I like doing business in North Little Rock. It’s just a whole lot easier than in some places,” he said. “It’s actually kind of fun.”

Far from slowing down, Harris speaks with enthusiasm about the company’s most ambitious project to date, the Village of Maumelle, which he described as “our soon-to-be claim to fame.” The 13-acre development, located on Commerce Drive in Maumelle, will be a community within the community built with empty nesters and retirees in mind.

The Village of Maumelle will offer several upscale designs in twoand three-bedroom packages ranging from 1,800 to 2,300 square feet in size. The community will also offer a wide range of activities and features, including two dog parks, a clubhouse and pickleball courts. Additional services are slated to come online in the future.

“Residents will be able to walk to the park and be close to shopping, restaurants, the grocery store,” he said. “Residents can even drive their golf cart to the Country Club of Arkansas to play a round of golf.

“Future development plans include shopping, movies and more entertainment. We’re even offering home care, home health care and private chef services to meet people’s needs, allowing them to age in place as opposed to going to assisted living.”

Compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and highly energy-efficient, the living units — which will include 39 single family homes, 19 quadruplex townhomes and several two- and three-story townhomes — have already piqued the public’s interest. It is a testament to the builder’s reputation and the public’s demand for quality housing and amenities within reach as they age.

“We pulled the first building permit on the 27th of February,” Harris said. “On the 29th of February, we sold it for $208 a square foot, and we hadn’t even dug a footing yet. That shows the kind of demand there is. This project is going to be a game changer.”

To see more of Summerwood Homes’ work and for complete details about the Village of Maumelle project, visit summerwoodinc.com.

Future development plans include shopping, movies and more entertainment. We’re even offering home care, home health care and private chef services to meet people’s needs, allowing them to age in place as opposed to going to assisted living.

— Ron Harris

The forthcoming Village of Maumelle development will be a game changer in central Arkansas.

Where quality & style come together

What We Do

• Building Construction

Let us build your dream home. We work with you to include special features that make your house your home.

• Building Repairs and Remodels

We remodel houses. Does your home need an update. Let us do it the right way.

Summerwood Homes is a family owned and operated company building in Arkansas since 1997. Vikki and Ron Harris are committed to providing the highest level of quality craftsmanship, design, and efficiency. With experience and expertise, Summerwood has built a reputation of excellence in Central Arkansas. We strive to make sure that the homeowner is satisfied, and we do everything to assure they get what they want.

From design to landscaping we handle every detail with personal attention.

501-758-1212

info@summerwoodinc.com

designer

Rooms of Distinction

Sandy Sutton Design Center expands into new studio and showroom

By AY STAFF // Photos provided

Hot Springs native Sandy Sutton, one of central Arkansas’ longest-tenured and most in-demand interior designers, has spent decades perfecting the commingling of art and science in her tasteful designs, which seamlessly blend form and function in a way that is unique to each client. At a time when many designers are looking to retire, she is as active as ever in the market and recently opened an expanded, 3,000-squarefoot showroom and design studio in the heart of Spa City. AY About You caught up with the design dynamo to talk about the new space, the artistic wellspring three decades in the making and the joy of creating rooms of distinction.

AY About You: Tell me a little about yourself.

Sandy Sutton: I am from Arkansas, born and raised. I moved to Hot Springs the summer before fifth grade, so basically, I feel like I’m totally Hot Springs. I’ve been in design professionally for a little over 30 years.

AY: How did you find your way into the industry?

Sutton: I was pretty much raised in an artistic family and background. I didn’t even realize I was doing interior design for many years until one day, my husband said, “Why don’t you get paid for doing this?” Up to then, I’d just take people to lunch, and we’d go shopping.

AY: How many people do you employ?

Sutton: I have two full time. Most of my workers are subcontractors, like a paper hanger, a paint contractor — that sort of thing.

AY: How did the new store come about?

Sutton: I have had, probably, 10 retail spots, including one over on Chenal Parkway [in Little Rock] off Sutton Place. They were always more in line with high-end furnishings, rugs, art — all of that.

I have been in this location, [4112 Central Ave. in Hot Springs], this is my 10th year, but I’ve never had a showroom of this nature before. I’ve been working for about five and a half years with a contractor, Justin White, and he actually had office space here, renting from me. We started realizing how many jobs we were doing together, and so this is kind of a brainchild that developed, and we put together a showroom.

AY: What is unique about the new location?

Sutton: We had the idea to bring things to life for people. They could come in and see examples in it — actual vignettes, not just racks of hardware and things. It’s all laid out where you can see how it would be in a kitchen format or a bath. We also have lighting and cabinetry. We have plumbing hardware. We have flooring. We have wallpaper. Plus, I have my design studio here, so that makes it a truly full-service design-build format.

AY: How will this new space help you assist clients and get projects rolling quickly and efficiently?

Sutton: They’re absolutely loving it because now I don’t have to make an ap-

Sandy Sutton Design Center in Hot Springs provides designs that speak to clients’ personalities.

pointment to take them to location A, B, C, D. I have it here. When we make an appointment, they can come here, and we can cover things from the ground up. It’s time consuming to travel to all these places, and now we have it in one place. My existing clients are loving it, and the new clients coming in are saying, ‘Wow, I don’t have to go anywhere.’

AY: What is advantageous about being located in that section of town?

Sutton: It’s the heart of Hot Springs. As most people know, Hot Springs is a hotspot for people wanting to come here and invest in properties. This is set up with imagination and a real hard focus on design where you can see things that you might not see other places. As a designer and artist, I’ve never wanted to be like everybody else.

AY: Do you consider yourself a generalist who can take all comers, or do you have a particular, singular style?

Sutton: My clientele is extremely varied, which is mentally and emotionally healthy for me. I’m not one who can sit at a desk and do repetitive things. I enjoy going in and out of different genres. I can do an extremely high-end, 15,000-square-foot house, and I can do a small log cabin on the lake and thoroughly enjoy each of them.

My interaction and my happiness are being with people and finding out what it is that they really want and feeling like I had a part in bringing them some settlement and some peace in their surroundings by using the talents that I’ve been given.

AY: Many additional tools have come online since you started in this industry. How have you embraced that technology in order to stay current?

Sutton: When I started, we didn’t have a lot of the things we have now, and I had to find creative ways to express my vision to clients in a way that they could comprehend it and understand it. I’ve always felt like their trust and confidence in me was key, but it wasn’t easy, and I would lose a lot of sleep over trying to figure out the best way to convey what I’m thinking.

Now they come in here, and they’ve already sent me their Pinterest account, and we can do 3D rendering, so I’m not having to struggle to find a way to convey my thoughts. We sit down together, and everything comes together in 3D. If they want to see another paint color, it’s in real time, and we can change things easily.

Advancements are great and so exciting, and I embrace them. I wish that I were a little more proficient, personally, but I’m surrounded by people that are, and I’ve always said that you’re only as good as those who surround you. No matter what project, when it’s done and everybody’s saying what a wonderful job, it’s very gratifying. It takes a whole lot of people to pull off a job.

AY: There is a lot of science that goes into design as far as how a space functions. As a creative, how do you balance that with the artistic elements?

Sutton: I have a gift of picking up on someone’s personality. I can sense kind of an aura about them, and I don’t mean that in a strange way. I pick up a presence about them in what is important to them, and that’s what’s important to me when I’m working for them.

I tell people that are new, ‘Bring me the pictures of what you like, but I definitely want to see the things you don’t like.’ Every room has what I call a rhythm, and that rhythm starts at one end when you enter, and that weaves its threads all the way through a space. I think that a lot of good design is based on common sense. There are cohesive movements, like in color or texture, that can be blended so that the overall feels like a peaceful space.

AY: It sounds like you’re balancing experience with intuition.

Sutton: Yes, and sometimes I have to stop and say, ‘Sandy, just take a deep breath, and don’t overthink this thing.’ I’ve always felt, from the very beginning, I want my design to be beautiful, but I also want it safe, useful, and I want it to be something that speaks to what the client feels and their personality. I don’t want it to be a room that’s roped off and looks great, but you can’t go in there.

Sandy Sutton Design Center

Designer Sandy Sutton said she helped with interior design for years before turning it into a profession.

The new showroom provides a one-stop location for clients looking to refresh rooms or building new construction.

Sandy Sutton Design Center seeks to find the rhythm central to creating beautiful, cohesive spaces.

Coming Soon:

Searcy Master Plan Includes Community Center, More

Community leaders across the state are constantly at work to enhance the amenities, activities and entertainment they can offer to residents and visitors alike. Few of them succeed without local support, however, and Searcy voters have made it clear they want to double down on their investment in the city’s future. Thanks to two bond measures approved in March, Searcy is set to move forward with its ambitious #MySearcy Master Plan, a series of transformative projects that will put an estimated $93 million toward a community center, an outdoor water park, running and biking trails, and more.

Based on research to determine residents’ most requested amenities, the new Searcy Community Center is a top priority for the city. The community center will be located on newly acquired property on Main Street and include several state-of-the-art features ranging from sports courts and multi-use community rooms to a senior center, cafe and outdoor amphitheater, to name a few. The new facility is meant to be a true hub for all kinds of recreational and social activities, reflecting Searcy’s commitment to being an inclusive and thriving community both now and in the future.

With planned improvements and additions to be made all over town, the new community center is just the tip of the iceberg.

To learn more about what is in store for the city of Searcy, visit cityofsearcy.org.

Renderings provided

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Pioneer Village Spring Open House | April 6-7

SUNday on the Square | April 7

Galaxy Fest Return of the Sun | April 8

Eclipse Mural Tour | Happening now

Cinco De Mayo | May 3

World Championship Chocolate Gravy Cookoff | May 4

Special Olympics Summer Games | May 23-25

There’s so much to explore in Searcy! From downtown events and foodie approved eats to holiday lights and a high quality of life, our “big small town” is your perfect place for a weekend – or a lifetime. Get started at experiencesearcy.com today.

Food WITH A View

With nicer weather here, outdoor dining options are as popular as ever

By DWAIN HEBDA // Photos provided

It’s time to get outside and dine! Some favorite spots include the Waters rooftop in Hot Springs, upper right, and Hillcrest Little Bakery, from left, U.S. Pizza and the Butcher Shop in Little Rock.

Spring has sprung in Arkansas, presenting a soothing, mild window of the calendar sandwiched between the bite of winter and the blast furnace of the Southern summer to come. If the calendar and time change did not adequately announce the season’s arrival, one glance at the crowds dining al fresco all over central Arkansas is a pretty reliable sign.

Sidewalk or patio dining is considered such a rare treat for so many people, yet humans have been eating out of doors by choice and by necessity for thousands of years. In his 2021 essay “History of Outdoor Dining” in Medium, Hanzhang Yang notes records of outdoor feasts as far back as ancient China, in one of which Di Mo vilified Emperor Xia Qi for indulging in “debauchery, eating and drinking ferociously in the wild.”

“We can also find a vivid image of hunting meals in Medieval Europe from the Bayeux Tapestry’s 43rd scene, where meals are cooked after hunting and brought to the table set up in the wild to serve the nobles … based on the 11th-century history of William the Conqueror,” Yang wrote. “The 17th and 18th centuries’ gourmets also bring their wine and snack baskets to enjoy outdoors in private gardens.”

While bistros and sidewalk cafes have long been a common feature of European cities, the United States’s adoption of the custom is surprisingly recent. Yang notes New York City did not see

restaurants with street seating until the 1800s and did not license sidewalk cafes themselves until 1929. Several have laid claim to the concept in America, but in truth, it is likely impossible to pin down exactly when and where the first cafe, bistro or food cart put some seating out front to lure customers, whether by necessity, choice or convenience.

What is known, however, is how sidewalk and patio dining helped save the U.S. restaurant industry itself during the COVID-19 pandemic. With dining rooms shut down and social distancing the law of the land, many eateries turned parking lots into makeshift banquet facilities. Some of them disappeared as soon as the all-clear sounded, while others remain to this day. With that, urban design in many communities has evolved to more easily accommodate outdoor seating. This trend has also reached Arkansas, from formal, designated spaces designed into the streetscape layouts of Little Rock and North Little Rock’s downtowns to converted lots for food truck parks such as Hot Springs’ 420eats, complete with games for kids, restrooms, and permanent tables and chairs.

Arkansans’ love for good food and passion for the outdoors has raised patio, deck and sidewalk dining to a delicious art form. Here are a few favorite spots to visit when sunny, warm days melt into opaque, starlit nights shared over good food, good wine and great company:

Hill Station

Little Rock’s Hillcrest neighborhood is a picturesque band of mature trees, family homes and a walkable business district. Unlike its pricier cousin, the Heights, Hillcrest retains an approachable, lived-in charm less conspicuous in affluence yet still possessed of good taste.

At the heart of the unique area is Hill Station, a gathering place for those seeking great food and beverages meant to be consumed outdoors. Opening in early 2020, the restaurant barely got its feet under it when COVID-19 came along, shutting everything down. Reopening as an outdoor-seating-only establishment gained the place a reputation among locals as a favorite garden dining spot.

“Most places work inside out; we work outside in, and that’s why the inside is as small as it is,” owner Daniel Bryant said. “Matter of fact, the restaurant was planned to be bigger, and we went back two or three times and kept shaving the restaurant down to get more and more seating outside.

“It’s a compact corner — everything in Hillcrest is compact — and we wanted to get everything we could

get. We ended up with, I’d say, about 120 seats.”

Laid-back outdoor spaces such as Hill Station’s can sometimes lead menus into similarly casual territory, but that is not the case here. Bryant was determined to elevate the cuisine, even while keeping the come-asyou-are ambiance.

“Locals may not realize that Hillcrest Artisan Meats in Little Rock and Hill Station are sister restaurants, and we have all those meats made in-house,” he said. “Because of that, our charcuterie board is outstanding. In fact, I sometimes feel like we have an unfair advantage. Anything that’s got steak in it, like the steak frites where we move it around from hanger steak to now a ribeye, is great. We do some really good brisket tacos as an appetizer.

“For first timers, I would say start out with one of the sandwiches, especially the grinder. People tend to go for the braised brisket or turkey Reuben, but the grinder gets most of the critical acclaim, so I would start there. We also have things that aren’t meat-driven. We’re really proud of our mushroom risotto, for example. Our kitchen is really excellent.”

Hill Station in Little Rock’s Hillcrest neighborhood converted to only outdoor seating soon after opening in 2020.

Ciao Baci

Also in Hillcrest is one of the most charming dining options in the city: Ciao Baci. Where many restaurants claim to make the diner feel at home, the quaint Ciao Baci aces them all by operating out of a craftsman-style bungalow house that is common in the neighborhood. The fare is elegant but welcoming, and the ambiance is like being invited over to a lifelong friend’s home.

“We have a wraparound patio that seats up to 50 people. We also converted our driveway into this European-feel dining area,” said Blair Wallace, who co-owns the restaurant with her wife, Stephanie. “We’ve got tables out there. We’ve got music and string lights. That came about during COVID. We were trying to expand our space, and it really caught on. People love sitting out there. We’ve got plenty of outdoor seating, and we are pupper friendly. We encourage dogs. It’s kind of like going to a house party every time you come here.

“Part of our patio is open air for people that really enjoy the breeze. In spring, when it gets kind of windy, the side patio that’s alongside the house is covered. If you want a break from the sun or the wind, that’s a great option. It’s also heated and cooled. There’s airflow. You can kind of sit on it year-round.”

Wallace was tight-lipped about specific items on the spring menu. However, speaking categorically, she said certain things can always be counted on any time of year in various configurations, paired with selections from Ciao Baci’s always-excellent wine list.

“We’re really good about always using seasonal vegetables — tomatoes, strawberries, everything like that. We do a really great job of keeping everything fresh and top of mind. We always like to support our local farmers as much as possible.

“As for spring and summer, all I can say is expect some really great seasonal fresh fish and seafood. We get everything off the dock. Everything is fresh.”

Ciao Baci

Elegant ambiance complements the fare at Ciao Baci, which is housed in a historic bungalow in Hillcrest.

The Rail Yard

Anchoring a big slice of the East Village in Little Rock, the Rail Yard offers an experience that is equal parts party and chill, providing a surprisingly intimate evening out for guests and up to 500 of their closest friends.

Brandon Dorse and Madi Hamp, the handson owners, bought the popular spot last summer and have spent the time since improving the sprawling outdoor space and making more changes inside the on-premises restaurant.

“The entire atmosphere is pretty much different as far as the vibe that you get when you walk in,” Dorse said. “We’ve put a lot more TVs up. We have a lot more games. We have a brand-new deck outside that wasn’t there. Just piece by piece putting it together to have a better function for the business.”

Hosting a rotating collection of food trucks as it does, the Rail Yard is often underappreciated for its own kitchen, which churns out delicious, unfussy fare. Particularly notable are

Wednesday $5 burger nights and, starting in April, a brunch menu. A full bar is also in play daily.

“We have the best cheeseburgers, catfish, quesadillas, nachos, different types of loaded fries. We have different smoked sausage — jalapeno and regular,” Dorse said. “You definitely want to order our double smash burger, and also you’re definitely going to have to have our fried catfish.”

Both Dorse and Hamp are longtime veterans of the restaurant business, and owning the Rail Yard represents a long-held dream for the duo.

“It all starts with our customer service. We’re laid back and relaxed, and we give you the best customer service you could possibly ask for,” Dorse said. “Our whole aesthetic and how we do things as far as the music and the atmosphere that we try to create, we try to make you feel as comfortable as we can in the space that you’re in. Enjoying the patio, being able to be out in the open, feeling the air, having that great weather is a great combination for our patio seating.

“It’s just an all-around great vibe that people are starting to love. We’re dog friendly. We’re family friendly. It’s the place to be throughout the week and on the weekends to experience all the different things we have rolling out.”

The Rail Yard in Little Rock offers a companionable environment that is friendly to families and dogs.

SUPERIOR BATHHOUSE Brewery

For nearly seven decades, Superior Bathhouse in Hot Springs welcomed Spa City locals and guests seeking to rejuvenate mind and body with its legendary mineral spring waters. That function is long gone, but almost 100 years after it was originally constructed in 1916, the bathhouse’s doors opened once again to refresh customers, this time as the first brewery in America to open in a national park.

Since then, Superior Bathhouse Brewery has quickly established a reputation for creative, quality craft beer brewed with local mineral-rich water and paired with a chef-inspired menu to match.

“Everyone wants to know, ‘Is [the beer] magical? Does it have healing powers?’” owner Rose Schweikhart once said in an article in All About Beer “No. The best part about the water is that it created this beautiful town that grew up around it. … It allowed me to be here and do this.”

Schweikhart, who moved to Hot Springs from Illinois in 2011, expertly melds the old with the new at Superior. The lovingly restored brewery oozes history at every turn, giving nod to its colorful past as a haven for 1930s gangsters on holiday and famous Major League baseballers during spring training.

The company’s ethos, however, fully embraces modern attitudes about sustainability and the full-circle, farm-to-table experience. Spent grains from brewing are shipped to local farms for livestock feed, and efforts continue to convert the brewery to 100-percent solar power to further the brewery’s green goals.

All of that takes a back seat to the beer and menu itself, which provides an excellent meal during a break from watching the ponies at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, visiting Hot Springs’ many shops or taking in a show. Led by the flagship Space Force, a hazy India pale ale and a cornerstone of the brewery’s lineup, the 18 taps showcase the company’s brewing chops, which have led to beers ranging from familiar to zany.

Those who cannot decide can try a four-sample flight or share a Beer Bath, which puts all 18 varieties on one board. Once patrons find a favorite, growlers are available to take some beer home.

Patrons can enjoy the beer outside on the patio while noshing from the menu. Whatever the hunger level, there is something to satisfy, from apps and salads to main dishes and burgers. Must-trys include the brats and pretzels, and do not forget the kids - both two- and four-legged species have their own menu selections.

Patrons can sample the suds and grub al fresco at Superior Bathhouse Brewery in Hot Springs.

DELTA DIAMOND CHEF CONTESTANTS SHINE BRIGHT

By AY STAFF

Eight of the most esteemed chefs in Arkansas will compete in the inaugural Delta Diamond Chef culinary competition this year. The eight contenders will enter a preliminary round of competition 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 26 at the University of ArkansasPulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute in Little Rock in preparation for the October finals.

The finals are set for 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 15 at Pine Bluff Country Club during the Delta Diamond Chef Awards Gala and Competition. In addition to hosting a live competition between the two finalists for Delta Diamond Chef, various “of the year” awards will be presented at the event. Read on to learn about the Delta Diamond Chef entrants.

— STARTERS —

Hometown: Benton

Education: Associate’s degree, UA-PTC Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute

How long in food industry: Six years

JORDAN DAVIS, food and beverage director

Chenal Country Club

— STARTERS —

Education: University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College

Time in industry: 13 years

— MAIN —

A proud graduate of the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical Col lege with more than a decade of experience under his apron, Chef Jor dan Davis still appreciates the power of the underrated fundamentals like knowing how to use salt and pepper.

— SIDES —

How did you get into this career?

After a failed year of college at University of Central Arkansas [in Con way] and thinking I was ultimately going to become a doctor, I decided to follow my passion and enrolled in culinary school.

What is the hardest lesson you had to learn in the restaurant business?

No matter what, it is impossible to please everyone. I make it a goal of mine for every member who walks in our doors to have a memorable ex perience and to be pleased with their food and the service.

What is the most underrated “secret ingredient” to success?

Proper seasoning can cover up a lot of mistakes.

What is one thing you would tell your 18-year-old self? Love the everyday grind.

J. LANCE CURTIS, culinary faculty

UA-PTC Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute

— MAIN —

Chef J. Lance Curtis is a member of the culinary faculty at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute in Little Rock. Curtis is able to learn something new every day and relishes the opportunity to please others with his dishes.

— SIDES —

How have your experiences shaped you into the person you are today?

Cooking has made me more organized in my work. Also, because you never know what curveballs the kitchen will throw, I’ve become flexible and adaptable.

What is the most underrated “secret ingredient” to success?

Show up and show out.

What is something others would be surprised to learn about you?

I’ve run two full-length marathons.

What is the hardest lesson you have learned in the restaurant business?

You can’t — and won’t — please everyone. However, at the end of the day, you must please yourself by giving it everything you have.

What is one thing you would tell your 18-year-old self?

Get your head out of your [expletive].

Hometown: Russellville

Education: Russellville High School, Arkansas Tech University in Russellville

How long in food industry: 10 years

PAYNE HARDING, executive chef Cache Restaurant

— STARTERS —

Hometown: Little Rock, AR

Education: Bachelor of Science, University of Central Arkansas

Associate of Culinary Arts, The Culinary Institute of America

How long in the food industry: 20 years

— MAIN —

Born and raised in Little Rock, Chef Payne Harding has spent two decades becoming accomplished in producing dishes that are elevated yet approachable, combining his Southern roots and the best fresh ingredients to create memorable meals for guests.

— SIDES —

How have your experiences shaped you into the person you are today?

My experience living in New York and going to school at the CIA definitely gave me perspective on the chef I wanted to be. You have to be passionate about the hospitality business.

What are your favorite hobbies and pet projects outside of work?

My favorite activities outside of work are spending time with my family, my wife, Leah, and my daughter, Mila.

KEVIN DOROSKI, executive chef and business review specialist

Draft + Table

— MAIN —

Kevin Doroski said he owes his culinary education to Eric Isaac, co-owner of Ristorante Capeo in Argenta. Today, Doroski is co-owner and executive chef of his own kitchen at Draft + Table right down the street.

— SIDES —

How have your experiences shaped you into the person you are today?

You learn from the bad, and you enjoy the good. That’s everybody’s story.

What do you like most about what you do?

Here’s the thing about food: You can be the best baker in the world, and you’ll still never know the first thing about barbecue. It’s an endless cycle of learning new stuff.

What is something others would be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a nice guy. You get a lot of reputations as a chef, like the Gordon Ramsay aspect — just screaming all the time, angry and stomping. I don’t do any of that.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave?

I just want my kids to be proud of me. That’s all I’m looking for.

What advice would you give to others who want to follow in your footsteps?

The advice I would give to young cooks is to be a sponge for information. Work for chefs you admire, and develop working relationships. You must travel and experience restaurants on all types of different levels.

Perfect for any occassion.

Payne Harding’s vision for Cache is one that transcends food — where every guest encounter receives as much care as what emerges from the kitchen. From the architecture of the building to the linens on the tables, Payne believes that every detail is significant and impacts the experience of Cache patrons. With the infrastructure now firmly in place, Payne is immersed in crafting what promises to be a constantly evolving and dynamic culinary story at Cache.

Payne Harding Executive Chef and Owner

Proud of you for making the Prelim Cut for Delta Diamond Chef.

— STARTERS —

Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina. I moved to Arkansas in 2014.

Education: Four culinary degrees — Culinary Professional, International Pastry Chef, International Chocolatier, Professional Pastry Chef

How long in food industry: 22 years

GREGORY MATTHEWS, executive chef and business review specialist Performance Foodservice

— STARTERS —

Hometown: Little Rock

How long in food industry: 40 years

— MAIN —

What began for Gregory Matthews as a course prerequisite for a hospitality and hotel management degree turned into a lifelong culinary career. As soon as he set foot in a true chef-led kitchen, he was immediately bitten by the culinary bug.

— SIDES —

How have your experiences shaped you into the person you are today?

The long days taught me perseverance and endurance. Being understaffed taught me a sense of urgency and the ability to dig even deeper when I had nothing left in the tank.

What is the hardest lesson you had to learn in the restaurant industry?

If you sacrifice quality even in the smallest amount, it will come back to haunt you. Start with the best ingredients possible, and treat them with respect.

What quality do you admire most in other chefs?

The ability to have a prospering restaurant through multiple decades. The amount of energy, dedication and creativity it takes to keep a food operation relevant is staggering. My hat is off to those that are getting it done year after year.

MATÍAS DE MATTHAEIS, executive chef

Red Oak Steakhouse at Saracen Casino Resort

— MAIN —

Argentina native Chef Matías de Matthaeis credits his love of cooking to his grandmother, who encouraged his love of food and gave him the knack for cooking from a young age. As a culinary professional, Matthaeis prides himself on being well rounded and studying every day.

— SIDES —

What quality do you admire most in other chefs?

Relentlessness, knowledge and creativity.

What is the most difficult dish you have learned to make?

The most difficult thing I’ve ever learned was the art of balance — flavors, textures and presentation. It’s a constant process of honing skills and intuition.

What is something others would be surprised to learn about you?

I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave?

I’d like to be remembered as a chef that stood firmly against the authoritarian approach that involves yelling and insulting the staff.

What is one thing you would tell your 18-year-old self?

Listen more. Learn from everyone.

We deliver success through a blend of proven expertise and willingness to embrace change. Yes, we started delivering food in 1885, but we’ve never stopped moving or rested on our laurels. We are always looking for fresh ideas, simple solutions and new ways to serve our customers, while using the knowledge we’ve gained to streamline our operations and processes. That’s why our customers count on us for safety and efficiency, but also to show them what’s coming next. Congratulations Chef

JILL MCDONALD, executive chef and owner

The Croissanterie

— STARTERS —

Hometown: Dumas

Education: Associate of Applied Science in culinary arts

How long in food industry: 25 years

— MAIN —

Jill McDonald, executive chef and owner of the Croissanterie in Little Rock, has long enjoyed cooking for friends and family. She entered the restaurant business when she moved to Little Rock, and food has been her life ever since. She said there is nothing compared to following a culinary dream.

— SIDES —

What is the most difficult dish you have learned to make?

Gnocchi and/or pasta. It’s all about touch and feel, and there are so many factors that affect the end result. I’m still working on it.

What is something others would be surprised to learn about you?

I didn’t cook until I went to college, and I’ve seen every episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

What is the most underrated “secret ingredient” to success?

Patience and time.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave?

Knowing that I contributed to the next generation, teaching kindness, compassion, community, passion, deliciousness and knowledge.

— STARTERS —

Hometown: Philadelphia

Education: Culinary school and on-the-job training

How long in the food industry: Since 13 years of age

What is one thing you would tell your 18-year-old self?

Do not be afraid. You were meant to cook.

BRAYAN MCFADDEN, chef/owner Brood & Barley

— MAIN —

A transplant from Philadelphia, Brayan McFadden, chef and owner of Brood & Barley in North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District has been in the kitchen since he was 13 years old. With a vision of a restaurant that brings together culinary expertise and a homey ambiance, McFadden and his wife, Chrissy, opened Brood & Barley to provide unique dining experiences to guests.

— SIDES —

What do you believe distinguishes you from others?

[I’m] not flashy at all. I just like cooking food and hope people love the dish as much as I do.

What quality do you admire in most other chefs?

Keeping calm under pressure.

Who is another chef you admire and why?

Jeffrey Bell [of Pennsylvania] — talented, modest and treated the dishwasher like the CEO.

What is the hardest lesson you have had to learn in the restaurant business? Not everyone loves your restaurant like you do.

What is the most underrated secret ingredient to success?

Keep your head down and your mouth shut.

What is one thing you would tell your 18-year-old self? Go home.

DATE: TUESDAY,

Brayan McFadden, Chef/Owner

Life of the Party

O’Looney’s reinvents the beverage-buying experience

By DWAIN HEBDA // Photos provided

The name “Chenal” is derived from the French word for “channel,” and at few times during the history of the sprawling west Little Rock development that bears that name has that been such an apt description. Over the past few years, the current of commerce has barely been contained as one oversized retail development after another came online, attracting people to the district in waves.

Inspired by nearby soaring mountains and yawning vistas, the scope of the neighborhood trends large — big homes, big golf courses, big box stores — as developers look to capitalize on the area’s influx of residents — that is, except for a few notable exceptions for whom bigger is not better.

O’Looney’s Wine & Liquor, a boutique beverage shop in the heart of this stretch of west Little Rock, is one such place.

“I identified over the last 20 years there’s often a disconnect between the services that retail stores offer and the needs of the

consumer,” said Jonathan Looney, sommelier, owner and allaround beverage savant. “In my focus on how to bridge that gap, I often fill into the role of helping do a lot of things. Only by surrounding myself with a team of excellent service professionals have I been able to scale it and pull it off consistently.”

A visit to O’Looney’s is not a typical beer run, although, of course, the shop stocks suds. The patrons who stop in for beverages are treated to a curated experience by a staff that knows and cares as much about the products on the shelf as the namesake owner. As a result, O’Looney’s has the feel of an exclusive bar or club without the pretense or the velvet rope, which not only appeals to the clientele, but to the experienced, well-trained staff.

“Before I worked in distribution, I worked for the DoubleTree [by Hilton Hotel in Little Rock] in their food and beverage program,” said Elliott Griffen, store leader. “I like to apply a lot of my Hilton tactics in this job. ‘Hey, how are you

Jonathan Looney

O’Looney’s offers a more personal, curated experience for its customers.

doing? What can I do for you today?’ That’s not just a lost face; that’s everyone that comes through the door. ‘Hey, how are you doing? What are you looking for? What can we do to make your shopping experience memorable?’

“In retail, you don’t know who’s about to walk in the door. Everybody’s somebody, whether they’re purchasing a six-pack of beer or they’re walking out with 10 cases for a private party. We like to greet our guests and leave no stone left unturned because there’s potential everywhere, and that’s the beautiful, beautiful thing about it.”

The approach, replicated consistently by every staff member, is genuine and warm. On a recent weekday, as a steady stream of guests dropped in, each was greeted, some by name, and all engaged with staff. Looney even employs designated wine experts, dapperly attired and elegant in knowledge, to help customers select just the right bottle of wine.

Seen in action, such tactics are remarkable in their simplicity — “just be nice” could be the team’s mantra — yet are in increasingly short supply, to which a short jaunt from the store’s front door to nearby big-box retailers attest.

“There was an article written about us [in Arkansas Money & Politics], and the title was, I think, ‘O’Looney’s Does it Different.’ It’s true,” Looney said. “I’ve identified that experience that consumers and guests have in retail. I’ve walked into multiple retail experiences myself, and I’ve seen where businesses use technology to make the experience efficient for the business. I guess I’m a little bit of a throwback. I remember a time when the human at the grocery store knew me by name.”

Though still a young man — a 1992 graduate of Catholic High School who earned his degree from University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1998 — Looney’s business acumen reveals an old soul, one who first stumbled onto a passion for wine while enjoying a nightly chardonnay alongside audiobooks.

Since then, Looney has earned accreditations from the International Sommelier Guild, the Society of Wine Educators and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust of London. He is also a certified specialist of wine and a certified sommelier, and he possesses the advanced certificate from WSET. O’Looney’s Wine & Liquor, which opened its doors 24 years ago, is a testament to this expertise, and roughly one half of the retail floor is devoted entirely to wine.

“I think the biggest thing that sets us apart is that this is just what we do, and we are passionate about it,” said Kacee Hudson, public relations leader. “We’re not just a wine and liquor store; we are a service. We are a one-stop shop. We are specialty in our inventory

Although a plentiful wine selection speaks to its owner’s expertise, O’Looney’s Wine & Liquor in Little Rock has something for everyone.

and in our services.

“If you want to get everything done with one business, we’re the ones to go to. We even have free delivery in Pulaski County, and people are always flabbergasted when I tell them that I’m going to deliver to their wedding the morning of or whenever they want me to — on us.”

The old-school ethos of the store does not mean innovation has passed it by, which can be seen through perks such as a loyalty program. The store is also rolling out a new beverage-advisement service called the Connoisseur Team that is aimed at taking the stress out of providing beverages for a party, reception or other function.

Under the new program, clients confer with a connoisseur about what wines or beverages to serve based on menu, budget and a host of other factors. The connoisseur helps the customer determine the best pairing, in addition to calculating the appropriate quantity, which is then ordered and delivered through the store.

Hudson said the service will also serve as a great resource for connecting the client to other beverage experts and mixologists based on their needs.

“We don’t physically build the cocktails,” she said. “We all have a restaurant industry background, and we all know cocktails, but when it comes to building a recipe for it and things like that, we really rely on our industry friends. That’s also what we’re really pushing out, along with our connoisseur and concierge services, are our corporate friends to handle that part of it.”

“One thing Jonathan says all the time is we are great connectors,” said Leila Horsman, executive assistant. “If there is something that we cannot handle in house, we are great at connecting with our people in our community. We don’t just say, ‘No, sorry, can’t help you.’ We really don’t say ‘no’ around here much. ‘No’ is a four-letter word.”

Looney sees the just-rolled-out service as a new and novel way to tell clients’ stories by being allowed to participate in their most important celebrations, something he considers the highest calling any retailer can enjoy with their clientele.

“We just want to serve our clients well and innovate and figure out ways to move closer to them and make their experience with us more personal and more personable,” Looney said. “I don’t want to color this as, ‘Only we care about this, and none of our competition does,’ because I’m sure any store is able to accommodate some degree of client success. Unique to us, however, is we’ve put in processes and built a team of individuals that can consistently make clients’ or guests’ success. With events or in corporate gift giving or even just a special family dinner, we like to be supporting actors and continue to find new ways to make us efficient at being human with our guests.”

Sponsored content

O’Looney’s Wine & Liquor

3 Rahling Circle, Little Rock 501.821.4669

olooneys.com

Elliott Griffen

Leila Horsman

Kacee Hudson

A seat at the Table

Draft + Table: Argenta’s next great restaurant

By JOHN CALLAHAN

Photos provided

Situated on the corner of North Little Rock’s Broadway and Main streets, Draft + Table is the shared brainchild of co-owners Scott Landers, a local businessman and CEO of ATG USA, and Kevin Doroski, who serves as the restaurant’s executive chef. The recent addition to the thriving Argenta Arts District savors the classics and uplifts the old-school, making for a fresh but familiar experience of one’s favorite foods.

“Kevin was a chef down at Ristorante Capeo, [which has] open kitchen seating,” Landers said. “My wife and I would often sit at the bar and have a drink and a meal down there, and we got to know Kevin really well over the years of talking through the window. It got to the point where Kevin would come over on Sundays, and we’d cook together.

“There might have been a bottle of wine or two involved one night over

a dish of duck cacciatore we were cooking when the idea came that, hey, why don’t we open a restaurant?”

The most basic foundation of what the duo wanted to create was simple: a welcoming environment with really good food.

“We want to treat everybody that walks through that door like family, and we don’t want to serve them anything we wouldn’t serve to our own mothers,” Landers said.

Rather than making a regionally based menu around, for example, Italian or Greek food, they settled on the melting pot of traditional American cuisine, keeping the food approachable and familiar.

“We really wanted to pay tribute to the classics,” Doroski said. “There’s a reason why these dishes have been around for so long and we wanted to showcase why.”

The space Draft + Table now occupies was formerly the well-known bar Cregeen’s Irish Pub. While the great bones of the location offered many benefits, such as virtually irreplaceable mahogany woodwork and the 78-foot-long bar, the structure also presented serious and unexpected challenges when it came to remodeling.

“We came on a Sunday afternoon and took a look through the restaurant,” Landers said. “We knew right away that the kitchen was going to be a 100-percent replacement. There was no salvageable equipment in the process, and that applied to the restrooms, as well. We started the remodeling process thinking that was our big focus and immediately ran into some interesting problems. The kitchen had been built with no prep sink. There was a lack of under-slab plumbing behind the bar, so all of the beer taps drained across the floor to a floor drain.”

Jackhammering the concrete floors to

The stunning bar provides a centerpiece at Draft + Table, left. Breakfast charcuterie anchors the restaurant’s brunch service.

install the necessary plumbing for the kitchen and bar caused a month-anda-half delay. Perhaps the most painful delay came only three weeks before the renovation was supposed to be completed. The space had concrete floors, which were expected to clean up easily, but the owners discovered after cleaning that there were yellowish bleach stains all across the floor that necessitated additional grinding, polishing and staining.

Thanks to the help of a solid team, including Krebs Brothers Restaurant Supply in North Little Rock and Shine Interior Design Studio in Lonoke, the duo was eventually able to overcome all obstacles. The end result is a fusion of wood and modern finishes that feels classy and clean without being too nice to touch or get dirty, making the atmosphere as approachable as the menu.

Draft + Table officially opened Nov. 22. It was something of an odd time to open, coming just after the last major music event of the year at nearby Simmons Bank Arena.

“Opening the week of Thanksgiving was something we just fell into,” Doroski said. “We were just ready to be open, and that’s how the timing worked. I loved how it worked out, because instead of opening the floodgates and getting rushed, we kind of got to stair-step into it on that holiday week. Everybody still had family in town, so we got people who were bringing them out, but we also didn’t get hit all at once.”

That allowed for a significant amount of breathing room that Doroski and

Extensive renovations were required to ready the building for the new restaurant.

his team put to excellent use. Each night after closing that first week, they sat down together and discussed the problems they had encountered that day, propose possible solutions, and hear suggestions from team members. With each passing day, the owners’ confidence and level of preparedness increased exponentially.

“I don’t think anything can bring people closer together than food and music,” Doroski said. “We’ve got the food aspect, and then we also put on some pretty good jams around here. That’s always been the way to get people to gather and have a bit of revelry.”

Open for lunch and dinner on weekdays, in addition to brunch on Saturday and Sunday, plus Saturday dinner, Draft + Table’s menu includes options fit for a quick bite to eat, such as the restaurant’s tour of America’s greatest sandwiches, from Reuben to shrimp po-boy. Patrons can also savor an hour-long meal enjoyed with a bottle of wine, such as a 14-ounce New York strip.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about [the menu] and put myself into it. It’s really just a collection of experiences I’ve had across my life,” Doroski said. “When I was growing up in Russellville, we ate a lot of rabbit, so I knew what we could do with it and what the potential was there. Putting that on there was a bit of a risk, but it’s paying off. Everybody seems to like it.

“Hanging out with a bunch of the redneck duck hunters that I grew up with, they always had one way of cooking duck, so I thought, ‘There’s got to be some more techniques out there that we can fuse with this to make it work.’”

Another of Doroski’s personal favorite menu items is the walleye. The fish, native to the Great Lakes, can also be found in many Arkansas lakes and streams thanks to the stocking efforts of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. A favorite choice of northern visitors — including a surprisingly high number of Minnesotans — walleye has become the No. 1 seller among Arkansans.

“I’m afraid we’re going to put walleye on the endangered species list,” Doroski said. “We have it on the menu twice as the walleye sandwich, which is a huge hit, and the walleye entree on goat cheese couscous with grilled carrots.”

No doubt the most popular appetizer — to the point that Landers felt the need to express his sympathies to the kitchen staff who have to make so many — are the so-called “armadillo eggs” advertised on the menu as the winner of the Chef’s Choice Award at the Stumptown BBQ Smoke-Off in Whitefish, Mont. Doroski describes himself at that time as “just a kid with a Walmart smoker trying to impress a girl,” but with that one, he had a hit on his hands, and the dish has remained an evolving part of his repertoire.

Today, the “eggs” take the form of fresh grilled jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in sausage and cheese breading before being baked until golden and crispy and served with a blackberry cream sauce.

“A lot of the things that go into this are just things that are near and dear to my own heart. Things I’ve collected and memories from throughout the years that I really wanted to recreate and put out there to make people have the same feelings as when I first had that dish,” Doroski said.

“One of the things that Chef is a little bit humble about is that the only thing in this restaurant that doesn’t come from a whole food is our french fries,” Landers said. “Every

A porterhouse pork chop with grilled beets and mashed potatoes highlights a menu of American favorites.

single plate of food that comes out of here starts as a potato, a vegetable, a whole cut of meat. The process that he goes through to put this on the plates is phenomenal.”

The team at Draft + Table puts just as much passion into the drink menu as they put into the food — after all, the name gives equal weight to both. While the 50 taps that once lined Cregeen’s Dublin-made, 78-foot bar have been totally replaced, as much of the bar itself as possible was saved, making it as much a part of the restaurant as the meal that finds its way onto a guest’s table.

“We knew we wanted to stick with the classic cocktails and just bring some of those back,” Doroski said. “People’s go-tos, things that you don’t even need to see on a menu, you just know that it’s going to be there because you’re at a bar. We knew that we had to do right by those and make sure that we had those recipes down.”

The duo invested in four frozen drink machines to make the likes of frosés and peach bellinis, a decision that proved particularly fruitful now that such drinks have found great popularity with younger crowds.

“We were looking at what the industry was doing with craft beer and wine,” Landers said. Wine is not the younger generation’s go-to for a beverage, and I really felt like we were going to be super beer-heavy. [Doroski] put together an amazing wine list. We worked on it. We refined it.

“The other evening, there was a young couple in here that travels internationally, and [the man] had an uncle who’s got a winery in Napa, [Calif.] He told me, ‘This might be the best wine list I’ve seen in central Arkansas. There’s not a lot of pretension on here, but there’s a lot of really good, solid wines.’ We’ve gotten a number of compliments about the wine list.”

Those compliments are reflected in the restaurant’s sales numbers. While beer, particularly craft beers, do make up a significant chunk, wine outsells beer two to one.

“The amount of Caymus and Austin Hope that we’re going through in this place is unreal,” Landers said.

The single most popular drink, however, is the espresso martini, for which every shot is freshly brewed using an authentic La Marzocco Italian espresso machine. Second place goes to the Gentleman’s Old Fashioned made, as the name suggests, with Gentleman Jack whiskey.

Draft + Table has only been open for a few short months, but the duo is proud of the support received from the North Little Rock community.

“I think Scott and I both have a sort of soft spot for Argenta,” Doroski said. “It’s a demo-

“I don’t think anything can bring people closer together than food and music. We’ve got the food aspect, and then we also put on some pretty good jams around here. ”

— Kevin Doroski, co-owner

graphic that we really care about, and it’s a lot of people that we really want to impress and do right by.”

Landers added that Argenta has become known for its eateries.

“I’ve been married to my wife for 23 years, and for 21 of them we’ve been coming down to Argenta,” he said. “All kinds of credit to [brothers Brian and Eric Isaac] on opening Ristorante Capeo because that really was the first piece that made this a dinner destination. They were the pioneers.

“We moved down here during the [COVID-19] pandemic, and part of the reason we wanted to open this was because we wanted to make this nice for the neighborhood. The other restaurant owners are fantastic. We’ve been well received by them. I feel like the neighborhood has embraced us. The local community has been fantastic. The city, as well, they’ve been absolutely fantastic to work, with getting this opened up.”

This tight-knit business community is one in which Draft + Table is happy to have found its place, Doroski said.

“That feeling of community is another reason I just love being down here,” Doroski said. “They gather all of the business owners and talk about, for example, the upcoming Dogtown Throwdown. ‘Here’s what we have planned.’ That way, you find that people aren’t crossing each other. There isn’t a lot of competition down here. A high tide is going to raise all ships. When you get people down here, they’re going to stay down here.”

Other menu items include okeechobee catfish filet over sauteed kale with house-made remoulade and jalapeno hush puppies, left, and Italian cream cake.

Visit Argenta for the best block party around, where the streets are filled with excitement and entertainment you won't want to miss.

Live Music! Great Food! Family-Friendly Fun!

September 13 & 14 October 11 & 12

Argenta Arts District

Streets Closed from Friday at 4 pm until Saturday at 10 pm

CareLink has helped older adults stay independent and in their own homes by offering a broad range of services since 1979.

HomeCare

Family Caregiver Support

Transportation Meals on Wheels More

CareLink is THE resource for older people and their families in central Arkansas.

Sponsored by: 501.372.5300

Looking for something fun to do? We got you. North Little Rock is always up to something: outdoor adventure; chef-driven restaurants, live entertainment and fun year-round attractions like the beautiful Old Mill and touring a real World War II submarine at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. Come see what we’re up to!

North Shore PRIDE

NLR open for business, play

By MARK CARTER // Photos provided

Ask any native of North Little Rock what makes the city a great place to live and work, and prepare to settle in. The most fervent, diehard Razorback fan has nothing on a proud, homegrown North Little Rocker — emphasis on the “North” — and woe to the unsuspecting visitor who throws all central Arkansas residents into the Little Rock basket.

For example, meet someone from Shaker Heights, Ohio, in an airport, and he or she is likely to identify as being from Cleveland. Meet someone from North Little Rock in an airport and ask where he or she is from, and you probably will not receive a “Little Rock” in response. You might even get a “Rose City” or a “Levy,” two of North Little Rock’s backbone neighborhoods that help frame the city’s blue-collar, bucolic, open-for-business personality.

One of North Little Rock’s homegrown success stories is Sowell Management, a registered investment advisor firm that has grown to become one of the strongest firms of its kind in the country.

Its CEO and founder, Bill Sowell, grew up in the city from age 4 and is, in his words, “Dogtown proud,” referencing an old city nickname originally used in derision and now proudly adopted on the north side of the Arkansas River.

“We moved to North Little Rock when [John F. Kennedy Boulevard] was two lanes and McCain Boulevard was two lanes and lined [on] both sides with beautiful crab apple trees,” Sowell said. “Lakewood was a perfect place to grow up as a child, with the lakes, fishing, parks, baseball, football, basketball courts and tennis courts. It was truly a family community. After living in North Little Rock for over 60 years, I couldn’t be more proud of the city I call home.”

Pride seeps through the walls in North Little Rock — its digital newsletter is titled NLR Proud — from the sparkling new North Little Rock Justice Center and the state-of-the-art North Little Rock High School to the impressive manufacturing “gets” on the city’s east side — distribution and fulfillment centers for Amazon, Lowe’s and Dollar General — which have delivered thousands of jobs and an economic development impact in the hundreds of millions.

Sowell found the ideal spot for his firm in the city’s western corridor, within easy reach of interstates 430 and 40.

“When we decided to build our new office building almost five years ago, I knew it would be in North Little Rock,” he said. “NorthShore Business Park was the perfect place to build — great location, easy access from any direction with I-430 and I-40 as an intersection. We also considered quality of life, and with the river trails, it offers our team members some exercise and fresh air. It was a great decision.”

Terry Hartwick is serving his second stint as mayor of North Little Rock. In between, he led the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, which is now under the guidance of his son, Derrell Hartwick. The elder Hartwick is as Dogtown as they come, and

Bill Sowell Terry Hartwick

Karen Trevino

he believes North Little Rock shined brightest in the aftermath of the tornado that hit central Arkansas on March 31, 2023. The twister ripped through Little Rock before skipping the river and leaving a swath of destruction through North Little Rock’s western and northern flanks, including its prized municipal jewel, Burns Park.

“At 5 o’clock that afternoon, what did you hear? Chainsaws,” he said. “Neighbors helping neighbors recover and clean up. People were coming into neighborhoods from other neighborhoods, even from other cities, lifting their neighbors up. We needed everybody, and everybody came.”

Initial estimates reported 1,500 trees down in the city, but Hartwick believes it was much more than that. Even so, the golf course at Burns Park opened back up within two weeks. The park and all its ball fields are back up and running, and Hartwick said the historic Funland, the park’s kid-friendly amusement park that had been closed for years, will reopen by the Fourth of July holiday “better than ever.”

“North Little Rock is special to me,” he said, crediting his predecessors Pat Hays and Joe Smith with setting the table.

Civic pride pours from Hartwick like sweat in July. He can barely contain his excitement for the planned luxury boutique hotel and conference center in the works at the old Greyhound Bus terminal site along the river.

“This will provide the region with so many more options, especially for meeting and convention space,” he said. “I’d love to see a big NLR sign on top of the conference center one day, welcoming in folks who are crossing the bridge.”

Karen Trevino, head of North Little Rock Tourism, said the new conference center gives the city another true tourism product to sell.

DOGTOWN SPOTLIGHT

ARKANSAS REGIONAL INNOVATION HUB

Formed with the mission of preparing the workforce and entrepreneurs of the future, the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub provides makers of all ages with the means for getting ideas off the drawing board and into reality.

Now in its 10th year, the nonprofit organization maintains state-of-the-art facilities that offer tools and training to a wide audience seeking to grow the Arkansas ecosystem. Since its opening, the organization has reached nearly 100,000 individuals.

The North Little Rock facility provides an open environment with tools, technology, equipment and support by which makers, innovators, students and entrepreneurs learn and grow through formal and informal programming. Formal classes in carpentry, welding, graphic design, laser cutting and other fields provide valuable job training, preparing individuals to navigate the challenges of the modern workforce.

The Innovation Hub also seeks to service underserved populations by bringing programs and resources to communities in the region. The organization’s Mobile Makerspace, the Innovation Hub on wheels, takes learning on the road to spur employment, job creation and community growth. To date, Mobile Makerspace has interacted in 60 percent of Arkansas counties and reached nearly 25,000 mobile field trip attendees.

Programs as varied as digital learning for adults and skills training that has resulted in nearly 90 percent of participants being employed in their field merely scratch the surface of the group’s impact. The Innovation Hub’s new She Thrives program, for example, held in conjunction with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, provides young women with mentors in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics fields, as well as a full bevy of summer camp opportunities to help young people explore skilled careers. Finally, the Innovation Hub’s maker task force, mobilized in 2020, made and distributed thousands of personal protective equipment units to community organizations for distribution.

Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub 204 E. Fourth St., North Little Rock arhub.org

Left: A “Dogtown Proud” mural highlights North Little Rock’s community focus. Right: Mayor Terry Hartwick, left, was on hand for the recent demolition of North Little Rock’s City Service Building, which was razed to make room for future downtownent.

Students and entrepreneurs can access tools and support at the Innovation Hub.

The city’s biggest strength may lie in its “get-it-done” mayor and city council.

— Karen Trevino, North Little Rock Tourism

“We are already working the small meetings market through a SMERF [social, military, education, religion/reunions and fraternal] niche for our hotels with meeting space and other locations,” she said. “Our goal is to bring in new money to the community from visitors eating and sleeping in North Little Rock. The conference center will give us a wider net with which to reach potential business. We are excited for the new hotel coming in next to the proposed conference center. Between that property, the Wyndham and some other top-notch hotels, we will be able to bid on many conventions. I have had a long list for a long time.”

Over at the chamber, the younger Hartwick is just as devoted to his hometown. He said North Little Rock has a lot to offer in terms of livability and business climate, citing the recent infusion of manufacturers, the presence of high-end outdoor recreation outlets such as Burns Park and quality-of-life magnets such as the historic Argenta Arts District downtown.

“North Little Rock has a lot to offer,” he said. “When you have three big distribution centers from three different companies say ‘yes’ in a short span of time, it just shows how the hard work is really paying off. The economic impact is going to be felt throughout the region and throughout this state. North Little Rock has the employees and the people to work those sites. That’s why they chose us.”

Trevino said the city’s biggest strength may lie in its “get-it-done” mayor and city council.

“They are our biggest cheerleaders,” she said. “This makes our job as the tourism entity much easier in that they are always open to new ideas, new tourism products, etc. North Little Rock is a beautiful city with great attractions and outdoor/indoor recreation opportunities, as well as fabulous restaurants — and parking isn’t a problem anywhere in the city.”

Trevino qualified that last remark by adding “that I can think of,” but for a city of roughly 65,000, North Little Rock indeed does not share the same problems — such as parking — found in other cities. She credits that to city officials and residents being on the same page.

“The community works together so well. Maybe because it’s a smaller city, it’s easy to know people and get help on any issue,” she said.

In addition to the high-profile distribution centers along the U.S. 70 corridor, North Little Rock is home to the headquarters of the Arkansas Army National Guard at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, a former U.S. Army base, on its northwest tip, as well as the Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center campus, Fort Roots, which is part of the Veterans Affairs Central Arkansas Health Care System. Baptist Health operates a nationally recognized medical center just off the East McCain Boulevard retail corridor, anchoring a sprawling health care hub. To the mayor’s delight, Baptist also recently partnered with the city to open a much-needed clinic in underserved Rose City.

The north shore is home to two of the region’s primary sports venues. Simmons Bank Arena, an 18,000-seat multipurpose facility, serves as the region’s primary concert and indoor sports venue. It has served as home to minor league professional basketball and hockey teams and played host to Razorback basketball games, an NCAA men’s basketball subregional, the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament, NBA exhibition games and multiple musical artists, including Taylor Swift and Harry Styles.

The arena also serves as home to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Just down Broadway Street, Dickey-Stephens Park is home to the Arkansas Travelers, one of the older minor league baseball clubs in the nation and the Double A affiliate to the Seattle Mariners. Like its neighbor, Dickey-Stephens annually plays host to a Razorback game.

Also on the river in North Little Rock is the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. Its primary exhibit is moored just out front on the water — the USS Razorback submarine commissioned in 1944 that served in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, and throughout much of the Cold War. The museum collection includes the USS Hoga, a U.S. Navy tugboat that survived and later responded to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

DOGTOWN SPOTLIGHT

OLD MILL

One of the most beloved local sites by natives and visitors alike, the Old Mill is a tourist attraction, wedding venue, photo location and famous movie venue all rolled into one picturesque site.

An authentic reproduction of an old, water-powered grist mill, the feature appears to have been built in the 1800s. In fact, the building was only designed to appear that old, having been completed in 1933. The mill was the brainchild of Justin Matthews, who developed the Park Hill and Lakewood subdivisions. Matthews ran into the problem of what to do with a piece of ground unsuitable for building homes and eventually decided to create an attraction on that ground that would encourage buyers to his new residential development. Even when newly completed, the Old Mill was intentionally designed to look old and even in disrepair.

Thus, what may appear as ramshackle is actually a work of art brought together by the surrounding, park-like grounds decorated with sculptures of toadstools, tree stumps and a tree-branchentwined bridge. Dionicio Rodriguez, a sculptor and artist from Mexico City, was responsible for all the details of each piece of concrete work made to represent wood, iron or stone.

The Old Mill’s most potent claim to fame was as the setting for the opening scenes in the epic classic movie Gone with the Wind but is more beloved for the role it has played in the lives of ordinary Arkansans throughout the decades. A popular site for weddings and frequently used by photographers, the attraction continues to play a meaningful role in the community it calls home.

Now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Old Mill is maintained by the North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department. The mill is open year-round, and guided tours for groups of 25 or more are available with advance reservations.

The Old Mill

3800 Lakeshore Drive, North Little Rock nlr.ar.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation

Simmons Bank Arena, top left, DickeyStephens Park, bottom left, and the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, right, all draw tourists to North Little Rock.

All these attractions on the river have helped turn Argenta into an entertainment draw.

For several years in the early 20th century, Argenta was more than a dining and entertainment draw — it was the name of the city itself. Surveyed and plotted in 1866, Argenta, named for local silver mines, was an unincorporated community made up of mills, factories, hotels and saloons across the Arkansas River from Little Rock, according to city rolls. Over a period of almost 30 years from 1889 to 1927, the area was briefly annexed into the city of Little Rock before a community north of 15th Street organized as North Little Rock to detach itself from Little Rock, creating two towns north of the river. Merging into one incorporated town, North Little Rock, the city officially changed its name to Argenta in 1906 and then back to North Little Rock in 1917.

These days, Argenta features restaurants, bars, galleries and retail options lining Main Street through the heart of the walkable district, now officially recognized as an entertainment district. As Argenta evolved, it became one of the region’s most sought-after residential options. The area now serves as the city’s front porch, said Elyse Cullen, deputy director of the Argenta Downtown Council.

“When you’re in Argenta, it feels special,” she said.

The atmosphere is enhanced through events such as the free Argenta Vibe Music Series, which runs the fourth Friday of the month starting in April at Argenta Plaza; the Hispanic Heritage Festival; and the

DOGTOWN SPOTLIGHT

ARKANSAS INLAND MARITIME MUSEUM

As a land-locked state, one might think the naval history connected to Arkansas is a slim one. In fact, the Natural State has a rich seafaring history that can be experienced firsthand at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum on the north shore of the Arkansas River.

Visitors to the museum are equal parts fascinated and amazed at the sight of a World War II submarine docked there. The centerpiece of the museum, the USS Razorback, was built in September 1943 and commissioned on April 3, 1944. It is the longest-serving combat front-line submarine existing in the world today and has been commissioned by two different countries for 56 years of active duty.

After being decommissioned, it made its official homecoming to North Little Rock in June 2004 and, since May of the following year, has been open to the public for tours. The USS Razorback is 90 percent operational and kept as authentic as possible, right down to a 14-foot ladder climb required to enter the space.

Also on display and available for tours is the USS Hoga, which is distinguished for her actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor, having pushed the USS Nevada out of the channel during the bombing. The USS Hoga is one of three vessels from the attack that is now a museum ship.

Throughout the year, festivals and events enliven the Argenta Arts District.

monthly Third Friday Night Art Walk, which features work from local and regional artists at restaurants and galleries, not to mention featured food and drink along Main Street.

In April and May and then later this year in September and October, a section of Main Street will be closed off and restaurant patios enlarged with tents and tables, Cullen said.

“This has been so successful, we extended it,” she said.

Cullen credited city employees with making Argenta look so inviting and the city’s safety ambassadors for helping foster a safe environment.

“We want Argenta to reflect the whole city,” she said. “When people come to the arena or to a Travs game, we want them to experience what Argenta has to offer and then come back. Just like North Little Rock as a whole, it’s just a big community with residents and businesses working together to keep it growing and thriving.”

The two vessels make the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum the only place in the world naval enthusiasts can see two floating vessels that bookend World War II: the tugboat Hoga, present at Pearl Harbor, and the USS Razorback, which was in Tokyo Bay during the formal surrender of Japan, which ended the worldwide conflict.

The museum, which also includes memorials to two other vessels, is open yearround. Group tours, birthday parties, submarine reunions and even submarine sleepovers are all available by contacting the museum.

Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum

120 Riverfront Park Drive, North Little Rock nlr.ar.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation

Northern Exposure

North Little Rock dining is diverse, delicious

By DWAIN HEBDA // Photos provided

If a community can be judged solely on the diversity and quality of its food, North Little Rock stands out for amazing diversity, innovative cuisines and options spanning multiple food genres and influences. From throw-down, home-cooked fare to elegant nights out and from American ribs and burgers to flavors from across the country and around the world, people of all cultures and backgrounds can find their taste north of the river.

One reason for that diversity is rooted in the city’s history as a military town and a railroad hub that literally imported dishes and flavors from around the world. A more unusual influence on the city’s cuisine is the way in which the city was looked down on during much of its history by the elitists of Little Rock, which also spurred North Little Rock’s food culture.

Following the Civil War, most of North Little Rock’s population was made up of African Americans and immigrants working in any number of hard, menial jobs, and the powers on the south side of the Arkansas River wanted to keep it that way. One need only remember the city’s nickname, “Dogtown,” was, according to commonly held lore, in reference to Little Rock residents dumping their unwanted dogs on the north shore, but more than a few also saw it as a thinly veiled slur directed at the city’s denizens themselves.

North Little Rock would have the last laugh, however, when Alltel Arena, now Simmons Bank Arena, was completed on the North Little

Rock side, throwing gas on the flickering embers of development in the historic Argenta neighborhood, now the Argenta Arts District. Soon, restaurants began to proliferate, looking to attract some of the concertgoers headed to the arena.

City leadership capitalized on that by aggressively creating a more business- and tourism-friendly reputation than the neighbor city, leading to other developmental coups. They included luring the Arkansas Travelers and, more recently, tech titan First Orion to cross the river for a new home. With each defection, foot traffic increased, momentum picked up, and investment in development found another gear. Even the historic nickname swipe came into vogue, which a massive mural proclaims downtown.

Today, North Little Rock takes a back seat to no one in Arkansas. On any given weekend, restaurants and breweries are filled to capacity as diners enjoy a wide variety of food styles and cultures. Many comelatelys are of the franchise variety, looking to siphon shoppers from McCain Mall, but as many or more are independent operations tucked into various neighborhoods and waiting to be discovered.

Dives to diners, pizza to poké and ribeyes to ramen, North Little Rock remains enigmatic in its food profile, a place not easily characterized yet somehow familiar. What follows is but a very small crosssection of what the city offers throughout its culinary kaleidoscope.

LINDSEY’S HOSPITALITY HOUSE

No tour of the North Little Rock culinary community is complete without a visit to soul-food staple Lindsey’s Hospitality House just north of downtown across the railroad viaduct.

The roots of Lindsey’s began a block away from the current restaurant, when D.L. Lindsey Sr. opened Lindsey’s Bar-B-Q in 1956. A serial entrepreneur, Lindsey opened Lindsey’s Hospitality House in 1989 with the intention of being open only for lunch. Customer demand quickly scuttled that idea, and the restaurant has steadily expanded its hours and capacity.

Today, the spot is owned and operated by Lindsey’s

son and daughter-in-law, Donnie II and Eleanor, who ensure the family’s recipes and welcoming environment are faithfully put forth daily. Barbecue delicacies are the order of business and include sandwiches of chopped beef or pork, ribs, and links. Dinners include all of the above, plus smoked chicken and what many consider the best fried chicken and catfish in Arkansas. Round out the meal with freshly prepared side, and remember to save room for the excellent fried pies.

lindseysbbqnmore.com

Barbecue may be the name of the game at Lindsey’s Hospitality House, but savvy diners know to save room for dessert.

WALDO’S CHICKEN AND BEER

Arkansas is known for its poultry industry and for turning the quick-service space on its beak with the success of northwest Arkansas mega chain Slim Chickens. Now, a new player has entered the market with a bang, looking to offer a challenge in the chicken arena.

Waldo’s Chicken and Beer came roaring into the market with its North Little Rock location — more are in the works — and was immediately overrun by people dying for a taste of something new. They found it in the restaurant’s fresh fried and roasted chicken options served alongside a bevy of scratch-made sides and, as the name broadcasts, ice-cold beer.

“What makes us different is that we are reminiscent of true home cooking,” said Tommy Keet, a member of the family ownership group. “Everything’s made from scratch. We’ve got people in there soaking beans at night and cooking them for four hours the next morning in order to get the right flavor. Same thing with the greens, the mac and cheese. All of that is made from scratch with seasoning that’s just outstanding.”

Look for Waldo’s coming to Little Rock’s Breckenridge Village in the very near future.

waldoschicken.com

ROSALINDA’S RESTAURANT HONDUREÑO

There is nothing new about fried chicken in Arkansas, but home-cooked tastes coupled with ice-cold brews have made Waldo’s Chicken and Beer a fast favorite.

It is easy to miss Rosalinda’s Restaurant Hondureño, a small, family-owned Honduran restaurant in North Little Rock’s Levy neighborhood. The place occupies the former Dixie Pig restaurant, a name that still lights up in neon when the “open” sign is illuminated. That and the fact Honduran food is not top of mind for many native Arkansans lands Rosalinda’s squarely in the “hidden gem” category of local cuisine.

Once diners find their way there and learn their way around the menu, they are off on a cultural journey that is exotic enough to engage the senses yet familiar enough to be approachable.

Standout options for the first-timer include pupusas, a sealed pocket of dough stuffed with various fillings and grilled, of which the cheese and jalapeno is a winner. Another unexpected notable, a spicy slaw served on the side, is also highly recommended, and so is a rice-and-black-bean side dish, the Honduran answer to refried beans.

While the owner, Rosalinda Santos, patiently explained the menu options, several families gathered at tables for a taste of home. The fare may be unfamiliar to many, but Rosalinda’s Restaurant Hondureño’s emphasis on family is universal.

orderrosalindasrestaurant.com

Authentic Honduran cuisine draws guests to Rosalinda’s Restaurant Hondureño for pupusas, black beans and rice, and more.

LAKEWOOD FEAST, FISH & SEAFOOD

BJ’S MARKET CAFE

It would not be Arkansas if there was not some good old-fashioned home cooking in town, and for that, diners who know head to BJ’s Market Café. The long-standing favorite, now operated by second- and third-generation family members, knows what its customers want and delivers it in the form of big breakfasts, plate lunches, from-scratch sides and pies baked fresh every morning.

The menu reads like a who’s who of Arkansas cuisine due to daily specials that include fried chicken, meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, and chicken-fried steak, to name a few. There is also a vegetable-plate option, as well as enough down-home sides to put Meemaw to shame. Other Southern delicacies, such as catfish, hamburger steak and fried pork chops, are available daily all week long.

About those aforementioned pies — chocolate, coconut, lemon icebox, egg custard and what some claim to be the true state pie of Arkansas, possum pie, are just a few varieties in weekly rotation.

BJ’s Market Café may not be the answer to world peace, but it certainly does not hurt the situation either.

bjsmarketcafe.com

Finding serviceable seafood in a landlocked state in the middle of the country is always a challenge, which is what makes Lakewood Feast, Fish & Seafood such an unexpected surprise. Located in a nondescript space as it is, the only inkling of the fare that awaits inside comes from the brightly colored window signs near the entrance.

Once inside, however, diners know they are in the right place for fresh fish, crustaceans and bivalves prepared a number of different ways. Crab is a particular specialty of the house. Get it boiled, in a crab-cake burger, via fried crab claws or served in a soft-shell basket.

Multiple varieties of fish are also on the menu, including mahi-mahi, grouper, red snapper, walleye and more, not to mention oysters, calamari, alligator and shrimp, all available as an appetizer, on a sandwich, in various platter configurations or in a basket. There are also several entree selections for the non-fish lovers in the party, ensuring everyone can find something to enjoy.

facebook.com/LakewoodSeafoodHouse

Down-home classics rule the day at BJ’s Market Café, where diners can eat heaping helpings of chicken and dumplings and more.

Those craving a taste of the sea need look no further than Lakewood Feast, Fish & Seafood, where crab is a specialty among an abundance of ocean fare.

Owners Jeanna Whitley, left, and daughter Dede Chapman

Best 201 8 of

When you walk into the Robinson Nursing & Rehabilitation Center you will feel a comfortable atmosphere different from any other facility you have visited. We feature tall ceilings and an open floor plan. We have a lovely dining room and a covered outdoor patio area.

When you walk into the Robinson Nursing & Rehabilitation Center you will feel a comfortable atmosphere different from any other facility you have visited. We feature tall ceilings and an open floor plan. We have a lovely dining room and a covered outdoor patio area.

We specialize in short-term rehabilitation and long-term care services. The short-term rehabilitation area has its own dining area and day room. From the moment you enter our facility, we want you to experience the difference our facility has to offer. From our light-filled day areas to our beautiful outdoor areas, we want you and your loved one to feel comfortable and safe when staying with us. You will also notice the pride we take in our facility by keeping our building sparkling clean from the inside out.

We specialize in short-term rehabilitation and long-term care services. The short-term rehabilitation area has its own dining area and day room. From the moment you enter our facility, we want you to experience the difference our facility has to offer. From our light-filled day areas to our beautiful outdoor areas, we want you and your loved one to feel comfortable and safe when staying with us. You will also notice the pride we take in our facility by keeping our building sparkling clean from the inside out.

Our team is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment. Robinson Nursing and Rehab offers modern conveniences in a gracious setting. We provide daily planned activities led by certified activity directors, like social events and outings and pastoral services with spiritual care for all religions. We strongly encourage family participation in group activities, meals and celebrating family birthdays and special days.

Our team is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment. Robinson Nursing and Rehab offers modern conveniences in a gracious setting. We provide daily planned activities led by Certified Activity Directors, like social events and outings and pastoral services with spiritual care for all religions. We strongly encourage family participation in group activities, meals and celebrating family birthdays and special days.

To help you plan your visits, we provide a monthly event calendar and a monthly meal planner. Robinson Nursing and Rehab does not have set visiting hours. We view this facility as the “home” of each resident.

To help you plan your visits, we provide a monthly event calendar and a monthly meal planner. Robinson Nursing and Rehab does not have set visiting hours. We view this facility as the “home” of each resident.

We try our best to communicate with patients and families to help alleviate the anxiety that accompanies this journey. Our team of nurses, therapists and support staff work closely together to develop a plan based on the individual needs of each person. We recognize that rehabilitation involves not only the patient but the entire family.

We try our best to communicate with patients and families to help alleviate the anxiety that accompanies this journey. Our team of nurses, therapists and support staff work closely together to develop a plan based on the individual needs of each person. We recognize that rehabilitation involves not only the patient, but the entire family.

501.753.9003

north little rock

WHERE LIFE IS LIVED

North Little Rock’s entertainment offerings abound

By SARAH COLEMAN //

Photos provided

North Little Rock offers an arts and entertainment scene fit for a community several times its size. From baseball games and concerts to comedy shows, live theater productions and more, there is always something happening north of the river.

A CLASS ACT

Argenta Contemporary Theatre, formerly Argenta Community Theater, is located in the heart of Argenta Arts District, where both its main theater and educational space occupy units on Main Street.

“The decision to refresh our brand as Argenta Contemporary Theatre underscores a significant step forward in our ongoing journey,”

said Alyson Courtney, director of development. “We knew the time to change the name was now as we move toward our new direction offering semi-professional performances.”

ACT gives North Little Rock’s historic downtown a foundational outlet for the performing arts, in addition to all other mediums of entertainment. Upcoming ACT performances include Beautiful: The Carole King Musical in April; Grease, playing this summer; The Sunshine Boys, slated for September; and A Christmas Story over the holidays.

While it may be under a new name, Courtney said the theater has the same heart for serving the community. Its ongoing partnerships fulfill the mission of engaging young people in the performance arts

Entertainment options in North Little Rock include the recently rebranded Argenta Contemporary Theatre, clockwise from top left; Simmons Bank Arena, a popular venue for big-name acts; The Joint, which provides a steady outpouring of comedy; and DickeyStephens Park, home to the Arkansas Travelers.

through several education classes and camps.

“We want students to become art enthusiasts and to create their own passion for understanding what the arts can provide in their own lives and in their neighbors’ and friends’ lives,” Courtney said.

MUSIC TO THE EARS

Not far from ACT sits Simmons Bank Arena, a facility that drove a large entertainment stake in the ground from which subsequent attractions have sprung.

“I think the arena has brought our community together. When people attend events at our venue, they are sharing the experience with not only their friends and family, but also with other Arkansans and people from out of state,” said Jana DeGeorge, director of marketing.

There are a variety of events scheduled throughout the year. In April 2024 alone, the venue will welcome Lauren Daigle, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Disney on Ice will present Find Your Hero

A variety of factors play into the booking process for events, concerts and productions of all kinds. Suggestions do not go unnoticed at Simmons Bank Arena, and DeGeorge said the arena staff always seeks out new events to bring to the Natural State.

“We have had patrons share their favorite moments with us through the years, and some of them have been coming here since we opened as Alltel Arena in 1999,” she said. “Many have attended their first concert here with us, and that is something they will never forget.”

FOUL BALLS AND PRATFALLS

Two other major attractions include Dickey-Stephens Park, home of the Arkansas Travelers, and The Joint comedy club and performance venue.

Located close to downtown, Dickey-Stephens Park has quickly become a fan favorite, being in such a close proximity to the bars, breweries and restaurants in the neighborhood. This transforms any home baseball game cheering the Travelers, the Double A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners, into a special event.

“It rounds out the fan experience. People can go grab dinner or a beer before they walk over here, and it’s been awesome,” said Sophie Ozier, Travs general manager. “Dickey-Stephens Park has an amazing location. It is a very pretty ballpark set against the backdrop of the river, as well as the amazing view of downtown Little Rock.”

The Joint has been drawing in crowds to laugh until they cry for 11 years. Known as the place to go for coffee or comedy nights, The Joint has grown to include improv shows, live music, burlesque and feature films. It is also home to the Main Thing, a resident comedy troupe that is a longtime favorite of audiences. A staple in the Argenta community, the club has grown with the area.

“We have seen Argenta grow leaps and bounds,” said Erika Peters, who handles the venue’s promotions. “Argenta is such a fun community where guests can walk around and enjoy the variety of businesses. Being located close to Simmons Bank Arena, we draw in new people all the time who might not have ever come otherwise. Argenta is a hidden gem.”

DOGTOWN SPOTLIGHT

The Filling Station

Located in the heart of the Park Hill Historic District, The Filling Station brings new life and a new twist to the local business community.

Founded four years ago by Kristi Scott and Joy Evans, The Filling Station converted a vacant gas station to a food truck space and farmers market that carries local produce, a variety of Arkansas products and even artwork by local artists.

“We have a variety of things — jellies and jams, pickles, salsa,” Evans said. “If someone’s looking for something that’s made in Arkansas, this is definitely the spot to go to.”

Three or four food trucks serve The Filling Station at any given time, Scott said.

From produce to art, most everything local can be found at The Filling Station.

“We’re a host to an array of different trucks constantly rotating from in state and out of state,” Scott said. “We have an ever-changing list of events happening, so we encourage people to follow us on social media to see what’s coming up.”

The duo opened The Filling Station after eight months of renovation and some hoops to jump through at city hall.

“The building had been empty for years, and I just kept driving by and envisioning what this could be,” Evans said. “We really had a lot of red tape we had to go through with the city because North Little Rock had never had a food truck court before, and they had to go back and kind of rewrite the books on how to regulate this.

“We just felt Park Hill needed something like this to kind of kick-start things in the neighborhood. This is our baby. We’ve been rocking it for the past four years.”

The Filling Station

3623 John F. Kennedy Blvd., North Little Rock, 501-246-9750

thefillingstationnlr.com

EATS

North Little Rock Bucket List

Ay Caray Sports Bar & Mexican Restaurant

BJ’s Market Café

Blackberry Market

Bellwood Diner

Benihana

Brewski’s Pub & Grub

Brood & Barley

Buster’s Pizza

Cactus Jack’s Mexican Restaurant

Chung-King Chinese Restaurant

Corky’s Ribs & BBQ

Crazy Hibachi Co.

David’s Burgers

Draft + Table

Eat My Catfish

The Filling Station

Franks

Grampa’s Catfish & Seafood

Great Wall Chinese Restaurant

Hogg’s Meat Market

Jose’s Compadre Mexican Grill & Cantina

Kalua’s Snack Bar

KamiKaito

Kanpai Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar

Kibb’s Grand Bar-B-Que

Kirin Garden

La Poblanita Mexican Buffet

Lakewood Feast Fish & Seafood

Larry’s Pizza

Las Delicias Super Mercado

Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant

Layla’s Gyros & Pizzeria

Lifeline BBQ

Lindsey’s Hospitality House

Littlefield’s Cafe

Louisiana Fried Chicken

Margo’s Catfish Diner & Food Truck

Mariscos “La Corita” Nayarit

Mark’s Do-Nut Shop

Mick’s Bar-B-Q

Mojitos & Margaritas Grill & Bar

MoJo’s Dairy Bar

Mr. Cajun’s Kitchen & Catering

Mr. Cheng’s

Mugs Café

Orient Express

Original ScoopDog

Ol’ Bart Southern Eats

Old Mill Pizza

Panther Mountain BBQ

Paul’s Donuts

Pupuseria y Taqueria el Chava

Purple Cow

Reno’s Argenta Cafe

Ristorante Capeo

Rivera Italian Restaurant

Riverfront Steakhouse

Rosalinda’s Restaurant Hondureño

Saps Creole Cuisine

Shotgun Dan’s Pizza

Simplee’s BBQ

Skinny J’s

So Good Soul Food & Cafe

Spectator’s Grill & Pub

Starhouse Donuts

Sweet Poppa’s Cafe

Tacos 4 Life

Tacos El Zacatecas

Taqueria Azteca

Taqueria Guadalajara

Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe

Tortas Mexico

U.S. Pizza Co.

Waldo’s Chicken and Beer

Walker’s Restaurant

Wink’s Dairy Bar

Whole Hog Café

BARS, BREWERIES & BEVERAGES

Butta’s Bar & Grill

Crush Wine Bar

Dark Side Coffee Co.

Diamond Bear Brewery

Flyway Brewing

Four Quarter Bar

Nawf of the City B&G

Nest Lounge

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ACANSA Arts Gallery

Argenta Contemporary Theatre

The Joint

The Nut House Comedy Lounge

Simmons Bank Arena

Thea Foundation

University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College

Center for Humanities and Arts

Windgate Gallery

SPORTS & FITNESS

Arkansas Circus Arts

Arkansas Travelers/Dickey-Stephens Park

Big Dam Bridge

Blue Yoga Nyla

Bonzai BMX

Camp Robinson/Duffers Club Golf Course

Northshore Golf Range

Stone Links Disc Golf Complex

MUSEUMS, HISTORY & CULTURE

Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum

Arkansas National Guard Museum

Beacon of Peace and Hope

Haunted Argenta Ghost Tours

The Old Mill

St. Joseph Center of Arkansas

PARKS & OUTDOORS

Arkansas River Trail

Barks and Rec Dog Park

Burns Park & Funland

Central Arkansas Fishing Guide Service

Cook’s Landing

Faulkner Lake Orchard

Natural State Fishing

North Shore Riverwalk

One Heart Playground

Riverview Skateboard Park

Rockwater Marina

Getting the decor down and the cakes ready to cut is the domain of a wedding planner.

Ringmasters

By DWAIN HEBDA // Photos provided

Wedding pros a key investment for stress-free nuptials

The proposal came off without a hitch — the weather was beautiful, the stars were out, and the look on the beloved’s face was everything that could be hoped for and then some.

Congratulations! That special someone said yes. Now what?

This is the question that slaps many couples in the face after the blush of excitement about getting engaged wears off. The average wedding takes a lot of planning, not to mention a lot of money, and the fancier, larger or more unique the day is, the more details and dollars pile up while the clock ticks.

It is enough to turn many brides into nervous wrecks and drive many grooms into their shells, which is why couples turn to wedding planners and other full-service professionals who are invaluable for reducing stress, easing planning headaches and allowing the couple to keep their focus where it belongs on the big day.

“Most of those brides and couples who take on the job of learning how to do [wedding details] are doing so for the very first time, which takes twice as much time as somebody in the industry who has done this a time or two,” said Madison Nichole Soderquist, founder of Madison Nichole Weddings & Events in Fayetteville.

“On average, most couples who do not have a wedding planner assisting them with the process spend an average of over 400 hours planning their wedding,” she added. “That is a ton of time. Hiring a professional wedding planner or a coordinator or consultant can just shave down that time and the stress that a wedding requires.”

Madison Nichole Soderquist

According to recent figures, the days of a few close friends gathering at the little white chapel, if not over, are less and less common when it comes to getting hitched. The New York Times reported 2.5 million nuptials took place in 2022, more than before the COVID-19 pandemic and breaking a record that had stood since 1984.

All those “I dos” came at a premium; the average wedding cost also went up from a high end of $34,000 — ring included — in 2021 to knocking on the door of $40,000 a year later, not including honeymoon costs. That is despite the guest headcount of the average wedding being lower than pre-pandemic, down from 131 in 2019 to 117 in 2022, Forbes reported.

With everything that goes into a wedding these days, from food and entertainment to venue and decor, it’s easy to see why experienced wedding planners are in high demand.

On average, most couples who do not have a wedding planner assisting them with the process spend an average of over 400 hours planning their wedding. That is a ton of time.

— Soderquist, Madison Nichole Weddings & Events

Average wedding costs jumped to a high end of $40,000 in 2022.

“I think it’s important to have a planner that has done all kinds of weddings of all budgets,” said Anna Dickinson, owner of Perception by Anna in Little Rock. “I think the biggest thing that a bride needs to understand, No. 1, is what her budget is and how many people that pays for. The number of guests really determines what your budget can do. It makes me sad when a bride comes to me and has X amount of money but wants 500 people, and we have to tell her that’s just not possible.

“Pinterest and TikTok have kind of ruined brides and their expectations because they see these fabulous events, but they don’t see the price tag connected to each fabulous event. They come to us with these beautiful photos of what was a $170,000 wedding, and they have $40,000, so the puzzle pieces have to fit together, and that’s kind of what we do is we help people put those puzzle pieces together to figure out where they stand with budget.”

Dickinson’s company now focuses on high-budget affairs, weddings $70,000 and up. She said weddings may still be smaller than they used to be, but overall costs are not coming down, in part due to inflation and in part due to her clients’ tastes for high-end experiences.

“Last year and the year before, the wedding trend was really big, and I think it was because we were coming out of COVID, and people wanted those big events again,” she said. “Now it’s trending more toward micro-weddings, a little bit smaller, a little bit more intimate. They still cost the same, but you’re spending more money on the ambiance and the feeling and maybe having full transportation for your 50 guests instead of having people drive themselves. It’s just a little bit more intimate and custom.”

I think the biggest thing that a bride needs to understand, No. 1, is what her budget is and how many people that pays for. The number of guests really determines what your budget can do.

— Anna Dickinson, Perception by Anna

Considering what is most important can help brides allocate their budgets.

Having access to bigger budgets gives Dickinson and her team a certain amount of creative freedom — she said the most farout thing she’s ever pulled off is suspending both the DJ and the wedding cake from the ceiling of a reception venue — but the underlying fundamentals of success remain the same.

“You have to start by asking the bride what is most important to her and what she wants her guests to remember about her wedding,” she said. “If somebody says the flowers and the ambiance, then you need to cut back on what you serve. Don’t serve steak. Serve pasta. Save your money there. If somebody says the meal is the most important, then we’re going to cut back on flowers. We delegate that money to what’s important.

“We also always have what we call the slush fund because there’s always something that comes up that either she decided she wanted or she didn’t think about at the beginning. Those are really important things that we guide our brides to think about.”

Anna Dickinson

Social media has set brides’ standards high for the big event.

Most every wedding professional, not unlike a trusted realtor or travel agent, is in the business of attending to details to ensure the best possible experience can be had for the money. However, as Soderquist said, not all wedding professionals are created equal. Nor do planners automatically cover all the things brides may think they do. Couples should be sure to ask the scope of the wedding professional’s responsibilities, be they leading up to the big day, day-of event management or both.

“A wedding planner is like a project manager. A coordinator is the person who is going to execute the plan,” she said. “There’s a buzz term called ‘day-of coordinator,’ and planners and coordinators hate this term because it sets unrealistic expectations. It makes it sound like I can show up at your wedding and magically know all of those 5,000 details and every decision you made during those 400 hours of work and make it happen like magic. I’m not a fairy godmother. My job takes time. I do not believe that a day-of coordinator truly exists.

“More realistic is another term that people throw around a lot in the wedding industry: a ‘month-of coordinator’ who, the month leading up to your wedding, has a handful of meetings

We’re here to help you make decisions, help you make the right decisions and help make your wedding dreams come true. Planners, good ones, always have the client’s best interests at heart.

— Soderquist, Madison Nichole Weddings & Events

to go over all of the details, all of the decisions, review all of the contracts and invoices that you have signed, and do any necessary meetings with vendors to collect information to be able to professionally and efficiently execute the plan.”

Soderquist is something of an anomaly in the local market, having majored in hospitality and event management at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, during which time she did an internship at Sassafras Springs Vineyard & Winery in Springdale that put her on her career path. Over four years, she has grown to serve market areas in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas and said the best clients hire her for her professional skills and trust her to do her job.

“Trusting somebody else with your wedding can be hard, especially with so many girls who grow up dreaming about it since the day they came out of the womb,” she said. “If you are a bride or groom getting married and you cannot take advice from somebody, you can’t trust somebody else, then there’s no point in hiring a planner.

“We’re here to help you make decisions, help you make the right decisions and help make your wedding dreams come true. Planners, good ones, always have the client’s best interests at heart.”

A more common way into wedding planning is, in the words of Amanda Reed, founder of Tontitown-based Amanda Reed Weddings, “by accident”.

“I have a degree in interior design. I taught high school for a little while, and once I had my kids, I didn’t want to babysit other people’s kids and put mine in daycare. I wanted to stay home,” she said. “I had a few projects going and thought I was eventually going to get back to interior design. My friend had an event company, and I said, ‘If you ever need help, let me know.’ Well, famous last words. I started working immediately and loved it.”

Reed quickly bought out her employer, and the new entity took off. Over time, she has become very adept at managing brides’ expectations and providing frank yet tactful input when ideas outstrip resources or expectations get out of hand. As a result, she said she has never had a runaway bride, and “bridezillas” are almost nonexistent, thanks to striving for chemistry between planner and client.

“My brand manager takes all the initial phone calls, and she basically tees them up for us. For as young as she is, she’s extremely good at reading people for the most part,” Reed said. “Sometimes someone sneaks by that we don’t realize is going to be a booger, but usually she can feel them out and match them with the right planner.

“This client might be a little headstrong, so they will need a planner who can match that or this person, is really chill and relaxed, and I think they’ll vibe well with this person. Sometimes it’s a mismatch, and we have to shuffle people around because there’s somebody who just doesn’t gel well with the planner, myself included.”

Reed said one of the best qualities in a wedding planner is having the flexibility to mold to what the client needs in the moment without letting the entire process founder.

“The first thing I say is — and I use this in talking with clients a lot — I view my role a little bit like a general contractor for a house,” she said. “I’m not the plumber. I’m not the electrician. I’m not the landscaper, but I know enough about all those things to be able to guide you in the right direction to help you find the right people. You don’t need to be in charge of all this. That’s why you’re paying me to manage these things.

“At the same time, it needs to be a really great relationship. It starts out as a transaction, but ultimately, I want to be your friend. I want to be doing this with friends, and I truly believe that with 99 percent of the clients, it is that. We’re going to be up in your business for six months, eight months, 12 months, however long, and we’re going to know everything about your family dynamics and intimate family secrets. It’s critical to have trust and show mutual respect and for you to know that I have your back, no matter what. That’s the truth.”

Amanda Reed

Great chemistry between planner and bride helps dream weddings take shape.

It’s critical to have trust and show mutual respect and for you to know that I have your back, no matter what. That’s the truth.

— Reed, Amanda Reed Weddings

Love Like a Red, Red Rose

Brittany Cantwell has not and does not do wedding planning, but in her role as a floral consultant and designer, she regularly works hand in hand with planners as a key partner in creating spectacular arrangements for the church, venue and wedding party.

As lead designer and co-owner of Silks a Bloom in Little Rock, which began dealing in fresh flowers about six years ago, Cantwell has built a portfolio of work that has made her a sought-after floral artist.

“We’re definitely a full-service florist, and we have seen a little bit of everything,” she said. “Brides are definitely seeing the importance of flowers and how they can transform a room, from the size of the bouquets to the luxury weddings that are going to be installation heavy — those wow factors hanging an installation over the dance floor or a very immaculate head table for the wedding party. I think those things will always be on trend.”

Working with an experienced professional yields other benefits, especially when it comes to sourcing various species of flowers. Unlike previous eras where florists were limited to what was in season, Cantwell said a world of blooms is now at a bride’s fingertips with few exceptions.

“The flowers that we source come from all over the world and are pretty much available all the time, with the exception of a handful of things,” she said. “Peonies do have a very specific grow time, and they’re very finicky. You just can’t get them outside of their season. The majority of things, we can absolutely get year around. It may have a cost associated with it, but we can get it.”

Cantwell’s expertise also comes in handy when refining or, in some cases, changing a bride’s initial idea based on the overall décor, color scheme and other factors.

“A bride can come in and think she wants an all-baby’s-breath wedding or an all-pink wedding,” she said. “As we get down the road, planning and talking about things, that can totally transition into something different. That does happen quite often, especially with brides and the colors that they pick and how that will work with their venue. We are very into the process of helping them make the right choices and providing advice along the way.”

As a wedding vendor, Cantwell strongly recommended brides invest in a wedding planner because that smooths the process of coordinating the various parties involved.

“Wedding planners are worth their weight in gold,” she said. “They do have a price associated with that, but they are very, very important in helping keep stress levels down and making sure the event is on track as far as the whole planning process goes. A lot of brides think planners are not necessary, but they definitely are.”

Brittany Cantwell

Planners help negotiate with vendors, such as bakeries, needed for weddings.

Here Comes the Bride

Bridal shops provide guidance when it comes to finding “the one”

By SARAH DECLERK // Photos provided

Something most every bride looks forward to is finding “the one” — no, not a life partner, but the gown she will wear when she walks down the aisle toward her beloved. Whether a bride’s style is sleek and chic or glitter princess, her dress quest will likely involve a visit to a local bridal store. Such stores not only help brides write the next chapter of their lives, but most have their own stories to tell.

Low’s Bridal in Brinkley is known for an extensive collection of dresses that draws brides from across Arkansas and out of state.

— Low’s Bridal —

Perhapsno bridal shop in Arkansas is as

iconic as Low’s Bridal in Brinkley, which draws brides from across the state and neighboring states to the 1913 Rusher Hotel building, now overflowing with lace, satin and tulle.

Dorcas Prince, owner, said her mother, Lillian Marguerite Low, founded the company in 1977, after a fateful visit to market. A home economics teacher, Low was buying items for the drug store owned by her husband. A bridal market was happening at the same time, and a woman asked Low if there was a bridal shop in town.

“My mother says, ‘No, I don’t think Brinkley’s big enough to have a bridal shop,’ and she says, ‘Well, if you’d like to look at some dresses, there’s a really nice man down here. Go take a look at some beautiful dresses,’” Prince said, “so she went to take a look. She bought six dresses, put them in a room upstairs over the drug store, and that was the beginning.”

Prince and her husband owned the current building and ran it as a bed and breakfast until a tornado tore off the roof and flooded the structure in 1994.

“At that point, we looked at it and went, ‘OK, do we put back the restaurant and the bed and breakfast, or do we do something else with this building?’” she said. “Mom needed out of the bridal business, so we literally bought her out of the bridal business and redid the hotel building to be the bridal shop.”

In 1997, the bridal store relocated to the 35,000-square-foot building. Brides interested in visiting Low’s first make an appointment, at which time they answer some general questions. Then they visit the shop, where a consultant finds suitable dresses based on the bride’s budget, timeframe, and dresses she likes based on photographs or those on store mannequins.

Some brides find their dress after trying on five, while other brides try on 35 dresses before they find their gown, she said, adding that brides sometimes expect to fall in love with a sparkly ball gown and leave with a simple, elegant sheath.

“Sometimes a bride comes in with one idea of what she wants, and when she starts trying on dresses, she changes her mind,” she said, “but I also tell brides that we try on lots of clothing at stores, but you don’t try on lots of wedding dresses, and it’s OK to change your mind.”

Be open to choosing the wild card, she said, and try not to include too many people at the event — Prince said a multitude of guests or those who do not suit the occasion might cloud a bride’s vision and cause her to go home with a gown she does not want. Not

All wedding dresses need to be altered, Sometimes it’s a tiny nip or a tuck, and then sometimes the bride needs a lot. God makes us all perfect, just not according to the size chart.

— Dorcas Prince, owner Low’s Bridal

buying “the one” is the biggest mistake brides make, she added.

“Sometimes brides, they really second-guess themselves,” she said. “Sometimes at the sale, they won’t buy the dress. They think, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go to many other stores and try on many other dresses,’ and sometimes that dress is not here when they come back.”

Bridal gowns can range from $1,200 to $4,500, she said, adding that the shop has annual sales in summer and winter. The process is not finished after a bride has selected her gown. The next step is to have the gown altered to fit, which Prince said costs an average of $350.

“All wedding dresses need to be altered,” she said. “Sometimes it’s a tiny nip or a tuck, and then sometimes the bride needs a lot. God makes us all perfect, just not according to the size chart.”

Ordering a dress can take five and a half months, she said, and alterations can take six to 12 weeks. She encouraged brides who are having bridal portraits done to consult with their photographers so they can plan ahead from the photography date.

“Give yourself plenty of time,” she said. “Shop early, and plan on making a decision as early as possible so that it’s just less stress.”

She said about half of brides who come into

Low’s buy off the rack, rather than ordering.

“We have lots of brides that come in, and they only have three or four months before the wedding, and we can check with our designers to see if they have something available earlier or in production,” she said. “We carry from size 0 to 38 in stock, so that way brides can try on lots of things, but they can also take dresses home.”

Mikado and satin are two of the most popular fabrics currently, and both provide an elegant, simple look, she said, adding that charmeuse and chiffon are also popular. Overthe-top gowns with glittery tulle beneath the skirt remain popular, she said, and slits are a new trend. Figure-friendly ruching has come back in style, she said, and long trains to complement royal cathedral veils are in vogue.

“We’re doing lots of sleeves, whether it’s a slim, fitted sleeve or a billowy poet sleeve,” she added. “Those are very popular.”

Dorcas Prince

—The Bridal Cottage —

Located in North Little Rock, the Bridal Cottage also got its start in the 1970s, when Una George and her sister operated the dress store, then two doors down from its current location, in addition to providing catering, cakes and alterations. Sisters Beth Copic and Vicki Farrar bought the store in the 1990s.

In 2011, the shop changed hands to its current owner, Lindy Lanford, who purchased her wedding gown at the shop. A North Little Rock native, she was set on

store, which she drove past daily and where she bought her prom dress.

“They always had beautiful dresses in the window,” she said. “When I came, I had my best friend. I had my friends, my mom, my future mother-in-law, had all my people with me, and I just knew I was going to find my dress, and I actually did.”

The Bridal Cottage had in-house alterations at that time, and while her dress was being altered, a dump truck crashed into the store. It made the national news, Lanford said, adding that

Farrar had to move all the dresses to the original location.

Her wedding was in October, and in November, she went back to check on Farrar, who she said she felt a connection with. Farrar wanted to sell.

“At that moment, I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Lanford said. “I went home to my husband — my husband of, like, a month — and I was like, ‘I think I want to buy the Bridal Cottage.’”

Within a month, she went from working in marketing and promotions at 103.7 the Buzz, her career of 15 years, to owning the Bridal Cottage. She said it was the best decision she has ever made.

“My goal was to give brides an experience the way I did and to have that moment live with them forever,” she said.

She added that she believes the gownbuying process starts online when a bride is searching for stores, so the Bridal Cottage has a robust social media presence that includes tips for brides and fun extras like a “myth busters” collection. Some myths the store has busted include: brides always cry when they find the right dress, brides have plenty of time before the big day, and brides have to visit every store.

Brides can book a range of appointments, from the $225 Pinnacle appointment, which includes food, flowers, a silk bridal robe, and champagne or sparkling grape juice, to the Signature appointment, which ends with a toast.

“Brides have their own community, even though they don’t know it, and so they shift styles. They shift trends, a lot of times, collectively, which is really funny,” she said. “A few years ago, we couldn’t get enough lace in the store and beading, and now we can’t get enough clean and simple looks, you know, with a twist.”

Other trends include the addition of colors such as blush and an emphasis on necklines, including those that are square, straight across, scoops and cowls, in addition to more traditional V-necks and sweethearts, she said. Seductive looks are on the way out as sweeter looks come into focus, she added.

Chloe Clifton, bridal consultant and social media director, assists Brandy Mimms, brand ambassador, at the Bridal Cottage in North Little Rock.

Lanford advised brides to determine an overall budget before shopping for anything. Finding a dress should be one of the first things a bride checks off her list after choosing a date and venue, she said, adding that a year in advance of the wedding is the ideal timeframe for dress shopping.

“A year is perfect, but we will work with any type of timeline,” she said. “Last Saturday, we had a bride getting married in a week, and so we found something beautiful that she could take home that day, and we sent her to one of our seamstresses to do a rush alterations job.”

When it comes to alteration, Lanford said the most common alterations are at the bust, waist, hips and hemline, and brides should add a bustle to the dress to lift the train after the “I dos.” Alterations start at $300, she added, and dresses range from $1,100 to $3,500.

“Be excited when you come in. Just really enjoy the experience,” she said. “Enjoy the experience of being engaged. It’s a beautiful journey. It’s a beautiful time in a bride’s life, and so when you come in, be at ease, and have a good time.”

Brides have their own community, even though they don’t know it, and so they shift styles. They shift trends, a lot of times, collectively, which is really funny. A few years ago, we couldn’t get enough lace in the store and beading, and now we can’t get enough clean and simple looks, you know, with a twist.

—

Lindy Lanford, owner The Bridal Cottage

Top: Megan Drause, bridal consultant, assists Maya Ligon, bride and brand ambassador, at the Bridal Cottage. Right: Lindy Lanford boutght the bridal cottage in 2011.

— Unveiled Bridal Collection —

Betsy Manning, owner of Unveiled Bridal Collection in Little Rock, worked in the fashion industry for more than 20 years before venturing into bridal in 2018, when she opened the shop.

“When I got married, I was traveling all over the place and flying overseas multiple times a year and New York every other weekend, and it just did not work well with being married,” she said.

When one of her friends, a wedding planner, told her that Proposals, a bridal boutique in the Heights neighborhood of Little Rock, was up for sale, she investigated the opportunity. Although she did not buy Proposals, she contacted designers in Dallas, New York and Chicago and started her own store.

“I was like, ‘Let’s give this a shot,’” she said. “‘Let’s create a different type of experience that’s much more one on one and very, very much service oriented.’”

She said her goal is for brides to not worry about any aspect of their gown-buying experience. The shop offers in-house alterations and steaming, as well as mother-of-the-bride gowns and little white dresses for rehearsal dinners and showers.

Working in wedding gowns is different from any other area of fashion, she added.

“It’s just a different type of retail model because you’re not looking to turn your inventory; you’re looking to provide the best selection,” she said. “I would say that the biggest

thing that I’ve learned about wedding dresses is more than any other thing that you buy, it is an emotional purchase that is wrapped up with a bunch of dreams and something that you’ll never forget, so it just comes with a much larger event than going shopping for anything else.”

The store sells bridal gowns by appointment only, and the appointments last two hours, she said. She added that she and her staff like to find out as much as possible about brides before their appointment. Brides complete a questionnaire and select favorite dresses on the store’s website so consultants can have a few dresses ready for them to try when they come in.

“We have an area for their mother and all of their bridesmaids and sisters and aunts and uncles to all sit down and offer them refreshments and cute little pinafores with their future monogram on it and just do some things that really make it feel like a special moment for them,” she said.

The store does not sell off the rack, she said, so brides try on sample dresses that consultants fit on them before ordering their gowns. She recommended ordering nine months to a year before bridal portrait appointments or the wedding itself, depending on whether the bride plans on having bridal photos taken. Ordering can take four to six months, she said, and alterations can take an additional two months.

“No matter how well we measure you, every gown usually has to be tweaked just a little bit because every person is an individual,” she said, adding that 90 percent of dresses need to be hemmed.

Brides should budget at least $1,500 to $2,000 for gowns, and the sweet spot is between $2,500 and $3,500, she said, adding that alterations can range from $250 to $550 depending on the extent of the work.

She advised having someone take photos of every dress the bride tries on so she can have another perspective on how she looks in each one. Listening to other people’s opinions instead of their hearts is a big mistake, she said, as is trying on too many dresses at too many stores.

“They have what I call ‘white fatigue,’ where they’ve just tried on so much, they don’t know anymore, and they may have had this moment with a dress that they loved, but they felt the pressure to go to three more places, and now

What I see is most of the time, whatever girls grew up wearing for formalwear, they usually want to feel different on their wedding day, so they tend to do something different from whatever types of formal dresses they’ve worn in the past.

— Betsy Manning, owner Unveiled Bridal Collection

it all just looks like a white dress to them,” she said. “My advice to brides is when you find something you love, buy it. Love it. Buy it. Quit looking at wedding gowns, and just love your dress, and don’t worry about missing out if you’ve found something that makes you feel beautiful.”

While there will always be brides who are partial to sparkles and lace, stark, fitted gowns that provide a timeless look are all the rage right now, she added.

“What I see is most of the time, whatever girls grew up wearing for formalwear, they usually want to feel different on their wedding day, so they tend to do something different from whatever types of formal dresses they’ve worn in the past,” she said.

She added that she enjoys owning a bridal boutique in Arkansas.

“I’ve got people who ask me all the time, you know, ‘Oh, do you have bridezillas?’ and we really don’t,” she said. “The people of this state are lovely, and they are wonderful, and I’m just very thankful that I can be a part of a community and help serve a community locally here that I think is actually a very kind and loving state.”

Unveiled Bridal Collection in Little Rock seeks to provide brides with top-notch service during the gown-buying process.

It Don’t Mean a Thing if You Ain’t Got That Bling

Local jewelers dish on putting a little sparkle into relationships

By DWAIN HEBDA // Photos provided

After a lifetime in the jewelry business, during which time he has helped lead the family store, Sissy’s Log Cabin, from one modest Pine Bluff location to cities across Arkansas and most recently a showpiece store in Memphis, one might think the luster of serving nervous question-poppers and doe-eyed engaged couples would have worn thin for Bill Jones.

Nothing could be further from the truth, said the company CEO and hopeless romantic.

“The most important thing about any engagement is the romance, the story that will be told a thousand times over the next 50 years about how the engagement ring was given, the situation, the time, what he said — all the things about it,” Jones said. “That’s what it’s really about.”

There is plenty of data to fuel cynicism about such statements — steadily dropping marriage rates, a national statistic of four in 10 marriages failing and Arkansas leading all states in the nation in divorce, per U.S. News & World Report, being key among them. Yet somehow, the commitment of couples to devote their lives to each other, forsaking all others forever, still melts even the rustiest tinman’s heart.

At the center of such love affairs and more enduring than any other single element is the tradition of the diamond engagement ring, a circle to signify unending fidelity and set with a stone formed over millennia to represent a love that lasts forever. Long after the wedding day, in good times and in bad, the deeply symbolic rings couples exchange remind them of their covenant.

Jones, whose company has played an integral part in the stories of untold thousands of couples through the years, said he never tires of watching the process unfold anew.

“The ring is important, and it becomes even more important after the fact,” he said. “That’s the beauty of jewelry in the world is the fact that it’s unneeded. We can live without it, but that’s what women love so much about it. It’s unnecessary, but it shows how much the man loves

The most important thing about any engagement is the romance, the story that will be told a thousand times over the next 50 years about how the engagement ring was given, the situation, the time, what he said.

— Bill Jones Sissy’s Log Cabin

the woman by buying her something that special, that rare, that fabulous, for no other reason but to show his love.”

According to the American Gem Society, Archduke Maximilian of Austria kicked off the now-long-held custom of the diamond engagement ring when he commissioned one in 1477 for his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy. The act was the equivalent of a trending topic, and soon, diamond rings became the norm for members of European aristocracy and nobility.

Exactly 500 years later, De Beers Diamond Consortium introduced the famous ad line “A Diamond is Forever,” a landmark piece of marketing that firmly equated the permanence of the stone with the solidity of a relationship. Since then, the industry has grown to see millions upon millions of engagement rings literally change hands every year.

For as old and traditional as the custom is, however, the same cannot be said of the product itself. Yes, jewelers still parrot the

While ring designs have changed over time, the longstanding tradition of wedding rings has not.

From the cut and clarity of the stone to the type of metal, ring shoppers have many options.

You can never go wrong with a basic, simple, beautiful white gold.

— Kimberly Tomko, Lauray’s the Diamond Center

cut, carat, color and clarity mantra as they always have, but diamonds themselves have seen substantial advancements in the gem cutter’s art, bringing fresh looks to a new generation.

“One thing that’s always in vogue is brides want the most brilliant diamond they can get. No doubt about that,” Jones said. “The hottest thing that there is in the jewelry industry right now is called Facets of Fire, whereby they have added 100,000 facets to the diamond, resulting in a stone that is 300 percent more brilliant. It’s sweeping the country.

“They achieve this through nanofaceting plasma edging, and it’s just unbelievable. It’s the biggest thing that’s happened in 105 years in the diamond industry, since [pioneering gemologist Marcel] Tolkowsky invented the round brilliant-cut diamond. Ten years from now, everything

will be done like this because it’s the way of the future. Younger kids love the technology married with the beauty married with the fact that it’s natural and it’s real and it’s going to be more beautiful than any of her girlfriends’ rings. What bride doesn’t want their diamond to be more brilliant than her bridesmaids?”

Diamond rings, be they of the engagement or wedding variety, are big business. Jewelry industry publication the Centurion estimated a little more than two million engagement rings were sold in 2022, and, according to Statista, there were two million U.S. weddings in 2021. While not every one of those events involved a diamond ring, the Knot reported it comes mighty close, since 86 percent of proposals included a diamond ring, and it is probably reasonable to assume diamond wedding rings would trend similarly.

Multiply those numbers by World Population Review’s statistics that place the 2024 price range of diamond engagement rings in the U.S. at $5,000 to $7,000 per ring — tied with Hong Kong for highest in the world — and there is substantial pressure on the proposer to get the ring right, especially given the emotions tied up in the purchase.

Retailers know that, as do bridal publications, with each one trumpeting the newest and hottest ring fashions for any given year, which can either help or confuse the process, depending on one’s perspective. In January, Bustle proclaimed 2024 to be the year of contemporary ring styles bordering on avant garde, including horizontal settings, half-bezel cuts

and floating stones. Just one month later, Glamour insisted “in brides” will be sporting antique cuts, oval shapes and diamond cluster settings such as toi et moi.

Kimberly Tomko, marketing director for another seminal Arkansas jeweler, Lauray’s the Diamond Center in Hot Springs, said local tastes are running more conservative, generally speaking.

“Oval diamonds are having a moment right now. That tends to be what we’re seeing as far as trends go,” she said. “I think a lot of that is based off of what celebrities have and what girls are looking at on social media. The trend has shifted from elaborate, cathedral-style settings with diamonds all the way down the band for engagement rings to a more simple larger center diamond, maybe with a hidden halo. The style has certainly simplified as far as trends go.”

The taste for traditional extends to the setting, Tomko said.

“Gold is having a moment, along with the oval. There’s just something super simplistic about white gold,” she said. “We sell a good mix, and a lot of it is personal preference and what the girl’s skin tone is and what other jewelry she wears all the time. Gold is just a little more on trend right now. You can never go wrong with a basic, simple, beautiful white gold.”

Drifting back to basic styles does not make the process of buying a diamond ring less nerve-wracking for many proposers, which is why longstanding jewelers such as Lauray’s spend considerable time and expense to train their staff to patiently walk clients through the basics in order to narrow things down. As Tomko said, it is not about getting the biggest rock but the best rock that fits the bride’s hand and lifestyle.

“As far as cut goes, it’s really important to talk about proportion size,” she said. “Let’s take an oval for an example. You can take two two-carat oval diamonds and put them next to each other, but because of propor-

with their partner so as not to tip their hands while also depriving them of key information about their potential mate’s ring preferences that would greatly aid in the selection process.

Jacob Jones, president of Jones & Son Fine Jewelry in Little Rock, said that for everything that can be sprung on a partner during a proposal, the ring itself should not be one of them.

“The brides of 2023 and 2024, most of the ladies today want to be surprised, but they want to have a hand in what’s being selected,” Jones said. “It’s really good to get your significant other involved because it’s kind of your first foray into making a decision together, making a big decision.

“This is something that she’s going to wear every day, and No. 1, you don’t want to force your wife to wear something that she doesn’t want to wear, especially for the amount of money that you’re spending on it. You want her to like it. It’s also kind of a nice segue into a good relationship — talking to each other, communicating. Something as simple as knowing if she wants yellow gold or white gold is actually a huge question now because it’s 50/50. You just won’t know what she prefers until you ask the right questions.”

Jones, whose store has been in business since 1986, values the process of wedding and engagement jewelry so much that it is the primary focus of both the store’s staff and inventory.

“We just have a different approach to things,” he said. “No. 1, we focus on bridal. We put bridal jewelry first and fashion jewelry second. We’re the only store in this state that really leads with that, and that’s something that we specialize in so that when you come in, it’s more of a cultivated experience.

“Also, we have all the national brands that you’ll see anywhere in Dallas, New York, Chicago — any of these big cities. In fact, you go

“The brides of 2023 and 2024, most of the ladies today want to be surprised, but they want to have a hand in what’s being selected. It’s really good to get your significant other involved because it’s kind of your first foray into making a decision together, making a big decision.”

— Jacob Jones, Jones & Son Fine Jewelry

tion size, they can look very different. One could be much more elongated, while one could look closer to round.

“It’s also about brilliance and sparkle and ventilation and the fire that’s in it. When you move a diamond, you want a very-good-to-superideal cut that gives that really beautiful sparkle and color that diamonds give off. A great cut allows the light to reflect off it correctly.”

Another consideration, color, is gauged according to a classification system, which is lettered D through Z. According to the Gemological Institute of America, diamonds are graded according to a standard 23-color scale that is subdivided into five subcategories: colorless (D through F); near colorless (G through J); faint (K through M); very light (N through R); and light (S through Z).

“The higher the color grade, the more expensive they’re going to be,” Tomko said. “Icy white is the highest color grade and extremely rare, but you can still get a great diamond a little further down the range. It depends what your personal preference is. When you get down to G, H, I, it’s that more bursty-looking diamond. It’s not that super icy white, but they can still be beautiful. I’ve seen really pretty H-colored diamonds.”

Jewelers said one of the biggest mistakes most proposers make comes as a by-product of wanting the pop-the-question moment to be a complete surprise. That leads them to not even touch on the subject of rings

to Dallas, there won’t be anybody that has as much Tacori or Verragio under glass versus what we have right here in Little Rock, Ark. Very few people know that though, that you can come to one store locally and we have it all.”

Jones said such facts only underscore the importance of dealing with a locally owned and operated jewelry store instead of national chains or online retailers. Price variances for comparable merchandise are minimal these days, he said, but dealing with a reputable local retailer generally provides a substantially better customer experience.

“Prices online have all evened out, and it’s kind of kicked back to where the retail jewelers are preferable because they are customer-service oriented and really want to go out there and do what’s right for the customer which is anti what the internet is,” he said. “There are those people that are just going to do everything online, and that’s cool, but I’m seeing more and more people coming in and wanting to know this or that.

“It all comes back to what we’ve been saying for years: The absolute best thing to do is to not go off pictures but to actually try rings on. Ninety percent of the time, when people come with a picture and then they actually see the ring, they’re shocked. Pictures don’t always reflect what the ring will look like when all is said and done.”

Wonderous Wedding Venues

Check out these stunning settings for the big day

By LINDSEY FISHER // Photos provided

As the weather warms, flowers begin to blossom and a dozen shades of green trees return to the Natural State, a new wedding season makes its way to Arkansas.

Those in the middle of planning their big days who have not landed on that just-right venue can find plenty of serene spots in Arkansas to say, “I do.” If there is one thing Arkansas is seemingly never lacking in, it is natural beauty and breathtaking views.

The following five wedding venues, situated on acres of beautiful, well-kept land, can provide a serene space for any outdoor ceremony, as well as gorgeous pictures and an inviting atmosphere in which to commune with family and friends — not to mention jaw-dropping interior spaces that tap into most any aesthetic a bride could hope for.

If that sounds heavenly, that is part of what is so great about the Natural State. Couples do not have to compromise on their wedding wish list when it comes to choosing a dream venue. In Arkansas, the ceremony can unfold in a picturesque outdoor setting for a truly grand and classically Southern affair while still allowing guests to party the night away indoors.

Whether a couple’s tastes favor a rustic yet elegant barn, a charming chapel, modern event rooms, a cozy English cottage or even a peaceful vineyard, these five venues are sure to hit the mark.

To top it off, each venue is run by passionate owners who want nothing more than for a wedding day to be the most memorable, fun and carefree day of the couple’s lives. Get ready to explore and discover the spot where it all begins. It’s wedding time!

Bella Terra Estate

Five minutes from downtown Cabot, surrounded by a lush forest in the countryside, is Bella Terra Estate — perhaps the grandest wooden barn many have ever seen. Towering high above the trees, the magnificent structure is a true work of art that features high, vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, iron chandeliers and elegant lighting.

Surrounding the architectural wonder are 14 acres of natural bliss made up of manicured lawns, flower gardens, 200 rose bushes, a pond and an enchanting forest. At Bella Terra, keywords that come to mind are “quiet” and “calm.” Even at night, the property shines with twinkle lights for a magical ceremony under the stars.

What makes the property truly special are the people who run it and the services they provide. Most of the people working at Bella Terra have done so for nine years or more and truly excel at their jobs. One of the founders, Jennifer Wallace, said what she loves most about running Bella Terra is working with couples and forming lasting relationships.

“Brides talk the most about not having to do anything for their wedding day, how flawless and easy it was, that everything here flows like a well-oiled machine,” she said.

Choosing Bella Terra as a wedding venue brings the couple the perks of an all-inclusive package, meaning the big day can be crafted using on-site caterers, bakers, flower services and five different photographers. Brides do not have to lift a finger because Wallace and her team are available for a whole year of planning.

On top of that, Wallace said, there is a warehouse full of wedding decor, such as catering pieces for the buffet, vases, candles, table linens and virtually anything else.

“You literally don’t have to rent anything. It’s a little Hobby Lobby that has the latest of everything you see, from Pinterest to Vogue,” Wallace said.

All that to say, a true paradise for almost anything the couple could possibly want for their wedding day can be found at Bella Terra.

bellaterraestate.com

501-231-1728

A picturesque barn dominates the landscape at Bella Terra Estate in Cabot.

Plentywoods Venue

Couples looking for a true farm-and-country feel to suit the most elevated Southern wedding can head to Plentywoods Venue about 30 minutes outside of Fayetteville.

Plentywoods is in the middle of a working cattle ranch, where the wedding party and guests will step into the immersive rural countryside, said Morgan Boecker, head of marketing and social media.

“We might be biased, but the rolling hilltop, expansive woods and surrounding cattle pastures sets a beautiful, romantic scene that is sure to leave you speechless,” she said.

Boecker is not wrong; when the golden light hits the fields in the evening, it is pure happiness. It is hard to put into words the scene at the top of the hill, but one thing is for sure — it is breathtaking.

Heading inside the massive chapel barn, guests will experience a mixture of rustic charm and true elegance. The ground floor of the barn includes a spacious reception area measuring 5,700 square feet, big enough for a ceremony and reception. Couples who really want to take in the beauty of the countryside will be delighted to discover the many different ceremony sites outside.

The staff are a special resource during the planning stages of the event and on the big day itself, providing assistance, answering questions and handling the day-of details to make sure the event goes smoothly. Couples can choose from a variety of packages and upgrade options to make their wedding a more inclusive experience. Any package can be customized to make plans as detailed as possible. After all, it is a bride’s special day. Why not make it the best?

We might be biased, but the rolling hilltop, expansive woods and surrounding cattle pastures sets a beautiful, romantic scene that is sure to leave you speechless.

— Morgan Boecker

Situated outside Fayetteville, Plentywoods Venue stands out for its scenic views and massive chapel barn.

Cross Iron Cottage

Upon entering Cross Iron Cottage in Malvern, one is taken to another era, one with styled, antique furnishings, floor-to-ceiling bookcases, stained-glass windows, a dreamy 18th-century fireplace and endless English charm. Those with a love for Europe will delight in having their wedding there because the venue has the feel of the English countryside while only being 30 minutes from both Little Rock and Hot Springs.

Open since 2016, Cross Iron Cottage has a warm, cozy and intimate feeling and offers unique style and memorabilia from across Europe. Outside the cottage, the open wedding chapel is set amid the vast pasture, courtyard, styled gardens and a moon gate that is considered to put blessings on the couple as they walk through it. Across the field is a French country barn surrounded by huge oak trees adorned with hanging lights creating an enchanting dream at night during the spring and summer.

Rachel Menzies, owner of Cross Iron Cottage, said one of the things that makes her venue so unique is the decoration barn.

“Inside this barn, you will find donated decorations from past brides so new brides do not have to spend out of pocket,” she said. “You’ll find anything from backdrops and centerpieces to flowers and lights.”

Menzies said the venue only hosts one wedding per weekend and a one-night stay the night before the wedding day. That gives the bride time to relax on the big day so they can take in the peace, listen to the crickets and birds chirping, along with the stream running nearby, and watch the sunset, all of which combine to make Cross Iron Cottage a unique and special place.

crossironcottage.com

501-584-4965

Inside this barn, you will find donated decorations from past brides so new brides do not have to spend out of pocket

— Rachel Menzies

European stylings and a decoration barn set apart Cross Iron Cottage in Malvern.

Rusty Tractor Vineyards

When many people think of a vineyard, locations in Italy or California’s Napa Valley may come to mind. Rusty Tractor Vineyards brings all of the romance of these locations within reach by providing a stylish venue located right outside Little Rock. Imagine strolling through rows of vibrant grape vines and drinking local, hand-cultivated Arkansas wine as the sun sets. Sounds magical, right?

Rusty Tractor Vineyards has more than 5,000 vines that produce more than 10 varieties of wine, from dry reds and rosés to sweet whites. Owner Sheree Meyer described Rusty Tractor as a “piece of Napa in the middle of Arkansas.” Meyer added that she is as passionate about helping her guests have a special day assisted by a staff she described as “very caring, thoughtful, knowledgeable and helpful.”

Start off in the Barrel Room, a beautifully restored 100-year-old dairy barn that has live-edge tables constructed from trees found on the property. The barn is an ideal place for rehearsal dinners or a preparation space for the wedding party. There is also a small cottage on the property that serves as a bride’s room for day-of prep.

For the ceremony, step out onto the sweeping green grounds and share the “I dos” with rows of lush grape vines as the backdrop. Overlooking the vineyard is a covered patio for the grandest of receptions, a feature that sets Rusty Tractor apart from the rest. Rain or shine, the ceremony can go on smoothly while still being outdoors, thanks to the sunroom just inside from the patio. The sunroom offers a massive 7,500-square-foot event space lined with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Even after the wedding has passed, Rusty Tractor Vineyards’ owners welcome people back as guests to recreate the special moments for anniversaries and reunions. What could be more romantic than being able to revisit the place where one’s married life began, complete with the same wine shared on the wedding day?

rustytractorvineyards.com

501-916-2294

Imagine strolling through rows of vibrant grape vines and drinking local, hand-cultivated Arkansas wine as the sun sets.

Sprawling vineyards are just one highlight of Rusty Tractor Vineyards in Little Rock.

The Venue at Oakdale

Located on the edge of North Little Rock, surrounded by rolling hills and lush forest, The Venue at Oakdale provides a secluded setting in the heart of central Arkansas, not to mention one of the most upscale venues in the Natural State. The most common words past brides used to describe Oakdale are “luxury,” “classic” and “timeless.”

The special day starts in the stunning bridal suite and groom’s quarters, where the wedding party can relax in style while they get ready for the ceremony. From there, it is a short walk to an elevated chapel that exudes modern elegance with fresh, clean decor. The high, vaulted ceilings welcome in plenty of natural light, so pictures are sure to be stunning.

After the ceremony, move to the spacious and modern ballroom for a grand reception. For those planning a big wedding, this is the place — the reception hall can accommodate up to 600 people. Those wanting a more intimate affair may also be delighted to find there are plenty of spots on the grounds or in the chapel for a micro-wedding, as well.

The Venue at Oakdale goes above and beyond with wedding packages that can put any couple at the center of their exclusive event. The venue even has an on-site helicopter service for arrival and departure for those who truly want to get married in style.

Despite all the lavish amenities, the beauty of the surrounding grounds is the true centerpiece of the day, whether the wedding is held outside or indoors. With numerous windows looking out to the greenery in both the private chapel and reception hall, The Venue at Oakdale blends seamlessly with the natural surroundings. It is the ideal location for those wanting to savor the benefits of being minutes away from the capital city while still enjoying the natural seclusion that comes with having a wedding in the Natural State.

thevenueatoakdale.com

501- 838-9224

The Venue at Oakdale provides spaces for weddings large and small.

Caterers keeping up

wedding trends Not Your Mother’s Ceremony

with

By Mark Carter // Photos provided

Justices of the peace and ministers still preside over wedding ceremonies, just as they always have, but couples these days more often than not are trading courthouse steps and sanctuaries for barns and event centers.

In the age of Instagram, such specialized settings serve as canvas for those photogenic moments that help transform ceremonies into experiences brides — and presumably, even some of the grooms — covet more than mere ceremony. As Arkansas caterers can attest, one can tell a lot about a wedding by the food, and the food, some agreed, needs to enhance the experience.

AY About You spoke with four central Arkansas caterers and asked them about new trends in weddings, reception menus and what advice they would offer couples planning a wedding.

A few takeaways — mostly, couples continue to wait longer to tie the knot; more of them are paying for the full costs of the wedding themselves; buffets are back; wedding season is no longer limited to spring and summer; and brides and grooms are expanding menu items to include millennial favorites such as mac and cheese, donuts and even s’mores bars.

Rare is the church wedding followed by a reception in Fellowship Hall staffed by the over-65 Sunday school class or, more straight to the point, elopement. In 2024, the “kids” are more financially independent when they decide to tie the knot and more determined to create unique experiences (if not outdo the wedding shoots they see on Instagram). The caterers, of course, are happy to oblige, though some tried-and-true rules still apply.

DownHome Catering — Benton

Tori Tisdale, owner of Benton’s DownHome Catering, worked a wedding every weekend of October last year. Wedding season extends well beyond the months of May and June now, and October and the holiday season have overtaken spring as the busiest time for weddings on her calendar.

Tisdale said trends that stick out include an uptick in outdoor weddings, couples doing all the planning together, more event centers and barns as wedding venues, a rise in the popularity of charcuterie boards and “grazing tables,” and more breakfast foods being included on reception menus. Donuts are big right now, she said, adding that she once had to disappoint a prospective groom by telling him an image of a pancake wedding cake he saw in a catalog was not the real thing.

Tisdale said couples-to-be can sometimes underestimate the importance of the menu.

“It’s easy to be unrealistic about the bud get,” she said. “I can almost fit anything into any budget, but you can’t expect to spend $5 per person on food and expect it to be an experience people will remember in a good way. You can’t do beef tenderloin on a chicken nugget budget. You have to be realistic.”

Tisdale said if a wedding is held around mealtime, guests will expect to be fed, and if alcohol is served at the reception — one reason why so few are held in churches anymore, she noted — guests will need food.

“I tell couples to tell me what their budget is, and I’ll guide them through it,” she said.

Tisdale advised engaged couples to book the venue first and start looking at least a year out, if possible. Since many venues can be pricey, couples should ask a lot of questions — what specifically is provided at each venue? One possible cost saver: Couples can bring their own cake plates, she said, adding that many disposable plates look real.

“I walk them through all of it,” she said.

Although catering is usually the last item checked off the to-do list, Tisdale said she customizes for every client on any budget.

“I can make anything look fabulous,” she said.

DownHome does buffets, both staffed and self-serve, and plated meals. Tisdale recommended having a reception staffed, even for a buffet, if hot food is served.

“If you’re going to do a meal [at the reception], you’ll make it harder on yourself if it’s not staffed,” she said.

Tisdale said there are so many different trends, thanks in large part to the internet and social media.

“Brides-to-be look on social and see all these pretty pictures and want something like that. I just ask them, ‘What is your vision?’”

Tisdale caters other events during the week and works weddings almost every weekend.

“There have been maybe three or four events in 21 years of doing this where I haven’t been there and worked it,” she said, “but I love doing them. I’m going to always make them perfect.”

Rx Catering — Little Rock

Owner Jay Ramsey and the staff at Rx Catering in Little Rock work all kinds of events, weddings included. For Rx, most weddings catered run January through August, picking up especially in March.

Weddings make up roughly 15 percent of Rx’s business, and Ramsey said his team was set to cater “quite a few” in March.

Ramsey said he advises clients to make sure they have seen the menu to “see what jumps out” before meeting with a caterer, and when that meeting takes place, “make sure you have a venue and date and approximate number of people locked down.”

“We’ll talk and engage with them in what they are looking for,” he said. “Once you figure out what you’re looking for, we always set up a [free] tasting.”

Pasta bars are popular, he said, and specifics are important. Couples should communicate with the caterer about the last date to increase or decrease the order.

“We’re usually about three days out as far as being able to adjust,” Ramsey said. “We do a lot of other stuff and have a lot of trucks coming in every day, so it’s not as big a deal for us.”

Ramsey also advised prospective spouses to make sure of what each venue and caterer provides in terms of attendants, servers and bartenders.

These days, Rx is back to serving mostly buffet-style, the most popular option, and “back to where it was” pre-COVID-19, Ramsey said. Rx also provides buffets that have attendants serving and can have attendants serve plated meals.

Before getting to the menu, the first place to start is the venue, he said.

“You need to find a place that can accommodate at least 200 people, and you need to start a year, a year and a half out,” he said. “The food part is easy; the venue is a little more difficult.”

Ramsey said Rx used to do church weddings exclusively, but over the last decade, ceremonies have switched to event centers, even though he added that there are not many of them in central Arkansas.

The Rx team delivers more than 60 years of catering experience, and Ramsey said it is there to help. Once the menu is finalized, couples should be prepared to pay a down payment of about 50 percent to 75 percent and then pay off the balance before the event, he said. (Rx requires 50 percent down.)

“We’re there to work with them,” Ramsey said. “They just need to be specific about what they want.”

Vibrant Occasions Catering —

Benton

Food evokes memories, and couples should keep that in mind when planning a wedding menu, said Mary Krikorian, owner of Vibrant Occasions Catering in Benton.

“That’s where I start,” she said. “I always ask, ‘Do you have a favorite memory about food?’ ‘Where do you like to eat?’ Couples forget that it’s their wedding day. They should choose a menu that makes them happy. If they’re happy, their loved ones will be happy.”

Krikorian said she advises clients to lay out priorities, get them in order, and “then start booking.”

Book a venue first, she said, because the “where” impacts every other aspect of the event. The menu is a priority for some couples, she added, while for others, “it comes later.” To put together a proposal, the “what” and “how” matters.

“I can walk them through choosing a menu,” she said.

Vibrant Occasions provided mostly self-serve buffets before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, “action stations” have become popular.

“Our chefs are there, preparing the food in front of the guests,” she said. “We might have a pizza station, a shrimp-and-grits station. Food is part of the show.”

Krikorian called Vibrant a boutique caterer that serves a higher-end demographic. Her husband, Serge, is the company’s executive chef. Vibrant’s mobile kitchen, a mini version of its big kitchen in Benton, can deliver five-star meals anywhere in Arkansas, Krikorian said.

She said Vibrant has seen the same trends most other caterers have — fewer church weddings and more ceremonies at scenic venues, barns and even cow pastures. Krikorian said she could count “on one finger” how many church weddings they catered last year out of roughly 140. S’mores bars are a cute way to incorporate a fun favorite into the reception.

Serving staff are essential for plated dinners but can also be beneficial to buffets where hot food is served.

“People now are getting married 12 months out of the year. Fall and winter are just as busy or more so than spring and summer.”

— Andrea Bridges, Catering Temptations, Hot Springs

“They want a bar, and brides want those Instagram-able moments,” she said. “It’s important for them to show the event and be very visual. They want to be able to see what they’re doing and show their friends.”

Menus have evolved, as well, and now include late-night snacks to “keep the party going,” childhood-memory snacks, mac-and-cheese bars, donuts, s’mores and “a lot of fusion.”

Vibrant aims to deliver a menu that contributes to the overall event experience, Krikorian said.

Other wedding trends include more involvement from the prospective grooms, especially the younger ones, she said.

“I have two different types of customers. I have the mothers, and I have the couples,” Krikorian said. “Very rarely do I see a bride by herself.”

Krikorian said couples are doing their research and the ones who come to Vibrant are the ones for whom food is a priority on their wedding list. October is now the busiest wedding month for the caterer, surpassing May three years ago. The company now boasts a staff of 75 mostly part-time workers, and Krikorian credits them with the company’s success.

“Our staff is the company’s most valuable asset, and we treat them that way,” she said. “Like it says on our website, ‘Happy staff leads to happy guests.’”

Vibrant was launched in 2017, but the Krikorians have been catering for 21 years. After owning Sergio’s Pizza, a popular pizza take-out spot in Benton, in the 1990s, they opened Our Mobile Kitchen in Benton in 2002 to provide high quality, chef-prepared meals to individual patrons. Eventually, they were delivering to weddings — and then even more weddings — and Vibrant was launched.

“It took off from day one,” Krikorian said.

Food service runs in the family. The couple’s middle son, Brian, was holding court from under the counter at Sergio’s from a young age. He now owns and operates Different Dough Pizza Co. in Bryant.

Catering Temptations —

Hot Springs

On Arkansas Derby Day at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs in late March, Andrea Bridges served roughly 860 people at three corporate tents in the track infield. She still works events as small as 25 people, but after starting out in 2016 on her own, focusing exclusively on weddings, her bread and butter has grown to include “everything.”

“No event is too big or too small,” she said. “I’ll make it work.”

Bridges still does her share of weddings — she catered six receptions in December — and has seen trends change, sometimes drastically, in eight years.

“Wedding receptions are growing in size,” she said. “They used to be around 85 to 100 people but post-COVID, we’re seeing receptions with 160, 185, 200 people.”

Bridges said her clients are mirroring societal trends, as well. More

than half of her wedding gigs are paid for by the couple, as opposed to the groom’s parents as tradition once dictated.

“It’s the age we live in today. You have two working people who are more independent and more successful than their parents were, and I see as many successful working women as men. Many of them are waiting until their late 30s, 38 or 39, to finally decide they are ready to tie the knot, and they’re successful and in a position to pay for everything themselves.”

Bridges said she now always meets with the bride and groom alone about menu choices, and she added that wedding season is no longer exclusive to spring and summer.

“People now are getting married 12 months out of the year,” she said. “Fall and winter are just as busy or more so than spring and summer.”

Catering Temptations now has its own event room, which can seat up to 50, and it is the only caterer in Hot Springs with an off-site liquor license.

Bridges was a single mom who raised six kids, each of whom grew up helping in the kitchen. She especially appreciated the “support and drive” of her youngest pair, twin 18-year-old daughters headed to college in Fayetteville next year with an eye on becoming veterinarians.

In addition to relying on family, Bridges employs contract labor for her jobs, and word of mouth has proven beneficial in a close-knit community. It helps that her parents and both sets of grandparents were born and raised in Hot Springs, so locals know her.

People “completely stopped having events” during the pandemic, but Bridges said it also provided her the opportunity to prepare meals for dinner parties in private homes. Doing so helped Bridges weather the pandemic, generate word of mouth and network.

“COVID brought me a lot of new relationships,” she said. “Hot Springs supports my business. I’ve been able to grow it with a lot of local support. Even though my company is small, I can do big things.”

Tori Tisdale DownHome Catering

Chef Serge Krikorian Vibrant Occasions Andrea Bridges Catering Temptations

Jay Ramsey Rx Catering

weddings

Seasonal cocktails are a hallmark of On the House Mobile Bar in Bentonville.

the On House

From bridal showers to wedding showers, bachelorette parties and everything in between from now until the big day, one innovative company is bringing joy and customization to events of all kinds, especially in the area of romance.

On the House Mobile Bar is a concept that came to fruition over mimosas at brunch. Owner Jen Houser, who was teaching elementary school at the time, fell in love with the idea of a bar on wheels, and with the execution of the plan with her husband, Jake, her dreams transformed into a reality.

“We were all discussing business plans over mimosas, and that morning, my sister showed me a picture of what a mobile bar could look like. My husband and I were inspired and decided to run with it,” Houser said.

Prior to opening her own business, Houser was focused on her first passion, molding the minds of the next generation. As she puts it, she never dreamed of leaving her career in teaching before this concept but has loved every minute of her new calling of celebrating life with her customers.

“I love being my own boss now, and what I love even more is that our business, specifically, is centered around constant celebration. Any time someone hires me, it is for a celebration. Whether it is celebrating something in their corporate life or for a wedding, it is an incredible opportunity to celebrate joyful times,” Houser said, expressing gratitude for her customers that include her business in their special moments.

The summer-made business plans were executed early on, allowing for the Housers to open On the House in October 2022. With a unique name, On the House was created as a way to showcase the finer areas of group gatherings. Offering customized plans, customers are afforded the chance to offer whichever drinks they want to at their events without guests having to pay anything.

With the creation of the brand and concept having a relatively short start-up period, Houser said she and her husband decided to create the camper themselves rather than try to convert a camper. This is partly due to how tall she and her husband are but also because, like the menu offerings, building it themselves made way for an area completely personal and unique.

By SARAH COLEMAN // Photos provided

Houser, who has a knack for visual balance and other design qualities, said she found the entire process of building her business to be enjoyable and found inspiration in carefully selecting each item for the camper. The camper stands up higher than a traditional model and was created to be aesthetically pleasing as much as it was created to be functional.

“We did so much research when putting On The House together. I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like, and because there aren’t any other food trucks in the area that have this look, I knew I wanted to make it as luxurious as possible,” Houser said.

A custom-built camper takes the mobile bar on the road to patrons.

Since the camper was custom built, there truly is nothing like the Housers’ business, and the elements inside of the camper have proved to be an excellent way for their company to stand out from traditional vendors.

As individual style and taste transferred into On the House, Houser said she was drawn to the idea of allowing her customers to select menu items based on their personal preferences, their tastes and the seasons.

“When I first began to create the drink menu options, I thought about what the flavors of the seasons really are. The flavors allowed me to create twists on classic cocktails and incorporate them into our own creations,” Houser said.

While On the House serves all events, it has become increasingly popular in wedding season because traditional bar offerings at venues are limited and open bars add a significant price increase to the big day. In an effort to keep the day elevated and personalized, On the House steps in with packages that keep the stress surrounding the bar at an all-time minimum.

With menu options for each season, flavor has always been the source of inspiration for Houser. On the House features multiple fan favorites. One of the most unforgettable and delicious libations is the pineapple coconut margarita, which Houser said has continued to be a huge hit at spring and summer weddings. For autumn events, Houser said the biggest hit on the menu has been anything with apple cider, including the gin-based Honeycrisp cider and the whiskey-based bourbon ginger cider.

to be ordered for the specific drinks they have selected. I also help them by picking up everything for them. I bring it to the event, and I make sure to provide everything needed to create the cocktails,” Houser said. “I want this part of their event to be stress-free, and I feel like we do a really good job of ensuring that.”

Houser said that this plan creates an environment where not just their customers, but also their customers’ guests can truly enjoy the unique beverages offered. She said all packages include non-alcoholic beverages, and On the House also offers several mocktails.

Every plan comes with a full spectrum of service that covers everything from supplies and setup to insurance and decor. For any event, two hours of service are required, and additional bartenders and hours are available. From there, the kind of alcohol and the amount of ingredients served all plays a role in pricing.

“Something I learned when starting this business is that when people are going to an event, they are most likely hoping for an open bar,” Houser said. “On the House is able to take care of that need for our customers, and it helps them not have to worry about the stress that comes from calculating those needs.”

Packages include a beer and wine package, a happy hour package with customer selections of beer, wine and two crafted cocktails, and the happy hour deluxe, which consists of beer, wine and four crafted cocktails.

“I specifically help our clients calculate how much alcohol needs

Currently, the seasonal mocktail menu includes three excellent options, including a Shirley Temple and a Christmas punch with orange, grape and pomegranate juices, lemon-lime bubbles, a grapefruit wedge, an orange slice, and pomegranate arils. The mocktail menu also offers a cranberry bubbly with grape and cranberry juice, lime, and bubbles.

While most clients choose drinks based on the seasonal offerings, Houser is willing to work with clients who may have another beverage in mind. With Houser’s expertise, clients are also able to select drinks that will pair well with the food that will be served. From start to finish, Houser’s focus remains on making sure the drink portion of the event goes off without a hitch, and because of this, her company has only increased in popularity.

“One time, we did a Harry Potter themed wedding, and with this in mind, we worked with our clients to base the cocktails off of that theme,” Houser said, adding that the cocktails were made in shades of gold with edible glitter added to create a unique finish.

While themed weddings and micro-weddings are continuing to rise in popularity, Houser has had the opportunity to learn how to serve in a variety of capacities, depending on the event. She credits her education to one of the largest boutique event planning firms in the state and its owner, Emily McClain at Aura Events + Rentals.

“We both worked on a micro-wedding together this past year, and it was so beautiful and quaint on the bride’s family’s property. I love this trend; it is equally as simple as it is beautiful and intentional,” Houser said.

While Houser’s business is one of a kind, she said she is constantly looking up to vendors of all kinds in the area who use their individual expertise to create the vision of the client’s dream wedding or event.

“I have loved working with all the vendors that we have worked

On the House offers customized plans that range from beer and wine to cocktails.

‘‘

Something I learned when starting this business is that when people are going to an event, they are most likely hoping for an open bar. On the House is able to take care of that need for our customers, and it helps them not have to worry about the stress that comes from calculating those needs.

— Jen Houser, owner On the House Mobile Bar

with so far. We have always had a positive experience,” Houser said.

A couple of these vendors have included spotlight venues that were undeniably inspirational to Houser as On the House entered the event and wedding space a couple of years ago. Country Manor in Rogers and the Mansion at the Orchard in Bentonville are two venues that have been instrumental in Houser’s journey.

“Tammy Wortham, owner of Country Manor NWA, and I have worked together a lot, and her communication has helped us determine what works best for us both,” Houser said. “The Mansion at the Orchard was bought by its new owner, Jess [Thibodeaux], around the same time we were starting out. She’s always been a huge help in sharing her venue with me.”

Outside of many of the incredible wedding and event spaces northwest Arkansas has to offer, Houser also credits much of her success to her mentor, Justin Malonson, who is also known by his

business name, the Sous Chef.

“Justin is so successful, and although he has some bar experience, his main focus has remained on the food he offers. Whenever he has referrals, he always sends them our way, which is something I appreciate so much,” Houser said.

According to Houser, On the House had a great breakout year for its first season, with a total of 32 weddings and events served, and saw that success grow, with 58 weddings and events in 2023. With the growth of her business booming, Houser encourages those interested in hiring On the House to book as much in advance of the event as possible, since the calendar is filling up faster each year.

“I want to say thank you to everyone for our success and for believing in us. Thank you all for trusting us to serve at your past and upcoming events and for supporting us,” Houser said.

From start to finish, On The House can handle every aspect of providing bar service to guests.

weddings

To the

Pros help newlyweds find their best first trip

honeymoon is an adventure that cries out to be special, which means a new couple will want to avoid unpleasantries like excessive costs and inconveniences while immersing themselves in those first days of wedded bliss.

A Honeym n& Back

“That’s what my job is, is to get them to a place that’s going to meet their vision,” said Ashley Russell, a Small World Big Fun travel agent based in North Little Rock. “Sometimes that’s what they had in mind when they came to me, and sometimes it’s not. It’s a whole new place they hadn’t thought of.”

Going Places

Popular honeymoon destinations these days are a mix of the traditional and new. Newlyweds have yet to fall out of love with the beach and tropical, warm-weather destinations, while certain European countries are also in vogue.

Clearly, most honeymooners are looking for locations outside the U.S., so much so that Julie Mitchell, owner of Design Travel by Julie in Rogers, does not even book domestic trips.

“I don’t get a lot of requests for domestic for honeymoons anyway,” she said.

Amanda Browning, owner of the Adventure Awaits in North Little Rock, said the romance of the tropics, beaches and warm climates make places like Mexico and the Caribbean eternally popular with newlyweds. In Europe, Italy and Croatia have been trending the past year or two.

A five-day trip to Croatia, minus air fare, costs about $7,000, Browning said.

“The water there is beautiful, and a lot of the country has a water side that you can get to,” she said. “There’s lakes, and you’ve got the history of it. … It’s not as popular as if you were going to Greece or Italy, so it’s less crowded and a little bit more bang for your buck.”

Mitchell said she has booked honeymooners to places like Paris, London, destinations in Germany and even European river cruises, but Italy by far is the most popular spot in Europe right now.

“I have clients that say you walk down the street, and all you see are Americans,” Mitchell said. “This year, I probably have at least 14, if not more, packages to Italy, and that’s since January.”

Mitchell said older newlyweds typically have more money and might lean more toward Europe as a honeymoon spot. For

By TODD TRAUB

European travelers in their 20s, she said the budget is around $10,000 but should really be closer to $15,000, while the river cruise she booked for a remarried widow and widower went for about $20,000.

Traditionally for honeymooners, the places to go have been warm weather, tropical locations and that has not changed.

Russell said year in and year out, the Caribbean and Mexico are popular, both because of cost and the relative ease of travel from Little Rock. Mitchell said the Caribbean, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and St. Lucia are usually in demand, but she said St. Lucia is pricier than the others.

“The most popular destinations are typically beach, all-inclusive, because at all-inclusive resorts, one price covers everything, so they’re not nickel and dimed,” Mitchell said. “It covers the drinks and the food and the entertainment.”

Browning said a week at a quality all-inclusive resort, not accounting for airfare, runs between $7,000 and $8,000, but the cost depends on the time of year a couple travels and their choice of destination and lodging. An over-the-water bungalow in Jamaica, for example, could run anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000 without airfare.

Russell said couples should budget a nightly expenditure of $500 to $600 to guarantee a quality stay at an all-inclusive resort.

“Looking for something super low budget is not my jam,” she said, “because there is a certain price point where I can no longer guarantee the kind of quality.”

Russell said some clients have a clear vision of what they want in a honeymoon destination while others need to narrow it down. When consulting with a couple, she covers their list of must-haves — beach, night life, lodging, dining, entertainment — and works to come up with the best fit.

“I think that people do come with some preconceived notions about destinations, both positive and negative,” Russell said. “I think that’s my primary job, and to be honest, I think it’s my personal superpower is I can talk to them about what their vision for their honeymoon is.”

Cruises can be more affordable, again, depending on time of year and destination, but the experts caution couples to learn the fine-print details because some amenities, such as drinks, might not be included in the price.

“There’s always upcharges. You have to be careful with the fine print with cruises, unlike a good all-inclusive,” Russell said. “I can really send you there, and you never get your wallet out.”

Traveling in the offseason, Browning said, can take some of the pain out of a honeymoon price tag, and she said many honeymooners are finding September to be a better travel month.

“It is a great time to travel,” she said. “Getting rid of crowds, kids are back in school, still warm, not yet hurricane season. Europe as well. … You’re going to get a little bit more value in your booking.”

If newlyweds have their hearts set on a particular destination but the cost is intimidating, Mitchell suggested considering shaving a day or two off the length of the trip.

“I would rather them stay five nights someplace great rather than seven nights someplace not great,” she said.

Up in the Air

Like many industries, airlines were hit hard by social distancing safety requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since it abated, travelers have returned with a vengeance, and pricey air fares are the result.

Seven years ago, Russell said, she could count on flights to Mexico costing around $400. Now the price hovers between $700 to $900 just to get to Cancun.

“If anybody is thinking they’re going to wait until air pricing comes down, I don’t know that it ever will,” Russell said. “You have to take things as they are today and see if they’re comfortable with that.”

Mitchell said the stubbornly high airfares are being called “travel revenge” in the industry, and they can have a definite impact on a couple’s honeymoon budget.

“There’s a lot of [expenses], but yeah, the airfare cost is a huge factor,” she said. “If clients are flexible, if they give me a date range like June 10 through June 20, I can look at those dates and see what’s flexible.”

Travel agencies can sometimes help newlyweds by bundling airfare into the overall cost of a trip, but for the most part, the costly airline tickets have to be accepted as part of the honeymoon game.

“Airfare, in some cases, can be the same cost as the resort,” Browning said. “If they haven’t traveled since COVID and they’re starting to travel now, it is sticker shock to see how much things have gone up.”

Russell said people are not going to get flights from Little Rock to any honeymoon destination for less than $700 or $800, and some tickets cost more. Additionally, Arkansas’ biggest airport, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, does not offer a wealth of direct or even convenient flights to popular destinations, which can cause logistical problems for honeymoon travelers.

“To be able to get to some islands can be challenging because you can’t get to the gateway cities early enough in the day to be able to get to some islands in a day,” Russell said.

Not all air routes have been restored post-COVID, either, and Russell said young couples do not always realize they may have to bake a travel day into their schedule. She advised them to stay the night in gateway places like Miami, Dallas or Atlanta.

“If you want a short travel day, you’re going to Jamaica or Mexico,” she said.

Honeymooners typically want to leave immediately after the wedding ceremony, but if they can be flexible about their departure, Mitchell said, it can help her find a more affordable date.

Mitchell said she tries to save clients money by bundling air travel into the honeymoon cost when she can, but she estimated that 60 percent to 70 percent of the time, she ends up having to separate the expenses.

“If clients want to book their own air, I can help with that, as well,” Mitchell said. “Normally, it works better to try to have it all together.”

For the Price

While bundling airfares, shortening a trip, traveling in the offseason and being flexible about air travel dates can help cut costs for couples, travel agents agree that the most important things to do are consult with experts and start planning early.

There may be passports to obtain — a process that can take at least six to eight weeks — and an early start can also help lock in cheaper rates.

“The best way to mitigate costs, not for air necessarily, but for resorts is to book as far out as you can,” Russell said. “A lot of things in the travel industry use dynamic pricing. My advice is always to get comfortable with the budget, what you can do and lock something in.”

Browning said a couple can get good, unvarnished advice from a travel agent as opposed to weeding through a bunch of online reviews.

“A lot of times, the loudest people are the negative people, and that doesn’t mean the resort is a bad resort,” Browning said.

Browning said she brings clients as many as 10 destinations and helps them work through the list to see which ones check their boxes. She said agents are paid by suppliers and work for a client, not a particular resort, so the only motive is to find couples the best trip for their money.

Naturally, travel agents recommend couples get professional advice when planning a trip, but going through an agency does have advantages. Agents can work with couples to find trip packages that meet their desires, budgets and schedules while helping them avoid unpleasantries and mishaps.

Browning recently visited Jamaica and looked at 15 resorts. Frankly, she said, there are some she would not recommend to a couple taking the first big trip of their lives together.

“We’re on the ground, trying to find whatever is best for our client,” she said.

Airfares are on the rise, but that does not stop couples from enjoying dream honeymoons abroad and at home.

Mother’s Day for the Planet

Responsible stewardship an easy sell in the Natural State

By MARK CARTER // Photos provided

Earth Day is April 22, and activities in recognition of the international event are planned across Arkansas.

From Fayetteville, where Mayor Lioneld Jordan will issue his annual Earth Day proclamation on April 20, to activities planned across the state by organizations like the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission, the Little Rock Zoo and Entergy Arkansas in Little Rock, the Natural State will get its natural on in recognition of responsible environmental stewardship.

Entergy Arkansas has prioritized conservation and plans events commemorating both Earth Day and Arbor Day, which occurs April 26, this month.

“For Earth Day, we are awarding a $2,000 grant to Keep Arkansas Beautiful, and our employees will also partner with them to volunteer at various Earth Day activities across the state, including recycling projects, trash pickup, tree planting and educational activities,” said Heather Kendrick, communications specialist. “We also have a variety of activities for Arbor Day throughout our service territory. Our vegetation-management team hosts activities with students on topics including tree biology, tree health, and the benefits of trees and proper pruning techniques. Employees discuss the reasons why tree trimming around power lines is so important for customer safety, along with an interactive tree planting session and a bucket truck demonstration.”

Launched in 1970, Earth Day connects an estimated one billion people each year through activities in almost 200 countries, the Earth Day Network states. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Planet versus Plastics.”

In honor of the event’s 50-year anniversary in 2020, Fayetteville’s

chief executive issued a proclamation naming April 22 — the date the movement was launched — as Earth Day in Fayetteville, and each year since, Jordan reissues the proclamation. This year, he will do so on April 20 at the city’s Marion Orton Recycling Drop-off.

When he first issued the proclamation, Jordan said a conservationist once told him that the most important thing one can do is always protect the water and always protect the air, saying, “If you do those two things, you’ll protect the earth.”

Responsible stewardship has long been a civic priority in Fayetteville, and Jordan wanted to make it one of an official nature. The city even implemented a climate action plan that aims to reduce the city’s carbon footprint, increase the use of clean energy, reduce the amount of waste and reduce the amount of water consumption, among other objectives.

“We always have a large number of residents participate in Fayetteville Earth Day activities,” he said. “Beyond Earth Day, according to our climate action plan surveys, 80 percent of our residents support carbon-neutral city government operations, 77 percent of residents support the city striving to use 100 percent clean energy, 91 percent of residents support reducing the amount of waste going to the landfill, 70 percent support reducing water consumption, and 69 percent support improving carbon sequestration and storage using natural climate solutions.”

The city’s efforts in those areas run the gamut from the simple, such as the Downtown Square & Gardens and the city’s Hiking with the Forester program and other outdoor classes that educate participants on the importance of the ecosystem, to the hardcore, such as a solar array installed in 2018 in partnership with the Ozarks Electric Cooperative in

Heather Kendrick

Lioneld Jordan

Fayetteville and Today’s Power in North Little Rock.

The goal is to convert all city facilities to 100-percent clean energy by 2030. The city estimated the total savings of the solar array project over what it was paying for electricity to be about $182,000 per year, with a return on investment of a little less than four and a half years. The project is expected to save the city $6 million over 20 years.

Fayetteville also is considering enhancements to Combs Park on its east side that would benefit the watershed. The project would include the removal of the old pump station dam and river restoration through the Watershed Conservation Resource Center in Fayetteville.

City officials want to transform the area on the West Fork of the White River into the city’s first true river-access park, transforming it into a “blueway.” (Think greenway for non-motorized watercraft such as kayaks and canoes.)

The city is recognized as a sustainability leader in the southeastern United States for a reason, Jordan said.

“We don’t just celebrate [Earth Day] every year; we celebrate it every day because we believe in protecting the earth,” he said.

The Little Rock Zoo, a conservation leader in central Arkansas, once again will host Earth Day activities to connect visitors to nature at the zoo’s Blue and You Sensory Garden, said Jessica Deavult, conservation education manager.

“We will be doing a pop-up nature play, as well as learning about different actions families can take to learn how to help the environment,” she said. “The zoo is also partnering with the Little Rock Sustainability Office to host a recycling event on Earth Day. Visitors are especially encouraged to bring old cellphones, batteries and chargers for the Gorillas on the Line conservation program.”

Deavult said a common mineral used in cell phones known as coltan is mined where gorilla habitats exist in Africa.

“We send [collected phones] to a company that takes old, used electronics and makes sure that those important components are harvested and recycled,” she said.

Meanwhile, Earth Day represents just another day on the job for the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission team. KAB is a division of Arkansas State Parks and an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. In 2023, Keep Arkansas Beautiful held 747 cleanup events across the state involving 22,520 Arkansas volunteers, an increase of 27 percent from the previous year.

Workers removed 636 tons of trash in all 75 counties, including 514 tons of waste along more than 2,130 miles of roadways, 772,000 acres of parks and public areas, and 327 miles alongside waterways and shorelines. Plus, KAB volunteers collected nearly 6,230 tires and 2,420 tons of recyclables and planted almost 2,000 trees, shrubs and flowers.

“I am truly thankful for our 600 cleanup event coordinators who engaged thousands of volunteers to give their time and energy to clean and beautify every Arkansas county,” said Robyn Taylor, volunteer program manager at KAB, in a statement released earlier this year after the numbers were tallied.

Entergy Arkansas, meanwhile, is doubling down on Earth-Day-associated conservation on Arbor Day. Entergy once again partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to give customers free trees as part of the Energy-Saving Trees program, which focuses on homeowner education and environmental impact.

“Trees play a critical role in creating healthier, safer and more connected communities,” Kendrick said. “They clean our air, filter our water, and even slow storm surge and flooding in our cities. Trees also provide valuable shade, cooling urban areas by up to 10 degrees. Not only that — trees can help customers save money. When planted properly, a single tree can save a homeowner up to 20 percent on energy costs.

Since Entergy launched the program in 2018, the tree giveaway has resulted in engagement with more than 10,600 customers and about

20,700 trees planted, Kendrick said.

“The projected cumulative benefits of the trees over 20 years include more than one million pounds of carbon captured or avoided, more than 450 million gallons of stormwater filtered, and approximately 286,000 pounds of other pollutants absorbed,” she said.

Entergy Arkansas also operates what Kendrick refers to as a “robust” vegetation-management program that protects power lines and ensures reliable electric service for customers’ homes and businesses. Last year, Entergy was recognized as a Tree Line USA utility by the Arbor Day Foundation for the utility’s commitment to urban forestry.

Plus, Entergy has implemented several conservation-minded programs: Entergy Solutions helps reduce customers’ up-front costs for power-saving upgrades; Go ZERO (Zero Emissions Resource Options) is a voluntary tariff that allows participating customers to customize a clean energy subscription plan for each customer’s unique goals; and the Green Promise tariff provides customers with the opportunity to access renewable resources.

Later this year, Entergy Arkansas will bring online three more solar power facilities. Kendrick said 70 percent of the utility’s power generation comes from nuclear, solar and hydroelectric power.

“We are working year-round to address climate issues, reduce carbon emissions across our value chain and protect our natural resources,” she said. “Our focus on climate change has long been a key means of creating sustainable value for more than two decades. We were the first U.S. utility to set a voluntary greenhouse gas emissions goal in 2001. Today, we operate one of the cleanest large-scale power generation fleets in the country.”

When Arkansans recognize Earth Day on April 22, public and private entities in the state are doing their part to fulfill the promise of the event. Bobby Martin, former chairman of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and a former Walmart and Stephens executive, championed conservation during his seven years with the agency. He frequently espoused the virtues of good stewardship and helped bring conservation to the mainstream in Arkansas.

“Conservation matters,” he told Arkansas Money & Politics in 2019. “It matters to our economy, to our quality of life, to tourism. It matters to our personal enjoyment of nature and the relevance of having ourselves connected to it. When people think of Arkansas, they think of the outdoors, and it takes a network of partners to make it work.

“Whether you are a sportsman or woman who is reveling in our world-class hunting and fishing or vast opportunities for outdoor recreation in it, I think we all have that sense of pride and ownership in one of nature’s best places on earth. It has always been hard for me to not feel a sense of responsibility to it, to protect and do what I can to enhance it. I like to believe we all encounter that feeling each time we retreat into nature. We are truly blessed here in Arkansas.”

Entergy Arkansas in Little Rock partners with the Arbor Day Foundation to provide free trees to Arkansas residents.

Jessica Deavult

Since 1983, The BridgeWay has provided behavioral healthcare services to our surrounding communities.

Our programs are designed to give each patient individualized care to help manage their symptoms, resolve problems, recognize life stressors and effectively cope with their condition.

Our programs can include:

• Medical and psychological evaluation

Meeting the needs of our community

Meeting the needs of our community

Meeting the needs of our community

women by prov iding a ca r ing, suppor t ive, st r uctu red env iron ment to help add ress past exper iences a nd

healthcare services to our surrounding communities. Our programs are designed to give each patient individualized care to help manage their symptoms, resolve problems, recognize life stressors and effectively cope with their condition.

women by prov iding a ca r ing, suppor t ive, st r uctu red env iron ment to help add ress past exper iences a nd

• Individualized treatment plan

• 24-hour nursing care

• Medication management and education (as needed)

• Structured daily clinical program

Our programs can include:

women by prov iding a ca r ing, suppor t ive, st r uctu red env iron ment to help add ress past exper iences a nd

• Medical and psychological evaluation

• Individualized treatment plan

• 24-hour nursing care

• Medication management and education (as needed)

• Structured daily clinical program

• Group and family therapy

• Scheduled visitation

We offer a va r iet y of featu res specia lly designed w it h women in m ind Treat ment ca n include a r t, music, a romat herapy, jou r na ling a nd yoga The indiv idua lized t reat ment pla n ca n include assessment, stabilizat ion, focused t reat ment inter vent ions (t rauma-infor med ca re a nd solut ion-focused t herapy) a nd help w it h establishing lin ks to outside com mun it y resou rces so

• Recreational therapy

We offer a va r iet y of featu res specia lly designed w it h women in m ind Treat ment ca n include a r t, music, a romat herapy, jou r na ling a nd yoga The indiv idua lized t reat ment pla n ca n include assessment, stabilizat ion, focused t reat ment inter vent ions (t rauma-infor med ca re a nd solut ion-focused t herapy) a nd help w it h establishing lin ks to outside com mun it y resou rces so

• Group and family therapy

• Scheduled visitation

• Recreational therapy

• Coping and life-skill training

• Discharge planning

• Coping and life-skill training

We offer a va r iet y of featu res specia lly designed w it h women in m ind Treat ment ca n include a r t, music, a romat herapy, jou r na ling a nd yoga The indiv idua lized t reat ment pla n ca n include assessment, stabilizat ion, focused t reat ment inter vent ions (t rauma-infor med ca re a nd solut ion-focused t herapy) a nd help w it h establishing lin ks to outside com mun it y resou rces so

• Discharge planning

We can help treat:

We can help treat:

• Acute menta l hea lt h issues, including mood a nd a n x iet y disorders

We can help treat:

• Acute menta l hea lt h issues, including mood a nd a n x iet y disorders

We are here for you. Learn more at thebridgeway.com.

• Trauma (sexua l, physica l a nd emot iona l abuse)

• Acute menta l hea lt h issues, including mood a nd a n x iet y disorders

• Trauma (sexua l, physica l a nd emot iona l abuse)

We are here for you. Learn more at thebridgeway.com.

• Trauma (sexua l, physica l a nd emot iona l abuse)

• Low self-esteem a nd body image

• Relat ionship issues

• Low self-esteem a nd body image

• Postpa r tum depression

• Relat ionship issues

• PTSD

• Postpa r tum depression

• Borderline persona lit y disorder

• PTSD

• Self-ha r m

• Low self-esteem a nd body image

• Relat ionship issues

• Postpa r tum depression

• PTSD

• Borderline persona lit y disorder

• Borderline persona lit y disorder

• Self-ha r m

• Self-ha r m

W e c an b e th e answ er you have b ee n look ing fo r. If you o r som eone you k no w n eeds help , we ar e her e. Call 800-245-0011 tod ay o r v is it thebridgeway.com

6/23 21 Bridgeway Road • North Little Rock, AR 72113 800-245-0011 or 800-274-3439 • thebridgeway.com

W e c an b e th e answ er you have b ee n look ing fo r. If you o r som eone you k no w n eeds help , we ar e her e. Call 800-245-0011 tod ay o r v is it thebridgeway.com. y c

W e c an b e th e answ er you have b ee n look ing fo r If you o r som eone you k no w n eeds help , we ar e her e. Call 800-245-0011 tod ay o r v is it thebridgeway.com

21 Bridgeway Road • North Little Rock, AR 72113 800-245-0011 or 800-274-3439 • thebridgeway.com

Physicians are on the medical staff of The BridgeWay, but, with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of The BridgeWay. The facility shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians.

Singer, songwriter, multiinstrumentalist, and producer Cliff Prowse has joined forces with Singer, songwriter, pianist, international performing artist, Susan Erwin Prowse, have been performing in venues worldwide as Cliff & Susan They now offer music production and artist development to Central Arkansas and beyond.

CountryFried Delights

Cliff & Susan Make Their Voices

Heard on “Fiddle & Keys”

By ANDREW WELD // Photos provided

Cliff & Susan, an up-and-coming Arkansas country duo, released their delightful debut album, Fiddle & Keys, last fall, landing them at No. 39 on the Apple Country Music Charts for the United States. While the success of their album was immediate, the road to release day was seven busy years in the making.

The album consists of 12 country music tracks and is a compilation of the duo’s work that they feel best captures their voice and essence as artists. Listeners will immediately hear what makes Cliff & Susan unique because Fiddle & Keys is a rich, exploratory endeavor into various genres of country music. Each track is bestowed with powerful performances that exemplify the versatility of the artists.

Susan Prowse, who started in the industry as a radio frequency engineer, eventually transitioned into a full-time musician, performing across the United States and in other countries. Two of the tracks on Fiddle & Keys were originally recorded by Susan in Nashville, Tenn., before the pair formed.

ing guitar and fiddle, both of which are featured prominently on the album. The several years of experience under the duo’s belt is cemented on Fiddle & Keys, and the time spent perfecting their live shows.

“We each came together as our own artists before, so when we came together as a duo, it was really important that we figured out what we sounded like as a duo.”

The other half of the dynamic duo, Cliff Prowse, also began his career early, creating music from a young age and working with award-winning artists. Cliff is proficient on a variety of instruments, includ-

— Susan Prowse

“We each came together as our own artists before, so when we came together as a duo, it was really important that we figured out what we sounded like as a duo,” Susan said. “It was important that we figured out what naturally resonated in our live shows, as well as who we were together.”

Cliff and Susan’s passion for music has existed for years, and it is through music that they formed their aptly named duo and relationship.

Meeting on stage at Willy D’s Rock & Roll Piano Bar in Little Rock, the couple immediately wanted to work together and quickly developed a bond. In the seven years leading to the release of Fiddle & Keys, the pair honed their craft as a duo, which is apparent on each track of the album. The artists take turns leading

Cliff & Susan’s debut album, Fiddle & Keys, showcases the instrumental prowess of both artists.

throughout the 12 tracks while the other provides rich, supportive harmonies in the background.

“I’d say our main objective with this album was to provide the listener with the same experience we give them in our live show, with the energy and the journey we take the crowd on,” Cliff said.

Cliff’s instrumental musicianship has a large presence on the album, and his skills make themselves very apparent. Listeners will quickly become familiar with his guitar work and mastery of the fiddle. Susan also contributed heavily to several tracks on the album, including one of her favorites, “High & Dry,” which features her invigorating and lively piano skills. The duo’s expertise on a wide range of instruments contributes to a unique sound that will have listeners coming back for more.

“Creating that music over the seven years ... I’d say it was the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done because it’s been such a blessing to do what you love with the person you love,” Susan said.

The artists had a wealth of experience and content leading up to the release, and several singles were produced during those seven years, alongside more than 1,000 live performances and a long list of covers. This resulted in an album that is a crisp breath of fresh air for fans.

“With over 200 shows a year, you’re going to figure some things out about yourself as a duo, and you’re going to see what resonates well with a crowd,” Susan said.

Arkansas is no stranger to fantastic country music, and Fiddle & Keys takes its spot in this lineup with a blend of modern and traditional country sounds. Listeners who are tired of similar-sounding country music now have reason to rejoice.

“I always like to say we’re where Jerry Lee Lewis on keys meets Charlie Daniels on fiddle.”

The years leading up to the album allowed the couple to grow with one another — something that they describe as a motivation for their music — and their love for working together shines brightly on Fiddle & Keys. While seven years sounds like a long time for an album to release, the couple did not decide on its creation until only a few months before it came out on Oct. 27. They felt the time was right to show the world who they are, and the 12 tracks do that well, showing every angle of the duo.

— Susan Prowse

Starting with the title track, Cliff utilizes his iconic fiddle alongside the jovial, saloon-like sounds of Susan’s piano. The song is not only incredibly catchy and upbeat but is also a testament to the instrumental skills of each artist. The more chilled out, toe-tapping track, “If It’s Worth Doing,” also features Cliff’s fiddle and is a pleasantly meandering track with a strong message about hard work.

“His iconic instrument is the fiddle. He pulls that out, and it’s just next level,” Susan said. “He’s a fantastic guitar player, but when you pull the fiddle out and add that on the top, it’s just like, ‘Wow.’

“I always like to say we’re where Jerry Lee Lewis on keys meets Charlie Daniels on fiddle.”

The album works as a showcase of the artists’ vast array of skills, with no two tracks sounding alike. Fiddle & Keys is the ideal album for a ride through the diverse Arkansas countryside, whether in the Delta, surrounded by bountiful fields, or in the rolling hills of the northwest. No track captures this better than “A Natural State,” which will have listeners nostalgic for traditional family gatherings and warm afternoons in the rural, serene regions of Arkansas. Anyone who grew up in the state will not have a hard time enjoying this track because “A Natural State” makes it clear to the listener that these artists are proud of the place they call home.

Another song originally performed by Susan, “Ain’t My Baby Grand,” features the powerful vocals of the artist in a way that is a bit more sentimental compared to the more upbeat title track. “Maybe You Should” also has a melancholy tone, invoking a sense of longing in the listener. The final track of the album, “High & Dry,” leans into traditional, folk style of country music, with another fantastic performance on the fiddle, and is a fast-paced number that leaves the listener exhilarated.

Fiddle & Keys showcases songs that range from toe-tapping tunes to melancholy ballads.

“This is a compilation of a lot of fun, upbeat songs that you can sing along to and dance to, but there’s going to be something for everyone, from tugging on a heartstring to love and loss and everything in-between,” Susan said.

To add to the description of their sound, Cliff said they are “in between modern and traditional country music.”

The traditional sounds of the album also stretch into the territory of Americana, which has a strong presence in “Drivin’ Me Crazy,” an incredibly catchy song, and the blues-tinged track “Lonesome Cold as You.” The album shows a clear respect for the roots of the country genre while providing more modern takes that find a way to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Listeners can expect each song to be different from the others, but the duo finds a way to masterfully weave them together coherently.

The work of Cliff & Susan over several years has not gone unnoticed. The pair has received a multitude of awards for their work, and are nominated in four categories of the 2024 Arkansas Country Music Awards. Those include Vocal Duo/Group; Cliff as Music Producer of the Year; and Collaboration of the Year for “Good Clean Livin’” by Jon Bailey featuring Trey Pendley and Grace Stormont, produced by Cliff. Fiddle & Keys, which is also up for Album of the Year by Arkansas CMA, is further proof that the duo certainly has the potential to earn more in the future.

Adding to their already impressive list of achievements, the couple has earned a variety of other awards, including Podcast of the Year for Sounds of Unity and the Arkansas Country Music Awards’ Promoter of the Year for the Yadaloo Music and Arts Festival in North Little Rock. The duo has also incorporated their own production company, Big Red Dog Productions, which is known for its music production, artist development and event promotions.

Old and new fans alike have much to look forward to from the duo, since they plan to continue their rise as country music artists. In addition to live performances for their growing fanbase at multiple hotspots across the country, fans can also expect more projects soon, including an upcoming extended play made in collaboration with

Erin Enderlin, a country artist from Conway. Enderlin, a six-time Arkansas Country Music Award Songwriter of the Year, has worked with country stars Luke Bryan and Reba McEntire. The EP will contain three songs, including Enderlin’s “Last Call,” Cliff’s “Lonesome Cold As You” and a collaboration track titled “Petit Jean,” on which all three artists worked together.

Those interested in hearing the debut album need only look to their favorite music-streaming platforms. including Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube. It is likely that Cliff & Susan’s upcoming EP with Erin Enderlin will also be available on the platforms.

With a bright career ahead of them, Cliff & Susan are shooting for the stars. Their rise in the country music scene will be exciting to watch, and any fan of authentic, traditional Southern sounds would be doing themselves a favor by giving this talented duo a listen.

Cliff & Susan received the Promoter of the Year award at the 2021 Arkansas Country Music Awards.

The Slice is Right Arkansas Pie Festival returns for 2024

If a thing could be said to be as “American as apple pie,” then it might be equally fair to call something as “Arkansan as pecan pie.” There may be no other dessert so characteristically Southern, and most Arkansans have had plenty of them at family gatherings.

That said, why would anyone in their right mind ever constrain themselves to a single type of pie when there are so many to enjoy? On April 27, the fourth annual Arkansas Pie Festival in Cherokee Village will celebrate that rich heritage of sweet and savory fillings while also bringing together and supporting the local community.

The idea for the festival began as a means to bring attention to the culture of northeast Arkansas. That culture includes the unique history of Cherokee Village itself, which was established by John A. Cooper Sr. as one of the first retirement communities in the country. Along with Cooper’s subsequent developments, including Hot Springs Village, Cherokee Village had a significant impact on the concept and evolution of retirement and relocation communities around the nation.

A few years ago, leaders in the community were looking for ways to bolster the town’s profile through events. Various ideas were pitched in the hopes of a winning idea that would put Cherokee Village on the map, almost all related to food.

“[That way] we could support not only hotels and Airbnbs and things

By JOHN CALLAHAN //

Photos provided

that people rent out when they come to a festival, but we could also support some of our restaurants and our local culinary program, as Ozarka College [in Melbourne] has one of the only culinary programs in the state,” said Graycen Bigger, co-founder and festival organizer.

It was Judge Shawn Johnson who had the winning idea.

“Ultimately, we did some research and realized that everybody likes pie,” Johnson said, “and the only festival of any kind like this is the national pie festival in Florida. There are no state pie festivals that we are aware of, other than this one.”

Bigger described the first pie festival in 2019 as “glorious chaos.” Expecting only about 200 visitors, they sold tickets at the door and therefore had no warning when some 700 people attended. The festival soon ran out of pie, and the organizers were forced to go out to local restaurants to get more. Though the COVID-19 pandemic forced the festival to skip two years, it made a successful return in 2022 and followed up with a strong event in 2023.

“In recent years, it’s not just a statewide competition,” Bigger said. “Shawn’s worked closely with the World Food Championships to send the winner of the festival down as a competitor for that, as well.”

“We are branching out statewide and utilizing feeder competitions around the state. For example, at the Hillcrest harvest festival [in Little

Sweet and savory selections, a pet parade and a pie-eating contest are just a few of the festival’s highlights.

Rock] in October, we have a pie contest,” Johnson said. “We’re very excited to add the first-ever tomato pie competition at the Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival, which will be a great event in June. We encourage all of our savory pie makers to consider the tomato as a subject for their pies. In fact, in the first year, as I recall, the winner of the Arkansas Pie Festival made a savory tomato pie.”

The festival also brings in a variety of distinguished judges, including not only expert food tasters, but also significant Arkansas community figures that have included Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice John Dan Kemp, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Rex Nelson and AY About You publisher Heather Baker, as well as several state lawmakers.

“I’ve actually gotten my husband into pie making, and he now competes in the competition every year,” Bigger said. “He made one last year that was lemon and lavender, and it was amazing. That’s one of my favorite [parts], to see what he comes up with. This time of year, I tend to gain a few pounds because he starts testing out recipes for the festival.”

“I tend to like the peanut butter pies,” Johnson said, “and I have to say I didn’t grow up on those. I mean, pecan pie is obviously a mainstay at holiday time, as well as pumpkin pie, but in terms of venturing out, I think that the peanut butter pies are fantastic.”

Tickets are $12 at the door, $5 for children ages 5 to 12, and free for children younger than 5. For that, one not only gets samples from each of the professional bakers but access to all of the other events and attractions the festival has to offer.

“There’s always live music, and a fan-favorite event that always makes for fantastic photos is the pie eating contest,” Bigger said. “Miss Arkansas helps judge the contest and awards the medals. We’ve also beefed up different things for kids to do. Our local art center is always open and does activities with the kids. We had a magician last year, and our local animal shelter brought puppies to play with and adopt.

“Our festival has always been very dog friendly, so last year, we also did a pet parade where people could dress up their pets, and it was called the Cutie Pie Pet Parade. They got prizes, and the money raised went to the local animal shelter.”

Attendees also get discounts at area businesses through the Shop Small, Pie Local campaign, another way the entire community gets in on the action during the Arkansas Pie Festival.

“We have a couple of culinary programs throughout the state, and we’re really working closely with them to use as a training opportunity for students. They’re actually making a lot of our samples for us this year,” Johnson said. “We’re engaging as much as we can with local business owners and families to promote Arkansas excellence, whether it’s in retail or hospitality and food. There’s so much going on in our state right now to be proud of, so we want to be lifting those people up.”

All profits from the festival are donated to community organizations, including the Spring River Innovation Hub, which provides one-on-one business development and other services for small businesses; a youth camp for robotics, art and entrepreneurship; rural business grants; the local farmers market; Women and Business meetings; and more. Last year’s event raised roughly $20,000 for such programs.

The festival has also made donations to Be Pro Be Proud, a youth workforce development program by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, and collaborated with the Arkansas Arts Center, now the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, to create activities for students.

The festival is the product of a strong network of volunteers and organizations from around the state working together with a dedication born out of both a commitment to their community and a passion for the festival itself, Johnson said.

“It’s just been a labor of love and friendship for all of us,” he said. “We really enjoy one another’s company. We’ve gathered new friends and formed a large committee that works on this from all over the state, and we’re just grateful.”

“It’s definitely been a team effort,” Bigger said. “I’m always amazed by the number of volunteers that show up for the days leading up to the festival and the day of to give their time. We also get such an outpouring from media outlets and other communities from around the state. That’s been a really cool part to see because at the end of the day, we’re all Arkansans first and foremost. To see the way that these communities and these people have supported each other, it’s just the best.”

FWhee!

Whee!

Zoo celebrates 100 Years of Arkansas’ Over-the-Jumps Carousel

By LINDSEY FISHER // Photos by LINDSEY FISHER

rom the fun music and sparkling lights to the color- ful and intricate animals that go around and around, carousels are ingrained in American nostalgia. What many Arkansans do not know, though, is that the Little Rock Zoo is the proud home of an Over-the-Jumps Carousel, and a one-of-a-kind antique attraction.

Arkansas’ local carousel, built by Herschell-Spillman Engineering Co. in North Tonawanda, N.Y., is the last Over-the-Jumps Carousel known to exist. The unique ride featuring an undulating track was built in 1924 and is one of only four ever built. The undulating track moves up and down with the horses attached to the track, and as it turns, riders experience the sensation of jumping hurdles as they ride. This is different from a standard carousel that features horses attached to poles that simply move up and down to create motion.

This year, the Little Rock Zoo will hold the Over-the-Jumps Carousel Centennial Party from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 15 to celebrate 100 years of families enjoying this special attraction. Dustin Bean, guest services manager, said the zoo is “sifting through history, meeting with the original members of Friends of the Carousel, and cultivating the next round of residents that will support our plans to enhance the carousel and ensure it is around for another 100 years.”

ARKANSAS’ FAMOUS CAROUSEL

Over-the-Jumps features 40 horses and four chariots for guests to choose from on their fun adventure. The horses themselves are works of art with wavy manes, legs tucked in tightly for easier transport, jewels, and elaborately carved saddles, saddle blankets and breast bands. Each horse is also fitted with real horseshoes.

Each steed also has a distinct appearance. Not only do they each have their own color scheme, but they have unique detailing on carved embellishments, including shields, swords, flowers, eagle heads, tassels and cords. Almost every horse on Arkansas’ Over-the-Jumps Carousel was made around 1924; two of the original horses were removed in 1973 and replaced with 1930s-era Trojan horses. These horses remain on Overthe-Jumps today. Sharp-eyed riders can tell the latter additions by their cropped manes and tucked-in heads.

Among the technical aspects of the carousel, the diameter measures 40 feet across, and the ride boasts a center pole and 24 sweep arms. Each arm is connected to a wheel that has a cast-iron hub and rim. From there, each segment of the carousel carries two horses or one chariot. The layout of the carousel repeats itself with 10 horses followed by one chariot, and around and around it goes.

The riding platform also moves with the horses, while the walking

platform remains stationary along the outside. Fun history fact: Each wheel of the carousel was covered by a wooden well on the riding platform to protect the ladies’ dresses from any grease that would gather on the wheels.

HISTORY WOVEN WITH PASSION

Over-the-Jumps first appeared in Arkansas at the 1924 Arkansas State Fair at what is now War Memorial Park in Little Rock. For a while, Overthe-Jumps was a traveling model built to be taken from place to place and set up temporarily at small carnivals and fairs. Little Rock resident Tom Fuzzell purchased the carousel in 1942, and from this purchase, the carousel was saved from destruction, allowing several more generations of Arkansans to enjoy it at War Memorial Amusement Park.

When Fuzzell retired in 1973, he sold the carousel and the amusement park to Doyle “Doc” O’Kelley and Lloyd “Mokie” Choate. While under their care, the carousel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The National Register nomination noted “the faces of all the horses on the carousel are artistically carved with emotionally charged expressions to maximize visual tension and urgency — to add excitement to the brief relationship of each rider to his/her steed.”

The carousel remained at War Memorial Amusement Park until 1991, when the amusement park closed. The ride came close to being sold to parties out of state, which would have likely resulted in it being pieced out and having its parts sold separately. Luckily, under the leadership of then-State Sen. Mike Kinard, then-Gov. Bill Clinton and other visionary leaders, the nonprofit group Friends of the Carousel was formed to raise the necessary funds to purchase the carousel from Choate and restore it to its former glory.

During the time of restoration, Friends of the Carousel were in search of a permanent home for the carousel. In 2001, the organization’s director, David Martinous, who is also the nephew of Fuzzell, approached the Little Rock Zoo with a request to bring the carousel to the zoo. It was enthusiastically approved.

“Around 1993, I became involved with Over-the-Jumps,” Martinous said. “Tom Fuzzell was my great-uncle. He had the amusement park close to where the zoo is. Once he sold the carousel to Friends of the Carousel, the board at that time invited me to help, and I decided to get involved.

“At the time, no one wanted to be interim director of the board, so I said I would do it for one year. I ended up being the director for the next 13 years while the project was being finished.”

When asked what he liked the most about the carousel, Martinous said it was the novelty of the attraction itself. He also has a favorite horse he and his family adopted called Joan of Arc, which is still on the carousel today.

“[The carousel] is the only one like it in the entire world,” he said. “I want people to go ride it and realize what the zoo has, what the city of

Little Rock and the state of Arkansas have — a carousel that no one else has in the world. It is a treasure forever.”

The work to restore the Over-the-Jumps Carousel began with a search to find craft workers. In the beginning, Becky Witsell chaired the restoration committee and oversaw the work to dismantle, inventory and number the various parts.

One of the early decisions made by Friends of the Carousel was to conserve the original layer of paint on the horses and chariots. To do that, the group employed Arkansas artists and restorers to help bring the carousel back to life. Together, Witsell, Rick Parker and Pete Sixbey shared the restoration work among several other “paint pickers.” On some horses and chariots, it was discovered that more than 30 layers of paint had been applied over the years, and one was even remembered to have had 43 coats of paint. The paint pickers painstakingly removed these layers to reveal the original coat of paint on each piece. Those who worked on the project described what a wonderful surprise it was to see the detail and original coloring of the horses underneath decades of paint.

After this effort was complete, wood components were pieced back together and handcrafted to bring the carousel back to its original glory. The difference in the horses before and after restoration is, to put it plainly, amazing.

“I know that my late uncle would be so pleased.” Martinous said. “I am so proud that I got involved, along with my family and my late mother in Fort Smith, who was Uncle Tom’s niece. She even wrote a poem to the tune of “Pennies from Heaven.” It’s on the zoo’s website. You should read it. It’s beautiful.”

RIDING INTO THE FUTURE

The unwavering passion of Friends of the Carousel, along with so many other volunteers and organizations, kept the restoration of Overthe-Jumps going. In total, it took 16 years to complete the restoration, renovation and assembly of the horses, chariots, structural elements and mechanism. This work was accompanied by ongoing efforts to raise funds. Today, the finished ride stands as an enduring tale of nonstop

commitment of time, resources and finances by thousands of individuals and groups.

In 2007, the 40 horses that were lovingly restored were carefully put back on the carousel to begin their jumps once more, now at their permanent home at the Little Rock Zoo. It was surely a sight to behold to see the horses moving again after so many years of effort, attention and care to keep the one-of-a-kind attraction at home in Arkansas.

Since its debut, the carousel has daily brought joy and laughter to all those who hop onto one of its prized wooden horses or slide into a valiant chariot. Bean is one of the people who cherishes the Over-the-Jumps carousel and loves being able to see so many others experience it, as well.

“Guests love the nostalgia of the carousel,” he said. “As a resident born and raised in central Arkansas, I remember trips to the amusement park across from the zoo and now can ensure future generations of riders can experience the joy. Guests love the ornately painted horses, carousel music and the opportunity to have fun.”

“I love it when my family visits the zoo with me. We have four generations with us that can ride and make memories. My 7-year-old niece, Ember, likes to assign us horses to ride. She loves to ride the Over-theJumps Carousel.”

GET INVOLVED

Those who wish to join the thousands who have adored the special carousel from 1924 to 2024 and help ensure that the horses continue to fly and jump for years to come can join the Little Rock Zoo while commemorating the attraction’s centennial. Residents are encouraged to share their carousel adventures by emailing words and photos to zoo100@littlerock. gov. The collection of carousel memories will help the zoo celebrate the ride’s rich history and shine a bright light on this cherished part of Little Rock’s community for generations to come.

Another way to help is through donations to the carousel’s regular upkeep and maintenance. To make a donation to the Arkansas Zoological Foundation, the managing organization for the Little Rock Zoo, visit littlerockzoo.com.

Painted and carved details make the Over-the-Jumps Carousel a joy to ride.

Every child deserves our best Better Beginnings works to help ensure all Arkansas children have access to quality early learning environments.

Every child deserves the best start possible and the opportunity to start kindergarten with a solid foundation from which to continue their education.

Research tells us the most effective learning happens through play and positive interactions with adults and caregivers.

Better Beginnings trained early childhood educators prepare children for kindergarten with positive experiences, researchbased curriculum, and learning through play.

Learning with family Families can create learning opportunities whenever they are together. Using the online learning activities in Better

Better Beginnings is administered by the Arkansas Department of Education.

Written by Kelli Hilburn, Better Beginnings Program Administrator

Beginnings’ Family Resource Library or Biblioteca de Recursos as a guide, families can create a love of learning while they play.

All Arkansans benefit from quality early education

Families can go to work or seek higher education knowing their children are in a quality learning environment. Employers can see higher workforce efficiencies and their community a stronger economy.

Reach for the stars

Find star-rated quality early childhood educators by clicking the orange Find Child Care banner on our website. We encourage families to reach for the stars

– Better Beginnings star-rated quality early childhood educators.

Wisdom Teeth

Aging population provides new challenges for dentists

By AY STAFF // Photos provided

As baby boomers reach retirement age in mass, dentists are responding to growing age-related concerns.

Of all the things that a tidal wave of aging Americans have brought to society, the impact on the health care system is arguably the most far-reaching. As seniors continue to proliferate in huge numbers nationwide, their myriad health needs are piling on to a health care system already thinned by COVID-19 attrition and the departure of health care professionals who themselves have reached retirement age.

Dr. John Dean

While all of that is well understood, one aspect of health care complicated by the aging process has flown relatively under the radar — elder dental health. Just like with heart disease or orthopedic care, senior dental patients make up an overwhelming majority for local dentists.

“We see everybody in our practice, but I tell people that lately, I specialize in baby boomers,” said Dr. John Dean, owner of Dean Dental Solutions in Little Rock. “Not just baby boomers, either; I’m 55, so even people in my generation all have their expectations for quality of life and what they expect is to like their smile and not be afraid to smile and to keep their teeth. They don’t want to have to put something in and pull something out and drop it in a glass of water at night.”

The issues facing elder dental patients are not just due to the demographic anomaly of the baby boomer generation all getting old at once but is also a byproduct of longer lifespans in general. Life expectancy in the United States roughly doubled between 1880 and 2020, Statista states, from 39.4 to 78.8, and added nearly a decade of life just since 1970.

Dean, who will mark 30 years in practice this fall, said as lifespan has extended, health care technology and treatment have traditionally been challenged to keep up, dentistry included. More recently, however, advancements in materials and treatment techniques have taken a quantum leap forward.

“Dentistry in the ’60 and the ’70s and the ’80s was good dentistry, but it really wasn’t service oriented or comfort oriented a lot of times,” he said. “People have had a lot of bad experiences. Even during the time I have been in practice, I didn’t used to do a whole lot of cosmetic or full-mouth reconstruction because [products then] looked like fake teeth. It didn’t look natural, and materials would come off, which was a problem.

“Today, the materials have gotten to where they don’t come off, they don’t break, and you can’t tell that they’re not natural teeth. You just think somebody has a great smile.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, senior dental issues are not limited to the cosmetic variety. Elders are susceptible to a range of issues brought on by age of teeth and oral structures, poor lifelong dental care habits and maintenance, and as a side effect of medications.

“Developing diseases in older age is the consequence of both environmental risk factors and genetic factors. It is known that chronic exposure to certain risk factors and the alteration of genetic material can lead to numerous chronic comorbidities,” a NIH study from 2022 states. “Oral health is often not at the center of attention when discussing health problems among the elderly, a category of population where numerous comorbidities appear, especially cardiovascular or neoplastic pathologies, that severely impact the quality of life of this population.”

In other words, physicians and patients are so focused on other chronic conditions that dental health often gets ignored as less important. In fact, tooth loss, or edentulism, can cause a variety of problems, from declining organ health due to malnutrition as people avoid eating fresh fruits and vegetables due to difficulty chewing.

“Something we have to realize is that as people are living much longer than they were even 20 years ago, we have to keep our dentition up,” said Dr. Ethan Erwin at Smile Hot Springs.

Dr. Ethan Erwin Dr. Monty Heathman

“We have to be aggressive with our restorative techniques, in how we protect the teeth, in how we restore people back to function so that they can keep their teeth or keep a functional dentition for a lifetime. Being able to enjoy a meal with your loved ones later in life is something that should not be taken for granted.”

Erwin said materials are not the only element of dental care that has improved dramatically; the tools and technology available to dental physicians are also light years ahead of what was available just a few years ago.

“With the digital technology that we have today, general dentists and oral surgeons are able to take a three-dimensional scan of the patient,” he said. “You’ve actually got their jaw bone and their teeth in this three-dimensional CT scan, and you’re able to mesh it with the digital scan that you took of the three dimensions of their teeth with the scanner.

“We can mesh that together and do guided implant placement. We can make guides that fit on the teeth or bone that guides the placement of the implant. That part has changed drastically as the cost of CT scanners has come down and the cost of digital 3D scanners has come down for making impressions. It’s allowed more general dentistry offices to be able to do those types of things.”

Whether human teeth were meant to retain full function for eight decades is a matter for some debate, but what is true is that attitudes among dental professionals regarding senior patients have made an about-face over a relatively recent history.

“It used to be in the 1970s, I’d say close to 40 million people wore dentures at that particular point in their lifetime,” said Dr. Monty Heathman, founder of Heathman Family Dental in Little Rock. “No. 1, their parents probably didn’t go to the dentist, so they didn’t take their kids. It was just understood that they were going to lose their teeth. Education was key to changing that, but it still normally takes about three generations, and that’s what the studies have proved worldwide. The first generation, they lose their teeth. They tell the second generation ‘Take care of your teeth.’ The second generation tells the third generation ‘You are going to take care of your teeth, and you’re going to go to the dentist.’

“That’s led, through better education, better knowledge, better diet and longevity, to people keeping their teeth a lot longer, and the options got a lot better, whether you do single implants or a traditional crown and bridge.”

Another factor at play with baby boomers in particular is a general willingness to invest in their teeth at a later age, something their parents likely wouldn’t have done, as well as having the financial resources to do it.

“People living longer today want to invest money in their teeth, whether it be a single implant or, instead of conventional dentures, doing implant dentures that are just as good as teeth,” Heathman said. “It’s not necessarily just a teeth thing; it is an overall systemic health issue. That’s very important.

“My job as a clinician is to help educate patients and say, ‘There’s something else better out there for you, and the money that you spend in your mouth is a very important health care decision.’ It’s not, ‘This tooth’s bad — let’s pull it,’ anymore. It’s more along the lines of, ‘We’ve got a problem, but we can fix it.’ We have more options to keep that tooth so that the patient is able to function, meaning better nutrition intake, better lifestyle, more longevity.”

Dean Dental Solutions has been delivering exceptional dental care to seniors, working families, and young professionals since 1994. If you’re looking for a new dentist, talk to the practice that makes your comfort and care its #1 priority.

Make 2024 Your Year for the Beautiful Smile You Deserve!

People all over Arkansas trust Dr. Jahon Zehtaban with their smile. With years of experience in providing clinical excellence you know your smile is in good hands. Dr. Zehtaban is a proud member of both the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. Credentials, experience, and caring concern for each individual patient ensure that you’ll receive exceptional esthetic results regardless of the challenges presented. Learn more how Dr. Zehtaban can help you have an incredible smile by calling today for your complimentary smile consultation.

501.819.3608

Porcelain

Dysport

DR. CARMELLA MONTEZ KNOERNSCHILD

Dr. Carmella Knoernschild, fondly known as Dr. K, stands as a trailblazing figure in the field of orthodontics. Her illustrious career, marked by groundbreaking achievements, reflects her unwavering commitment to excellence in dentistry.

Her tireless efforts in the dental profession have been acknowledged through various accolades, including the “New Dentist of the Year” award from the Arkansas State Dental Association. Knoernschild's expertise extends beyond her practice, and she served as a technical advisor for the Arkansas Association of Orthodontists’ informative video, A Smile That’s Good for Life

“Simply

— Nichole Hamilton, Patient

479.968.2138

2015

Brace Yourself

New services, products anchor modern dentist’s office

By AY STAFF // Photos provided

Futuristic scanners and space-age medical materials might sound like the tools of a modern medical clinic or hospitals on the cutting edge. For most people, such technology is not always readily assigned to the local dentist’s office, yet these are rapidly becoming standard equipment for the modern dental care professional.

Noted orthodontist Dr. Carmella Knoernschild said advancements in materials and dental equipment have advanced the field of dental medicine and made procedures more palatable for patients.

“It’s amazing how technological advancements in braces and orthodontics have changed,” she said. “We routinely use high-quality, realistic scanning technology to capture every tiny detail of the intra-oral cavity. The newest scanners use six cameras and have a field of view that’s three times larger at maximum capture distance.

“The newest scanners we use in the office are also 50 percent smaller, 45 percent lighter, and are efficient and easy to use on patients of all ages. This new technology has moved clinics like ours away from the previous techniques of capturing the dental anatomy with alginate

impressions using those thick substances and trays, what I now call the ‘yuck method.’”

Knoernschild, one of the first female orthodontists in the state, has a history of leaning into new technology. Her Russellville practice is a platinum-level Invisalign provider and one of the top clinics in the state for Invisalign services, which align teeth without the use of traditional metal braces. She also adopted technology in the office in the name of customer convenience.

“Orthodontic trends are changing, and advancements in equipment and new practice-management programs are being developed,” she said. “As a result, we find ourselves running a much more efficient and patient-friendly office. For example, appointment times are being reduced to 15 to 30 minutes and patients are being seen about every 8 to 10 weeks because this new technology is allowing us to do our jobs faster and with more precision. This is a tremendous improvement and benefit for patients.”

Dr. DJ Dailey, owner of Smile Dailey in Little Rock, is another

Advanced technologies makes it easier than ever for patients to have smiles that give them confidence.

well-known practitioner and early adopter of the Invisalign system. He said while traditional braces have their place and are often used in conjunction with the Invisalign system, certain categories of patients overwhelmingly favor the latter.

“There’s not necessarily less time involved, although in many cases there is,” he said. “More so, it’s a lifestyle kind of thing. Many of us these days wouldn’t want to go around with brackets and wires on our teeth, especially once we hit a certain age, and the Invisalign is a great way to get the teeth straightened out and get them in the best functional position without having to have those brackets and wires. In most cases, it’s a more comfortable transition for getting those teeth in the best position that they can be. Also, another bonus with Invisalign is you can whiten your teeth while you’re doing it.”

Dr. Samaria Mascagni at Arkansas Family Dental in Little Rock said other major advancements have been realized in dental implants, which have come in response to consumer demand.

“I see a lot more patients really wanting quality replacement options, getting away from removable products like partials or even dentures,” she said. “They want something permanent. They want their quality of life to be better, and they know that if they spend a little bit more money on implants or even implant-retained dentures that it’s going to change their life.

“People like to enjoy food, and a lot of our celebrations are around food, and it can really ruin someone’s life when they’re depending on a denture or something to get enjoyment out of their meals. Plus, access to care for implants has increased as more dentists are placing them, so it’s easier to get it done, and more insurances are covering them.”

The advancements are so substantial, Mascagni said, that more people are going all-in and gaining an entirely new smile.

“It’s still expensive but maybe not as expensive as it was initially because there’s more people doing it,” she said. “A lot of people will come in, and they have really bad teeth. Maybe they only have 10 teeth on the upper arch. We’re extracting those 10 teeth, placing four implants, and building a denture or a zirconia prosthesis that screws into those implants.

“Depending on how much they want to spend, they can have a higher quality of that or a lower quality, but either way, it’s much better than what they had previously. It’s a permanent option for them instead of having to deal with something that’s removable.”

Another technology that is rapidly becoming common in the dentist’s office is the laser, which is used for a variety of oral procedures.

that. It heals a lot faster.”

As anyone who has been to the dentist’s office lately can attest, physicians offer more comprehensive services than in the past, whether through their own continuing education or by forming partnerships with dental physicians with different specialties. Dr. Jahon Zehtaban at Smile Arkansas said economics and market trends have played a major role in the trend of bringing additional services — even non-dental ones such as Botox and other injectable fillers — under one roof.

“When we’re talking about specialization, everybody wants to find their niche and own that market, but I will say probably in the last 10 years that group practices, along with corporate practices, are becoming more and more prevalent,” he said. “The corporate practices try to cover every corner of dentistry, which is great, but sometimes they kind of skim over certain parts. The fact that they’re doing a general overview of dentistry and not focusing on cosmetics or orthodontics, sometimes stuff gets lost in the translation.

“Group practices are becoming more and more popular. That’s not necessarily a big corporation but is often a group of several doctors who get together. Certain doctors may be better at cosmetics. Certain ones may do root canals. Certain ones may do crown and bridge. In central Arkansas, there’s still plenty of room for the independent dentist’s office, but group practices are definitely becoming more prevalent.”

“This new technology is allowing us to do our jobs faster and with more precision.”

— Dr. Carmella Knoernschild

“Gingivectomies are when people have a ‘gummy’ smile; that is, when they smile, you see more gums than they want,” she said. “We can remove some of their gums so that they like their smile. We’re also using lasers for frenectomies, tongue ties, which is easier than using a scalpel. The laser cauterizes as it goes, so when the patient leaves, they’re not leaving with an open wound or bleeding or anything like

As with his peers, Zehtaban said technology advancements have made dental work safer, more efficient and more comfortable, and that extends to home products, which help patients better maintain their teeth between visits.

“The technology of toothbrushes, water flossers, things that you can have at home has become incredible, and it makes it way easier for the compliant patient,” he said. “The biggest thing I’ve noticed is the uptick in water flossers. A lot of people with gum disease or periodontitis, gingivitis, their problem is not necessarily tooth-related; it’s gum-related, and back in the day, floss or mouthwash really were your only options.

“Now there’s water flossers, which is essentially a pressure washer for your mouth. That thing is incredible. Things like that have made it much easier to keep the oral cavity healthy. There will always be a percentage of the patient base that does not take care like they should, no matter what kind of technology is out there, but I think with the technology making it easier we’re seeing more and more patients apt to keeping their teeth clean.”

Dr. Jahon Zehtaban

Dr. DJ Dailey

Dr. Carmella Knoernschild

Dr. Samaria Mascagni

Home Sweet HOMESTEADS

A new twist on a classic Arkansas experience

By JOE DAVID RICE // Photos by JOE DAVID RICE

For more than half a century now, the Buffalo National River in north Arkansas has attracted a good number of visitors — a million and a half last year alone. They arrive from all over the country, some seeking nothing but serenity, while others will not settle for anything less than pulse-pounding adventure.

The social media postings emanating from the excursions are endless: quiet campfire scenes, raging whitewater, grazing elk, spectacular vistas, and zipline, rock-climbing and mountain-biking experiences. A single Facebook group, Our Buffalo River, has more than 112,000 members.

What often goes unrecognized in the clamor for outdoor recreation are the historic elements that can be found up and down the stream — specifically the handful of old homesteads that remind us of the hearty settlers who cleared the land, erected cabins, and raised families along the stream decades and decades ago.

Next visit to the Buffalo, consider adding one or more of these special places to the itinerary.

Easiest of the lot to explore is the Collier Homestead in the Tyler Bend recreation area. Located about 10 miles north of Marshall and a mile and a half off U.S. 65 on a paved road, the small farm has been preserved by the National Park Service to demonstrate the dreams and resolve of the people who settled in this rugged region.

Solomon “Sod” Collier, his wife, Ida Mae, and four of their seven children left Kentucky on a cold February morning in 1928, looking for a fresh start in the Arkansas Ozarks. Crammed into a pickup with several members of the family huddled together under a tarp in the truck’s bed to stay warm, the Colliers headed west. When they arrived in Searcy County a week later, Sod had a solid vision for their future but only 15 cents in his pocket.

Earlier settlers had already claimed the best land along the Buffalo River under the Homestead Act of 1862. Inferior ridgetops were all that was left, and that is what the Colliers managed to get: a 40-acre piece of rolling woodlands overlooking the Buffalo River valley. They first constructed a storage shed, which doubled as a shelter while Sod built their home of hand-hewn logs, using clay to chink, or seal, the gaps. The family cleared the land and began growing corn, oats, and

various fruits and vegetables. Sod also raised hogs and cattle and hunted and fished along the river for meat.

In later years, he served as a guide for visiting sportsmen. Ida Mae planted a large garden every spring and was also familiar with local plants that had medicinal value. Outbuildings to include a barn and a smokehouse were added, and water draining off the cabin’s roof was collected in a cistern.

By 1937, the Colliers had completed all the improvements required under the Homestead Act. A patent signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on Dec. 11 that year officially transferred the property to them. Sod and Ida Mae Collier lived on the site until 1961, when they sold the property, never enjoying the luxury of running water or electricity.

The National Park Service purchased what had been the Collier land in 1978 and began restoration efforts on the historic homestead. Visitors can park within a couple of hundred yards of the house, and the level trail to the old cabin is handicap accessible.

A second option for a peek into the heritage of the early Buffalo River settlers is the Villines Homestead near Ponca in Newton Coun-

J.W. Farmer Homestead

ty. Easy to access, it requires a short hike of about half a mile, round trip. Park at the low-water bridge circa 1944 south of Ponca, and walk across the river. “Beaver Jim” Villines’ cabin is a short distance up the hill to the left.

Born in 1854, James A. Villines acquired his nickname because of his trapping skills, pretty much eliminating beaver from the area during his era. When the Buffalo was full, he ferried folks back and forth across the stream in his homemade, 14-foot dugout canoe, and when one of the neighbors needed a tooth pulled, Villines performed the deed at no charge. (No anesthetic, either, unless someone provided a hit of moonshine.)

The cabin was already 25 years old when Villines purchased it in 1880 after marrying Sarah Arbaugh. Their farm was typical of the Ozarks in the early years of the 20th century: smokehouse, barn, vegetable garden, peach orchard and an assortment of livestock. Villines sold the property in 1936, following the death of his wife. Subsequent owners added the concrete privy, the fruit cellar and the kitchen’s lean-to. Today, the blooming jonquils and daffodils in the spring are a sight to behold.

The next option for the adventurous traveler is the Parker-Hickman Farm Historic District in Newton County. Getting to it requires several miles of driving on back roads, but once there, visitors can appreciate the easy walk across the farm’s level ground.

Travel approximately three miles north of Jasper on Arkansas 7, turning left, or west, onto County Road 79 toward the Erbie Campground. Continue northwest on this gravel road for about six miles, passing the Erbie Campground along the way. The Parker-Hickman site will soon come into view on the left.

This highlight of this property is the imposing cabin. Approximately 20 feet square, the one-and-a-half-story house is constructed of native red cedar. Built between 1847 and 1849 by Alvin and Greenberry Parker, brothers from Tennessee, it is the oldest known log building along the Buffalo River. The brothers were meticulous craftsmen, dovetailing the logs to strengthen the structure at the corners and carefully cutting the individual stones in the massive fireplace and chimney. In fact, when the National Park Service bought the property in 1982 and began restoration efforts shortly thereafter, one of the experts who inspected the cedar joists stated they were “as sound as the day they were built.”

After the Parkers sold the property in 1857, seven other owners occupied the house before it was sold to the Hickmans in 1912. Until the National Park Service purchased it from the Hickman family, the

Parker-Hickman farm remained in agricultural production for nearly 150 years.

In addition to the original cabin, visitors can inspect a number of outbuildings, which include a Works Progress Administration privy, a chicken house, a corn crib, a machine shed, a double-crib log barn built in 1912 by then-owner James D. Hickman, and a second barn built by Hickman in 1926.

The fourth stop on this Buffalo River heritage tour is the J.W. Farmer Homestead in Newton County. Of the four, that one is by far the most physically demanding to visit and requires a good deal of moderately strenuous hiking. Although in the same neighborhood as the Parker-Hickman Homestead, it is best accessed from the north side of the Buffalo River in the spring, given that the Erbie Ford can be rather treacherous that time of year. Rather than attempting to provide directions to this remote spot, let me kindly suggest that would-be visitors refer to Tim Ernst’s Buffalo River Hiking Trails book or the internet.

Once there, adventurers scamper across Goat Bluff, not to be confused with the infamous Goat Trail on Big Bluff, while taking in views of the Buffalo River far below before descending into the overgrown fields of what was once the J.W. Farmer place. The house dates from about 1904, roughly four years after the barn was erected.

Outbuildings include a smokehouse, a feed house and a privy. Although the Park Service attempted to stabilize the structures a few decades ago, the site is slowly returning to nature, but of the four homesteads included in this article, the J.W. Farmer property is the one that imparts a true sense of seclusion. It is fascinating to sit on what remains of the Farmer porch and quietly wonder about the folks who lived there well over a century ago — and the challenges they faced each and every day.

Ozark homesteads such as the Collier, from left, J.A. Villines and Parker-Hickman farms provide glimpses of bygone eras of mountain life.

Meticulous craftsmanship shows at the Parker-Hickman property.

We are devoted to providing high quality care which celebrates the dignity and grace of every person who enters our facility.

At Sherwood Nursing and Rehab we are committed to providing the highest quality of patient care. Our qualified staff is here giving support for the tasks of day-to-day living, allowing for the enjoyment of more pleasant and carefree activities.

We specialize in Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care services.

SHERWOOD

245 Indian Bay Drive

Sherwood, AR 72120

Phone: 501.834.9960 Fax: 501.834.5644

This side of SEVEN

– By Jason Pederson

But God

One sunny spring day in 1998, a 13-year-old boy was being bullied in rural Arkansas.

His alcoholic and abusive father had left the family three years earlier, and his loving but neglectful mother had designated the boy protector and defender of their home and property.

On this particular day, the boy’s mother and 9-year-old sister were not home, and things got out of control to the point where a bad decision and a bad outcome would be discussed the next morning in Little Rock at KATV’s news meeting.

Twice a day, the news director gathers with the assignment editor, producers and reporters, and the direction of the day’s news coverage is determined. My assignment that day: travel to north Arkansas and cover the first court appearance of a 13-year-old now accused of a crime.

Photographer Richard Newman and I arrived at the courthouse and waited. Soon, I spotted a 4-11 boy walking behind a deputy. There were no handcuffs. I honestly thought it was Take Your Son to Work Day at the sheriff’s office. Only a mother’s shriek from inside the courthouse — “My baby!” — let me know that the suspect had just walked past me.

At the hearing, I listened to the details of what happened. I also learned this small boy had an unstable home life, had never been in trouble before and was a straight-A student. As I sat and took notes, the boy turned around, and his teary brown eyes locked with mine. At that moment, I felt a calling to get involved in his life.

I did my job, reported the story that evening and worked to repress that calling. It was a crazy idea anyway, right? This young man was charged with a felony and was likely going to be locked up for years. A reporter is put in the presence of desperation and need all the time. Was I supposed to get involved and help everybody?

In November, I saw a little blurb in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: “Judge sends boy, 13, to Alexander center.” The boy, having been found guilty, would now live 15 miles from me. He would be assigned to the Juveniles Under Motivated Pressure, or JUMP, unit, where the most serious juvenile offenders reside.

Unable to shake the call that had been placed on my heart eight

months earlier, I contacted the man in charge of Alexander Youth Services. I had visited with then-chief Paul Doramus a time or two at the state capitol. He was surprised I wanted to meet with one of the young men under his care because most did not even receive visits from family members. As a journalist, I had to overcome suspicions that I was trying to get close to other, high-profile detainees. Doramus ultimately decided that if it was alright with the boy and his mother, it was alright with him.

They agreed, and so began regular treks to Alexander every other Sunday. Those visits included baseball cards, Coca-Colas, Bible study, help with homework and lots of conversation. On the weeks I did not visit, I wrote letters, and the young man wrote back.

After two years, the boy’s case was reviewed, and all parties agreed that he was doing great and deserved to be released early. The problem? There was nowhere for him to go. His mother remained without stable living conditions, his father was out of the picture, and the nature of his offense prevented him from being considered for placement at most youth group homes.

My wife, Mary Carol, and I asked what would be necessary for our home to be considered. We were told that we would have to become certified foster parents. It was not a quick or easy process. There were 10 training sessions, along with background checks, CPR and first aid training, home and water inspections, reference letters, and lots of required documentation, including a driver’s license, home and auto insurance, proof of income, physicals, shot records for all humans and pets, marriage license, etc. We also had to meet with Little Rock School District officials and determine where this young man would and could attend school.

On Jan. 8, 2002, we completed our Red Cross training, and two days later, we were officially certified foster parents, but the state got cold feet. Putting a serious juvenile offender into a home with two toddlers under 3 was deemed too risky.

We asked the presiding judge to place the young man into our custody anyway. He did, but the placement did not come with the usual financial support from the state. We circulated a prayer letter among

friends and family and, within two weeks, raised $2,500.

In the meantime, because we were now an open foster home, we began getting calls from desperate state workers looking to place kids who, through no fault of their own, had suddenly come into state custody. Usually it was stay-at-home-mom Mary Carol answering those calls. It broke her heart every time to say “No, sorry, but we were specifically opened for one teenager.”

In the end, the young man did come to live with us. We shepherded him as he earned his high school diploma. We enjoyed watching him get his first job, first car and first girlfriend. He was a wonderful bonus big brother to our kids, and he experienced a loving home with stability and support.

We launched him into college and adulthood. When he failed to successfully launch, we welcomed him back for six months to regroup and relaunch. Today, he is a husband, a father and a successful business owner. His family joins us for holidays and other get-togethers. He remains our “son-in-love.”

recruit, train and support foster families.

Since the organization’s launch in 2008, the CALL now has an active presence in all 75 Arkansas counties. The CALL has helped add more than 3,000 foster homes to the state’s supply, and more than 30,000 children have been placed in those homes. The CALL serves as a model and beacon of hope for other states who also struggle with meeting the goal of having no children in foster care waiting for a home.

Several years after this young man left our home, Mary Carol remained bothered by the shortage of safe homes for the kids who enter the foster care system. Like me, she tried but could not shake the calling God placed on her heart to get involved, so she quit her job and started a Christian nonprofit organization called the CALL, an acronym for “Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime.”

The CALL seeks to mobilize the body of Christ around the clear command in scripture that we are to care for orphans. Most foster children are not true orphans because their parents are not dead, but their parents need help, and their children need a safe place to stay while they get that help.

The CALL enjoys a successful church-state partnership with the Arkansas Department of Human Services, specifically with the division of children and family services. Both organizations

There were so many things that stood in the way of this God-sized success from happening. The calling to be a mentor could have been ignored. A facility director or a boy’s mother could have said no to a stranger’s request. A judge could have decided against the placement. The calling to start a Christian nonprofit from scratch could have been rejected. The state could have decided not to partner with a religious organization. There were so many potential roadblocks along the way.

But Romans 8:28 promises “in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Oftentimes that promise is hard to believe. When really bad things happen, it is difficult to find any possible reasons as to why. With the passage of time and the benefit of hindsight, sometimes God provides a glimpse behind the curtain.

I promise you, back in the spring of 1998, when tragedy unfolded in rural Arkansas, no one saw anything good coming out of that day. No one imagined how that event could and would continue to impact our state in a positive way 25plus years later — no one, that is, but God.

JASON PEDERSON

For two decades, Jason Pederson served as KATV-Channel 7’s Seven On Your Side reporter. Now on the other “side” of his award-winning time on the news, he now serves as deputy chief of community engagement for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. His perspective-filled and thought-provoking column, “This Side of Seven,” publishes exclusively in AY About You magazine monthly.

The Pederson 2002 Christmas card shows Jason, Mary Carol, Spencer, Shelby, and the couple’s foster son.

Lakewood Health and Rehab

offers skilled professional care in a supportive and compassionate atmosphere.

Lakewood Health and Rehab, LLC.

Lakewood Health and Rehab offers skilled professional care in a supportive and compassionate atmosphere.

We invite you to experience the difference our facility has to offer from the moment you walk through our door. Call us to today to schedule your tour!

IN-HOUSE SPECIALTY SERVICES

We invite you to experience the difference our facility has to offer from the moment you walk through our door. Call us to today to schedule your tour!

Lakewood Health and Rehab, LLC. offers an inhouse team of professionals providing specialty services to better serve the specific needs of our residents.

Lakewood Health & Rehab 2323 McCain Blvd, North Little Rock • 501.791.2323

Rehabilitative Services providing Physical, Speech and Occupational Therapy.

Our team is passionate about bringing the latest programs and techniques to our patients. They utilize therapy modalities combined with a comprehensive therapy program for strengthening, balance training, pain reduction, wound healing, and increasing range of motion.

Lakewood Health & Rehab

• IV Therapy • Wound Care provided by our Wound Care specialists

2323 McCain Blvd, North Little Rock • 501.791.2323

LFACILITY AMENITIES

akewood Health and Rehab offers skilled professional care in a supportive and compassionate atmosphere.

• State of the art Rehabilitation Gym

• Physician Services 24/7 by Specialized Staff

• 24-hour Nursing Services

• Wonderful Activity Program

We invite you to experience the difference our facility has to offer from the moment you walk through our door.

• Beauty Salon Services

• Daily Housekeeping and Laundry Services

Call us to today to schedule your tour!

Lakewood Health & Rehab

Lakewood Health & Rehab 2323 McCain Blvd. North Little Rock

501.791.2323

Briar wood Nursing and Rehab is a 120-bed skilled facility located in an urban setting within the heart of Little Rock, in the neighborhood of Briarwood. We are located just minutes from downtown Little Rock and are only one block off interstate 630.

We provide long-term care and short-term rehab care. All residents are monitored throughout the day with assistance in providing daily care as is needed: bathing, dressing, feeding and providing medications. Briarwood staff also work at ensuring the best care for residents through individual care plans of residents' needs, as well as daily activities, which allow for a variety of interests and abilities.

Nearly all - 98 percent - of our rehab residents return to the community as a result of positive, caring therapists. Briarwood's approach has provided healing to many people in the community.

At Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, we are committed to ensuring that the best possible care is given to you or your loved one in an atmosphere that is calm, quiet and focused on healing. We endeavor to ensure that all aspects of your well-being — mental, physical and spiritual — are cared for in a peaceful and safe environment. Our staff strive to promote dignity, respect, and independence as much as possible, in a beautiful, soothing enviornment that was designed with our residents' comfort in mind.

Briarwood's service-rich environment is made possible by its dedicated staff, from our nursing staff and therapists, to our operations and administrative employees. At Briarwood, our residents enjoy three generations of staff and families. That is over 30 years of service to the community!

murder mystery

the road at Romance MURDER MYSTERY:

By SARAH RUSSELL

Case file 63-825-87 — without hesitation, J.R. Howard recalled the numbers. Now retired as the Arkansas State Police director, he no longer has the file in his possession, but he knows exactly who does: Sgt. Josh Heckel and Special Agent Jeremy Hughes of the ASP Cold Case Unit. Their mission is to move this file onto the desk of a prosecutor.

A prosecutor would tell a jury that this file represents a Beebe girl named Sandra Lynn Williams. At just 20 years old, Williams had not quite settled into her life yet. With a few jobs behind her, she joined her mother, Norma Cagle, a hairdresser, working at the Golden Years Manor, a Lonoke nursing home. Nobody permanent had been in her dating life either, but a few months earlier, that seemed to change when she met a student attending Arkansas State University-Beebe. A Quitman boy, his name was Bruce Taylor.

On Friday, April 24, 1987, the two were trying to set up their single parents, taking Cagle and Larry Taylor out to dinner with them. At one point, Cagle noticed the younger couple having a little tiff, but by the time the Taylors and Williams left for Quitman, they all had agreed to a cookout in Quitman the next night.

to his place and, on Arkansas 31 near Romance, he had found the1984 gray Oldsmobile his father had loaned to Williams that morning.

Left on the shoulder, it was locked, undamaged and had gas. Her purse was gone, but the drink she had taken with her on that hot afternoon was waiting in the car for her. There were no signs of a struggle. In the darkness of that early Sunday morning, long before church doors opened, friends and family began to be contacted.

Later on Sunday, Carey Williams, Sandra’s kid brother, noticed deeper-than-normal tire tracks headed from the rear of the Olds’ location toward a nearby bluff. He and his cousin searched the bluff’s steep face and the area around it, moving on to a nearby logging trail. Used as a local hangout for the teenagers, as well as a dumping area, it, too, gave up nothing. Notably, both locations headed back toward Beebe.

Around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Williams came home after work to change clothes and pick up her mom. Cagle begged off. Having slammed her hand in a car door the day before, she was in quite a bit of pain. It would be hours later, after a couple of aspirin and the courage to lance her throbbing blister, that she decided to go out to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post. Always her friends’ designated driver, Cagle liked to join them for the music there.

Around 10:30 p.m., Bruce Taylor called Cagle, asking her if she knew where Williams was. Cagle said Williams had left for Quitman hours earlier. Near closing time, Bruce showed up at the VFW. Noticeably upset, he said he had driven the route Williams would have taken

A missing persons report was filed with the Beebe Police Department. The White County Sheriff’s Office soon became involved, as well. Cagle’s home began to swell with small-town support. The week started, and so did the official searches — air and ground. Trying to hold on to normal, Cagle went on to work. When she came home, she had unexpectedly found Bruce and a couple she knew to be friends of his in her house. They were, he said, “cleaning up” after all those who showed up on Sunday. It was a nice gesture, but the presence of the other girl there felt like a taunt.

Also a student at ASU-Beebe, this girl, who we will call Shawna Smith, had been in a prior relationship with Bruce. Smith had let Sandra know she was not willing to let go of Bruce, and the result was a lot of bad blood between the girls. When Sandra’s car was painted with obscenities, right or wrong, Smith got credit for it. Even during the blur that was Sunday, Cagle noticed Smith perched on the back of Bruce’s truck, parked right in the front yard. Soon after, Cagle was made aware that Smith had, in fact, resumed her relationship with Bruce.

Sandra Lynn Williams

from it either. The victim’s purse — and any contents known to have been in it — were never found. The keys to the Oldsmobile, though, were in the pocket of her jeans.

On May 9, the Saturday of Mother’s Day weekend, a fisherman walking from a creek back toward the logging trail saw something that did not look right. Williams had been found. That is when Howard and the ASP became involved. Howard noted that the location of the body below the crest of a hill made finding her unlikely either by a vehicle or by air. It did not appear to be the crime scene.

There were stab wounds — several to the chest and more to the back made by a wide-blade knife, possibly a hunting knife. With the exception of a sock and shoe, the body was fully clothed, which would seem to indicate sexual assault had not taken place. Unfortunately, the effect of the unseasonable heat on the body during those two weeks made gathering forensic evidence difficult.

Many within Williams’ circle were interviewed, including Smith and the Taylors, the latter passing polygraphs. Two other men willingly agreed to be polygraphed after a local drug dealer, who we will call Robert Corbett, told authorities he had seen them in that area around the time of her disappearance.

Despite the rumors, Hughes said, “With everything I have researched about Sandra Williams, I do not have reason to believe that she was a drug user.” Howard echoed that, as well, and there were no drugs or alcohol found in her body.

Later, access to a vehicle used by Corbett during that time frame was made available to law enforcement. A strand of hair found tested as “similar” to Williams’, but as Howard knew, “similar” would not put the case in front of a jury. Ultimately, a further attempt to get forensic proof that it was the victim’s failed.

Williams’ Social Security card was later retrieved from the lost and found department on the Beebe campus, but there was no other information about it being turned in. In an unverified story, a Jacksonville club bouncer claimed that an unknown person used Williams’ ID to get in. Despite being aware this person was not Williams, he did not confiscate the card. If the interaction was real, no other information came

A lack of leads might cause a case to become inactive, i.e., “cold.” It is a misconception that the case file is then closed. Williams’ case is now being actively worked by the cold case unit, which exists under ASP’s criminal investigation division, where Maj. Stacie Rhoads is the commander. A mix of active and retired agents, the cold case unit works in collaboration with active officers of other jurisdictions. In this case, that person is Det. Sidney Marini at the White County Sheriff’s Office.

Since its inception in 2020, the CCU has been involved in 175 cases. Rhoads said the cases they review usually had prior ASP involvement, an example being the ASP and Howard’s work in the initial phases of the Williams investigation. Cases are first submitted for consideration to the CCU by law enforcement agencies that represent the jurisdictions where the crime occurred. Once accepted, the two agencies will jointly decide who will be the primary and secondary agencies in the combined effort.

Reopening a cold case is like scaling a sheer cliff. It requires an individual with a tenacious mindset, one willing to commit significant time and effort. Heckel said what he sought to learn from a preliminary overview of the case was “what I was dealing with, who was involved in this case, [and] what investigative actions have already been taken.” That level of information does not come with a quick read of the file. It requires extensive study and analysis before the boots hit the ground.

Heckel said the plans and strategies formulated by Hughes and Marini reflect the considerable efforts they have put in, as well. Case in point, he said he and Hughes have been to the areas involved in this crime and “…drove the routes, compiled lists of times and dates, created extensive timelines of who was in the area based on witness reports. There are a lot of things coming out of that.”

The most important collaborator an investigation can have is the community. Often it is information provided by citizens and bystanders that can slam the jail door shut on a murderer. What seems insignificant might be crucial, and people can safely and even anonymously call either of these tip lines to share information: White County Sheriff’s Office at 501-299-6279 or the ASP Troop B at 870-523-2701.

This month marks the 37th year of life that Sandra Williams was denied. In the eyes of many, it is time for case file 63-825-87 to go to the hands of a prosecutor.

Speed Traps

By Joe David Rice

Since the mid-1960s, I have driven well over half a million miles on the state’s highways. In addition to the usual admonitions to drive safely and wear my seat belt, I have often heard another bit of sound advice from various sources over the years: “Watch out for speed traps.”

If you have never experienced a speed trap, consider yourself lucky. Organized by police departments under the guise of protecting their communities but serving primarily as a lucrative revenue generator for small-town budgets, such traps have caused many unsuspecting drivers to be pulled over by local officers and issued tickets with substantial fines.

There is something about this particular governmental travesty that rightfully infuriates us. It may have to do with being judged unfairly and having no way to prove your speed was within the acceptable range. Maybe it is the feeling of helplessness or the sense of being victimized as you sit in your car, assaulted by an embarrassing barrage of flashing lights, and try to remember if you actually missed a speed limit sign. More than likely, the ordeal leaves you with a bad impression of a community and a desire to never drive through that town again. Then your insurance company may add insult to injury by surprising you with a rate increase.

few places in the state could compare to Gilmore, a northeast Arkansas community known far and wide for its generosity with speeding tickets. Nicely situated on U.S. 63, a prime corridor for Memphians and other travelers headed to the Ozarks, Gilmore began seriously tapping into the wallets of transient drivers in 1993. Protecting its citizenry of 331 souls, the Gilmore Police Department issued up to 450 speeding tickets a month.

I am pleased to report the Arkansas General Assembly passed a law in 1995 designed to eliminate these highway holdups. Thanks to that legislative intervention, though such miscarriages of justice still exist in our fair state, they are not nearly as common as they once were.

Mountainburg, a small town on U.S. 71 conveniently located on the primary route to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, ran a speed trap operation for years. Way back in 1936, then-Attorney General Carl Bailey was stopped for an alleged speeding violation while driving through the community on the way to Fayetteville. Calling in some chits, Bailey got Mountainburg’s mayor removed from office, albeit temporarily. There is no telling how many hapless students, parents and Razorback fans contributed to the community’s general fund as they drove to and from campus and were nabbed by rapacious, radar-toting deputies. I know my wife and both sisters added to the city’s coffers, although I somehow escaped the Mountainburg indignity. I attribute it to my superior driving skills, but the pair offer another and more likely explanation — pure, dumb luck.

Several towns in southeastern Arkansas — notably Gould and Grady — also developed well-deserved reputations as speed traps, but

State audits confirmed that speeding ticket revenues and associated court costs funded more than half the city’s budget. Those findings, combined with a litany of complaints from visitors passing through Gilmore, convinced the late State Sen. Jerry Bookout of nearby Jonesboro to introduce legislation aimed at curbing such scams, which he described as nothing more than legalized “bushwhacking.” His bill, signed into law in the spring of 1995, stipulates that speeding tickets can provide no more than 30 percent of a city’s budget. Things are much quieter in Gilmore these days.

Likewise, the town of Jericho, which is some 10 miles south of Gilmore, got in the news for the zealous work of its seven part-time police officers, who wrote hundreds of speeding tickets while ensuring the safety of its 119 residents. Shortly after a ticket-based melee broke out between one of the law enforcement officers and the volunteer fire department chief, who received a ticket the same day as his son, authorities came up with a unique solution — they simply abolished the police department.

By some accounts, Damascus, situated on the Faulkner/Van Buren county line some 20 miles north of Conway, has operated a speed trap for more than half a century on heavily traveled U.S. 65. The town of 385 residents employed a four-man police force in 2014, a crack team that wrote 2,032 speeding tickets. After years of complaints, the local prosecuting attorney investigated the situation, determining the city had violated the state’s speed-trap law and ordering its police force to cease patrols along all highways.

Meanwhile, the east Arkansas town of Parkin some 25 miles southwest of Gilmore has garnered attention due to its ever-vigilant police officers, who distributed over 2,600 speeding and other traffic-related tickets in a peak year while patrolling U.S. 64. Though the resulting fines made up a third of the city’s budget, the state’s speed trap legislation does not matter in this case. The law applies only to second-class cities, and Parkin is a first-class city, although I suspect there are 2,600 drivers who might feel otherwise.

Drivers beware.

Joe David Rice, former tourism director of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, wrote Arkansas Backstories, a delightful book of short stories from A through Z that introduces readers to the state’s lesser-known aspects. Rice’s goal is to help readers acknowledge that Arkansas is a unique and fascinating combination of land and people — a story to be proud of and one certainly worth sharing.

Each month, AY will share one of the 165 distinctive essays. We hope these stories will give you a new appreciation for this geographically compact but delightfully complex place we call home. These Arkansas Backstories columns appear courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. The essays have been collected and published by Butler Center Books in a two-volume set, both of which are now available to purchase at Amazon.com and the University of Arkansas Press.

Voted AY’s Best Hospital

FOUR YEARS IN A ROW!

2023

Conway Regional has been the community’s hospital for more than 100 years, providing high-quality, compassionate care. As our communities grow, we are growing alongside you to ensure all of your healthcare needs are met right here in Conway. When your family needs medical care, you can trust our board-certified providers to provide you with the comprehensive care you deserve when you need it most.