These pages are typically reserved for the people, places and things within Conway. You’ll find plenty of those stories in this year’s edition, but you’ll also find quite a few pages dedicated to activities just outside the confines of Conway.
We have discussed at the office how to package these nearby amentities and have taken to referring to Conway as “something of a northern frontier for central Arkansas,” located “between the metro and the mountains.” We’ve also talked internally about the stickiness of Conway. I’m sure you have had similar conversations with friends and co-workers, too. Whether it’s the colleges, job market or lifestyle this place affords, something draws you in and keeps you here.
As you’ll see in this year’s CONWAY+, we think the outdoor opportunities right outside our front door add to the stick. You’ll find stories about an unspoiled Ozark paradise an hour north called Bluffton Preserve, fishing holes at Illinois Bayou an hour west of here or Middle Fork an hour up Highway 65, and a 4,000-acre special use area tucked away just over in Mayflower.
As expected, you’ll also get to meet more of the people, places and things that make Conway what it is. 2022 was a transformative year for Conway in many ways, including the arts, recreation and workforce. You’ll find stories on how the efforts of the Windgate Foundation on two of our college campuses has set Conway up as a destination for the arts, as well as how a $24.6 million federal grant will impact the connectivity of our city. Not to mention, a $35 million workforce training center slated for Conway that will bring workers from across the state to Conway. And the new year picked up where 2022 left off with Westrock Coffee’s announcement of a new $70 million distribution center in the industrial park.
Needless to say, whether it’s civic engagement, education, food, high culture, or the outdoors you crave, we should have something for you. And so does Conway.
Lee Hogan Editor, Conway Publications
12 About Conway: Who We Are, What Sets Us Apart
44 Jessica Gomez: For the Love of Food and Community
46 Toad Suck Daze: A Tradition Returns
EDITOR & DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS | Lee Hogan
GRAPHIC DESIGNER | Kara Darling
RESEARCH AND STATISTICS
CHIEF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | Corey Parks
ADVERTISING SALES
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER | Lindsay Henderson
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT | Leo Cummings III
ADMINISTRATION
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | Laura Grimes
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT | Jennifer Hiegel-Shelden
CONWAY PUBLICATIONS EDITORIAL BOARD
Johnny Adams
Bill Adkisson
Lori Melton
Lori Ross
Jeff Standridge
PRESIDENT & CEO | Brad Lacy
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | Jamie Gates
900 OAK STREET CONWAY, ARKANSAS 72032 501-327-7788
GetSmart@ConwayArkansas.org
Known around Faulkner County as the favorite lunch spot located right in the heart of downtown Conway, Cross Creek Sandwich Shop offers fresh, flavorful and homemade recipes. You’ll find your favorite sandwich, wrap, salad and soup served right here. Not to mention the desserts that you cannot pass up when you are in. You’ll feel right at home, like you are at grandma’s house, as you hear the screen door slam and watch the crowds of people come through the door fighting for a seat.
Owner Caitlin Bailey and her team will greet you warmly any time you visit.
“Our mission is to serve and build this community with great food, while gathering friends and families,” Bailey said.
Bailey enjoys catering parties, providing you with gifts for clients and friends, and being your go-to spot for lunch. You quickly become a part of the Cross Creek family when you come to eat here!
Chris Crain is dedicated to providing Conway and central Arkansas with a variety of services and the expansion and growth experienced by Chris Crain Enterprises in the last few years proves it.
Chris Crain Hyundai opened in 2018 at 1003 Museum Road. In a short period of time, it became the No. 1 Hyundai dealer in the state, selling more than 2,500 cars annually. Chris Crain Hyundai is now in the middle of an extensive remodel that will allow for more service bays and body shop capability, as well as a total revamp of the show room and lot.
The Hyundai dealership is not the only part of Chris Crain Enterprises to experience growth and expansion.
MSA Customs recently moved downtown to the corner of Spencer and Markham streets. Crain acquired the
properties and began renovating those buildings in 2022, in order to relocate MSA Customs there. MSA Customs opened in October 2022 and provides services such as quick lube, tire rotation, lifts, wheels, tires, wraps, window tint plus many more. The business boasts more than 10,000 square feet of space.
Chris Crain Enterprises Central Office moved downtown Conway to 1109 Oak St. in May 2022. The building was completely renovated and houses the HR, accounting, inventory, IT and marketing departments that service all of Chris Crain Enterprises.
“With the addition of our corporate office of Chris Crain Enterprises on Oak Street and the MSA Customs buildings at the corners of Spencer and Markham, the Chris Crain family is excited about bringing business and jobs while
contributing to the revitalization of downtown Conway,” Chris Crain, owner of Chris Crain Enterprises, said. “MSA Customs is a premier accessory shop. MSA Customs has added a quick-lube garage that offers oil changes, tire rotations and other vehicle maintenance.
“We hope this will be ideal for the downtown employee to help save time while getting maintenance on their vehicle,” he said.
In the acquisition of the MSA Customs property, The Perfect Place event venue was included. Chris’ daughters, Camryn and Caroline Crain, manage this business as a part of Crain Creative. In July 2022, Chris purchased Legacy Acres, Central Arkansas’ premiere wedding and event venue. Camryn and Caroline are also managing that business.
The Perfect Place and Legacy Acres host weddings and receptions, family reunions, showers, and other events. They offer a host of packages that include tables, chairs, linens, colored lighting, karaoke, photo booths, photographers, florists, limo service, caterers and more.
This year, Chris Crain Enterprises will open the first luxury vehicle dealership in Conway, Genesis of Conway. Construction is underway now. Genesis of Conway will be located at 1075 Collier Drive.
“We are thrilled to bring the first luxury automotive brand to the city of Conway,” Crain said. “This will be a sister-store to Chris Crain Hyundai and will be located in close proximity. The Genesis brand includes an awardwinning, full line-up of sedans and SUVs.”
Genesis of Conway will offer a full-service department that will work on all makes and models and a pre-owned lot that will include a large selection of luxury vehicles. Here are some of the perks of shopping with Genesis of Conway:
• Special gifts for customers
• Personalized experience with your own special drinks and snacks while waiting
• Service valet - Genesis of Conway will pick up your car and bring it back to your driveway
• Want to test drive but don’t want to come by the dealership? Ask about our concierge service. Genesis of Conway will bring the car to you. You’ll be able to test drive and purchase a vehicle from your own home.
Chris Crain Hyundai, located at 1003 Museum Drive, is in the final stages of a multi-million-dollar remodel.
“This will help our customers get the best experience in the industry,” Crain said. “We have added more space for our sales associates and finance managers, and expanded our service and parts departments to better serve our customers.”
“With the addition of our corporate office of Chris Crain Enterprises on Oak Street and the MSA Customs buildings at the corners of Spencer and Markham, the Chris Crain family is excited about bringing business and jobs while contributing to the revitalization of downtown Conway.”
-Chris Crain, Owner, Chris Crain Enterprises
Conway: : 65,121 Faulkner County: 125,106 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metro Area: 745,222
Known as the “City of Colleges,” Conway is home to three higher education institutions, all of which have been in the city since the late 1800s and produce graduates who stay in the area and enter the workforce. Nearly 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
41.3% 94.3%
25 or older possess a bachelor’s degree or higher (National Average: 33%)
high school graduation rate (National Average: 88.9%)
The central Arkansas economy is one of the most diverse in the United States. In Conway, three “tentpoles” – health care, technology, and education – stabilize and stimulate economic growth. Gainwell Technologies, Acxiom, Insight Enterprises, Snap-on Equipment, Molex, International Paper, and WestRock are a few of the major employers.
Conway consistently ranks among the nation’s most inexpensive places to live offering a low cost of living but a high quality of life.
Some of the year’s economic development news included a new investment from Westrock Coffee, the country’s leading integrated coffee, tea and extract service provider, and Turbare, a pharmaceutical manufacturer.
30% cheaper $867 $1,346 $195,800 $48,104
electricity and water rates compared to other cities in Arkansas average cost of rent median mortgage median household income
value of housing units
Conway is positioned in Metro Little Rock, in the heart of Arkansas, with easy connectivity to the state and region.
THE CONWAY STATION WAS A CENTRALIZED PLACE IN DOWNTOWN CONWAY FROM WHICH THE CITY DEVELOPED IN THE 19TH CENTURY.
NOW, ANOTHER BREEDING GROUND FOR ADVANCEMENT HAS TAKEN ROOT JUST DOWN THE BLOCK AT THE ARNOLD INNOVATION CENTER, POWERED BY CONWAY CORP, SPECIFICALLY FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND STARTUPS. AIC OPENED IN LATE 2022 AND HAS ALREADY BECOME A GAME-CHANGER FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS.
Plans for the Arnold Innovation Center were first announced at the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting in 2017.
“The center’s mission will be to connect entrepreneurs with critical resources to create, launch and grow businesses, creating jobs and wealth in our community,” said Johnny Adams, thenchair of the Conway Corp board of directors. “This amazing business incubator will have all the tools and connections necessary to help launch a scalable business.”
The AIC is named in honor of retired Conway Corp CEO Richard Arnold, who began working at Conway Corporation almost 40 years ago in 1978 in the data processing department, where he served as manager until his promotion to manager of finance and accounting. In 1996, he was named chief financial officer.
He was named Conway Corp’s chief executive officer in 1998, a position he held for 19 years.
“Richie’s leadership has positioned Conway as a creative hub for entrepreneurs,” Adams said when announcing plans for the AIC in 2017. “The Arnold Innovation Center will feature the latest in technology and provide a venue for developers, students and the wider community to engage directly with Conway Corp’s latest infrastructure upgrades, business tools and fastest digital data technology available.”
The building, located at Toad Suck Square in downtown Conway, was originally built for First State Bank and opened before becoming Conway City Hall in 1986. City Hall moved to the Federal Building in 2020. After a $2.7 million renovation of the building from Conway Corporation, the Arnold Innovation Center opened in late 2022.
“The innovation center will be the epicenter of Conway’s startup community,” Conway Corp CEO Bret Carroll said. “This is an ideal location from a technology standpoint and an historic one. It’s in the heart of the Data District and just a few steps from where almost 150 years ago, Conway’s original startups were launched.”
Conway Corp envisioned the AIC as an incubator with all the tools and connections necessary to launch a scalable business. A key part of that vision was the Conductor.
The Conductor is a public-private partnership between the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie. The Conductor empowers entrepreneurs and innovators through no-cost resources, such as one-on-one consultations, workshops and technical assistance, and programming, like its 0%-interest KIVA Loan Program and 10X Growth Accelerator.
The Conductor manages the AIC and offers coworking space, rented desks, meeting space, and event space for entrepreneurs. The space will also offer small, leasable office spaces in mid-2023. This gives business owners a space to launch and grow their businesses, with easy access to peers, technical assistance, subject matter experts, and meeting space.
Memberships, starting at $25 per month, are available now for founders, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. The space allows for plenty of natural light, has a modern feel, and is adaptable to fit any startup’s needs.
In addition to membership opportunities, the space is open to the public for consultations and specific events hosted by the Conductor. Upcoming events include Startup Stories, which tell the stories of local businesses, and webinars on the Entrepreneur Operating System, Managing Finances, and Marketing tactics.
For more information on the Arnold Innovation Center and Conductor programs, visit arconductor.org.
Pulse of Conway is the premier source for business news in the North Metro region. Our goal is to make Pulse of Conway readers the most informed professionals in the market. Here’s a recap of our top stories for 2022:
Central Arkansas has a gross regional product of more than $43 billion, created from more than 377,000 jobs in a five-county region. The region — comprised of Conway, Faulkner, Pulaski, Saline and White counties — has a population of more than 751,000.
Pulaski County holds a large majority of the GRP and jobs with $32.4 billion and nearly 270,000 jobs, respectively. Faulkner County’s GRP is $4.5 billion, created through more than 45,000 jobs.
Saline and White counties both have a gross regional product of more than $2 billion and more than 25,000 jobs each. Conway County has a GRP of $812 million from nearly 7,500 jobs.
Restaurant and hotel sales tax collections neared $6 million in 2022.
The final number, more than $5.7 million, surpassed 2021 totals by more than half a million dollars.
Last year’s collections continued a recovery from a pandemic-low of just over $4 million in 2020. Restaurant collections totaled nearly $5.3 million and hotel collections surpassed $455,000.
Collections totaled more than $400,000 in each month of 2022 for the first time ever. Over the wyear, restaurant collections averaged $441,000 and hotel collections averaged $37,900. Restaurant collections reached its year-high in August with more than $489,000, while hotel collections topped $51,400 in July.
The major cities in the central Arkansas metro have all experienced growth in sales tax collections over last year.
Little Rock, North Little Rock and Conway averaged an 8.76% increase over 2021. Conway experienced the largest percent increase at 12.84%. Little Rock is up 8.03% while North Little Rock is up 5.42%.
This is in line with a report in the September issue of Pulse, which reported county sales tax numbers were up across central Arkansas through the first eight months of 2022.
Faulkner County was up the most, nearly 14% and $1.1 million, over 2021 collections. Pulaski County was up nearly 7% to $74.8 million through August. County sales tax numbers through the first eight months of this year are up over 2021 collections across the five counties in central Arkansas.
Faulkner County numbers are up the most, outperforming 2021 numbers by nearly 14%. This year’s collections total $9.2 million, compared to $8.1 million through the same period in 2021.
Saline County numbers are up 7.7% to $5.8 million in 2022. Pulaski County is close behind, up nearly 7% to $74.8 million. White County is outperforming 2021 collections by 4.4%, totaling $17.1 million through August.
Conway County collections are up nearly 1.5% to $4.5 million.
New commercial construction projects totaled more than $58.1 million in Conway in 2022. The City of Conway issued permits on 40 projects, according to city permit records. Here are the top five projects:
No. 5: Absolute Storage
Cost: $3.3 million
Contractor: Salter Construction
Address: 640 Hogan Road
No. 4: Conway Fire Station No. 3
Cost: $3.7 million
Contractor: Nabholz Construction
Address: 740 S. Harkrider St.
No. 3: Genesis of Conway
Cost: $4.8 million
Contractor: Harco Constructors
Address: 1075 Collier Drive
No. 2: First Community Bank
Cost: $7.2 million
Contractor: Flynco
Address: 766 Harkrider St.
No. 1: Maly Entertainment
Cost: $10.1 million
Contractor: Maly Construction
Address: 1355 E. Dave Ward Drive
Other seven-figure projects include:
$3.0 million: Catholic Ministries, Nabholz Construction
1919 South Boulevard
$2.9 million: Goddard School, Corco Construction, 300 Hogan Road
$2.3 million: Centerstone Lofts, Salter Construction
825 S. Donaghey Ave.
$2.1 million: Olive Garden, Boen Kemp Construction
554 Museum Drive
$1.6 million: Hortons, Corco Construction, 2055 Harkrider Drive
$1.5 million: Total Tire & Automotive, Covington Companies
3640 Dave Ward Drive
A massive solar project that will generate enough electricity to power more than 21,400 homes in Conway will be operational this year. The solar farm, located in Happy, Arkansas, began construction in 2022.
The 135-megawatt farm — dubbed Conway Solar at Happy — was part of a 480-megawatt, $533 million announcement in 2022 that encapsulated several projects around the country by Lightsource BP, the owner and operator of Conway Solar at Happy. Lightsource BP is a jointventure involving BP, the oil and gas behemoth headquartered in London. BP acquired a large
stake in the company in 2017 and rebranded it Lightsource BP.
Conway Corporation and Lightsource BP announced a longterm, power purchase agreement to develop Conway Solar at Happy in 2020. Lightsource BP will own and operate the facility and deliver the solar-generated power to Conway Corp customers.
“Our mission is to provide safe, affordable, reliable, innovative and environmentally sound service to our customers,” said Conway Corp CEO Bret Carroll. “This solar project checks all those boxes. It is a project that will have lasting impact on our community. We look forward to working with Lightsource BP to get
the project under construction and delivering service to our customers.”
Construction of the solar farm created 200 jobs, according to Lightsource BP, most of those jobs filled by local workers.
Conway Solar at Happy will feature more than 300,000 solar panels across nearly 700 acres. It will lower Conway’s annual carbon footprint by 162,800 metric tons, the equivalent of about 35,000 cars.
“As the owner and operator of the Conway solar farm at Happy, we look forward to bringing economic benefits to the region, along with fostering long-term community partnerships,” said Lightsource BP CEO of the Americas Kevin Smith.
Westrock Coffee Company announced plans Jan. 31 for a $70 million, 530,000-square-foot distribution center on a 30-acre tract in the Conway Industrial Park.
The tilt-wall distribution center will be fully occupied by Westrock Coffee following construction, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. The state-of-the-art development is expected to support product and packaging produced at Westrock Coffee’s expanded extract and ready-to-drink manufacturing facility in Conway, as well as additional distribution needs.
The center will feature 36-foot clear height, approximately 72 dock doors and an ESFR sprinkler system. The distribution center will be located off William J. Clark Drive, approximately 2.2 miles from Westrock Coffee’s current manufacturing facility and recently announced expansion project.
“We are thrilled to announce the construction of our state-of-theart distribution center, which will allow us to more efficiently and effectively serve our customers with our innovative beverage solutions,” said Joe T. Ford, cofounder and chairman of Westrock Coffee. “This new facility is a testament to our commitment to meeting the growing demand for our products and providing the highest level of service to our valued clients. We look forward to continuing to expand our
presence in central Arkansas, and drive Westrock Coffee’s growth and success in the industry.”
The distribution center will give Westrock Coffee more than 1 million square feet of space in Conway. The company purchased the former Kimberly-Clark plant, a 524,000-square-foot facility, in 2021, in Conway’s largest-ever capital investment project. It has invested $275 million in the facility.
Westrock Coffee is a leading integrated coffee, tea, flavors, extracts, and ingredients solutions provider to the retail, foodservice and restaurant, convenience store and travel center, non-commercial, CPG, and hospitality industries.
“Westrock Coffee continues to invest in our operations, and the announcement of this new distribution center is further proof of our commitment to expand our business,” said Will Ford, group president of operations for Westrock Coffee. “In tandem with the development of our manufacturing facility, this center will enhance our capabilities and help our customers continue to innovate in the beverage space, which is undergoing seismic shifts in consumption preferences.
With this distribution center, we are truly excited to further cement Westrock Coffee’s connection to the Conway community.”
The center will be developed with Tempus Realty Partners, an Arkansas-based real estate investment partnership.
“Working with an outstanding company like Westrock Coffee that has a tremendous heritage of growth and impact globally and in Arkansas is a real pleasure,” said Dan Andrews, Tempus Realty Partners CEO. “We’re proud to have the opportunity to support their continued expansion in our home state.”
The distribution center will be located on land formerly owned by the Conway Development Corporation.
“We were happy to work with Westrock Coffee and Tempus Realty on this project,” said Brad Lacy, president and CEO of the Conway Development Corporation. “We also appreciate the investment from the City of Conway on new transportation improvements that helped make the project a reality.”
Westrock Coffee is the beverage industry’s “brand behind the brands”, supplying the world’s most recognized brands with the world’s most transformative coffee, tea, flavors, extracts, and ingredients products. The Company is the no. 1 private label coffee and tea provider to U.S. restaurants by volume, and the no. 2 extract provider in ready-to-drink coffee.
A $35 million, 100,000-square-foot training center that will provide a variety of training opportunities for Arkansas companies is slated for Conway at Central Landing.
The 100,000-square-foot center will focus on computer numerically controlled machinery, automation, robotics, industrial maintenance, craft skills, plastic injection molding, and other customized technical needs of Arkansas companies. Training will be available for both incumbent workers and new hires, as well as upskilling unemployed individuals to better prepare the manufacturing workforce in Arkansas.
“Manufacturing is key to the Arkansas economy,” Hutchinson said at the announcement. “So, when we found out that many of our state’s employers were sending their employees to other states to get the training they needed for Arkansas jobs, we knew that we had to remedy the situation. The Arkansas Manufacturing Workforce Training Center will be able to keep Arkansas employers and Arkansas employees in state to be trained where they can further contribute to our local and state economies. I want to thank the Conway Development Corporation and the Career Education Workforce Development Board for helping get this project off the ground.”
The project was announced in 2022 by then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The Arkansas Manufacturing Workforce Training Center is
a joint venture between the Arkansas Office of Skills Development and the Conway Development Corporation. Its location in Conway will make it easily accessible to companies throughout the state.
“We are thrilled that Conway will be home to the Arkansas Manufacturing Workforce Training Center,” said Corey Parks, vice president of economic development for Conway Development Corporation. “For 131 years, our community has welcomed young people from across Arkansas to begin their higher education journey. We are honored to continue this history of preparing the state’s workforce by hosting incumbent workers in Conway to develop skills that will impact their futures and their communities.”
The project is estimated to cost between $35 to $40 million. Companies are currently being surveyed by the Office of Skills Development as they move forward with the design architecture phase of the project.
“The Arkansas Manufacturing Workforce Center will not only contribute to enhancing the Arkansas workforce, but it will also be a job creator,” said then-Secretary of Commerce Mike Preston. “We will be better able to support our existing manufacturing companies as they keep their employees up to date on current skills, but it will also act as one more tool in our tool kit in attracting new and expanding businesses to the state looking for a talented and skilled workforce.”
The center will be located at Conway’s Central Landing, the 151-acre, mixed-use redevelopment of the city’s former airport. It will join the City of Conway’s $27.3 million community and aquatic center as anchors for the site. Central Landing — owned by the Conway Development Corporation — will feature residential, office, entertainment, recreational, dining, and retail uses.
Turbare Manufacturing, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, announced plans for a new facility in Conway. Turbare will utilize a former pharmaceutical production facility at 925 Jeanette Drive, and produce drugs on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s shortage list.
“The list is ever-changing and most are emergency products that contribute to a better quality of life,” said Andria White, company general manager. “We will be able to step in and service those areas and fill in the gaps for those products.”
Turbare plans to invest $11 million between purchase of the property, modernization of the facility and new equipment. Laura Martin, CEO and founder, said the 44,000-square-foot facility would house state-of-the-art, automated equipment that will allow it to produce highquality products.
Brad Lacy, president and CEO of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and Conway Development Corporation, said Turbare’s announcement continues the growth Conway has seen in the job market, eclipsing pre-COVID numbers.
“Tubare’s decision to locate in Conway adds to this momentum,” he said. “Conway has always enjoyed a diverse local economy. Turbare will add to this diversification by bringing pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the market.”
Turbare currently has five employees and plans to hire 50 positions in late spring and early summer, said Martin. White said the company
plans to have 100 positions by the end of the year. The average salary is expected to be $50,000. Positions will include executive-level positions, directors, managers, clean-room technicians, and positions in warehousing, shipping, receiving, inspection, quality assurance, quality control, customer service and sales.
Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry said he was happy to add Turbare Manufacturing to Conway’s business community.
“We have a long manufacturing history and have proven a successful location for pharmaceutical manufacturing in the past,” he said. “I am certain Turbare will find our city the perfect home for their business.”
“Conway has always enjoyed a diverse local economy. Turbare will add to this diversifiction by bringing pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the market.”– Brad Lacy, president and CEO, Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and Conway Development Corporation
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway MSA employs more than 7,500 people across eight of the most sought-after occupations in information technology.
This includes software and web developers, database and network administrators, computer support specialists, computer and information research scientists, computer and information analysts, data scientists, computer hardware engineers and miscellaneous computer occupations.
The median salary among those occupations in this metropolitan statistical area is nearly $66,000, and demand is high. There are nearly 1,200 job postings, an increase over the national average of 776.
Most of the jobs are found in computer systems design and related services, making up nearly a quarter of all jobs. State government and data processing round out the top three industries.
According to zip code, Conway has the fourth (72032) and fifth (72034) highest employment
areas in the MSA. It ranks first (72034) and third (72032) in terms of where IT workers live.
Most of the jobs are occupied by employees in the 35-44 age range, making up 29% of positions. That is followed by the 25-34 age range with 27% and the 45-54 age range with 22%. The 19-24 age group makes up nearly 6% of positions.
In the last 12 months, more than 1,000 employers in the region have posted more than 14,300 job openings in IT. The median job posting lasted 32 days.
In Conway for over 30 years and based in Searcy, Arkansas, First Security Bancorp has the most complete and diverse product offering of any Arkansas-based financial services holding company.
CONWAY+ spoke with Johnny Adams, president and CEO of First Security Bank’s Conway market, with over 35 years in banking in Conway we asked Mr. Adams about how community banks are important to the markets they serve.
First Security Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC.
JOHNNY: As part of the corporation, First Security Bank of Conway has been providing financial products, services, and solutions in our home town for over 30 years. As a community bank we take pride in local bankers making local decisions that result in a high level of exceptional service. Our commitment is to not only provide our customers financial needs, but with exceptional service making their banking experience better. First Security – Conway has assets of approximately $1 billion, 9 locations and 100+ employees. For 15 years now, First Security has been honored to have been voted Faulkner County’s Best Bank.
JOHNNY: To be successful, community banks like First Security Conway must embrace what makes them different from their competition. These are the things that we visit with potential customers about daily. We strive to provide what we call “Bank Better” service which sets us apart from what you might find at a large national bank. First Security Bank specializes in relationshipbased banking.
We also don’t take for granted our ability to serve our clients based on a shared passion for our community or the State of Arkansas. We get motivation as the team with that same shared passion every day! We let customers know that the money you put into a community bank like First Security stays in our community or the State of Arkansas.
At First Security Bank you get extra personalized, human, support along with the tech customers today expect. It is always important to be available and problem solving for our customers.
First Security Bank offers the highest in ethical standards and stability. Community banks like First Security Bank recognize the people, organizations and businesses behind the community and supports them to help the community grow.
When things get tough, community banks like First Security don’t leave their community behind - they step up. We step up by serving on local civic and non-profit organizations boards that help our community be better
First Security Bank supports small businesses in Arkansas because we are local and our lending decisions go deeper due to this understanding. In a recent study, over 75% of U.S. adults agree that locally based lending decisions are important when determining where to bank. 69% of U.S. adults recognize the importance of banking with a locally based financial institution. 70% of U.S. adults cite the importance of local personal banking relationships in choosing where to bank. Source: ICBA Study
Community Banks are the economic engines of their communities, cycling deposits into loans, allowing small businesses to begin and grow – and the cycle continues. When the community does well economically the bank generally does well.
Leadership which historically and still today often comes from the community banking sector is key to the advancement and the enhancement of a community. You’ve got to have quality leaders in your community capable of making it Better. We strive to be one of those leaders! Many big banks have become fully disengaged at the community level – at Frist Security we want to be just the opposite. We want to be highly engaged at the community level. We want to make decisions with the community in mind.
When Jessica Crum participated in the Conway2035 strategic planning process, she had a goal in mind to help attract and retain young, creative talent.
As founder and creative director of Silverlake Design Studio and executive director of the Creative Institute of Central Arkansas, she had a need for young professionals with skills in marketing, photography, videography, and design, but Crum also saw the impact that type of talent has on a community.
“Think about the places we visit with friends and family,” Crum said. “Those places are hubs of arts, entertainment and culture. That’s what we want for Conway, too.”
One of the goals established on the Conway2035 Public Art sector Crum served on was the revival of the Conway Art Walk. Crum has spearheaded its relaunch over the last couple of years.
It returned in 2021 with local Conway art enthusiasts and an average attendance of 200 or 300 people. In its second season, the Conway Art Walk has more than doubled, now averaging 600 and 700 people each month.
“It’s exploding beyond what I thought was possible,” Crum said. “We have artists from Little Rock, and 30% of our visitors have been from outside Conway. It’s exciting for our local economy, our creatives and the people who live here and want to play here, too.”
When Crum relaunched the art walk, her mission was to make it a must-attend event.
“I would tell people our measure of success was if you had friends visiting from New York or Nashville or L.A., the place you wanted to take them was the art walk in downtown Conway,” she said. “We wanted it to be vibrant and alive.”
Beyond giving Conway residents another event to enjoy, Crum said giving local creatives a sense of community and belonging is vital to retaining them.
“A creative professional doesn’t assume Conway is the place for them, but we’re in existence to abolish that narrative,” she said. “It’s common to think you have to move to L.A. or Dallas or New York to pursue a creative career or find your creative people. At the end of the day, we want Conway to be a place where people can live and work in those industries.”
Crum sees potential in connecting Conway’s creative talent with other industries in the area.
“Conway has brought a host of tech-centric companies to the area, and our colleges keep bringing us fresh talent,” she said. “While those places may focus on the tech industry, they require creative talent, too. You need a graphic designer to create content, or a videographer for social media, or a copywriter for email marketing. They all need creatives.
“We want to marry what we have going on downtown with what could set us apart and make us a unique place with a wholistic talent pool,” Crum said.
There is more to MLK Square in downtown Conway than meets the eye. At first glance, it seems like an ordinary, everyday downtown park with green space, walking and a playground for kids. But MLK Square recognizes a rich history in the area, and provides an important service to businesses in the area, too.
MLK Square honors the history of the Black business district formerly housed on Markham Street, the street where the park is now located. The square pays tribute to the legacy and identity of the community by honoring important figures in Conway’s Black community like William T. Mattison, a Tuskegee Airman.
These individuals and their contributions are highlighted through large granite pavers woven into the park walkway. The square tells the stories of people who made an impact on the local, state, and national level.
Additionally, the park is dedicated to the life, legacy and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In February, the City of Conway unveiled a Unity sculpture to honor the work of King.
“MLK Square tells a beautiful story of redemption and reconciliation,” Walden said. “An environmental hazard reclaimed and used to heal the natural environment. A public space created to bring people together across divides, honoring the life and work of an American hero whose dream was an equal and undivided people.”
A major benefit of MLK Square is the creation of a new, high-quality public space.
“The area is envisioned as a place to loiter and congregate,” Walden said. “It will become a place for gatherings, festivals and celebrations, as well as a respite from daily life for people to simply enjoy and be. As any good public space, it will reflect the identity and culture of its surroundings.”
MLK Square is also the newest site for a sustainable low-impact development park that provides community green space on a reclaimed brownfield site.
“By replacing pipes and concrete with living biological systems, parks like MLK Square are setting an example of how we can use soft engineering to better manage polluted storm water runoff,” said James Walden, the city’s former director of planning and development. “MLK Square will use time as a key ally in fighting floods, which have been a persistent problem in downtown Conway since its founding. The square’s detention function will slow the release of water from the site during heavy rain events.”
While the feature won’t alleviate every drainage issue in downtown, it’s a valuable down payment on a new approach to solving flooding in the area, said city engineer Kurt Jones.
“MLK Square will also use the power of plants to help heal its natural surroundings by using organic features like rain gardens and bioswales to help treat stormwater,” Walden said. “The intent is that water exiting the park will be cleaner than when it entered.”
This occurs through a treatment train effect where stormwater is slowed, allowed to absorb back into the ground or evaporate, and pollutants and sediment are captured in rain gardens or bioswales. Plants then use phytoremediation to capture pollutants and break them down into less harmful materials.
“By replacing pipes and concrete with living biological systems, parks like MLK Square are setting an example of how we can use soft engineering to better manage polluted storm water runoff.
–James Walden, former Director of Planning & Development, City of Conway
The City of Conway was awarded a $24.6 million federal grant in 2022 that will transform public transportation in the city by connecting several major landmarks and places of interest, including schools, companies, retail areas, and neighborhoods through the Connect Conway greenway trail.
Connect Conway will connect 10 parks, seven schools, three major retail areas, three universities, 14 major employment centers, 16 neighborhoods and other vital community services. It aims to build a safe, equitable, and accessible transportation system through investment in 15 miles of bike and pedestrian infrastructure, providing a viable transportation option for many.
“I’d like to thank our team at the City Hall who put in the work to get the job done successfully,” said Mayor Bart Castleberry. “A number of community stakeholders came together to work on a short timeframe on this historic endeavor. I’d especially like to thank Finley Vinson, Felicia Rogers, Robbie Alberson, Aaron Knight, James Walden, and Kurt Jones.”
Most of Conway’s existing bike and pedestrian infrastructure is in the city’s western portion. Connect Conway will create a crucial link between the eastern parts of Conway and west Conway, providing more equitable access to services and opportunities.
“The name of the project rings true to what the project is all about: connecting Conway,” said former Planning & Development Director James Walden. “This
will be a tremendous recreational asset. But it provides a real transportation option for those who can’t or choose not to drive.”
Full economic and community participation is nearly impossible for those without access to a personal automobile. The construction of Connect Conway will provide a tangible and significant benefit to those community residents and stakeholders by increasing personal mobility with a safe, accessible transportation alternative.
“This grant will enable us to take a huge step to provide a viable alternative for the people of Conway to vehicular transportation through inter-connectivity between parks, schools, neighborhoods, and commercial centers,” said City Engineer Kurt Jones. “We’ve taken small steps in the past. This is a giant leap.”
The grant was awarded to the city by the United States Department of Transportation to construct the 15-mile greenway trail. The money comes from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity discretionary grant program.
Connect Conway’s work began four years ago and has evolved and been refined over the past several years. Grant applications were developed as early as 2018 and submitted in previous application rounds.
A project advisory committee was formed for this application to guide the process and provide valuable input. The committee consisted of members from the University of Central Arkansas, Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, Conway Development Corporation, Hendrix College, Conway Corp, Community Action Program for Central Arkansas, Conway Public Schools, Conway’s Bicycle and Pedestrian
“THIS GRANT WILL ENABLE US TO TAKE A HUGE STEP TO PROVIDE A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE FOR THE PEOPLE OF CONWAY TO VEHICULAR TRANSPORTATION THROUGH INTER-CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN PARKS, SCHOOLS, NEIGHBORHOODS, AND COMMERCIAL CENTERS”
–Kurt Jones, City Engineer
Advisory Board, Central Baptist College, and Community at Large members. City Council member Shelley Mehl helped lead the committee along with city staff.
After the public engagement process, engineering work began, and programming was identified and compiled. Crafton Tull, an engineering and planning firm, provided technical assistance, preliminary engineering, and environmental information that aided the grant application.
The development and writing of the application were led by the city’s Grant Administrator Robbie Alberson, former Director of Planning and Development James Walden, Chief Information Officer Aaron Knight, Transportation Director and City Engineer Kurt Jones, and Long-Range Planner Kyle Kelly. This team met weekly for nearly 11 months, developing a competitive application that met the US Department of Transportation’s requirements for the RAISE program. Letters of support were also garnered from valuable partners and
leaders in the community, including Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton and Congressman French Hill.
“Over the past four years my office has worked with city of Conway to fine tune its grant application and I’m delighted that hard work has persevered, and now the Connect Conway vision is one step closer to reality,” Hill said.
“For years, the city of Conway has worked towards this goal—and thanks to the dedication of local leaders, Connect Conway
can now move forward,” Cotton said. “Conway is already a flourishing center for education and culture in our state, but this comprehensive new project will make the city an even more attractive place for Arkansans to learn, visit, and raise their families.”
RAISE Grant funds will be available for obligation through September 30, 2026. Projects funds must be expended by September 30, 2031.
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No matter what brings you to Conway, Arkansas, you’re bound to discover something else that makes you want to stay. With three colleges, the city of 66,000 is not your ordinary small town. Conway is a growing city – rooted in education – with a thriving downtown, a flourishing arts scene, and awe-inspiring natural beauty. Its visible sense of community will make you feel right at home. Its hidden gems will leave you wanting to explore.
Conway. Full of possibilities.
Rock Region METRO and the City of Conway launched the first public transit service in the city, METRO Connect Conway, in October.
The public microtransit service offers on-demand, point-topoint trips within the city with an easy-to-use ride-booking interface, real-time vehicle information, reasonable wait and travel times, and affordable fares. The service operates 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday though Saturday.
“After a lot of hard work and planning, we are thrilled to be offering this service to Conway residents,” said Mayor Bart Castleberry. “Employing microtransit service, which is a relatively low-cost transit service, allows us to maximize federal funding to improve mobility options for all of our residents, helping to connect them to health appointments, educational opportunities, jobs and more.”
METRO Connect Conway offers shared rides throughout the planned service zone, which covers most areas within the Conway city limits and was designed with input from city staff; various data sources and metrics.
The service is designed to accommodate up to 100 passenger trips per day and can be adjusted as demand changes. METRO Connect Conway rides may be booked using a smartphone app, the free Transloc Microtransit App, or by using a dial-in phone number. METRO Connect Conway fares are $2 per person per trip and may be paid via the free Token Transit app or exact change.
Conway surpassed a population of 50,000 residents in the last several years, spawning the creation of its own Urbanized Area as determined by the U.S. Census; this change made the City eligible for federal public transit funding. In 2018, the Conway City Council approved a resolution that named METRO the direct recipient of its Federal Transit Administration Urbanized Area Formula Program funds.
Through this agreement, METRO operates public transit within the City using funds that remain with METRO for use but are earmarked for Conway transit service and transit-oriented projects. The partnership utilizes METRO’s experience as the state’s largest public transit agency and allows Conway the opportunity to launch a new mobility-oriented public service for its residents and guests.
“We are very excited to be launching Conway’s public transit service and help the city meet the needs of its growing population. This microtransit service launch not only complements Conway’s green initiatives but also lays the foundation for the region’s multi-modal connectivity needs,” said Justin Avery, METRO chief executive officer.
The partnership utilizes METRO’s experience as the state’s largest public transit agency and allows Conway the opportunity to launch a new mobility-oriented public service for its residents and guests.
The Arkansas Imagination Library is an extension of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which sends free books to children, aged 0 to 5, each month. Arkansas communities started county affiliates in 2002 and grew to deliver more than 16,000 books a month across 54 counties.
In 2017, then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson provided funds to establish a statewide program, the Arkansas Imagination Library. Since then, the library’s reach has grown to all 75 counties and more than 74,000 books a month.
“It was a strategy to close opportunity gaps, not only in counties without a program, but in counties who had a program, but did not have the infrastructure needed,” said Charlotte Parham, Ed.D., executive director of the library. “We didn’t want it to be based on the zip code you lived in. At the heart of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, is making books accessible to all kids and we have done that in Arkansas.”
Parham is a long-time educator with more than 20 years in the K-12 system as a teacher, gifted specialist, principal and administrator.
“One of the reasons that I actually moved to this early childhood space was because as a principal, I saw the opportunity gap of my students,” she said. “Typically, a child who is behind at a third-grade level is a kindergartener who was not exposed to literature.”
The best way to make sure a third grader is reading at grade level, Parham says, is to make an impact in the zero to five years.
“You hear a lot about achievement gaps in the K-12 space,” Parham said. “Well, if
we close these opportunity gaps and gaps in zero to five, we will close achievement gaps in K-12. If you wait to K 12 You miss the opportunity to close opportunity gap.”
The library partners with area schools to help achieve this goal.
“School districts understand this is the most inexpensive way to address those achievement gaps seen later on in school,” Parham said.
In addition to serving as the library’s executive director, Parham serves as principal investigator of research for the library at the University of Central Arkansas, a library partner.
The library’s research has shown students who receive books from zero to five, score higher in kindergarten readiness assessments than students who did not. Further, children who were exposed to books through the library are less likely to be retained in kindergarten and perform better from kindergarten through third grade than children who were not enrolled in the program.
“We have to impact the years where most of the brain development is occurring, that’s your foundation,” Parham said. “Every house is built in the K-12 system, but the foundation is zero to five. It’s always easier to build a house with a solid foundation.”
An added benefit seen in research in other states is that enrollment in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library increased adult participation in literacy programs.
“It was a motivating factor for parents,” Parham said. “If an adult cannot read, that’s something they are going to hide, it’s not something they are going to advertise. We found that spending time with their children and reading to them was a motivating factor and encouraged them to enroll in adult literacy programs.”
It’s part of the two-generational approach that is central to the library’s success, Parham said.
“We aren’t sending books to a two-monthold, we’re sending them to the child’s parents,” she said. “It puts them in a better position to help their children and themselves.”
As an educator and researcher, Parham understands that there are many factors that can impact student achievement, but the Arkansas Imagination Library provides a tangible way to do something proven to impact results, she said.
“In a society where there are so many things that are beyond our control, this gives me hope because it is something communities can do,” she said. “And the research says it matters.”
Traveling the state, Parham is encouraged by the work put in by communities across the state to the benefit of the library and children.
“I’m amazed at the heart of all our communities in Arkansas and the willingness of people to do the work required to better our state,” Parham said. “That’s just so encouraging to see our communities come together like that.”
BY THE TIME A CHILD REACHES KINDERGARTEN, 85% OF HIS OR HER BRAIN HAS DEVELOPED. THAT MAKES THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF A CHILD’S LIFE IMPORTANT TO LEARNING OUTCOMES AND SCHOOL SUCCESS, AND IT’S A TIME PERIOD THE ARKANSAS IMAGINATION LIBRARY STRIVES TO IMPACT.
The idea of a new high school at St. Joseph School was long in the making. It’s planning stretched more than 15 years and touched the tenure of three different principals.
But it was during the pandemic in 2020 that things really began to move forward. A capital campaign committee had begun the silentask portion of the process earlier in the year, but when the pandemic struck and everyone was homebound, committee members decided to work the phone to try and raise the money for a new high school.
“Much to our surprise, pledges were coming in,” St. Joseph High School Principal Matt Tucker said.
By May, St. Joseph School — a parish school — had raised enough money to receive approval from the Diocese of Little Rock to move forward.
“It is evidence of the commitment that our families have to education in our parish,” Tucker said. “We are such a generational parish, a generational school. We have students that their parents went here, their grandparents went here, aunts and uncles went here, great-grandparents went here.
“To see that commitment that those families still have, and that they believe in the type of student we are putting out, it is reassuring,” he said.
The new, 39,000 square-foot, two-story school opened in fall 2022. In addition to the typical features of a school, the high school boasts a student union, a family consumer science room, a black box theatre, labs for biology, chemistry and computer, as well as a dedicated area for a student-run Cyber Café and Spirit Store.
For a school that has been discussed for so long, seeing the faces of alumni walk through the doors for the first time at an open house was an exciting moment, Tucker said.
“It’s reassuring to me that I feel like we delivered on what we promised, and just to see their faces walk was a great moment,” he said.
The fact the school was constructed by Nabholz Corporation — run by a family synonymous with St. Joseph Catholic Church — and designed by H+N Architects — co-owned by an alumna — was icing on the cake, said Tucker.
“I have to believe every i was dotted and every t was crossed twice,” he said.
The new high school sits on what was a parking lot for the old campus along College Avenue. The building was constructed there with an eye toward the future and the possibility of a new kindergarten through sixth grade building. There are no concrete plans for that building right now.
“There was a simple rendering that showed how this building would look like and how a potential K-6 building would tie into it,” Tucker said.
Currently, St. Joseph School is divided into three campuses, divided by Harkrider Avenue. The new high school and middle school — which houses grades 4-6 — are located on the west side of Harkrider, while the elementary school — housing preschool through third grade — is located across Harkrider in what is the old Ellen Smith Elementary building.
In addition to the new offerings made possible through a new high school, St. Joseph has also partnered with Conway Public Schools to take advantage of the Conway Area Career Center. It has also begun a partnership with the South Conway County School District to enroll students in Virtual Arkansas courses.
Students are enrolled in a variety of courses including photography, criminal justice, Spanish, German, and agricultural business.
“It’s an option for us to offer courses we normally wouldn’t be able to do,” Tucker said. “We’re having success so far, so I’d like to think we would expand to even more course offerings next year.”
The new high school features an industrial technology class Tucker said he hopes to take advantage of next year to provide students with an introduction to tools and safety in a hands-on environment.
The old high school campus was constructed in the 1950s. It had been added onto multiple times throughout the years to accommodate more students and classroom space.
It originally served grades 9-12, but eventually added seventh and eighth grades when more room was needed in the old Spiritan Hall building.
“It served its purpose for many years,” Tucker said.
Every decision made at Conway Christian School focuses on quality, never quantity. For that reason, decisions are never made on how big Conway Christian wants to be become, but how well it can provide for its students, said school president Jason Carson.
“We do it based on how good we want to be,” he said.
Conway Christian opened a two-story, 30,000 square-foot facility to students in January. Carson said the new building does a lot for the school. In addition to strengthening a host of offerings, it opens up room in other facilities and establishes a building for elementary, intermediate and high school.
“It provides a better space for our students,” Carson said. “It creates a more optimal space for all three groups.”
It also frees up about 3,000 square feet, each, in the elementary and middle school buildings for classrooms, dedicated art rooms and a STEM lab.
The new building itself will serve as home to the high school, grades nine through 12. It features a multipurpose auditorium that will alleviate demands on the school’s gymnasium and provide a great space for a multitude of activities and events.
It is outfitted with projector screens and a modern sound and light system that will allow for drama and choir performances, serve as a new home for chapel services and give Conway Christian a place to host school and community events.
The building also adds to the campus’ athletic and arts capabilities. Its art room will include a kiln, and athletics will enjoy a new locker room and weight room in the facility.
“We have had a really competitive sports program, and enjoyed a great art program, both for more than a decade now, but we’ve been doing it in less-than-ideal space,” Carson said. “This gives us some of the best space around.”
Conway Christian has experienced tremendous growth in the last two years, increasing enrollment by 100 students to 600 total across the campus. The addition of a new building gives the school the opportunity to grow in the elementary and intermediate schools.
“It has to be strategic,” Carson said. “It should allow us to grow, comfortably, to 750 or 800 students.”
The new building cost $7 million, all of which was raised by way of private donors and families of the school.
“We have created a great donor base through this campaign, with a significant amount of money coming every year to the school from our current families,” Carson said. “It allows us to not carry any debt with this new building, and
it means as we add new revenue, those dollars go straight to our teachers and improving our quality of education.”
Because of the unique offering the school brings to Conway and Faulkner County, Carson said, there’s a special focus put on the quality of the education Conway Christian provides.
“Our goal is to serve the families who want a Christian, college-preparatory education to the best of our abilities,” he said. “That means having the best teachers, best culture, best community and best facilities.”
If anything can bring a community together, it’s food.
Jessica Gomez, a self-described food enthusiast, is combining her love for food and community as a local social media influencer, highlighting restaurants and food trucks across central Arkansas through her Instagram account, @eating_with_jess_.
From pizza to pupusas and everything in between, one scroll down Jess’ Instagram profile will leave your mouth watering. Before she began sharing her dining adventures on social media, her passion for food and cooking made her the go-to person for friends looking for a good place to eat. In response to these requests, Jess started an Instagram account for easy reference. Once she realized the positive impact her posts were making on restaurant owners and mobile food vendors, she shifted her focus to shining a light on underrepresented small business owners.
“My purpose is to encourage us to connect with our community by showcasing the diversity of food establishments within our own towns that really do give us great food,” she said.
The Chicago native relocated to Arkansas in 2005. A mother with a busy career in the mortgage industry, Jess sought a slower pace to give her more time with her young children. She was attracted to Arkansas after visiting her brother and sister-in-law, who came to the state to do missionary work for Spanish-speaking populations. She eventually moved to Conway and ultimately landed another job in the mortgage industry that gave her more flexibility.
“There was just something about Arkansas,” she said. “I felt such inner peace, which makes sense; it is The Natural State after all.”
Jess also took note of the community-mindedness she experienced in Arkansas compared to the hustle and bustle of the Windy City. She credits her Hispanic heritage and outgoing personality with her commitment to supporting others and bringing people together.
“There are so many relationships I have now that I would have never gotten if it weren’t for this Instagram page. I’ve met some amazing people who are now friends, like the
owners of BMB Creations, Kassi’s Cookies, and Squizito Tasting Room,” she said. “And if a local farmer and a local restaurant owner begin working together because I was able to connect them, that gives me purpose and brings me pleasure.”
Jess takes pride in knowing that people have discovered new places to eat from her Instagram account. On multiple occasions, her followers have been enticed to try something new after seeing one of her posts.
“Even if I can send one new customer to an establishment, that person might tell someone else, and then you have a domino effect,” she said.
Her Instagram profile also has caught the attention of community organizations, including the Conway Convention and Visitors Bureau, which partnered with Jess on an Asian Food Week social media campaign in May 2022.
“When the Conway CVB reached out to me as an influencer, that was a surreal moment and a humbling experience,” she said. “I was honored to be a part of it.”
In addition to building relationships with small business owners, Jess hopes her social media presence challenges misconceptions about the Conway food scene – one mouth-watering post at a time.
–JESSICA GOMEZ
“People think there are not enough places to eat in Conway; that it’s all Mexican and barbecue,” she said. “There are so many hidden gems within our city, but the issue is that it’s hard for people to get out of their comfort zones and try something new. We have so many phenomenal places here.”
Jess said that even among the barbecue and Mexican restaurants, you will find variety.
“Everyone has their own style. When it comes to Mexican food, Los Gallos Taqueria y Birria is different from Los 3 Potrillos, which is different from La Huerta,” she said. “And people may assume that El K’iche on Dave Ward Drive is a Mexican restaurant, but it’s Guatemalan.”
Depending on how often you dine out, Jess encourages people to try at least one new place every week or every month, especially a new food truck. Mobile food vendors are often immigrants and people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds who bring authentic tastes that often are not available in smaller cities.
“A lot of times we complain that there’s nothing to do in Conway or that there’s nothing new or that there aren’t enough food establishments,” Jess said. “But then we don’t support what we have. To keep things growing, we have to support.”
The Conway area offers food and cultural experiences that go beyond eating a meal. Squizito Tasting Room sells premium olive oils and balsamic vinegars at its downtown Conway location and offers cooking and olive oil classes at its primary location in nearby Cabot. The Conway Art Walk, which takes place one evening a month on the first Friday, is an opportunity to experience live music and art demonstrations while enjoying drinks and food from local establishments.
At the end of the day, Jess said it’s all about building relationships and building community.
“Food unites us and is a universal language,” she said. “It’s rewarding to play a small part in bringing different people and cultures together.”
MY PURPOSE IS TO ENCOURAGE US TO CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITY BY SHOWCASING THE DIVERSITY OF FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS WITHIN OUR OWN TOWNS THAT REALLY DO GIVE US GREAT FOOD.
–JESSICA GOMEZ, LOCAL SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER, EATING WITH JESS
“FOOD UNITES US AND IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE. IT’S REWARDING TO PLAY A SMALL PART IN BRINGING DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND CULTURES TOGETHER.”
For the first time in three years, Toad Suck Daze returned to where it has always belonged: the streets of downtown Conway.
COVID-19 kept Toad Suck away from downtown since 2019, but its return was welcomed by more than 100,000 visitors in 2022. Toad Suck Daze, founded in 1982, is the largest, free-admission, family festival in Arkansas. Festivalgoers from across the region—approximately 100,000 during the three-day event—gather in the streets of downtown Conway for food-on-a-stick, local and national entertainment, arts and crafts, activities for kids, and, of course, the World Famous Toad Races.
To date, Toad Suck Daze has contributed more than $2 million to scholarships, scholarship endowments, and pre-K funding.
“I think that’s the perfect word for it,” said Amanda Horton, executive director of public appearances for the University of Central Arkansas.
UCA received the largest gift in its history from the Windgate Foundation in 2019, a $20 million windfall to construct the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts. The center, which opens this year, includes 44,000 square feet of art space, a 450-seat concert hall designed for orchestra, choir, band and ensemble performances, a black box theatre, and an exterior space for 3D art.
“There’s no space like this on our campus,” Horton said. “It’s going to transform the educational opportunities for our students, but it’s also going to transform our community.”
The black box theater will be the new home of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, that hosts performances for three weeks every summer.
The concert hall lends itself to such performances as jazz, children’s theatrical productions, up-and-coming musicians, and lectures. Most importantly, Horton said, it will serve as a primary spot for students and faculty to present musical and theatrical performances.
One of the opportunities it brings is collaboration among students with various majors. There will be possibilities for interdisciplinary projects among students from majors like visual arts, theater and music.
Expanding opportunities to experience arts and culture can help transform a good community into an amazing, vibrant one where people want to be, said Horton.
“We’re going to be able to expand the arts here and offer a beautiful space for people to use,” she said. “I think the Windgate Center is going to truly serve our entire community. Conway is becoming a leader in providing arts opportunities and a destination for cultural events.”
An additional benefit of the Windgate Center, Horton said, is its ability to complement the Reynolds Performance Hall.
“Even though Reynolds and Windgate are centered around performing arts and culture, their spaces are very different,” she said. “Reynolds is a 1,200-seat venue
designed to present national and international touring artists, whereas Windgate’s largest space is a concert hall, specifically made for musical events.”
Reynolds will have a greater opportunity to bring in more national and international shows with other performances due to move to Windgate where they are better suited, Horton said.
“Reynolds has hosted a lot of bands, choir concerts, small ensemble concerts and many other performances that are perfect for a space like Windgate,” Horton said. “This allows Reynolds to bring in more touring shows that we haven’t been able to do because our calendar has been tied up with events tied specifically to UCA.”
Windgate will become the home for several university bands, choir concerts and ensembles that were previously held at Reynolds.
“We have a lot of events that are better suited for spaces Windgate offers,” Horton said. “Having the right size venue for a performance or artist adds to the excitement. It can create an electricity and excitement in the room.”
In addition to transforming opportunities available to UCA students, Horton sees this as another accomplishment for arts, culture and entertainment in Conway.
“It is going to impact the cultural and economic needs of our region by graduating students who are going to be collaborating with each other,” she said. “We’re going to be able to provide this amazing opportunity for our students who are going to go out into our region and benefit our communities. It is going to transform the educational opportunities our students have.”
Horton has served as director of the Reynolds Performance Hall since 2015. Last year, she was named executive director of public appearances at UCA, which brought the Windgate Center under her direction, in addition to Reynolds.
“UCA is fortunate to have a leader in the arts community like Amanda who has the knowledge and experience to showcase the magnificence of the Windgate Center and all that it has to offer to patrons here in central Arkansas and the entire state,” said UCA President Houston Davis.
Tom Williams, dean of the UCA College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, said Horton brings unparalleled experience and effort to the role.
“And with Windgate already architecturally one-of-a-kind, be assured Amanda’s programming will make it even more the envy of the state and beyond,” he said.
$20 MILLION GIFT 44,000 SQUARE FEET OF ART SPACE
450 SEAT CONCERT HALL BLACK BOX THEATRE EXTERIOR SPACE FOR 3D ART
“EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPERIENCE ARTS AND CULTURE CAN HELP TRANSFORM A GOOD COMMUNITY INTO AN AMAZING, VIBRANT ONE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO BE.”
AMANDA HORTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC APPEARANCES UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSASDESIGNED FOR ORCHESTRA, CHOIR, BAND AND ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCES
Christian H. Cutler is director of the Windgate Museum of Art at Hendrix College. The Windgate Museum of Art is housed in the Miller Creative Quad, which opened in 2019. The museum serves as a pedagogical resource for Hendrix College and is free and open to the public.
Cutler brings more than 23 years of combined private art gallery, museum, and university gallery experience from behind-thescenes preparations for show openings, juried exhibitions, visiting artists, and fundraising, to managing overall operations of gallery exhibition programming, education, and design. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art.
What is the mission of the Windgate Museum of Art? What does it do best?
Cutler: The Windgate Museum of Art (WMA) at Hendrix College strives to be the premier teaching art museum in Arkansas. The museum uses hands-on experiences to train students in all facets of museum work, including curatorial research, collection management, educational and social programming, marketing and communications, as well as all aspects of exhibition research, planning, installation, and evaluation. Providing a diverse lineup of art exhibitions, notable speakers, concerts, films, and educational programs for Conway and the Hendrix campus community is what we do best.
What would most people be surprised to discover about the WMA?
Cutler: I think people would be surprised to discover that Conway has a dynamic museum in its community featuring world-class, fine art and cultural exhibitions and educational experiences that is free and open to all.
WMA is a beautiful facility. What role does the building and physical space play in the exhibits?
Cutler: When I visit a space, whose purpose is to celebrate art and creativity, I think the setting is an important part of the experience. When I first visited the Windgate Museum of Art in Hendrix’s Miller Creative Quad as a candidate
CUTLER BRINGS MORE
of combined private art gallery, museum and university gallery experience from behindthe-scenes preparations for show openings, juried exhibitions, visiting artist, and fundraising, to managing overall operations of gallery exhibition programming, education and design.
for the director position, I was impressed to say the least. I knew from the architectural design of the building that the exhibitions inside the WMA would be memorable. Hendrix intentionally broke the collegiate gothic style mold of college building design when they built the WMA. This building celebrates what’s inside.
What do you most want people to think of or remember about WMA? What would you like to see in WMA’s future?
Cutler: After visiting the WMA, I want people to leave with new knowledge and stunning visual memories that will inspire them to learn and create. I hope that our exhibitions and events are meaningful and memorable; that may spark conversations with friends and family or on social media, which will create return visitors and new patrons. Since our exhibitions change every few months, there is always something new to see or experience. The museum is new to Conway and Central Arkansas, so we have a lot to share with the region. The stories we tell via our fine art and cultural exhibitions are only becoming more thoughtful, engaging, inclusive, and exciting in the future.
How should people stay attuned to exhibits/ programming/etc?
Cutler: Our unofficial moto at the Windgate Museum of Art is “free and open to all.” By following us on social media and joining our email and physical mailing lists, patrons will be the first to know what’s coming up and happening here! @WMAatHDX @windgatemuseum
“We met right over there.”
Kim Doughty-McCannon points across Tyler Street to the Faulkner County Library and laughs.
“It was like an urban farm festival,” Kim’s husband and business partner, Zack McCannon, adds.
Kim and Zack came to the event at the county library for different reasons, but shared a love for sustainable, urban farming.
Zack had worked in documentary filmmaking and a particular film about seed saving and swaps piqued his interest in open-pollination and growing food at home.
Kim was a biology major who worked at a public health lab in Little Rock. She wanted to do more outdoors and began volunteering at several urban farms in the capital city, eventually leaving lab work to be an apprentice at Little Rock Urban Farming.
From there, she went to work for Arkansas Garden Corps and ended up running the Faulkner County Library Garden and providing garden education for children.
Bell Urban Farm started with a lot of vegetables and flowers. The couple would sell at Conway Downtown Farmers’ Market.
It wasn’t long after their chance encounter that plans for an urban farm were cultivated.
“Conveniently, Zack had these properties right across the street,” Kim said. “And we said, ‘Well, that would make a great place to start an urban farm.’”
Bell Urban Farm started with a lot of vegetables and flowers. The couple would sell at Conway Locally Grown and the Conway Downtown Farmers’ Market. They ran a small, honor-system farm stand from their front porch on Tyler Street, too.
“Kim developed quite a group of people that would come,” Zack said.
With a nearby Faulkner County Urban Farm Project thriving after nearly 10 years in service, and the buy-in they received from their honorsystem stand, the McCannons decided opening a brick-and-mortar farm stand was doable.
And with one small child and another on the way, it had become harder for them to make it to local farmers’ markets to sell products. The McCannons also wanted to provide an option for the community that
extended beyond the traditional season of a farmers’ market.
That started the McCannons down the process of rezoning their property and months of community and government meetings. It also meant the launch of a Kickstarter program which raised $155,000.
“We used every penny because the whole inside had to be gutted and redone,” Kim said.
The Bell Urban Farmstand officially opened in 2020.
It has blossomed into a jewel of the local Conway food scene. Bell Urban Farm, located at 2011 Tyler St., offers a grocery store, an urban backyard garden, a chicken house, a couple greenhouses and honeybees, to boot.
Visitors would never know the Farmstand is located in a once abandoned, dilapidated home. The glass-paneled front door gives way to a modest-sized, open market floor filled with locally grown products. The chalkboard behind the checkout counter maps the location of Bell Urban Farm’s partners, whose products fill the shelves.
“We are very intentional with how we use our space, everything is composted, and there’s not a lot of waste. We have to think hard about what we’re going to grow, and what is going to be most profitable per square foot.”
Patrons can find meat products from Rabbit Ridge Farms, ice cream from Loblolly Creamery, a host of produce that varies depending on the season, and a wall full of dry goods, including spaghetti noodles and sauce, salsa, grains, rice and more.
Out back, a few picnic tables overlook a garden, a couple of greenhouses, a chicken house and buzzing honeybees near the railroad tracks that run along the back edge of the property.
Through its locally grown and sources products, the McCannons want Bell Urban Farm to connect the community.
“You’re super close with your customers and local restaurants, or anyone else who shops with you,” Kim said. “For me, urban farming is a no-brainer.”
Not only that, by nature, urban farming leads to a small-scale operation and a more sustainable model, which Kim and Zack value.
“We are very intentional with how we use our space, everything is composted, and there’s not a lot of waste,” Kim said. “We have to think hard about what we’re going to grow, and what is going to be most profitable per square foot.”
Most would be surprised to pass the store front and McCannon residence on Tyler Street, and learn it’s the home of a small, urban farm.
“A lot of people have ingrained in their mind a large farm with cows and pigs and chicken and all sorts of crops,” Kim said. “People are surprised when they stop and see all we can grow in a small space. We can produce a lot of food, and we’re using less than an acre of growing space.”
To know people patronize their store to feed themselves and their families is special to the McCannons.
“Having them come and see our produce that traveled a few miles and ends up on their plate, it means a lot that we can provide that,” Kim said.
While part of the Little Rock MSA and home to 7 0,000 residents, Conway still represents something of a northern frontier for central Arkansas
A one-hour drive to the north offers accessible Ozark st reams and adventure on beautifully preserved public lands at Bluffton Preserve. A one-hour drive to the west places you on the world-class Arkansas Monument Trail mountain bike system at Mount Nebo
In between, there are countless other ways to take advantage of The Natural State’s great outdoors. All while keeping the comforts of Conway conveniently within reach
Presented by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Just southeast of Conway lays more than 4,000 acres of public land set aside for the enjoyment of area residents. The Camp Robinson Special Use Area borders the eastern shore of Lake Conway and includes dedicated spaces for sport shooting, archery, dog training, watchable wildlife, hunting, and more.
“We want to help folks find their outside,” said Hollie Sanders, assistant chief of education for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission. The special use area delivers on that promise, offering natural and purpose-built amenities that serve a variety of users in every season.
With so much to offer and so many user groups, visitors to Camp Robinson Special Use Area are encouraged to look up seasonal hunting regulations and use area schedules before visiting. Please remember to #RecreateResponsibly by leaving it just as you found it when visiting any outdoor spaces by leaving it just as you found it. For more information about public areas for people and wildlife visit www.AGFC.com.
As you would expect with a space managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, visitors to the special use area have the opportunity to observe wildlife in its natural setting. Camp Robinson SUA is a public space managed for wildlife and people.
“This is a shared space with wildlife,” says Sanders.
One of the easiest ways to observe wildlife and explore the special use area is on the 4.5-mile Woodlands Auto Tour. The loop tour includes five stops with interpretive signage detailing the different types of ecosystems existing within the park. Visitors should feel free to responsibly explore the area surrounding each stop.
Camp Robinson SUA has also emerged as a regional destination for bird watching. The professionally managed habitat brings dozens of species to the area. It is one of only two locations in central Arkansas to have been designated an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society.
For those residents and visitors looking for a responsible and safe place to use firearms, Camp Robinson SUA is also home to the Dr. James E. Moore Jr. Firing Range. The facility offers a 50-yard pistol range, a 200-yard rifle range, skeet, trap and 3-D archery ranges.
The recently renovated range has an emphasis on safety infrastructure and is professionally staffed. The firing range also hosts educational programming and on-site staff are available to answer questions from visitors.
Fees are $3 per person for pistol and rifle ranges and $4 per 25-shot round for skeet and trap. 3-D archery is free, although archers must register in the range house prior to shooting. Spotting scopes are available for rent for $2. No ammunition is sold at the facility. Eye and ear protection is provided. The range is open to the public 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday.
Some of the most frequent users of the Camp Robinson SUA are sporting dogs and their owners training for and competing in field trials. The Pepper’s Pond retriever training area on the south side of the property offers 26 acres of purposebuilt environment to train dogs— particularly retrievers—for anything they may encounter during a hunt.
The SUA is also a frequent destination for horseback riding. Horse owners will find stalls, corrals, and other helpful amenities to make an extended or overnight stay comfortable.
The mission of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission revolves around getting people outdoors to enjoy what the Natural State has to offer in a responsible way. Now, the commission is working to bring that to kids through school programming.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has partnered with the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation to provide the Outdoor Adventure Curriculum and teacher training. Through the partnership, Outdoors Tomorrow provides schools a curriculum for a fee, and the commission provides the necessary training for instructors at no additional cost.
“We were searching for a way to get outdoors education in Arkansas schools, and we found the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation,” said Sheila Connerly, school connections coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “We loved how teacher friendly it was and the different lessons available.”
The Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation teaches outdoor education, and promotes and funds conservation of wildlife across the world, providing in-school curriculum for physical education and agricultural science wildlife management. It educates more than 50,000 students a year. It has expanded to 560 schools in 35 states.
Lessons include subjects like hunter and boater education, survival skills, first aid and CPR, backpacking, camping, archery, ATV safety, conservation, shooting sports introduction, and more. To date, 16 schools in Arkansas offer the curriculum, including Vilonia High School, which introduced a pilot program this year. It has more than 120 students enrolled.
The students rotate teachers and topics each nine weeks. Throughout the year, the students learn about survival skills, weather, outdoor cooking and first-aid, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, boating, and ATV and UTV safety.
“You can immediately see a kid’s face brighten up when they leave the walls of the school and get outside,” Marek said. “There’s just something about nature, in general, that really speaks to students and kids, as well as adults. That’s my biggest thing with this class, getting to see the kids connect.”
The typical week has students learning in a classroom setting 3-4 days a week learning about a topic, and outside 1-2 days a week putting things learned in the classroom into practice.
“It’s training these students to be outdoors men and women,” said Jacob Marek, a Vilonia High School teacher. “It teaches them the basics of getting outside and going to do stuff where technology can’t take you.”
The classes teach students real-world life skills, said Marek. “Some of these kids have never experienced this,” he said. “Our goal is to allow students to have fun while learning.”
For schools interested in providing education opportunity, contact Scot McClure with Outdoors Tomorrow or visit gootf.com for more information.
One hour north of Conway is a place designed for both the permanent preservation of an amazing natural resource and for the enjoyment and accessibility of area visitors. The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas’s Bluffton Preserve offers visitors almost 1,000 acres of unspoiled Ozark paradise. The bluff line you see when entering the property makes it clear how the preserve got its name. To truly capture the beauty of the bluff line, visit the preserve in the afternoon when the sun has moved from behind the Bluff line to behind your back lighting up this breathtaking formation. While the bluff line is worth the trip, it barely scratches the surface of what all the preserve has to offer. Bluffton is perfect for hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking, geocaching, kayaking, swimming or just exploring; the preserve provides a little something for everyone.
This hidden treasure of nature is nestled right along the Archey Fork River making it perfect for swimming, fishing, and kayak launch spot. There are a number of large swimming and fishing holes easily accessible from the road and with camping within walking distance of the river, you can take the time to experience all Bluffton has to offer, if you wish.
Bluffton serves as the upper kayak launch for the Archey Fork River with the next pickup area, 9.5 miles in the Clinton City Park. This float will take roughly 4 to 6 hours depending on river conditions and pace of the group. This secluded float will let you reconnect with nature and provides a number of rapids. This float is not advised for most beginners due to the length and the presence of narrow rapids and high current when water levels are up and rocks exposed in the rapids creating a boney affect making for a longer paddle time when water levels are down.
The Bluffton Preserve is still relatively unknown, making for less distractions, letting you truly experience nature. With a number of established trails and more in progress, there is a hiking or biking trail for all experience levels. The trail development system is single track in format and with some true backcountry trails and views you are guaranteed no to be disappointed.
The neighbors along Watergate Road and volunteers with Float VBC help manage and maintain the property. Camping is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The hunting rights are leased, so please refrain from hunting and be sure to wear hunter orange when exploring during hunting season. Horseback riding and ATVs are prohibited in the area to help reduce the amount of sediment entering the river.
Editorial provided in part by www.ExploreClintonAR.com
Jason Hayes is the director of the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce. Hayes is a native of the Greers Ferry Lake area and an expert river guide. He has represented Clinton and the surrounding area on a number of boards and commissions working to create economic opportunities for rural Arkansas — particularly in the field of outdoor recreation.
In 2015, Hayes helped found Float VBC, an organization whose mission is to “provide public kayak and canoe launches on the floatable rivers in Van Buren County and to provide the information necessary to ensure that visitors and locals alike can have a safe and enjoyable trip exploring our county and local rivers.”
What is a sample itinerary for someone wanting to visit the Clinton area?
HAYES: With the variety of outdoor activities we offer, it would be hard to fit everything in one day or even a weekend. Day-trip visitors would need to choose between the lake (year-round), mountain biking or hiking (available year-round), or kayaking (available the winter months through the early part of June with spot availability during the summer and fall months).
What is Float VBC?
HAYES: In 2015, when the Nature Conservancy of Arkansas opened the Bluffton Preserve, we recognized the possibility of floating the Archey Fork of the Little Red River. That initiated Float Van Buren County, or Float VBC. It started as an effort to establish public kayak launches to better establish Clinton as a destination to complement Greers Ferry Lake. This effort would be followed by Bike VBC where we were able to work with The Nature Conservancy to establish a series of trails on the Bluffton preserve and better promote the Ozark Grinder Trial.
Through the process of enjoying the Archey Fork, I began to look to our other tributaries in our county and explore them. What we learned through this process was that the Archey Fork and the Middle Fork are amazing rivers that offer seasonal floating. While they are typically only floatable in the spring and winter months, if we developed and educated kayakers on how to access these rivers, we could help visitors better explore Clinton and Van Buren County’s natural beauty and drive tourism.
How would someone without much experience on the water take advantage of what the Clinton area has to offer?
HAYES: The best source to learn how to experience our outdoor activities is to visit our website — www.ExploreClintonAR.com — where we have laid out how to access the rivers, lakes, and trails. We have some video up of the trails to let visitors know what to expect and will always be adding more videos of attractions.
What do you most want area residents to remember about Clinton and Van Buren County?
HAYES: Clinton and Van Buren County hold a treasure trove of outdoor activities that you can experience. Greers Ferry Lake, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Bluffton Preserve, the forks of the Little Red River, and more are all here for exploring.
Jeremy Chrysler relocated to Conway from Florida in 2013 when his company, Inuvo, moved its headquarters to central Arkansas. Chrysler has served on the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is currently on the Conway Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board.
Walk us through a “model mountain biking itinerary” for favorite destinations that are within reach.
JC: From Conway, there are four trails I can ride easily.
Quicker Trips
JC: When I don’t have a lot of time, I’ll ride either Ender’s Fault at Woolly Hollow State Park or the River Mountain Trails in Little Rock. They are both around 30 minutes away from my house, and both offer options for a 35–45-minute loop. With a little prep the night before, I can be out and back to my house in two hours. This is great because if it’s light relatively early, I can be back in front of my computer before 8:30.
Ender’s Fault offers two different loops. I prefer the Northern Loop, which has six different stream crossings and a great mix of wooded singletrack and accessible natural roots and rocks. It dries out very quickly, so you can ride there sooner after a rain than many other trails. The South loop starts with a steady climb, winds around through woodsy hilltops with lake views, then finishes for a long, straight descent that can be pretty fast. The River Mountain trails are much newer and include some of the best downhill sections and views in Arkansas. My favorite loop is to start up Main Current to Headwaters, and then finish with either Gravity Falls, a black trail with a lot of speed, big berms, and a few really steep drops, or Whirlpool, a blue downhill trail with jumps and high corners.
Day Trips:
JC: The two other rides I do regularly are both Monument Trails. Pinnacle Mountain State Park has a little something for everyone. The Jackfork Loop is a loop that offers some challenging climbs, creek crossings, cliffside views of the Maumelle River, and zoomy downhill sections. Pinnacle is generally faster and more open than Ender’s Fault, and there are a lot more combinations of routes and more trail diversity.
Dynamite has some of the gnarliest rock sections you’ll ever see, and there are great downhill trails too that feature some significant rock features. It’s a little farther away from home so I don’t end up riding it as much unless I have more time. Rattlesnake Ridge is not technically part of Pinnacle, but it’s close enough that you could daisy chain them together. Rattlesnake has the best bridges I’ve ridden in Arkansas and is a great place to take kids as well, as you can avoid really challenging sections while still having a lot of fun.
Mount Nebo State Park is probably my favorite place to ride anywhere. Miller’s Goat is a loop trail around the mountain that can be ridden in either direction. It’s fun and pretty accessible to most riders, but I mostly ride the Chickalah Loop. Like Miller’s, it can be ridden in either direction, but I usually take the Chickalah Loop rather than the dedicated downhill trail, and then ride the trail counterclockwise.
After transiting the Bench Trail to get to the Chickalah trailhead, you start with a fast and rolling downhill with big berms, a lot of jumps, and if you dare (I don’t), some big drops. You then climb for a while and ride along a ridge that overlooks the Arkansas River Valley. There’s a point or two where you can step off the trail and just look out on the quiet world below. Chickalah is very challenging. There are very short and steep climbs throughout, lots of incredible rockwork, and technical sections aplenty. The whole trail has amazing flow though and I never go without feeling very lucky that the place exists. For me, it’s about an hour and twenty minutes from start to finish, and most of the last 20 minutes is pretty challenging climbing, so I’m normally beat by the end.
When I go to Nebo I leave early — before sunrise — and try to be one of the first people out there. Even with a stop at the Shipley’s donuts, I’m normally back by 10 am or so, so I still have the rest of the day with my family. Nebo is special. It’s the best pure mountain biking in Arkansas, which is to say it’s some of the best mountain biking you can do anywhere in the world.
Arkansas is home to several nationally known rivers. The Buffalo National River (76 miles north of Conway), the White River (80 miles northeast of Conway) and the Little Red River (50 miles northeast of Conway) draw visitors from neighboring states daily. However, Conway area residents also have the opportunity to take advantage of several lesser-known streams that offer equally authentic scenery and adventure.
Approximately one hour north or one hour west of Conway, subtle changes in the geography offer outdoor recreational opportunities not available in most of the state — or even the country. Clear mountain streams with rock bottoms offer paddlers, fisherman, or those looking to wade and splash a destination worth the drive.
approximately one hour west of Conway
The headwaters of the Illinois Bayou are in the midst of the Ozarks. The stream eventually works its way southwest toward the Arkansas river valley near Russellville. The Illinois Bayou has multiple forks that offer a everything from serious paddling adventures to lazy floats or wades.
Points of Interest & Access
• Bayou Bluff Recreation Area (5 miles north of Hector on Highway 27)
• Long Pool Recreation Area (21 miles north of Russellville)
• There are multiple wade-in or put-in locations at bridges (north of Highway 27)
Recommended gauge levels: USGS gauge at Scottsville between 4 ½ and 6 feet provides multiple opportunities for wading with deep enough pools to hold fish and/or float.
approximately one hour north of Conway
When most people talk about the Little Red River, they are referring to the 30 miles of world-class trout stream below the dam at Greers Ferry Lake. However, the Little Red above Greers Ferry Lake is made up of multiple forks that are the perfect example of Ozark Mountain streams. The Middle Fork of the Little Red River winds through the communities of Leslie and Shirley before dumping into Greers Ferry Lake.
Points of Interest & Access
• There is wade in access at Highway 65 just south of Leslie. Leslie has a number of restaurants and stores worth visiting.
• There is also wade in access just upstream of the railroad bridge in downtown Shirley. Downtown Shirley has a large city park and river outfitter.
Recommended gauge levels: USGS gauge at Shirley between 5 ½ and 7 feet provides multiple opportunities for wading with deep enough pools to hold fish and/ or float. Six feet is the minimum depth needed for an enjoyable float. The level of technical expertise needed increases with depth. Only experienced floaters should be on the river >10 feeet at Shirley gauge.
Know Before You Go: WaterAlert helps safely explore area rivers and streams
Before you head to a stream or river prone to rapid changes in depth, check the water levels using USGS data. You can also create an account to notify you when a favorite river or stream is at just the right depth for your favorite adventure. When you have a great day on the water, visit the relevant water gauge on USGS and bookmark the depth. It will help you make future plans, rediscover favorite spots or landmarks, and stay safe.
www.usgs.gov/tools/wateralert
BY ADENA WHITE
The Natural State has 52 state parks, making it possible to visit a different locale every weekend of the year. Arkansas State Parks offers a passport program that gives travelers a pocket-size booklet that can be stamped at a visitor center or by rubbing a pencil along an embossed stamp at parks where there is not a visitor center.
Matthew and Elijah White of Conway accepted this challenge, completing the passport program in 10 months. Matthew is my husband, and Elijah is our son, who was 3 years old when he got his 52nd stamp in April 2022.
Matthew decided to tackle the passport program in July 2021 while our family was on a weekend getaway at Lake Ouachita State Park in Mountain Pine, located near Hot Springs and Hot Springs Village. He saw the passport book at the gift shop and decided to pick up two copies – one for him and one for Elijah. He knows me well enough to know I wouldn’t want that level of commitment.
“My son and I had just visited Woolly Hollow State Park in Greenbrier the day before, and I thought, ‘Well, I’ve already knocked out two parks this weekend. What’s 50 more?’” Matthew said.
The state parks experience is quite different with a toddler in tow. You spend more time at the park playgrounds and less time hiking trails or reading interpretive signage, making it possible – and necessary – to navigate each park quickly.
“Elijah was 2 and 3 years old during our passport adventure, so there were some things he couldn’t do – like hang gliding from Mount Magazine or mountain biking on the 45-mile Delta Heritage Trail,” Matthew said.
Despite Elijah’s limitations, Matthew found several ways to entertain our toddler during their travels.
“I was surprised by how much each park had for kids,” Matthew said. “Many parks had playgrounds and hands-on exhibits in the visitor center. Several parks also offered short, paved trails and kid-friendly swimming pools. Even a place like the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources – which sounds like it may be boring for little kids – turned out to be really engaging!”
Arkansas State Parks groups its 52 destinations into four categories: historic parks, lake and river parks, mountain parks, and adventure parks. Matthew said each park is memorable in its own way.
“Several of the parks are what I’d consider the traditional state parks and have campsites, playgrounds, picnic tables, trails, mountains, lakes, cabins, mountain biking, ranger programs, and more,” Matthew said. “But Arkansas also has attractions such as museums, historical markers, lodges, restaurants, a diamond mine, archaeology stations, a
battlefield, and a craft village. Each park is unique, and they are spread out in such a way that you really see the entire state.”
Conway’s convenient location in the center of the Natural State makes it possible to reach every corner of Arkansas in three hours or fewer, not counting the bathroom breaks that become increasingly important when you have a potty-training passenger. Additionally, there are eight state parks within an hour drive of Conway: Lake Dardanelle, Lake Sylvia, Mount Nebo, Petit Jean Mountain, Pinnacle Mountain, Plantation Agriculture Museum, Plum Bayou Mounds
Archeological State Park (formerly Toltec Mounds Archeological Park), and Woolly Hollow.
“Conway is a great jumping off point to visit any of the 52 state parks,” Matthew said. “Though not state parks, Greers Ferry, Heber Springs, and the Buffalo National River are also close by for water enthusiasts. Maumelle, Little Rock, and North Little Rock have great parks. Even right here in Conway, we love to visit Cadron Settlement, Tucker Creek, or Lake Beaverfork. It’s called the Natural State for a reason!”
Although Elijah may not have many memories of his first completion of the Arkansas State Parks passport program, Matthew looks forward to experiencing the state parks with our son at every stage of his life. Their first tour served as
an opportunity to preview the parks and make notes of which ones we can return to as a family.
“I love hiking, and I hope to revisit many of these parks to explore the trails as Elijah gets older,” Matthew said. “We’ll also be able to take our time and really enjoy each park and can plan our visits around festivals and other special event days. There are so many great things happening at our state parks!”
While I won’t complete the passport program in 10 months like my husband and son did, I plan to start collecting stamps of my own. Although it’s not “official” because I don’t have stamps, I joined them at 13 state parks, including overnight stays in cabins at Mount Nebo, Lake Ouachita, and Devil’s Den. Only 39 more to go!
With its central location in T he Natural State, Conway is just a short drive from some of the region’s most popular tourist towns, giving you the perfect excuse for a day trip or weekend getaway.
Memphis, TN
Drive Time : 2 hours 26 min.
Don’t Miss: Beale Street
Fayetteville/NW Arkansas
Drive Time : 2 hours 28 min.
Don’t Miss: Dickson Street Crystal Bridges Museum
Roland, OK
Drive Time : 2 hours
Don’t Miss: Cherokee Casino & Hotel Roland
Oklahoma City, OK
Drive Time : 4 hours 37 min.
Don’t Miss: Bricktown
Nashville, TN
Drive Time : 5 hours 38 min.
Don’t Miss: Live Music
Dallas, TX
Drive Time: 5 hours 3 min.
Don’t Miss: Professional Sports Theme Parks
New Orleans, LA
Drive Time : 7 hours 26 min.
Don’t Miss: French Quarter
One of the state’s best kept secrets is the Grandview Prairie Nature Center near Columbus in southwest Arkansas in the springtime. The center is located on nearly 5,000 acres of Blackland Prairie and includes hundreds of acres of wildflowers that bloom each spring.
“The time to go is April, May and June,” Maynard said. “It doesn’t get much visitation, but it’s a beautiful place. People are missing out.”
A state like Arkansas brings a diversity of activities from one border of the Natural State to the next, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission strives to educate and expose Arkansans to all that is available through its nature centers nestled throughout the state.
Each of the nine centers focuses on one region of Arkansas and the activities and wildlife available. As the Arkansas Game and Fish says, it’s part classroom, part museum and part playground.
“It’s a gateway introduction to the state and the outdoors,” said Eric Maynard, assistant chief of education for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “It’s a good way to get familiar with the habitat and animals in a particular area of the state, as well as outdoor activities in which you can partake.”
The nature centers stretch the length of the state, from the Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Nature Center in Columbus to the Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center in Yellville, and everything in between.
“There’s a wide range of activities,” Maynard said. “Some offer nature trails out in the woods, or sit on a lake with water activities available, and then we have one in downtown Little Rock. They range from the very small to the very big, and from urban settings to remote places.”
The nature centers also offer a series of workshops and classes to teach outdoor skills. It can range from craft activities for
kids to a bird of prey or alligator program. There are also classes taught on fishing and hunting skills, outdoor cooking and etiquette, and controlled burns.
“There are things for kids, adults and landowners,” Maynard said. “It ranges from the very basic and beginner to the advanced outdoorsman.”
The closest nature center to Conway is located 30 minutes away in downtown Little Rock at the Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center. The 16,232 square foot facility is located at 602 President Clinton Ave.
The center offers aquariums, wildlife exhibits, native gardens and more. Because of its central location and easy access to out-of-towners and tourists, it is not specific
to any region of Arkansas, but more a broad overview of the Natural State’s outdoor offerings.
“You can learn about a variety of natural environments from all across the state,” Maynard said.
There are multiple aquariums with a host of fish species, including lake-, stream- and river-habitat. Housed on nearly 4 acres in the capital city’s bustling downtown, one of the hidden features of the center is a thriving outdoor animal exhibit.
“There’s a tremendous viewing window and lounge area that allows you to see birds, squirrels, and Ground hogs,” Maynard said.
There are new attractions coming to the Central Arkansas Nature Center in the late part of 2023. Some of the older exhibits will transform into an indoor children’s play area and more interactive features.
The nature centers stretch the length of the state, from the Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Nature Center in Columbus to the Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center in Yellville, and everything in between.
With its location in the hear t of The Natural State, Conway is a great place for an outdoor adventure. Possibilities for fishing, boating, swimming, or other water spor ts are just a shor t drive away, as are hiking trails, picnic areas, and camping grounds.
Fairfield Bay
Drive Time: 45 minutes
Nestled on Greers Ferr y Lake, this community o ers swimming, fishing, golf, hiking, tennis, and more. Annual events attract visitors year-round.
Pinnacle Mountain State Park
Drive Time: 40 minutes
Minutes from Little Rock. Scenic hikes with sweeping views of central Arkansas.
Petit Jean Mountain State Park
Drive Time: 53 minutes
One of Arkansas’s premier state parks. Tons of trails, water falls, camping, and lodging options.
Little Red River
Drive Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Home to world-record brown trout, full-ser vice resor ts, and easily accessible fishing.
Mount Magazine State Park
Drive Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
The highest point in Arkansas and one of the highest in the central United States. Resor t-quality lodge, hiking trails, and climbing.
Greers Ferry Lake
Drive Time: 1 hour 8 minutes
40,000-acre lake with camping sites, cli diving, and public beaches.
Buffalo River
Drive Time: 2 hours 16 minutes
America’s first “National River.”
500-foot cli s line this 150-mile water way that sees tens of thousands of visitors each year.
Woolly Hollow State Park
Drive Time: 36 minutes
Only 12 miles nor th of Conway, this park has a 40-acre lake, campsites, and miles of hiking and mountain bike trails.
Cadron Settlement Park
Drive Time: 19 minutes
Scenic overlook of the Arkansas River Valley. Mountain bike trails, pavilions, and historic markers minutes from campus.
Mount Nebo State Park
Drive Time: 1 hour 9 minutes
A cer tified Trail of Tears National Historic Trail Site. O ers 14 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails and panoramic views of the Arkansas River from the Rim Trail.
Get the 411 on Conway’s educational institutions, hospitals, parks, and utilities and public services. For the latest on the businesses, nonprofits, houses of worship, and other organizations that make up the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, browse the online directory of member businesses at ConwayChamber.org.
Conway Public Schools
2220 Prince Street
501-450-4800
ConwaySchools.org
@ConwaySchools
District Overview: Founded: 1878
Mascot: Wampus Cat
School Colors: Blue & White
Number of Schools: 16
Pre-K through 12th Enrollment: 10,001
Conway Public Schools consists of a preschool, nine elementary schools, four middle schools, one junior high school, one high school, and a career center. The district has established a reputation for high performance. Over the last decade, six out of nine elementary schools have spent time at the top of academic rankings – from benchmark exams and stateassigned letter grades to National Blue Ribbon achievement awards.
Preschool
Sallie Cone Preschool Center
1629 South Boulevard
501-450-6693 sallieconepreschool.weebly.com
Elementary Schools (K–4th)
Carolyn Lewis 1805 Old Military Road 501-450-4835 cles.conwayschools.org
Ellen Smith 1601 South Donaghey Avenue 501-450-4815 eses.conwayschools.org
Preston and Florence Mattison 2001 Florence Mattison Drive 501-450-4820 fmes.conwayschools.org
Ida Burns 1201 Donaghey Avenue 501-450-4825 ibes.conwayschools.org
Jim Stone 4255 College Avenue 501-450-4808 jses.conwayschools.org
Julia Lee Moore 1301 Country Club Road 501-450-4830 jlmes.conwayschools.org
Marguerite Vann 2845 Carl Stuart Road 501-450-4870 mves.conwayschools.org
Theodore Jones 1800 Freyaldenhoven Lane 501-450-6645 tjes.conwayschools.org
Woodrow Cummins
1400 Padgett Road 501-513-4417 wces.conwayschools.org
Middle Schools (5th–7th)
Bob and Betty Courtway 1200 Bob Courtway Drive 501-450-4832 bc.conwayschools.org
Carl Stuart 2745 Carl Stuart Road 501-329-2782 cs.conwayschools.org
Raymond and Phyllis Simon 1601 East Siebenmorgan 501-513-6120 si.conwayschools.org
Ruth Doyle 800 Padgett Road 501-450-6675 rdi.conwayschools.org
Conway Junior High (8th–9th)
1815 Prince Street 501-450-4860
cjhs.conwayschools.org
Conway High School (10th–12th)
2300 Prince Street 501-450-4880 chs.conwayschools.org
Conway Area Career Center
2300 Prince Street 501-450-4888 cacc.conwayschools.org
The Conway Area Career Center fosters learning through career and technical education. Programs of study include architectural drafting and design, cosmetology, culinary arts, photography, and welding, among others. The Career Center is located on the Conway High School campus but serves students attending high schools throughout Faulkner, Van Buren, Cleburne, Perry, and White counties.
St. Joseph Catholic School
502 Front Street
501-329-5741
StJosephConway.org
@SJSBulldogs
District Overview:
Founded: 1879
Mascot: Bulldog
School Colors: Purple & Gold
Grades: Pre-K through 12th grade
Pre-K through 12th Enrollment: 484
St. Joseph School has provided quality, Catholic education to students in Conway since 1879. Its ultimate goal is to integrate faith and learning in order to develop the whole person: soul, mind, and body. St. Joseph Catholic School is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association and is under the direction of the Diocese of Little Rock.
Conway Christian School
500 East German Lane
501-336-9067
ConwayChristianSchool.org
@ConwayChristian
District Overview:
Founded: 1992
Mascot: Eagles
School Colors: Blue, White & Red
Grades: Pre-K through 12th grade
Pre-K through 12th Enrollment: 534
Conway Christian School, established in 1992, provides a comprehensive educational program for students. The interdenominational, college preparatory school strives to provide an environment where students can grow spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.
Conway Christian School is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association and the Association of Christian Schools International.
Conway is the proud home of three institutions of higher learning, earning the distinction as the “City of Colleges.” Central Baptist College, Hendrix College, and the University of Central Arkansas consistently produce graduates who stay in the area and enter the workforce. This is part of the reason Conway surpasses the state and national averages when it comes to the educational attainment rate – more than one-third of Conway’s adults age 25 or older have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Central Baptist College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college owned and operated by the Baptist Missionary Association of Arkansas.
1501 College Avenue
501-329-6872
CBC.edu
@CentBaptCollege
Founded: 1952 (predecessor
Central College founded in 1893)
Mascot: Mustang
School Colors: Blue & Gray
Enrollment: 607 (2021)
Degrees Offered: 41 bachelor’s degrees, 5 associate degrees, 24 minors, 25 pre-professional programs
Hendrix College is a four-year, private college of liberal arts affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
1600 Washington Avenue
501-329-6811
Hendrix.edu
@HendrixCollege
Founded: 1876
(moved to Conway in 1890)
Mascot: Warrior
School Colors: Orange & Black
Enrollment: 1,076
Degrees Offered: 31 undergraduate majors, 33 minors, 15 preprofessional programs
University of Central Arkansas
University of Central Arkansas is a four-year, state-run institution granting bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, and doctoral degrees.
201 Donaghey Avenue
501-450-5000
UCA.edu
@UCABears
Founded: 1907
Mascot: Bear
School Colors: Purple and Gray
Enrollment: 9,913
Degrees Offered: 89 undergraduate degrees, 34 master’s degrees, 11 post-master’s certificates, 11 graduate certificates, 7 doctoral degrees, 3 associate degrees, 2 certificates of proficiency, 2 technical certificates, 2 specialist programs
1555 Exchange Avenue
501-585-2000
baptisthealthconway.com
As the largest, not-for-profit health care organization in the state, Baptist Health has delivered quality health care to Arkansans for more than 90 years. Its ninth and newest hospital location, Baptist Health–Conway, is a faith-based, state-of-the-art facility offering an integrated healing environment for the care and comfort of patients and families.
Located on the west side of Interstate 40, the 260,000-squarefoot facility features 111 beds and eight operating rooms. Baptist Health–Conway offers a full spectrum of comprehensive services, including inpatient and outpatient surgical care, orthopedic care, heart services, women’s health, and MRI and CAT scan services.
Since it opened in Conway in September 2016, Baptist Health has worked with various educational institutions and nonprofits to promote health and wellness in Faulkner County and the surrounding communities.
2255 Strugis Road
866-868-2716
conwaybh.com
Conway Behavioral Health Hospital
treats adults and adolescents with a variety of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and co-occurring addiction. The 80-bed, 65,000-square-foot mental health treatment center provides acute inpatient care in a secure setting for adults and adolescents.
Conway Behavioral Health is part of the Acadia network, a provider of inpatient behavioral health care services. Acadia operates a network of 593 behavioral health care facilities with approximately 18,100 beds in 40 states, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico. Acadia provides behavioral health and addiction services to its patients in a variety of settings, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals, specialty treatment facilities, residential treatment centers, and outpatient clinics.
2302 College Avenue
800-245-3314
conwayregional.org
Conway Regional Health System provides inpatient and outpatient health care services to Faulkner County and the surrounding area. As a not-for-profit health system, Conway Regional is committed to reinvesting in health care services that benefit the communities it serves.
The health system works with numerous philanthropic organizations throughout the community to provide programs that benefit people of all ages and income levels. Conway Regional also offers support programs to help families and patients through difficult situations, such as cancer treatment, diabetes management, and the tragic loss of an infant.
In addition to its 150-bed, acute care medical center, Conway Regional Health System features an all-digital outpatient imaging center, an outpatient surgery center, a freestanding rehabilitation hospital, several primary care clinics, and one of the largest hospital-owned fitness centers in the nation.
AT&T Arkansas
101 N. 13th, Room 316 (Fort Smith) 479-785-6610 att.com
AT&T offers wireless, internet, and TV services in Conway and the surrounding area.
Conway Corporation
650 Locust Street
501-450-6000 conwaycorp.com
Conway Corp operates the cityowned utility system and provides electric, water, wastewater, video, internet, voice and security services for the Conway community.
City of Conway Department of Sanitation
4550 Highway 64 West 501-450-6155 conwaysanitation.org
The City of Conway’s Department of Sanitation provides trash pickup, yard-waste collection, and free recycling service to Conway homes and businesses
Summit Utilities 817 North Creek Drive 800-992-7552 summitutilities.com
Summit Utilities provides natural gas services to residential and business customers in Conway.
Entergy Arkansas
112 Oak Street
800-368-37492
entergy-arkansas.com
Entergy Arkansas provides electricity to residences outside of Conway’s city limits.
Arkansas 811 811 or 800-482-8998 arkonecall.com
Arkansas 811 is the statewide “call before you dig” center. It allows excavators of all types to notify multiple utilities of their intent to excavate with a single phone call or online submission.
