Discover El Dorado

April 26, 2022 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

This South Arkansas city is home to a bustling downtown and a year-round calendar of events | A Special At Home in Arkansas Promotion

The Black Cat Café’s varied (and cheeky) menu offers everything from “Cat’s Meow Burgers” to “Fat Cat Steaks.”

Main Street El Dorado was founded in 1988 with the mission to improve the downtown through historic preservation, economic development, and event promotion. Its executive director, Beth Brumley, is an Arkadelphia native who moved to El Dorado right out of college. “There were great opportunities here, and I just fell in love with the town,” she says. Beth was first involved with the organization as a volunteer—with a full-time staff of only two, that is the role most who are affiliated with Main Street El Dorado take. “Everything we do is volunteer-based. It’s all people who are vested in their community and enjoy giving back,” she says. The nonprofits’ biggest festival of the year, MusicFest—which takes place October 7-8 this year and includes a lineup packed with live music and family fun—requires 300-400 such volunteers, Beth adds….

A Place For Play

April 22, 2022 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

AC Designs teams up with Spradlin Homes to create a family’s dream backyard

For years the children of these Little Rock homeowners had wished for a pool they could visit any time of day. “When the pandemic began, we thought, Who knows how long we are going to be here? Maybe this is the time,” one of the owners recalls. Throughout their 16 years in the house, they had spent time updating numerous other areas and were ready to transform their underdeveloped backyard into a destination….

Discover Eureka Springs & the Ozarks

April 4, 2022 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Travelers from near and far find respite in the state’s northern mountains | A Special At Home in Arkansas Promotion

Photos courtesy of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism

Arkansas is the sort of place you can live your whole life and still find surprises; at least, that’s how Prairie Grove resident Brenda Black felt when she started spending time in the Ozarks. As the owners of Westwood Gardens, she and her husband, Russell, found themselves invited to a secluded property in Newton County by a customer who soon became a dear friend. “He bought a large load of trees and wanted us to deliver them. When we finally got to the property and saw the view, we said, Oh my gosh, this is incredible,” Brenda says. Perched on a ledge overlooking the Little Buffalo River, the home is aptly named Star’s Edge. Years later, when their friend was ready to put the mountain home on the market, Brenda and Russell jumped at the chance to call this retreat their getaway….

Southern Gems

April 4, 2022 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Whether styling a casual look or a night out, pearls never go out of style

Baroque freshwater pearl necklace and 18K yellow gold, sea pearl, and aquamarine faceted earrings. Sissy’s Log Cabin, Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Jonesboro, Memphis, and Conway, sissyslogcabin.com…

Discover Fort Smith

March 2, 2022 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

An urban art initiative seven years in the making brings global renown and local interest to an ‘unexpected’ Arkansas city

Much has been said about Fort Smith’s The Unexpected since its inception in 2015. The public arts project has received international praise, local criticism, and everything in between—and that’s the point, according to director Claire Kolberg. “From our perspective, if you’re talking about art in a way you weren’t before, that’s a good thing,” she says….

Flower Power

March 1, 2022 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Alchemy Atelier has the process of preserving florals down to a fine art

With a background spanning dance, photography, textiles, and floral design, Alecia Walls-Barton is the quintessential renaissance woman. Her recent passion is visual art made from dehydrated flowers, a creative outlet she explores under the name Alchemy Atelier. “Alchemy is a term that refers to early chemistry. I like that word because it has a scientific feel but also a magical, mystical quality,” she says, likening this work to her experience in the photography darkroom. “I’ve always been drawn to historical techniques, and I find myself happiest when working through that slow, methodical process.”…

Deck Your Doors

November 29, 2021 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Pinecone Primer: 3 ways to make a merry entrance using a winter woodland staple

SOUTHERN CHARM

“This is such a charming exterior so I really wanted to play on that with the magnolia,” says Christina Gore of Christina Gore Design Studio. Her clients Elizabeth and Scott Poynter have a huge magnolia tree on their property, providing tons of fresh clippings. Christina wired these into a faux base and used pinecones to add a contrasting texturing along the garland, which ends with giant-sized gold jingle bells. “Even as an adult everyone wants to have a little bit of the magic of the season, and these bells do just that,” the designer says….

Discover Benton & Bryant

November 29, 2021 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

Head to Saline County to embrace traditions new and old | A Special At Home in Arkansas Promotion

For a primer on the history of Saline County, look no further than “The Benton Mural” on the side of the Bell Building in downtown Benton. Completed by artists Dianne Roberts and Mark Davey, the 35-foot-tall piece starts in 1541 with the Caddo tribe’s first encounter with European explorers and ends in the early 20th century with the creation of the city’s Niloak pottery, made famous for its creator’s unique use of local kaolin clay….

Discover Bentonville & Rogers

November 2, 2021 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

An ever-expanding cultural scene draws people from near and far to the Northwest corner of the state | A Special At Home in Arkansas Promotion

New York designer and Arkansas native Ryan Lawson led the design of a remodeled bank to serve as home to retail space BRIKA.

In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau put out a list of the 15 fastest-growing cities—and it’s no surprise that Bentonville ranked high, coming in fifth thanks to a 7.4 percent increase in population a year prior. While the city has been home to Walmart’s headquarters for decades and a popular outdoors destination even longer, Bentonville’s growth became arguably exponential with the establishment of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (crystalbridges.org) in 2011. In April, a 100,000-square-foot expansion was announced that will grow the facility by 50 percent and increase space for galleries, educational programs, and events; how’s that for a 10-year anniversary present?…

Sweet Somethings

November 2, 2021 by Stephanie Maxwell Newton

One Bowl, Big Taste: Baker Kelli Marks’s first cookbook promises to delight your palate, one bowl of ingredients at a time

In Little Rock, the name Kelli Marks is synonymous with sweets. That’s why it’s hard to believe a love of baking was something Kelli didn’t discover until her 20s, when she provided the cake for her grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. “I’d never done a ton of baking, but I thought it’d be so fun if their granddaughter made the cake for the party,” Kelli recalls. “This being 2001, I had to buy a book and sit down and teach myself how to do it.” By the time the party rolled around, she presented the couple with a four-tier vanilla cake—and she was hooked….

Discover El Dorado

A Place For Play

Discover Eureka Springs & the Ozarks

Southern Gems

Discover Fort Smith

Flower Power

Deck Your Doors

SOUTHERN CHARM

Discover Benton & Bryant

Discover Bentonville & Rogers

Sweet Somethings

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