Tourism / Heritage

Inaugural Fort Smith food truck festival set for June 22

Fort Smith foodies will be in for a treat during the inaugural Fort Smith Food Truck Festival on June 22. The event is presented by the Fort Smith Downtown Business…

Renovated Beech Grove Park opened in Forrest City

The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, the city of Forrest City and the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas collaborated to renovate Beech Grove Park in Forrest City. Local residents,…

A-State Museum documenting Jonesboro Black business history

Leroy Johnson’s great-grandfather was 6 or 7 years old when he was bought as a slave and brought to Craighead County. Eventually he was freed and he engaged in a…

Graveler more of ‘an experience,’ could be big for tourism

Arkansas has 69,000 miles of unpaved roads, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture, and there are also many more miles of unpaved roads that crisscross national forest lands. They…

Pope County Quorum Court votes against support letter for Gulfside Casino

The Pope County Quorum Court on Thursday (June 6) voted against a letter of support for a $405 million casino plan presented by the Gulfside Casino Partnership. The rejection adds…

Cherokee Nation submits casino license application for Pope County operation

Cherokee Nation Entertainment (CNE) on Wednesday (June 5) submitted an application to the Arkansas Racing Commission for the Pope County casino gaming license, along with plans for its project —…

Fort Smith film fest receives record number of entrants for 2024 event

The Fort Smith International Film Festival has received a record 541 submissions for this year’s event, well above the high of 452 films for the 2023 event. Festival submissions come…

KLEK to host 7th annual Juneteenth celebration in Jonesboro

Several years ago KLEK co-founder LaGanzie Kale and others with the organization had a decision to make. The founder of the Juneteenth celebration in Jonesboro passed away, and now they would have to take…

Gulfside makes new Pope County casino pitch

The Gulfside Casino Partnership is hoping its broad $405 million plan for a Pope County casino will be enough to get a resolution of support from the county’s Quorum Court….

ABB donates $100,000 to Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club for STEAM Lab

ABB, which operates a manufacturing facility in Fort Smith, is donating $100,000 to support work on a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Lab at the Fort Smith Boys…

Arkansas AG Griffin joins DOJ in lawsuit against Ticketmaster/Live Nation

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin crossed political lines Thursday (May 23) to join the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and 29 other states in filing an antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster…

Legal moves underway to refund certain sales taxes collected by Parrot Island Waterpark

The Fort Smith Board of Directors agreed Tuesday (May 21) to table a resolution that would be the first step in reimbursing customers who erroneously were charged sales tax on…

Arkansas Tourism Ticker: 2% tourism tax up, other data moderates

Arkansas’ 2% tourism tax revenue between January and February was $3.4 million, up 8.7% compared with $3.129 million in the same period of 2023. Revenue in each of the first…

Crystal Bridges and the Momentary announce new COO

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its contemporary art and performance venue, the Momentary, in Bentonville, have promoted Lela Davidson to chief operating officer. According to a news release…

Fort Smith Parks and Rec commission discusses priority projects

The Fort Smith Parks and Recreation Commission discussed a $46 million wishlist of projects for the next five years during at Tuesday (May 14) study session with the Fort Smith…

Group forms to oppose effort to block Pope County casino license

Investing in Arkansas has formed to oppose a possible constitutional amendment to repeal a controversial Pope County casino license. The latest move is part of ongoing legal actions by the…

January-April traffic at the Fort Smith airport up 7.6%

The traffic trend continues to be positive at the Fort Smith Regional Airport in early 2024 after a disappointing 2023. Airport enplanements through April total 18,745, up 7.6% compared with…

Bass Reeves Legacy Loop part of Fort Smith mobility strategy

Fort Smith’s mobility master plan is looking to create nine miles of new greenways, rehabilitate alleyways and improve B Street mobility. The city also is pursuing a $25 million grant…

Division of Arkansas Heritage announces 2024 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame finalists

The finalists have been announced for the 2024 Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. Launched in 2016 by the Division of Arkansas Heritage, the program celebrates Arkansas’ unique culinary heritage by…

Cherokee Freedmen touring exhibit opens at the U.S. Marshals Museum

The U.S. Marshals Museum is the third location for a touring exhibit created by the Cherokee Nation that focuses on the tribe’s “painful moments” with slavery, especially with the Cherokee…

GDP up 4.3% in the third quarter, consumer confidence declines

St. Bernards to expand Maternal Life360 HOME program into Greene County

Then and Now: Cooperative business model a good fit for Mitchell Johnson

Dope Medicinal Wellness opens Fayetteville clinic