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Events

Weekend Roundup

There’s a lot of Halloween-themed fun to be had this weekend in Northwest Arkansas. Here are a few ideas to get the good times rolling…

• 👩‍🍳 Compliments to the Chef: Local chefs will compete for the title of Top Chef NWA on Friday, Oct 27, during the Rogers Public Library Foundation’s annual fundraiser, featuring an evening of gourmet cuisine, craft cocktails, and decadent desserts.

• 🍬 Coppin Some Candy: The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is hosting its annual Costumes, Candy, and Cops Carnival at the Benton County Fairgrounds this Friday, Oct 27, from 6-8p.

• 🎃 Zing! The Amazeum will host its annual HallowZing event this Friday, Oct 27, at 6p, featuring a night for children with special needs, their siblings, and grown-ups to have the Amazeum to themselves!

• 👻 Ghosts in the Graveyard: Join an immersive storytelling experience at Bentonville’s historic cemetery, learning the history of Bentonville’s past residents this Saturday, Oct 28, from 5:30-7:30p.  

• 👟 Spooky Steps: Join the Down Syndrome Connection of NWA for the 2023 Step Up for Down Syndrome Spooktacular, hosted at the Jones Center on Oct 28 from 1-4p.

• 🎲 Let’s Roll: The 14th Annual Fresh Start event will be held at the 21c Museum Hotel on Oct 28, including a night of music, food, and casino games to raise funds for the NWA Women’s Shelter.

• 🧟 The Dead Walk: Eureka Springs will be crawling with the walking dead during the Eureka Springs Zombie Crawl parade on Saturday, Oct 28, at 6p.

• 🎸 Let's Jam, Fam! A harvest performance you won’t soon forget, FamJam returns to The Jones Center on Oct 28, including themed activities for kids and adults and a Halloween Harvest concert by singer/songwriter Shannon Wurst.

• 🥜 Nut Free: Fayetteville Public Library’s annual Be(A)ware Allergy-Friendly Halloween Extravaganza will include allergy-friendly trick-or-treat stations around the library, games and bounce houses, and more on Saturday, Oct 28, from 10a to noon.

• 🙀 Cool Cat-stume: Join Best Friends Animal Society for a Howloween / Meowloween celebration at Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Bentonville, including pet portraits, scavenger hunts, and more this Saturday, Oct 28, from 10a-4p.

• 🎃 Pumpkin Drop: Celebrate Halloween with a free, family-friendly afternoon in Downtown Springdale, including candy giveaways, carnival games, a costume contest, and more at Shiloh Square and Turnbow Park on Saturday, Oct 28, from 3-6p.

• 🧝‍♂️ They’re Taking the Hobbits to West Fork! Shire Post Mint is hosting its second annual Shire Fest at its headquarters in West Fork this Saturday, Oct 28, from 11a-5p, including local vendors, food trucks, live music, games, a costume contest, and more!

• 🧑‍🌾 Farewell Farmers: Bentonville will host its Final Farmers Market of the 2023 season on Saturday, Oct 28, with the theme: Trick or Treat! So throw on your costumes and trick or treat at all the vendors’ stands as the Farmers Market season ends! 

• 🍺 Brews and Boos: Ozark Beer Company will host its thrilling House of 1000 Brews: Halloween Party, including themed drink specials, a craft market, flash tattoos, and more on Oct 28 from 4-8p!

• 🪙 Little Entrepreneurs: Kids with an entrepreneurial spirit are invited to sell their homemade crafts, drawings, bracelets, etc, during the NWA Kids Mini Market this Sunday, Oct 29, from 12-2p at West Fork Elementary. Costumes encouraged! 

Happy Halloweekend!

Economy

NWA Council Releases State of the Region Report

The NWA Council released its 2023 State of the Region Report this week, measuring the trends of our area against six peer regions to gauge the overall economic health of NWA. Economist Mervin Jebaraj presented the report, sharing the good and not-so-good trends…

• The 👍: Northwest Arkansas continues to lead the state and outperform national averages in population growth, employment, wages, and business growth. The region also enjoys an average commute time far shorter than the national average, contributing to significantly lower office vacancies.

• The 👎: The most significant concern for NWA is the rapid increase in housing costs — something many residents are acutely aware of. In this regard, NWA ranks number one compared to our peer regions, which isn’t really a game you want to win. Initiatives like Groundwork are seeking to address the issue of affordable workforce housing.

Explore the full report HERE.

Business

Indoor Go Kart Center To Open In Rogers This Weekend

Let’s race! K1 Speed will celebrate the grand opening of its Rogers location this Saturday, Oct 28.

• Need for Speed: K1 Speed’s 20-horsepower electric adult go-karts can reach speeds of up to 45mph, and their junior karts can reach 20mph. Race your family and friends, or join a competitive league to see if you can earn the title “fastest driver in Rogers.”

• Party On: Beyond the racetrack, the entertainment center features an arcade, pool tables, air hockey, and a restaurant, making it a great place to host birthdays, bachelor/ette parties, company parties, and more. 

Learn more about the Rogers location HERE.

Music

The Momentary Releases Initial Lineup For FreshGrass 2024

The Momentary recently announced the first look at the 2024 lineup for FreshGrass | Bentonville, a two-day music festival featuring some of the best artists in the modern bluegrass and roots genre.

• Setting Down Roots: Returning to the Momentary for its fourth year, FreshGrass is set for May 17-18. Beyond the music, the family-friendly festival will offer activities, local food and drink, local vendors, food and beverages, and more.

• Best of Bluegrass: The initial lineup is already filled with knockout talent, including Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Trampled by Turtles, Aoife O'Donovan, Alison Brown, Ruthie Foster, S.G. Goodman, Arkansauce, and more to be announced in the coming months.

Read more about the upcoming festival HERE.

Employment

Cool Jobs In NWA

Looking for a job? Find opportunities in the Retail, Health, Education, Arts, and more listed on our Jobs Board.

Looking to hire? Post open jobs HERE.

NWA Daily Picks

In other news

• 🏆 Best of the Best: Nominations are now open for Best of NWA, hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Go vote for your favorite local businesses, eating establishments, schools, shops, events, and more!

• 🍦 Shake Ya Later: Just a couple of days remain to enjoy Susie Q Malt Shop in Rogers before they shut things down for the season! So get your burger and shake fix by this Saturday, Oct 28. If you don’t, you’ll have to wait until spring.

• 🍁 Windows Down: This weekend is supposed to be the peak weekend for fall colors around the Ozarks! Take a trip down one of these Six Scenic Drives for Arkansas’s Best Fall Foliage.

• 👩‍🎤 It’s Not A Phase: Art One Presents recently announced Teen Dad will take the stage at Mount Sequoyah from Nov 2-5. Written by Adrienne Dawes, the show is filled with wit and humanity as a self-proclaimed emo-goth teenager brings her mother and birth father together for a surprise reunion.

• 📅 Ditch the FOMO: Post your upcoming events on our Events Page, and stay in the know about upcoming events mentioned in the newsletter.

• 🥳 Join the Club: Our NWA Daily Fan Club keeps this thing going. In return for being awesome, they get access to exclusive giveaways — ranging from gift cards and concert tickets to bikes and kayaks!

• 🚀 Take Off: Share your message with our growing community of 35,000+ readers. We have several advertising opportunities to help you share your story with Northwest Arkansas.