Arkansas Times | June 2023

STERLING MARKET SHINES | THE PHOENIX DEBACLE | A BANNED BOOK READING LIST

ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023

JOSHUA ASANTE ON RECORDING AND REPENTANCE

BY DANIEL GREAR

ROAD TRIP: AIR-CONDITIONED ADVENTURES TO MONASTERIES, MUSEUMS AND MARIJUANA GETAWAYS

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JUNE 2023

FEATURES 27 ROAD TRIP

Unsung museums, hidden hikes and history tours.

28 TAKE A HIKE

Big Creek Cave Falls is a waterfall worth chasing.

By Mary Hennigan

30 EUREKA MOMENT

Getting high in the state's cutest mountain town.

By Stephanie Smittle

AUSTIN BAILEY

34 MONK LIFE

Staying at the Subiaco Monastery's guest house.

By Griffin Coop

36 PINNACLES PLUS

The effort to connect the Maumelle Pinnacles.

By Lindsey Millar

38 HEMINGWAY HOUSE

Architecture and Southern-fried tales of family dysfunction in Piggott. By Austin Bailey

BURN RUBBER: Road trip ideas for beating the Arkansas heat.

9 THE FRONT

From the Farm: Seed provenances are not an exact science.

Q&A: With longtime state Parliamentarian Buddy Johnson.

Big Pic: Mascots of Arkansas.

By Daniel Grear

44 UNSUNG MUSEUMS

23 NEWS

What's coming at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, the Momentary and more.

Gangsters, alligators, brothels and balls. By Mary Hennigan

46 STAYING PUT

A history-fueled staycation.

A banned book summer reading list.

By Ali Noland

64 CULTURE

Joshua Asante's origin story.

17 THE TO-DO LIST

Juneteenth at Mosaic Templars, Lynn Nottage's "Clyde's" at The Rep, Pallbearer at Mutants of the Monster Festival, an experimental documentary at the Arkansas Times Film Series and more.

40 MUSEUMS OR BUST

58 SAVVY KIDS

The UA system flirted with buying a major online university. It flopped.

By Daniel Grear

68 FOOD & DRINK

How Fidel Samour turned an old paint factory into a buzzy food hall.

By Rhett Brinkley

74 THE OBSERVER

Desperate measures.

By Debra Hale-Shelton

By Ashley Clayborn

ON THE COVER: Joshua Asante by Joshua Asante.

4 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

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SENIOR EDITOR Max Brantley EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Austin Bailey MANAGING EDITOR Stephanie Smittle ASSOCIATE EDITOR Rhett Brinkley CANNABIZ EDITOR Griffin Coop ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Daniel Grear REPORTER Mary Hennigan REPORTER Debra Hale-Shelton CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Mara Leveritt PHOTOGRAPHER Brian Chilson DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY Jordan Little DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Wythe Walker ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Mike Spain GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sarah Holderfield DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Phyllis A. Britton ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Lee Major, Terrell Jacob, Kaitlyn Looney and Evan Ethridge ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER Roland R. Gladden SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS PUBLISHER Brooke Wallace IT DIRECTOR Robert Curfman CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jackson Gladden CONTROLLER Weldon Wilson BILLING/COLLECTIONS Charlotte Key PRODUCTION MANAGER Ira Hocut (1954-2009)

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6 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

VOLUME 49, ISSUE 10 ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each month

by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, Suite 200, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, 201 EAST MRKHAM STREET, SUITE 200, Little Rock, AR, 72201. Subscription prices are $60 for one year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985. Current single-copy price is $5, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $5.00 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials.

All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended

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THE FRONT FROM THE FARM

LIKE TOMATO FUTURES, CAN BE MURKY.

BY ALAN LEVERITT Arkansas Times publisher Alan Leveritt has lived on his great-grandparents’ farm in North Pulaski County for 40 years. This is the latest in a series of columns about day-to-day life on the land where he raises heirloom tomatoes and other crops for local restaurants and the Hillcrest Farmers Market.

S

ome years, my crops are like the Chicago Cubs. Everything starts out so promising and then they break your heart. There was the year that our free range momma turkey and her two grown chicks destroyed nearly a thousand big green heirloom tomatoes with a single peck per fruit. They went up and down the rows until I was able to catch two of them and shoot the other. I found that shooting turkeys is like firing a bad employee; you should have done it months before you finally found the guts to pull the trigger.

For years I have planted heirloom tomatoes in my three hoop houses on March 15, a full five weeks before I can safely plant them outside. The USDA subsidizes the cost of these hoop houses as a way to help small farmers extend their season in early spring and late fall. The results have been amazing until last year when bacterial wilt killed all 475 heirlooms in all three houses within two weeks. They were grafted to an RST104 rootstock that supposedly was resistant to the disease but offered zero protection.

Thanks to my unwillingness to rotate my heirlooms with a less lucrative crop, I can’t plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes and some cucurbits like cantaloupes there for five years. Now the two 40-foot houses are planted with Moon and Stars watermelons (a delicious Missouri heirloom), Kentucky Wonder pole beans and Nickel French filet

ALAN LEVERITT

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CREOLO TOMATO SEED PROVENANCES,

'HEIRLOOM' MYSTERY: Behold the "creolo," a golden heirloom procured in Mexico City.

beans, a favorite of Chef Peter Brave at Brave New Restaurant in Little Rock.

But the real excitement is in my 96foot hoop house, which I spent the winter converting into a hydroponic facility with 285 heirloom tomatoes in buckets of pearlite nourished by a web of hoses feeding them an organic fertilizer blend augmented by calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate. These are the healthiest, most beautiful tomatoes I have ever grown, with thick green stems, flowers everywhere and green tomatoes hanging from the vine. The vines are now growing a foot a week and if the literature is correct, many will be 8 feet tall or more by the time you read this. I’m generally a “glass is half empty” kind of farmer and — with good reason — am always expecting the worst. But I have never seen such healthy vines with so many heirloom tomatoes. Though it’s still too early to pronounce on the results of this year’s overall crop, the hydroponic experiment has been a resounding success so far. While stem rot with cold wet weather has killed probably 300 out of a thousand outdoor heirloom tomatoes, I have lost just one in the hoop house. I planted them March 20 under the plastic and, after six weeks, the plants are huge, full of green fruit. These tomatoes are heirlooms such as Carbon, Goldie, Cherokee Purple and the cherry hybrid Sun Gold that I have grown for decades in the fields. But the variety I am watching with the most interest is the Creolos, a golden heirloom with red marbling that I discovered last December at the Mercado San Juan in Mexico City. I asked the vendor in Spanish its name.

“Heirloom,’ she said.

“No, what kind of heirloom?”

“Creolo,” she said.

We took our tomato back to the room and scooped out the seeds onto toilet paper. The tomato had a delicious, strong tomato flavor, but according to Google, there is no such thing as a Creolo tomato. A Creole tomato is a marketing term for any red tomato from south Louisiana and that is definitely not what I have.

Heck, I’ve no idea what I have.

Two other varieties I am trialing this year are Large Red, a pre-Civil War variety from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and Caspian Pink. Large Red first appeared in the 1843 Shaker seed catalog. “From the time of the introduction of the tomato to its general use in this country, the Large Red was almost the only kind cultivated, or even commonly known, according to Fearing Burr, an agricultural writer in 1865. It is heavily ribbed and its flavor is described as sweet and complex.” I’m a sucker for a good story, and I have also found that a good story is worth about a dollar extra per pound in the market.

I was unaware of Caspian Pinks until “Tomatoman,” a Times reader from Florida, sent me seeds he had saved. It is a Russian heirloom that originated between the Caspian and Black seas and immigrated here in the mid-1990s after the Cold War. It competes for the “best tasting tomato” title, having once beat out Brandywine in a big California taste test. A lot of Russian tomatoes prefer cooler weather and are not well adapted to the steam room that is Arkansas in summer. But if Tomatoman can grow them in Florida, maybe they’ll work in North Pulaski County as well.

ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 9

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NEW NEWSROOM LEADERS: (From left) Benji Hardy, Austin Bailey and Stephanie Smittle.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

ustin Bailey, formerly editorial director of the Arkansas Times, has been promoted to editor-in-chief, replacing Lindsey Millar, 43, who has been editor of the Times since 2011. Bailey is the first woman to lead the newsroom in the publication’s nearly 50-year history.

Millar will continue as a contributing editor, but is leaving to pursue a career in woodworking.

Bailey, 47, joined the Times in 2021. Previously she was editor of World Ark, Heifer International’s magazine, and a reporter at the Arkansas DemocratGazette, the Pocono Record in Pennsylvania and the Rocky Mount Telegram in North Carolina. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and a native of Asheville, North Carolina.

Stephanie Smittle, previously managing editor, has been promoted to editorial director, and will be the monthly magazine’s top editor, while Bailey devotes much of her focus to arktimes.com. Smittle, 42, joined the Times in 2016 as the entertainment editor. She’s a native of Cave Springs and a graduate of Hendrix College.

Benji Hardy will replace Smittle as managing editor. Previously an associate editor at the Arkansas Times, where his child welfare and health care reporting received national accolades, Hardy has also worked for ProPublica and served as editor for the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network. Hardy, 38, is a native of Ozark and a graduate of Hendrix College.

The Arkansas Times will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024.

AUG. 5-6 · ARKANSAS PBS STUDIOS

What’s in your attic?

Get ready for “Arkansas Treasures,” a new program showcasing the wonderful, weird and wild collectibles and antiques to be found throughout Arkansas.

This is your chance to meet with a professional evaluator and find out just how valuable your treasures may be!

What can I bring?

TREASURES INCLUDING...

ARTWORK ANTIQUE FIREARMS BOOKS/HISTORIC DOCUMENTS

We’re inviting supporters from across the state to bring their unique, antique and collectible treasures to a two-day taping at the Arkansas PBS studios in Conway Aug. 5-6.

Whether you collect Pokémon or Picassos, our team of highly experienced evaluators will be on site to hear your stories, share their expertise and provide an evaluation (for entertainment purposes) of your prized possessions.

Never miss an update.

Scan to sign up.

JEWELRY TOYS/GAMES CIVIL WAR MEMORABILIA MINERALOGY/GEMSTONES AGRICULTURAL COLLECTIBLES

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Registration is required to attend the event. Due to occupancy restrictions, walk-ins cannot be accommodated.

REGISTRATION ($120): Admission for two people and evaluation of up to two items (in total, not per person).

Your $120 registration guarantees your spot for a professional evaluation and includes a oneyear membership to Arkansas PBS, including access to Passport, where you can stream thousands of hours of entertainment.

For more info, visit myarpbs.org/arkansastreasures

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THE FRONT Q&A

BYE-BYE, BUDDY

A Q&A WITH OUTGOING STATE PARLIAMENTARIAN FINOS BUFORD ‘BUDDY’ JOHNSON JR.

What’s the story behind your name?

That’s my dad’s name. I don’t know all the details behind it.

He was the last-born son in his family and finos or fin is Latin for end. I never learned what the significance of the “Buford” is.

body. We went from having a group of very experienced members to a group with very little experience.

Working through that was a challenge for me getting to know 55 new bosses and for the members figuring out how to navigate the new legislative world. But they did it well.

BRIAN CHILSON

Buddy Johnson is retiring this month after 38 years working for the state House of Representatives, including the last 11 as the parliamentarian.

After graduating from Ashdown High School and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Johnson worked as a reporter at the Benton Courier, followed by a stint in the Little Rock bureau of United Press International until the company laid off much of its staff in 1985.

Since then, Johnson has worked for 16 speakers of the House and about 640 House members, maintaining order and refereeing for the legislative rules of the game.

AGE: 66 FAVORITE MOVIES: "Blues Brothers," "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off," "Saving Private Ryan."

As parliamentarian, how important is it for you to seem politically neutral?

I would say that’s paramount.

I’ve been able to work for this institution for 38 years because of that neutrality. I think my training and work as a reporter really instilled in me that approach to work and I brought that with me to this job.

Do you value order in your personal life as you have in your professional life?

I try to — and I feel guilty when I’m not.

What’s the craziest thing to What does a parliamentarian do? happen during your time working BOOKS: "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper I advise the speaker of the House in the House?

Lee; "The Choiring of the Trees," Donald on parliamentary process and I We had an expulsion of a member.

Harington; "Shared Secrets," Elizabeth advise the members of the House We had never done that before in Findley Shores. on those points. A big part of what Arkansas. We figured it out, and I do is making sure every step in figuring it out involved talking to the legislative process is done my peers in other states. It’s not a properly and efficiently. I just common thing nationwide, but it resolve conflict. Parliamentary process is a system where a has happened. There are precedents for it. As the Arkansas deliberative body can get work done. That’s the bottom line House went down that road, [Speaker Matthew Shepherd] of it. As long as we stick to the process, we’re able to move wanted to make sure every step was done thoughtfully forward and work gets done. and fairly and properly. Ultimately, I thought the institution handled it as well as it could have been handled.

What have been the biggest changes during your time in the House?

What are your plans for retirement?

During the time I worked for the House, the biggest change My wife is a tremendous gardener and I plan to become the was term limits. When I came to work there, there were world’s best assistant gardener. I’ve squeezed gardening members who had been there for 30, 40 years. When term chores into weekends and I’m looking forward to having limits were approved in 1992 and went into effect in 1999, in some flexibility on when I can do that.

1999 we had a turnover of 55 members of the 100-member —Griffin Coop ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 13

THE FRONT

FACEBOOK.COM/ARMATHSCIARTS

DOLPHINS, DEVILS AND SAND LIZARDS ARKANSAS IS A MASCOT STATE.

BY RHETT BRINKLEY THE CYBORG DOLPHIN OF ARKANSAS SCHOOL FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCES AND THE ARTS TERMINATES THE COMPETITION Dolphins are among the smartest animals in the world, so it seems fitting that the bright young minds at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in Hot Springs chose a dolphin as their mascot in the early ’90s. In recent years when the school decided it needed a mascot costume, the Cyborg Dolphin was born, and it’s fantastic. ASMSA doesn’t have a football or a basketball team, but it’s hard to imagine the Cyborg Dolphin doesn’t give students a competitive edge at Quiz Bowls and robotics competitions.

SHOWTIME FOR THE YELLOWJACKETS If there are any fans of the hit TV show “Yellowjackets” from the no-lessthan-seven Arkansas high schools (Bay High, Clinton, Mulberry, Sheridan, Wynne, Kingston and Mountain View) whose mascot is the same predatory wasp, hopefully they can sport varsity letterman jackets as stylish as the one teen Jackie wears in the show. But who needs it when you have a mascot as cool as Buzz Stingerton of Sheridan High School?

WOMP WOMP: THE SCARIEST MASCOT RESIDES IN CONWAY AND IT CAN STAY THERE Although Panthers (14) and Tigers (18) dominate the cat mascot landscape, the Wampus Cat of Conway might reign supreme. A mythical beast with six legs, the Wampus Cat has its own Wikipedia page and is captured in bronze on the Conway High School campus. Why six legs? If school cheers are to be believed, four are for running at the speed of light, and two for fighting with all its might.

BEST IN SHOW Bulldogs are the most popular canine mascot in Arkansas, with 13 schools claiming them. But there’s only one Airedale Terrier of Alma. People with Airedale Terriers have been known to make the trip to Alma for K9 selfies in front of the Airedale Terrier statue prominently displayed in front of the Alma Arts Center.

FACEBOOK.COM/ALMAHIGHSCHOOL

Ever since the University of Arkansas student body voted in 1910 to change the school’s mascot from the cardinal after the coach said his team played like a "wild band of Razorback hogs" in a hard-fought battle against the LSU Tigers, the state of Arkansas has been synonymous with its beloved hog.

That, aside from then-Coach Hugo Bezdek, set us up for greatness. The combination of Razorback student mascots Big Red, Sue E. and Pork Chop (and our live Russian boar, Tusk VI) are some of the best in the school spirit business. But you should also know that Arkansas has a very strong yet undersung mascot game at the high school level — just as worthy of your pride.

FACEBOOK.COM/SHERIDANSD37

BIG PIC

14 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

NO PLASTIC BAGS IN YOUR CART! AN ODE TO AN ARKANSAS LEGEND At a glance the most head-scratching Arkansas mascot is the Danville Little John, but when considering the school is less than 40 miles from Petit Jean State Park and the name Little John is a nod to the legend of how Petit Jean got its name, it kind of makes sense.

The story goes that a young, diminutive French girl disguised herself as a cabin boy named Jean to make the trip to the new world with her lover. Because of her size, her shipmates nicknamed her “Petit Jean,” a loose French translation for “Little John.” She died shortly after arriving in Arkansas and is said to have been buried at the top of Petit Jean Mountain. Danville could’ve just been the Eagles or the Tigers, but instead they’re the stuff of legends. Go Little Johns!

BEST MASCOT SCANDAL We were immediately drawn to the Rogers Mountaineer logo featuring the profile of an old Mountie donning a hillbilly hat and smoking a pipe. A quick Google search turned up a headline from the 1993 Associated Press story “Students angered by cleaned-up mascot,” when school administrators removed the 40-plus-year-old mascot’s jug and pipe-smoking accessories.

There was a “save the pipe” movement at the 1993 homecoming parade that looks like it might have worked, to some degree. You can even get the pipe-smoking mountie emblazoned on your debit card if you bank with First Security.

Was your curbside recycling cart left behind and not picked up?

If so, the reason may be the cart contained one or more plastic bags – trash bags, grocery bags, shopping bags, or even plastic wrap.

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You can help get your cart picked up by following this simple rule:

SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVILS There are at least eight varieties of devil mascots in Arkansas. The Blue Devils of Shirley and West Memphis, the Red Devils of Augusta and Mountain Pine (and formerly Jacksonville, now the Titans), the Go-Devils of Gurdon, the Devil Dogs of Morrilton and Danny The Daredevil of Wonderview, of course.

No Plastic Bags of Any Kind Should Be in Your Curbside Recycling Cart.

No matter what’s in the bag.

THE YEAR OF THE DARDANELLE SAND LIZARD One unique Arkansas mascot can’t be found in Arkansas at all. Sand lizards don’t even live on the North American continent. You’ll have to go to Europe or Asia to find one. Or Dardanelle?

The sand lizard has been the school district’s mascot since its founding 100 years ago. There will be a year-long celebration of the Dardanelle Sand Lizards beginning this summer.

For more information on how to do recycling right and where you can drop off plastic bags, go to MyDoRight.com.

300 Spring Bldg., Ste. 200 Little Rock, AR 72201 501-340-8787 • RegionalRecycling.org ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 15

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MUTANTS OF THE MONSTER FESTIVAL

THURSDAY 6/1-SATURDAY 6/3. ARGENTA COMMUNITY THEATER, FOUR QUARTER BAR, REFUGE CHURCH. $100 WEEKEND PASS, VARYING COSTS FOR INDIVIDUAL SHOWS. It’s hard to keep track of everything that’s going on at Mutants of the Monster 2023. The more I dig, the more I seem to find. The most obvious draw is that the festival has convinced Little Rock doom metal luminaries Pallbearer to play their first hometown gig in over two years.

Pallbearer could shred anywhere and it’d be badass, but to make things even more interesting, their performance is at Argenta Community Theater, a delightfully odd space for extreme rock due to its formal tiered seating. Another noteworthy happening is a book panel featuring Kim Kelly — a journalist and organizer whose writing about the struggles of the working class have culminated in “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor,” a widely-lauded nonfiction text from 2022 — and Little Rock native Nate Powell — a cartoonist who illustrated the National Book Award-winning trilogy “March,” an autobiographical graphic novel about the civil rights movement written in collaboration with late U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia).

The third most alluring pull for me is a tribute show to Trusty, an influential Little Rock/ Washington, D.C., punk band from the ’90s whose beloved drummer Michael “Bircho” Birch passed away unexpectedly in 2020. If that’s not enough to get you out, take a peek at this incomplete roster of mostly heavy bands and artists that MOTM is bringing to venues across North Little Rock: YOB, Thou, Dylan Earl, Cave In, Spotlights, 16 and Stephanie Smittle. DG

ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 17

CHRISTIAN LEE HUTSON

MICHAEL DULANEY

FRIDAY 6/9. GEORGE’S MAJESTIC LOUNGE, FAYETTEVILLE. 9 P.M. $16-$20.

Try as I might, I’m almost never fully converted by live music alone. A great performance might pique my interest, but unless I follow up the experience by listening to the recorded version in private — and am still impressed — there’s little chance I’ll become a real fan. Singer-songwriter Christian Lee Hutson broke this pattern for me. In 2019, I saw him open for Better Oblivion Community Center in Dallas, and I was so enraptured by the heartbreaking efficiency of his storytelling that I forgave him for having basically released no music yet. In fact, “Keep You Down” — a devastating song about needing to stifle your partner’s greatness lest they realize they’re too good for you — made such a strong impression on me in just three minutes that I was able to replay the words and melody in my head for a whole year until I could finally hear the real thing. Lucky for you, Hutson now has two fulllength albums out in the world, both of which were produced by seminal sad girl Phoebe Bridgers, but trust me when I tell you that you should see him perform in person. His tour mate, Fenne Lilly, is also not to be missed. DG

‘4 MY CULTURE’ ARTIST SHOWCASE

If, like me, you’re new to the hip-hop scene in Arkansas, I’ve got the perfect introduction for you. The “4 My Culture” Artist Showcase, just days before Juneteenth, will assemble four of our state’s best young emcees for a rare, rap-only night at the typically much folkier and rockier White Water Tavern. Though stylistically varied, a unifying penchant for the slow and moody — a comfort with dwelling in one’s feelings — can be found in the rhymes and accompaniment of each performer. All four acts — Dq Emcee, DeeAyee, Como Sasaki (pictured) and Q.G. the BlacKnight — operate out of Central Arkansas, but the latter two are originally from Magnolia and Eudora, respectively, lending the show an important dose of Southern representation. If you’re the type of audience member who likes to do their homework in advance, check out “This Love Thing,” an excellent EP dropped by Q.G. in April. DG

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ARKANSAS TIMES

KHALIL ISHMAEL

THURSDAY 6/15. WHITE WATER TAVERN. 8 P.M. $10.

TOM HARRIS

JUNETEENTH IN DA ROCK

SATURDAY 6/18. MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER. FREE Juneteenth — which has been observed to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States since 1865 despite the astonishing fact that it was only recognized as a national holiday two years ago — is an annual occurrence so fundamental to the Black experience that it can’t truly be contained in a specific day, place or event, so be sure to be on the lookout for happenings throughout the month of June. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center’s Juneteenth in Da Rock is, though, a good place to cap things off. If you’re an early riser and have somehow come to the conclusion that running is a celebratory activity, there’s a 5K at 7 a.m. that you can pay to participate in. If you’d prefer a slower, more indulgent day, historic West Ninth Street will transform into an admission-free opportunity for eating, shopping and grooving starting at noon, with an incredible set of local Black performers on deck, including Akeem Kemp (pictured), Dazz & Brie, the Funkanites and much more. DG

ARKANSAS TIMES FILM SERIES: ‘SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM: TAKE ONE’ TUESDAY 6/20. RIVERDALE 10 CINEMA. 7 P.M.

Often put in conversation with “F for Fake,” last month’s Arkansas Times Film Series selection, William Greaves’ “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One” is another experimental documentary that defies classification. While auditioning actors in Central Park for a short fictional drama in 1968, Greaves instructed three separate film crews to capture the scene. The first was told to document the actors, the second was told to document the first film crew as they documented the actors and the third was told to document the second film crew as they documented the first film crew as they documented the actors. Unbeknownst to Greaves, the crews also recorded themselves privately discussing what on earth the director was up to, their frustrations exacerbated by the fact that Greaves was playing a blundering, problematic version of himself. All of this makes it into the final product — which is rife with disorienting split-screen editing, metacommentary and fully-indulged tangents — proving that “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One” could only be made by the kind of creative who’s able to simultaneously balance an extremely particular vision with a commitment to joyfully deviating from their initial plan. DG

‘LYSISTRATA’

FRIDAY 6/9-SUNDAY 6/25. THE WEEKEND THEATER. The tale of women from warring cities coordinating a sex-strike against their husbands until they put an end to the stupid conflict once and for all sounds like something of a modern narrative, but it’s actually the exact plot of “Lysistrata,” an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes about the Peloponnesian War, first performed in 411 B.C. I don’t know if it’s more or less encouraging to learn that our artistic forebears were imagining a world in which women had this kind of agency over 2,000 years ago despite our ever-present contemporary scramble for feminine empowerment, but I’m dying to know what The Weekend Theater will do with this story. (A play with sex-deprived factions of men and women just demands to be read through the lens of queerness.) Whether they stay faithful to the source material or veer toward something unexpected, I imagine it’ll hit hard. DG

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‘CLYDE’S’

JACOB RUTH

TUESDAY 6/6-SUNDAY 6/25.

ARKANSAS REPERTORY THEATRE.

JOAN

FRIDAY 6/16. THE HALL. 8 P.M. $20.

When I tell people that there’s an insanely popular pop act based in Little Rock, they often look at me with a tilted head. Yes, joan is approaching a million monthly listeners on Spotify, but they had the strange trajectory of rocketing to fame virtually and internationally, so it almost feels like Arkansas is still catching up with the rest of the world. Their upcoming show at The Hall is the last gig on a 20-date tour, meaning you can expect a seasoned and grateful-to-be-home performance. That said, I’m curious about how they’ll rise to the challenge of translating their sound to the stage. As a two-piece whose tunes have always been slick and punchy and whose recently released debut album, “superglue,” is even slicker and punchier, it’ll be interesting to see how they recreate (or deviate from) such a lush sonic palette when they’re separated from the limitlessness of studio production. I can’t wait to hear what they do with the sugary and wistful chorus of “simple.” I’m hoping they bring a band. DG

There’s something about a workplace comedy. It’s such a compelling formula that we’ve seen it on TV dozens of times.

Hell, we’ve even seen it at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre earlier this very season with “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” which takes place in the writer’s room for a 1950s variety show. Maybe it’s the forced closeness — the way being someone’s colleague means you’re inevitably up in their business, even if you didn’t choose to be — that makes for good entertainment. In any case, The Rep’s final production of the 2022-2023 season is another look at what happens behind the scenes among co-workers, but the setting this time is the kitchen of a truck stop diner outside of Reading, Pennsylvania. A critical piece of context driving “Clyde’s” — a new play written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage that left Broadway just last year — is that everyone who works at the titular restaurant is formerly incarcerated, including Clyde herself, the tough-as-nails proprietor, brought to life in this production by Arkansas Black Hall of Famer Phyllis Yvonne Stickney. Though the prevailing mood is humor, the fragile circumstances and lingering pasts of the characters imbue this show with an always-lurking gravity. DG

JOHN DOE FOLK TRIO

JIM HERRINGTON

TUESDAY 6/13. WHITE WATER TAVERN. 8 P.M. $30.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

I keep finding myself surprised by the persistent overlaps between punk and folk music, both in sound and ethos. Seventy-year-old John Doe is a prime example of what it means to drift between these ostensibly polar worlds. Doe entered the scene in 1977 when he co-founded the highly influential Los Angeles punk band X, whose first two albums are an undeniable part of the rock ’n’ roll canon at this point, but from the ’90s on he devoted himself to much twangier solo work, where his slightly strained vocal cords fit in surprisingly well and gave him an edge over singer-songwriters with cleaner backgrounds. That said, he never turned his back on punk — or X, who he still actively plays with and who released their first album in 27 years in 2020. If John Doe brings to White Water the same trio with whom he recorded his most recent album, “Fables in a Foreign Land,” he’ll be accompanied by bassist Kevin Smith (who’s toured extensively with Willie Nelson) and drummer Conrad Choucron (known for his work with Patty Griffin and NRBQ). DG

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BRIAN CHILSON

GET YOUR SPOT CHECK!

LITTLE ROCK MIDTOWN

CANNABIS WELLNESS EXPO

SATURDAY 6/24. SIMMONS BANK ARENA. 10 A.M.-4:20 P.M. $10.

Get your marijuana questions ready, because the Cannabis and Wellness Expo is just around the corner, hosted by the Arkansas Times and the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association. Sponsored by Good Day Farm, the event takes place at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24. Admission does not require a medical marijuana card. Each day, the expo floor will be lined with booths from many of the state’s marijuana and hemp businesses, and programming will cover a range of topics: new products, innovations and collaborations in the Arkansas cannabis market; the entourage effect; cooking with cannabis; methods of cannabis use; women in cannabis; terpenes; eligibility for obtaining a medical marijuana card; and the benefits of cannabis. Participants can expect cooking lessons with CBD flower, giveaways, drawings and swag bags. Dr. Brian Nichol of Interventional Pain Consultants and Dr. Thomas Tvedten of The Healing Clinic will offer on-site patient certifications for medical marijuana cards. Friday’s programming will be focused on the state’s cannabis industry and those wanting to break into the business. Speakers will include representatives from Good Day Farm cultivation and dispensaries, David Potter with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, Erika Gee with Wright Lindsey Jennings, Scott Hardin with the Department of Finance and Administration, Dr. Cathie Heigel and David Harris of AA Analytics. Other participants on Friday include Liberty Defense Group, Shake Extractions, Natural State Medicinals, Stilwell Insurance, River Valley Relief, WANA, Dark Horse Medicinals, Smokees, The Clear, Brown & Brown Insurance, Matchstick Studio, Greenlight Dispensary, Chef Pete The Cannachef, Vibe Papers and more. On Saturday, the focus shifts to medical marijuana patients.

Sponsored by Custom Cannabis Dispensary in Alexander, participants, panelists and speakers include Good Day Farm dispensaries, Berner's by Good Day Farm, Custom Cannabis, Buffalo Co., Healing Hemp of Arkansas, Harvest Cannabis, Osage Creek Dispensary, ReLeaf Center Dispensary and Farm, The Source, Enlightened dispensaries, Ouachita Farms, CBD and Me, WANA, Now and Zen Massage Therapy, Hypnos VR, Flyway Brewing, Arkansas Cannamoms, Intervention Pain Consultants, The Healing Clinic, Nichol, Tvedten and more.

After the expo concludes, join us for a party at Four Quarter Bar in the nearby Argenta Arts District, sponsored by Four Quarter Bar and Flyway Brewing. GC

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NEWS & POLITICS

‘MISSION LEAP’

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS’S FLIRTATION WITH BUYING AN ONLINE UNIVERSITY WAS ILL-FATED — AND SHROUDED IN SECRECY.

BRIAN CHILSON

BY DEBRA HALE-SHELTON

I

OUTSIDE THE LINES: The University of Arkansas system has campuses across the state. A plan to fold in an online university would have expanded its reach beyond state borders.

n early 2021, with college classrooms still sporadically shuttered by the COVID-19 pandemic, observers of higher education were already warning of the next catastrophe-level threat to enrollment numbers.

An upcoming “enrollment cliff” was on its way. Declining birth rates during the nation’s recession more than a decade earlier meant fewer young adults enrolling in college as soon as 2025.

The University of Phoenix — one of the nation’s largest for-profit and online universities — was also struggling, enrollment having dropped from about 470,000 students in 2010 to about 79,000 in 2023. In 2019, financial and regulatory problems led to Phoenix’s agreeing to a $191 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, severely damaging the school’s reputation.

And its owner, Apollo Education Group Inc., began actively searching for a buyer, someone to take the primarily online college off its hands.

A clandestine plan to acquire the

University of Phoenix and fold it into the University of Arkansas System started to take shape, with the goal of broadening the University of Arkansas’s capability to deliver education cheaply and beyond the state’s borders online. The deal has since gone south, and the University of Phoenix is in talks with other potential buyers.

But the secret plot to acquire a struggling for-profit diploma mill for the university’s arsenal hints at the system’s struggles to stay afloat as student bodies shrink and anti-intellectualism at the state Capitol threatens campus budget numbers.

SINKING PHOENIX In the aftermath of the University of Phoenix’s embarrassing legal troubles, alumni — veterans, civil rights advocates and others who felt wronged by the university — united to warn potential buyers of the dangers that would come with purchasing Phoenix.

By early March 2021, someone at the University of Phoenix had reached out to Donald Bobbitt, president of the University

of Arkansas System since November 2011 and an educator already known for his fascination with online education. In 2014, the UA System created the ill-fated eVersity, an online-only venture aimed at enrolling working adults. And in September 2021, the university system paid $1 to buy the online Grantham University, which has since become part of the UA umbrella.

So, perhaps it shouldn’t have been surprising that someone at the University of Phoenix contacted Bobbitt to see if the system or a nonprofit affiliate might be interested in buying.

Bobbitt was interested. He envisioned the UA System affiliating with a nonprofit entity that would buy Phoenix with private, not public, funds. In his view, the purchase would benefit both the UA System and Phoenix through a licensing agreement that would pay the system an estimated $20 million annually.

For almost two years, Bobbitt wooed Phoenix, enshrouding the pursuit in a secrecy seldom seen in public universities.

Not until January of this year, after someone ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 23

overheard trustees arguing during an executive, or closed, session, presumably allowed only for personnel matters, did word get out about Bobbitt’s own phoenixlike crusade.

Not for three more months would Bobbitt bring his proposal to the UA System’s board during a public meeting, where a few trustees lavished it with praise while a couple of others were angered by the amount of financial and legal details involving the $500 million to $700 million transaction they were expected to absorb in a single meeting.

“Fairly or unfairly, Phoenix brought significant reputational damage with it,” said Skip Rutherford, dean emeritus of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. “With few exceptions, most people in Arkansas higher education that I talked to were against [the proposal]. For some it was more than just mission creep; it was mission leap. Without 10-0 or 9-1 support, a divided board made the correct decision not to move forward.”

The actual vote was four for the plan, five against it and one abstention or recusal.

“Critics have also noted the secrecy surrounding the deal followed by a quick board vote,” Rutherford said. “That may be a good ‘deal making’ strategy but it is not a good ‘deal selling’ one.’

SECRETS BREWING On March 9, 2021, Bobbitt signed a nondisclosure, or confidentiality, agreement with the University of Phoenix, according to now-former UA System board chairman Cliff Gibson III, who was shown a cover sheet with Bobbitt’s dated signature and was asked to sign it as well in February of this year.

Gibson said he declined to sign the document, which system spokesman Nate Hinkel said he could not find. Gibson subsequently emailed it to Hinkel, who then shared it with the Arkansas Times.

Hinkel said he also could not find similar documents signed by any other trustees but did find one signed in June 2021 by Michael Moore, the system’s vice president for academic affairs.

Secrecy and Phoenix’s tarnished reputation weren’t the only problems Bobbitt faced in selling his Phoenix dream.

There also were serious concerns, though not spoken aloud during the UA System board’s public meeting, about Arkansasbased Stephens Inc.’s role in the game.

Stephens, a financial services firm and the UA System’s mergers and acquisition partner, stood to make millions if the deal went through. The bigger the price tag, the more Stephens would have made.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

“FAIRLY OR UNFAIRLY, PHOENIX BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE WITH IT.” Another problem for Bobbitt was that one of the board votes he needed was that of trustee Kelly Eichler. A deputy chief of staff to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Eichler is married to Brad Eichler, Stephens’ chief operating officer. Though Kelly Eichler voiced her support for the plan at an April 19 meeting, she recused herself from the April 23 board vote after publicity arose surrounding her conflict of interest.

“Conflicts of interest or the perceptions of them are also not helpful,” Rutherford said.

Still, Rutherford believes Bobbitt “was sincerely trying to address the projected enrollment cliff and revenue impact” with the Phoenix proposal.

“But like with the University of Arkansas chancellor’s search, communications were fumbled early. When the Phoenix proposal was publicly unveiled, the board was already split, and Dr. Bobbitt and UA-Phoenix were paddling upstream,” Rutherford said.

BOBBITT’S DEBACLES Indeed, the Phoenix debacle was the second major defeat Bobbitt has suffered before the board in the past six months.

In mid-November, the board unanimously voted to name Charles Robinson as the new chancellor of the system’s flagship campus, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, despite efforts by Bobbitt to get Robinson to withdraw his application. Bobbitt had even offered Robinson a half-million dollars to drop out of the selection process and remain provost. He had favored Daniel Reed, an Arkansas native and computer science professor, who also had the support of Walmart heir Steuart Walton. Robinson had served as interim chancellor for more than a year, paving the way for him to become the university’s first Black leader.

Even after the board rejected the resolution supporting a Phoenix purchase, Bobbitt never would say publicly that the

effort was over, despite emails asking about the status of it. Nor did Phoenix spokeswoman Andrea Smiley respond to emails.

Before the vote, some had feared Bobbitt might try to make the acquisition on his own without seeking board approval — something he apparently could have legally done under board policy, though not easily.

So, might he still try to move ahead?

“Dr. Bobbitt has said it is difficult to move forward on the project without the support of the Board,” Hinkel said. “That remains the case and I don’t have anything to add at this time.”

Days later, when the news broke of the University of Idaho’s similar effort to create a nonprofit to buy Phoenix, Hinkel issued a statement that came the closest yet to an indication that the UA System was out of the game.

“Based on the amount of due diligence we have done on this project, we are not surprised that another university also saw the value in pursuing an affiliation with University of Phoenix,” Hinkel said. “We wish all parties involved much success as they move forward.”

Further, the federal Higher Learning Commission said on May 17 that it had not received anything from the UA System despite an attorney’s statement during a recent UA System board meeting that a document relating to the Phoenix proposal was due at the commission May 2. Unlike the UA System Board, the Idaho State Board of Education unanimously approved the University of Idaho president’s proposal, meaning it can move forward but still isn’t a done deal. UA System trustee Ed Fryar, who supported Bobbitt’s plan, said recently that at least two other institutions were talking with Phoenix. He did not name them.

Further, a chart shared with Idaho’s board members in May indicated that a pending closing condition was the ability to finance the huge transaction.

Some have speculated privately that Bobbitt’s job may be in danger. His contract is due to expire Dec. 31 unless it’s extended.

Neither Bobbitt nor Hinkel answered a question about whether Bobbitt plans to seek an extension.

A former chemistry professor who appears quite self-confident though clearly disappointed in the board’s rejection of his Phoenix vision, Bobbitt, 66, could opt to retire. He also could still get a contract extension. Or he could move to another institution and there pursue his vision of embracing “technology and innovation.”

Along the way, he just might rise like the immortal phoenix itself did in Greek mythology and come up with yet another grand plan.

CALS ARKANSAS SOUNDS presents the “Original Bad Girl of Comedy,” Arkansas’s own:

June 10 | 7pm & 10pm

CALS RON ROBINSON THEATER COMEDY SHOW

While she may be small in stature, she more than makes up for it with her big personality, booming voice, and infectious laughter. Born in Tollette, Arkansas, and raised in Oakland, California, Luenell has been thrilling audiences with her brand of comedy for more than 30 years. Her body of work spans television, film, and includes her popular YouTube show, Hey Luenell. Her latest release, Luenell Live: I Only Drink at Work, is available on digital platforms everywhere.

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Our outpatient treatment represents our least restrictive and most flexible care options. Our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) offer either day or evening schedules. These options allow patients to receive recovery-focused treatment that addresses a full range of psychiatric and addictive issues while attending to daily family and work obligations. In addition, our outpatient programs provide specialized group therapy for adults 18 and older with specific mental health or substance use disorder needs.

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26 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

501 East Ninth Street, Little Rock / 501.372.4000 arkmfa.org / #myAMFA Photo: Iwan Baan

IDEAS FOR YOUR SUMMER ROAD TRIP (OR FOR STAYING PUT).

BY AUSTIN BAILEY, ASHLEY CLAYBORN, GRIFFIN COOP, DANIEL GREAR, MARY HENNIGAN, LINDSEY MILLAR AND STEPHANIE SMITTLE ook, closing the blinds and turning the thermostat to a glacial 68 degrees might sound comforting now, but what happens when you’ve burned through all the new episodes of “The Bear” and “Black Mirror”?

Besides, we did the whole reclusive Miss Havisham routine for three years already. It’s time to get out there, Arkansas travelers. And in the event your wellspring of vacation ideas has run dry — or that your wallet threatens coup d’etat when you type the word “airfare to Reykjavik” into your search engine — we’ve got you covered.

Griffin Coop suggests you consider a jaunt to the monastery guest house at Subiaco in the verdant Arkansas River Valley to hear the morning prayer bells at dawn, or follow the footsteps of Mary Hennigan’s hiking boots and bask in the cool spray of the waterfall at Big Creek Cave Falls, followed up with an Ozark Pounder in downtown Jasper’s most delightful diner. Be one of the first to explore The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas’s 459-acre Blue Mountain Natural Area, the plans for which Lindsey Millar details. Bookworms, hie thee hither to Hemingway’s old digs in quaint Piggott (Clay County) at the behest of Austin Bailey, where saucy tales of family dysfunction, infidelity and lesbian escapades await you. Get your digital detox on in Eureka Springs, where Stephanie Smittle finds that 420-friendly bed-and-breakfasts beckon, the fried chicken at Myrtie Mae’s charms and a giant chess board has sprung up in The Crescent Hotel’s enchanting courtyard. Or, make the most of museums in Arkansas; in the pages that follow, you’ll find a list of 10 unsung museums, Daniel Grear’s rundown of upcoming programming at the state’s major museums and a history-fueled Little Rock staycation plan from Ashley Clayborn.

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JUNE 2023 27

BIG CREEK CAVE FALLS IS A HIDDEN GEM. STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARY HENNIGAN

HIDDEN TREASURE: The three-mile hike to Big Creek Cave Falls is packed with gorgeous sights.

28 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

Where to Eat OZARK CAFE

107 E. Court St., Jasper

VIEW FROM THE VALLEY: From fields of butterflies to cool water creeks, this Newton County trail has it all.

ust when you think you’ve hiked all the postcard-worthy trails the Ozark Mountains have to offer, your friend texts you an AllTrails link to a gorgeous waterfall you’ve never heard of. I’m not sure where this breathtaking journey has been hiding from me, but the out-and-back Big Creek Cave Falls trail is a hidden treasure.

The two-hour drive from Little Rock to the trailhead is beautiful once you exit the interstate. The hills start rolling into each other, the air gets fresher and mountains appear in the distance, layered in different shades of blue on the horizon. The Rotary Ann Overlook in Dover makes a great pitstop for a pre-hike bathroom break and water bottle refill. Phone service is minimal out there, so consider printing the trail map or downloading it through the AllTrails app on your phone before you even hit the road.

Once you’ve braved the rocky switchbacks to the trailhead, the three-mile hike starts along a worn-down vehicle path behind a gray gate.

(Coordinates are 35.87695, -93.15877.) The trail quickly takes its travelers through open pasture and water crossings — my waterproof boots fared well while walking on stepping stones and felled trees, but it wouldn’t hurt to pack water shoes or sandals. Who complains about a refreshing toe dip during the scorching heat of summer, anyway?

Waterfalls are my favorite nature feature, but I love when a stellar vista comes along with it.

Here, the hiker trades mountaintop outlooks for views from an expansive valley — one that made me feel small in the best way. When the trail opened up and butterflies surrounded me

in the field, I couldn’t help but do a little frolic and cartwheel in celebration.

Most of the trail follows alongside Big Creek, but be on the lookout for pink or orange tied fabric to help you find your way because it can be confusing at times, and it will only get harder to follow as the brush grows taller. There’s no official signage, so depending on the trail map is key. There are two main falls on this trek, and the first is the trail’s namesake that pours out of a slender, horizontal cave opening. It’s just under 30 feet tall and the wind blowing its cool water on my skin is something I’ll be dreaming about for years to come.

If you can pry yourself away from the refreshing spray of the waterfall, continue on the trail a bit further to the second attraction, a large-mouthed cave waterfall. The caves are closed to preserve what’s left of the bat population, but the entrance is worth the trek, amplifying the roaring gush of water from its dark interior. The water that cascades down tiered rocks covered in moss is picturesque and romantic.

Though complicated by water crossings, this hike is moderate with an overall 203-foot elevation gain. I always bring more water than I think I’ll need and a snack full of protein for good measure. This trail could easily be a day trip or the start of an amazing weekend hopping between other nearby trails. If you want to extend your stay, there are dozens of options in and around Jasper on short-term rental sites like Airbnb and Vrbo. Price ranges vary, but when you think about it, can you put a price on waking up in a cabin to the fog rolling off the Ozark Mountains?

If you have time to spare and a stomach to fill after your hike, the 15-mile detour over to Jasper’s Ozark Cafe will not disappoint.

Don’t be afraid to stop and take in the view on your way over. The route takes you past the Arkansas Grand Canyon, which really is quite grand.

Character oozes from the walls at the 100-year-old Ozark Cafe. The welcoming staff dressed in aesthetically appropriate Patagonia gear and Blundstone boots, and the menu resembled a newspaper, giving the restaurant a down-to-earth feel. The food is hearty, affordable and delish. It makes sense that the place was honored as a 2023 inductee of the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame.

The menu spans from burgers — notably the Ozark Pounder, which doubles up on meat and toppings for “after getting pounded by the river, road or mountain” — to full entrees, steaks and pasta dishes.

I went for the chicken crispers, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, which came with a fluffy roll and a trip to the salad bar. I paired it with a thick strawberry milkshake topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

It was everything I could have asked for after the trek through the woods. The chicken was appropriately crispy, hot and juicy. The mashed potatoes were perfectly whipped and complemented with a scoop of white gravy. The salad bar was clean and had all the extras I yearned for. The strawberry milkshake was authentically strawberry and didn’t taste like it was mixed with vanilla filler. Half of the meal filled me up, and I’m happy to report that it reheated as a perfect lunch the following day.

CHICKEN CRISPERS: Or go for the Ozark Pounder after hitting the trail.

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JUNE 2023 29

Trekking for Terpenes EUREKA SPRINGS IS FOR LOVERS (AND STONERS).

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHANIE SMITTLE

I

f you’ve spent much time careening around the serpentine curves of U.S. Highway 62 in Northwest Arkansas, you know that you can’t miss it when the outskirts of Eureka Springs materialize outside your windshield. There’s a sudden proliferation of roadside art galleries, countless dollhouse bedand-breakfasts, billboards advertising zip line adventures in the Ozarks, a 70-year-old opera company and an old Forestry Service fire tower repurposed for tourists as an observation deck. Eureka resists a Walmart or an Applebee’s. Instead, visitors get more jacuzzis per square mile than surely any other town in Arkansas, a thriving health food store that’s open daily, a boutique hot sauce shop and the time capsule that is Hart’s Family Center grocery, charmingly documented for hundreds of thousands of viewers by a TikTok filmographer under the name PineAcre. Vegan and vegetarian options abound on restaurant menus, and your server is approximately 1,457% more likely than in Little Rock to don space buns or be named “Solstice.” I feel if I stayed more than a month or two, I might begin to normalize tie dye in my sartorial life, perhaps even affirming its rightful place in the world of business wear.

Now, Eureka’s home to Osage Creek Lodge, a stately former Best Western turned motorcourt hotel with an on-site medical cannabis dispensary — perhaps the only hotel lobby in the state that boasts an earthy whiff of marijuana. The Switzerland-esque mountain town is also home to a relaxing 420-friendly cabin resort and some off-thebeaten path delights worth getting high on, detailed here for your summer road trip enjoyment.

HOT TUBS AND ROCK COLLECTIONS: Clockwise from top left, the Nature's Heart cabin at Lazee Daze, rock sculptures in the garden at Quigley's Castle (page 33), the heart-shaped tub at Lazee Daze, the entrance to Quigley's Castle.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

SLOW BURN: The covered porches at Lazee Daze are built for leisure.

Where to stay A LAZEE DAZE IN THE OZARKS 5432 Arkansas Highway 23, Eureka Springs

You know that trick that real estate folks and Airbnb hosts do where they show you the most flattering angles of the property hoping to make it look more appealing? Absolutely none of that going on at Lazee Daze, a 63-acre placid log cabin retreat in the hills of scenic Arkansas Highway 23, just outside of town with twostory country cabins and smaller honeymoon/ anniversary cabins with giant heart-shaped bathtubs. The red cedar cabinetry, native stone fireplaces, covered porches and country decor give some major grandma’s house/“Goldilocks and the Three Bears” vibes, and the properties are peppered throughout lushly green (in spring, anyway) wooded areas and distanced such that visitors don’t see much of their neighbors in nearby cabins — only woods, birds, squirrels and, if you’re as lucky as we were, light rainfalls in the forest. And though proprietors Charles and Robin Mowrey stress that no smoking is allowed indoors, the cabin porches are “420-friendly,” meaning that what medical cannabis patients “responsibly smoke on our porches,” Lazee Daze literature says, “is your own business.” In fact, with some ID verification in advance, you can set up a curated hemp-derived THC edible package to be in your cabin upon your arrival, through a partnership Lazee Daze has with Ouachita Farms. Charles became an advocate of medical marijuana use after seeing cannabis aid his father in a battle with pancreatic cancer, and when medical cannabis was legalized in Arkansas, the pair decided they would “discreetly add a page to the website letting people know. That’s how we got where we are now,” Charles said. Important

to note: There’s no Wi-Fi in the cabins and cell service can be spotty. If you’ve gotta be plugged in, you’ll need to return to the entrance near Lazee Daze’s office to get a signal. But if you can afford to do so, maybe consider just going with the whole “digital detox” approach?

OSAGE CREEK LODGE

101 E. Van Buren St., Eureka Springs Remember that courtly Best Western that sits at the turn into Eureka’s historic downtown district? Get this: It’s now Osage Creek Lodge.

As in: the Osage Creek that’s emblazoned on the side of your medical cannabis packaging. With a cultivation facility cranking out marijuana in Berryville and most competing dispensaries located an hour away in the Fayetteville area, nearby Eureka became an appealing place for Osage Creek to land an operation in Carroll County. “The thing about Eureka Springs,” Osage Creek Cultivation CFO Matt Trulove said, “is that if it’s a good spot, it’s probably got a hotel on it.” While the hotel and the dispensary (and the cultivation farm, for that matter) technically operate as separate entities, what the user experience resembles is a sort of Southernstyle, mid-century cannabis motorcourt, complete with sunlit swimming pool and an anachronistically modern weed pharmacy (see Osage Creek Dispensary below) where the hotel’s conference rooms used to be. “A lot of hotels have an amenity listing,” Trulove said, “and I haven’t ever seen a dispensary on one of those lists.” Speaking of amenities, there’s a hot tub and a fitness center, and when you’re ready to go downtown for a bite to eat (Trulove recommends The Grotto and Gaskin’s Cabin Steakhouse), the hotel is a stop on the Eureka trolley, or you can take the quick, shaded walk ARKTIMES.COM

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Get green

OSAGE CREEK DISPENSARY

101 E. Van Buren St., Eureka Springs Transdermal patches and hot honey and Mountain Mint, oh my! Eager and educated budtenders at Osage Creek attend a sleek showroom right off the hotel lobby, all seemingly armed with a delightfully nerdy approach to talking medical marijuana.

When I visited, the shop was gauging the appeal of skincare goodies from a womanowned cannabis company called Shake Extractions, including a THC-forward face serum with apricot oil. Bonus points for great lighting and a tranquil waiting area that showcases the dispensary’s products on softly lit shelves. And does it get any more Wes Anderson than that adorable little “DISPENSARY to your right” sign at the hotel clerk’s desk a few steps away from the defunct Gazebo Restaurant?

THE RELEAF CENTER

9400 E. McNelly Road, Bentonville On the north end of Bentonville between Bella Vista and Pea Ridge sits ReLeaf, where a serene farmhouse feel dominates this dispensary and cultivation facility. Love that they have a philanthropic arm through their “Sow A Seed” program, which benefits the NWA Women’s Shelter, a veteran suicide intervention initiative called We Are the 22, a criminal justice reform effort called The Last Prisoner Project and LGBTQ+ advocacy group NWA Equality. (And love that they, like Osage Creek, have eighths on special for $13.50. Budget-minded imbibers, rejoice!)

THE SOURCE

4505 W. Poplar St., Rogers With three locations in Missouri and one in Arkansas, The Source goes hard on the funky decor and the boutique approach to medical cannabis, the latest project being “In the Flow,” which the company imagines as a small-batch line of cannabis, managed under eco-friendly lighting and offered up in sustainability-minded packaging.

(Remember when most Arkansas medical cannabis came in those ghastly neon green pharmacy cylinders? Weird!) Maybe even cooler, they proudly report that when it comes to styling, interior design and merchandise in their retail space, they try to hire as many local artists as possible.

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EUREKA MOMENT: Clockwise from top left, the Eggplant Parmesan at Local Flavor, the view from the covered porch at Lazee Daze, the lakefront at Beaver Lake Dam Site, the sign at Sparky's Roadhouse, a courtyard at Quigley's Castle and the view from the top

Get outside

BEAVER LAKE DAM SITE PARK

1886 CRESCENT HOTEL AND SPA

348 Damsite River Road, Eureka Springs

75 Prospect Ave., Eureka Springs

About nine miles west of town on U.S. Highway 62, you’ll see green highway signs for Beaver Lake’s Dam Site Park at the turnoff to Arkansas Highway 187. (Or, as fans of weird Eureka history might say, the turnoff to that odd old abandoned “dinosaur park,” where hulking facsimiles of prehistoric reptiles once ruled the hillside, beckoning trespassers of all ages to the property owners’ chagrin.) Follow the signs to the campground during fair weather for a killer sunset or an overnight stay, or just do as we did and take the turnoff to White Bass Cove day use area, dip your toes in the water and have yourself a Stoned Soul Regular Picnic. (PSA: Remember that smoking medical cannabis is a no-go on government lands in Arkansas, y’all.)

Captivatingly depicted in Sean Fitzgibbon’s 2022 graphic nonfiction book “What Follows Is True,” the Crescent Hotel has long fed the imagination, especially for those of us with imaginations that never tire of the spooky. An imposing bastion on the mountainside (think: Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel, Arkansas edition), the hotel is as much a place to board overnight as it is to wander through in the lazy afternoon hours, sipping a ghost pepper vodka cocktail at the balcony bar on the top floor, taking a ghost tour or sauntering through the manicured gardens. Relatively new to the hotel is the seasonal Frisco Sporting Club, an outdoor play space with bocce ball, axe throwing, a basket swing set beneath towering trees and a giant outdoor chess/checkers set that’ll

Get fed

LOCAL FLAVOR CAFE

71 S. Main St., Eureka Springs You’ll barely get out the words “where should I eat in Eureka” without this place coming up, and for good reason. See that line out the door for brunch on the weekends?

Worth it, 100%. Get the biscuits and gravy.

Or the creamy grits. We were seated for supper on the gently lit patio and especially dug the signature Sesame-encrusted Goat Cheese Salad and the Eggplant Parmesan — a generous stack of aubergine patties with a delightfully crackly crust topped with roasted asparagus spears and nestled into a bed of spaghetti and a bold tomato sauce. Beer lovers, don’t miss the local craft selection with crowdpleasers from Gotahold Brewing, a project of longtime brewmaster Dave Hartmann who, with co-owner Wendy Reese Hartmann, named the place in honor of Eureka’s having “gotahold” of them when they visited.

MYRTIE MAE’S AT INN OF THE OZARKS

207 W. Van Buren, Eureka Springs

make you feel like you’re in Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland. Don’t forget to tip your hat to the hotel’s black cat, who has a dedicated kitty exit/entrance on the rear wall of the lobby, just behind the hoary antique “Welte Philharmonic Salon Model 4” self-playing pipe organ.

Pro tip: The only incorrect way to get to the Crescent is in a hurry; the hotel is along a wildly scenic historic loop, so allow yourself time to meander through the canopied switchbacks with leisure.

QUIGLEY’S CASTLE

274 Quigley Castle Road, Eureka Springs What if a 1930s lumber company man inherited a parcel of land in Carroll County, promised his nature-loving bride that she could design and build a new house on it and then came home from work to find she’d accelerated the project by demolishing the current family abode so that construction on the new digs would have to begin immediately? That’s how the origin story goes for Quigley’s Castle, dubbed by its

keepers “The Ozarks’ Strangest Dwelling.” In it, lines between interior and exterior are blurred, as 70-year-old foliage creeps up to brush against the second-story ceiling along 28 windows, with four feet of bare soil separating the home’s exterior windows from the living space.

Interior walls form a motley museum of natural wonders — a group of seashells scalloped together to resemble tile, a wall made entirely of butterfly and moth specimens, endless rock collections mounted vertically into concrete as a display, a bird named Tweety flitting among the tropical vines in the windows and extensive collections of fossils and arrowheads. Outside, over a hundred rock sculptures dot a wildflower and rose garden filled with Elise Quigley’s rockworked benches, bird baths and bottle trees. “[I wanted] a home where I felt I was living in the world instead of in a box,” a statement from Elise goes on the Castle’s pamphlet. “I designed it in my mind, but I couldn’t tell anybody what I wanted, so I sat down with scissors and paste and cardboard and matchsticks and made a model."

Sometimes what you need is a place with a salad bar and a senior discount and some fierce fried chicken, and for that, there’s Myrtie Mae’s. This homestyle cooking spot, attached to a Best Western venture called Inn of the Ozarks, is sorta like what might happen if you opened a museum dedicated to Eureka Springs history and then plopped a Luby’s down in the middle of it. Which is to say: It’s awesome. The Two-Piece Myrtie’s Famous Ozark Fried Chicken is plenty, served piping hot and ultra-crispy with a baked potato that had that nice cafeteria-warmer-slow-burn exterior going on. Also delightful: the fried green beans with a house-made creamy horseradish sauce, and the banter we eavesdropped on from Myrtie’s regulars at nearby tables.

SPARKY’S ROADHOUSE CAFE 147 E. Van Buren, Eureka Springs

If, like me, a giant menu seems daunting to your eyes, take some deep breaths before you peruse the offerings at Sparky’s, yeah?

This thing’s a real page-turner. But it’s done in a self-aware kinda way; Sparky’s signatures — like spinach enchiladas and wallet-friendly ice cold beer — are found online at a link titled “The Giant Menu Page” and “The Impressive Beer, Wine and Cocktail Lists,” respectively.

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NESTLED BETWEEN THE OUACHITAS AND THE OZARKS ARE MONKS, SASQUATCHES AND STUNNING PEAKS.

BRIAN CHILSON

BY GRIFFIN COOP

ATOP THE HILL: Set atop a scenic hillside, Subiaco Abbey is home to 35 monks who hold fast to a strict daily routine of prayer and work around the campus. It was also briefly home to a famous scam artist later depicted in the movie “The Great

SUBIACO ABBEY

405 N. Subiaco Ave., Subiaco

O

n a Tuesday morning in May, my wife and I headed off for what we thought would be a quiet night in the Arkansas River Valley — an area known for its rolling hills, vineyards and scenic drives. About 24 hours later, we returned having seen a zebra standing in a pasture and his-and-hers life-size sasquatch cutouts in a field; learned about a scam artist who lived in an Arkansas monastery; and talked to the driver of the fanciest hearse we had ever seen. Here are a few highlights from that venture, and a few places to stop if the craft wineries aren’t for you.

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The campus for the Subiaco Abbey and Academy is located atop a hillside in the Logan County town of Subiaco. The serene setting is second to none at the Benedictine monastery, founded in 1878 by monks associated with a Swiss monastery, according to 83-year-old Father Jerome Kodell, one of the 35 monks who live and work at the abbey. Dressed in a large black robe, Kodell described the daily routine for the monks, which begins with prayer at 5:45 a.m. and ends with prayer at 7 p.m. In between, there’s work around the campus, meals both in silence and with conversation and, of course, more prayers. The monks get to sleep in on the weekends, since they don’t start their prayers until 6:45 a.m. Kodell, who has been a monk at Subiaco for more than 60 years, told us about a man who lived at the monastery in the 1940s before stealing the abbot’s car and trying to get away with some forged recommendation letters. The man would turn out to be Ferdinand Waldo Demara, a

famous scam artist whose life would be made into a movie called “The Great Impostor.”

Demara would go on to fake his way into jobs as a prison warden and surgeon. Kodell also told us about an Oklahoma man who broke into the abbey earlier this year, damaged the marble altar with a sledgehammer and stole relics of the saints. Kodell took a forgiving tone as he described the individual as a “sick man” who needed help rather than a criminal. Kodell said the sheriff, and the abbey, too, hope the man is convicted of a felony rather than a misdemeanor so he can get the help he needs. We stayed the night at the Coury House, a small on-campus lodge for guests that is available to anyone and only cost us $65. Our modest but comfortable accommodations included a balcony with a view overlooking the swimming pool, baseball field and track. In the distance beyond the baseball field, cattle grazed in a green pasture in a bucolic and relaxing landscape.

ALL PHOTOS BY GRIFFIN COOP

WINGS AND THINGS: On our tour through the Arkansas River Valley, we ate some wings in Russellville, saw some curious sasquatch cutouts, took in the view from Mount Magazine and placed a lock on the fence in Paris.

Where to Eat DADDY’S SMACKIN’ WINGS AND THINGS

2410 E. Main St., Russellville Situated in a nondescript building on Main Street near Sofa City, Daddy’s was recommended to us by our 18-year-old nephew, who raved about the place after he spent a few weeks in Russellville last summer. We had the Buffalo wings which were good but not too spicy, the dry lemon pepper ranch wings, fried okra and fried pickle spears. If you’re feeling adventurous, put in an order for the peanut butter and jelly wings — surprisingly good, though the grape jelly made it all a little too rich and sweet for our liking. As we drove through Russellville, we unexpectedly spotted a zebra (and a zebra hybrid called a zonkey or zebadonk) standing in a pasture and immediately stopped to take pictures. We’ve since learned from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission that it is legal to own a zebra in Arkansas. A few miles later, we spotted wooden his-and-hers Sasquatch cutouts in a field. The lady Sasquatch was wearing a pink bikini while her male friend was wearing a blue shirt and either blue capri pants or cut-off jeans.

MOUNT MAGAZINE STATE PARK

TRUE GRIT GROUNDS

Mount Magazine State Park is located on a windy, mountainous road that takes one to the highest point between the Rockies and the Appalachians. The deck overlooking the valley has a number of rocking chairs that are perfect for taking in the view of the valley below. The state park, which is home to Arkansas’s highest point at 2,753 feet, has a lodge with 60 rooms and plenty of trails and outdoor recreation options.

The Skyview Restaurant has large windows that allow diners to take in the view while enjoying a meal. My wife and I had the build-your-own pasta option. My spicy marinara and grilled chicken was excellent and had just the right amount of kick.

True Grit Grounds coffee shop leans into the Charles Portis theme with a caricature of Rooster Cogburn of “True Grit” on its logo and a movie poster on the wall. The store brews Onyx Coffee, an excellent Rogers-based roastery, and offers a variety of pastries and breakfast options. My wife’s breakfast burrito looked excellent, and my white chocolate raspberry scone was the softest and best I ever had. We bought a red heartshaped lock to place on the Love Lock Fence in Paris’ Eiffel Tower Park. The barista even gave us a pen to write our names on the lock, which we locked on to the fence with thousands of others. On our way home, we spotted a beautiful car at the Casey’s in Morrilton and learned that it was part of the Rosewood line of hearses that are manufactured in Morrilton. The car had a classic 1950s aesthetic that was stylish and unforgettable.

577 Lodge Drive, Paris

12 E. Walnut St., Paris

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HEAD WEST

NEW TRAILS JUST OUTSIDE OF LITTLE ROCK HERALD THE CONNECTION OF THE MAUMELLE PINNACLES.

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THROUGH THE TREES: Samantha Bates, recreation technician at The Nature Conservancy, stands in front of a view of the summit of Blue Mountain.

Memorial, Kanis, Boyle, Western Hills and Hindman parks.

But in the near term, the Maumelle Pinnacles are where the action is. Central Arkansas Water, which manages Lake Maumelle and much of the surrounding 88,000-acre watershed, has been awarded a $200,000 Transportation Alternatives Program grant from the Arkansas Department of Transportation to develop connector trails.

Raven Lawson, watershed manager for Central Arkansas Water, expects work to begin this summer, after official paperwork goes through, on roughly 10 miles of new trails: One would connect Blue Mountain to the north side of Rattlesnake Ridge, and another would connect Blue Mountain to the Bufflehead Bay Trail, a 2.3-mile loop along Lake Maumelle and off Arkansas Highway 10.

Additionally, Lawson has a map with further trails plotted that rim Lake Maumelle, which would connect Pinnacle Mountain and the Ouachita National Recreational Trail to Rattlesnake Ridge, Blue Mountain and Central Arkansas Water’s existing trails. The water utility isn’t paying for trail development on the backs of ratepayers, but Lawson is confident that, with an array of state and private partners working in the area, they’ll find grant money to fund the construction.

Tom Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, advocate for trail development and a member of the Natural State Advisory Council, which is working to bolster Arkansas’s reputation as an outdoor recreation destination, told a recent gathering of the Rotary Club of Little Rock that he thought Lake Maumelle represented the greatest untapped potential for outdoor recreation in Central Arkansas.

Lawson appreciated the shout out, and generally agreed, but also wanted people to know that there’s already a lot to do in the watershed. The Bufflehead Bay Trail, completed in 2021, may not be a secret to birders — it’s named for a duck that’s small in size but big in head — or anglers. But it still flies under the radar. In mid-May, Lawson led a reporter along the paved first half-mile of the trail and along a bit of dirt single track that follows, pointing out the proliferation of coneflowers and other plants in the understory, thriving thanks to selective thinning of the forest and controlled burns. The fire burns leaf litter, which sends nutrients back into the soil, opening up the seed bank for native plants to thrive. “Those native plants have root systems that are 5-15 feet deep on average,” Lawson said. “And the roots help hold the soil in place, and when we have big rains, all those plants can uptake the nutrients

LINDSEY MILLAR

T

his month, The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas opened the 459-acre Blue Mountain Natural Area to the public.

It’s the westernmost mountain in the Maumelle Pinnacles chain, which includes Pinnacle Mountain and Rattlesnake Ridge, the latter of which The Nature Conservancy also manages. The opening of Blue Mountain means mountain bikers and hikers will have another nearly eight miles of trails in the Little Rock area to explore, but perhaps even more exciting is that it represents the final puzzle piece to connect a series of natural areas that together make up 21,000 acres. Connector trails are coming to tie that stretch of land together, and officials are exploring ways to further extend the connection all the way to River Mountain and Two Rivers parks.

Central Arkansas was at the vanguard of the pedestrian trail movement that’s since spread to seemingly every mid-sized community in Arkansas. The Arkansas River Trail, steadily pieced together over several decades and considered at least near complete (close the loop!) in 2011, set the standard for pedestrian trails throughout the state. But more recently, Little Rock area trail lovers can’t help but feel left behind by Northwest Arkansas and the nearly 38-mile-long Razorback Regional Greenway, and the hundreds of miles of bike trails funded by Walton family dollars. Some of that largesse has found its way to Central Arkansas with the development of the Pinnacle State Park Monument and River Mountain Park mountain bike trails.

There’s reason to be hopeful that within the next decade Central Arkansas’s trail infrastructure will rival Northwest Arkansas’s: Enough money and time has been spent on the planned 60-mile Southwest Trail, a bicycle and pedestrian trail that will connect the Little Rock Central High School Historic Site with Hot Springs National Park, that it seems inevitable.

Same for the Tri-Creek Greenway, the planned six-mile-plus linkage of Little Rock’s War

in the water as it goes across the landscape, so it doesn’t end up in the water. The whole story behind our forest management is [that] a healthy forest equals healthy drinking water.”

Farther along Highway 10, look out for Loon Point Park and the 0.7-mile Farkleberry Trail along the lake, another ideal spot for anglers and birders, and the Sleepy Hollow Water Trail, a five-mile flat-water float through the Maumelle River and Bringle Creek.

Back to the east, the parking area for Blue Mountain, with room for about 30 vehicles, sits just off Highway 10. The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, using state and federal funds, and The Nature Conservancy jointly purchased the property for $5 million from PotlatchDeltic in 2021.

Unlike Rattlesnake Ridge, the peak of Blue Mountain isn’t the area’s primary destination.

Wright’s cliffbrake, a rare western desert fern, is found at the top, and conserving it was one of the reasons The Nature Conservancy and the state bought the property. There’s also a lot of poison ivy up there, so avoid. There are three trails in the Blue Mountain Natural Area, graded for mountain bikers, but open to hikers alike: The three-mile green Luna Moth singletrack loop, a 0.8-mile green downhill trail designed specifically for bikers called Dhu Drop, and the 3.5-mile, multidirectional Tarantula Hawk Trail (or a loop if you ride or walk some of Luna Moth) that connects to the south side of Rattlesnake Ridge. The latter, a blue, is rockier and more technical. It was also still under construction in May, though Samantha Bates, recreation technician with The Nature Conservancy, expected it to be completed by June.

Outside the parking lot for Blue Mountain is a remote-controlled gate that can be closed when it’s raining or the ground is so wet that foot or bike traffic might lead to erosion. The gate will otherwise open and close around dawn and dusk. Like at the popular Rattlesnake Ridge, it’s important that visitors don’t try to park outside the designated lot or explore the trails when the gate is closed.

“We’re trying to fill a slightly different niche,” Jeff Fore, director of conservation at The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas, said. “If you think of everything from a city park, which is a very heavily managed experience, to the national forest and the Flatside Wilderness Area, a very remote and different experience — we’re trying to fit a little in the middle of that, where you’re 30 minutes outside of Little Rock and you can go to one of these natural areas and pretty legitimately feel alone. Controlling the access and the number of folks who can be on the property at one time does create a unique experience where you can go find some peace and solace in nature, but you’re just right outside town.”

239 Central Ave. Hot Springs, AR • www.ArlingtonHotel.com

501-623-7771 • info@arlingtonhotel.com

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Papa Does Piggott

BRIAN CHILSON

COLONIAL REVIVAL: The Pfeiffer family home in Piggott was a draw for Ernest Hemingway, who married Pauline Pfeiffer and spent long stretches of time visiting his Arkansas in-laws.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY IS OK, BUT WAIT 'TIL YOU LEARN ABOUT THE PFEIFFERS.

BY AUSTIN BAILEY

F

or bookish types, the best road trips are the ones you can match up with reading lists. Amassing a satisfying stack of fiction in preparation for a visit to an author’s place of origin adds to the anticipation.

Bonus points for tortured writers who suffered mental illness, alcoholism and/or wacky Southern-fried family dysfunction, because then you get to read the messy biographies about them, too.

In this category Arkansas is wildly lucky.

Zip across the state line to Oxford to picnic at William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak and walk the very trail where his obdurate horse Stonewall executed the fatal buck. Ponder the irony of a horse named for a Confederate general landing the deadly blow to a white author whose obsessive grappling with Southern racism nabbed him a Nobel.

That 3½-hour drive from Little Rock to the Mississippi college town is a well-worn path.

The 3½-hour drive to Piggott, though, not 38 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

so much. Why? Hanging from the ArkansasMissouri border in the state’s northeast corner and surrounded by farmland, Piggott lacks the exuberant college town draw that keeps Oxford hopping. But credit Piggott’s quiet remoteness and agricultural potential for drawing the Pfeiffer clan from St. Louis in the first place, a move that ultimately crowned Ernest Hemingway the town’s most famous son-inlaw.

A road trip to the sometimes-home of an infamous literary all-star qualifies for an unexcused absence from school in my book, so my 15-year-old son rode shotgun as we set out early on a springtime Wednesday (shotguns would become a theme that day). We’d barely made it past Newport before Amos lost interest in the audiobook version of “The Old Man and the Sea,” a Hemingway piece I picked because Charlton Heston narrated and the two-hour run time fit tidily into our schedule. But the old man was on the boat, the marlin was on the hook

and Amos had surely gotten the gist before he abandoned it for whatever was playing on his headphones. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” a tale of deadly gangrene in the African wild, would have been a better bet. Or maybe “A Farewell to Arms,” parts of which Hemingway wrote while on extended visits with his wife’s family in Arkansas.

A sunny drive through the Delta, with crop dusters looping overhead and pink and yellow flowers along the roadsides, is a pleasant way to pass the time regardless of what you’re listening to. Add a road snack from Ms. Addie’s Quick Shop this side of Paragould, where bathrooms are pristinely clean and a glass display box stuffed with fried foods entices. You want the boudin balls, marshmallow-shaped spicy capsules of rice and sausage.

Thus fortified, we made the HemingwayPfeiffer Museum and the adjoining Matilda & Karl Pfeiffer Museum & Study Center our first stop in Piggott, population about 3,500. “They

did a really good job on this,” my son said as we pulled into the shaded parking lot down the hill from the museum itself. The tidy, pretty museum campus charms like a pop-up storybook, with neat clusters of pink peonies, brick walkways, manicured lawns and two restored and preserved houses that convey the casual sophistication of Piggott’s upper crust circa 100 years ago.

Between the childhood home of Hemingway’s second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, and the home her brother Karl and his wife, Matilda, built in 1933, is the barn the Pfeiffer family turned into a guesthouse. A loft-like space well ahead of its time as a trendy ADU (accessory dwelling unit), this breezy quarters is where Hemingway reportedly wrote much of “A Farewell to Arms.”

Visitors get a guided tour of Karl and Matilda Pfeiffer’s Tudor Revival, which was so lovely, so movie set-worthy, that Hollywood claimed it temporarily. Part of the film “A Face in the Crowd” was shot in the backyard pool in 1956.

All three of the couple’s children died young, and Karl Pfeiffer died in 1981, leaving the reclusive Matilda to putter around the house alone, amassing cookbooks and the rocks and minerals now on display in a series of glass cases inside. If you show up on a weekday morning, you’ll likely be the only person there and can ask all of the nosy questions that come to mind.

Matilda left an endowment when she died in 2002 to turn the house into what it is today, a pristinely restored home on 11 well-kept acres that’s listed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places. Visitors can peruse the house, grounds and glittery mineral collection for free! Matilda was reportedly a bit of a shut-in in her latter decades, her house so obscured by trees that a Piggott native reports no one even knew the house was back there. Today, though, a sprawling yard includes fountains, art installations and magnificent oak trees.

Equally well-appointed is the Pfeiffer-Janes House, built in 1910, restored to its original form in the 1990s and now a popular spot to stage prom and wedding photos. For the bargain price of $12, you’ll get a tour and the backstory of how the Pfeiffers of St. Louis came to Arkansas. With considerable wealth in hand from a chemical company he’d started with his brothers, Paul Pfeiffer moved his wife, Mary, and four children to Piggott in 1913, buying the house because it was the biggest one in town. Paul Pfeiffer went on to become the land baron of Northeast Arkansas, buying up 63,000 acres.

Come for a tour of the gorgeous house and grounds, but loiter for the juicy tales of adultery, abortion, cross-dressing and glamorous lesbian escapades of Pauline’s siren sister, Virginia.

Piercing portraits and snaps from the ski slopes hardly hint at Virginia’s escape to the West Coast, where she lived next door to her married lover. Tour guide Autumn Turner expertly indulged my prurient interests, spilling all about the genteel rural Catholic family’s brushes with

scandal while my son did his best to pretend he wasn’t listening.

Ever the money-chasing cad, Hemingway met wife-to-be Pauline Pfeiffer in Paris while he was still married to his first wife, Turner explained as we toured the perfectly preserved Colonial Revival house fit for an Architectural Digest spread.

Daughter of Paul and Mary, Pauline Pfeiffer was working as a journalist in Paris when she befriended Hemingway, his wife Hadley and their young son, John. By that time the young Ernest, only in his 20s, had already taken to calling himself “Papa” — one of countless over-the-top markers of strength and virility he cultivated throughout his career of bullfighting, hunting and navigating an ambulance through Spanish war zones.

Upheaval ensued when Hemingway fell for Pauline’s family money and editing skills.

Pauline became pregnant and sought an abortion, then returned home to Piggott to recuperate. She came clean to her devoutly Catholic parents, who were surprisingly accommodating about things. Paul Pfeiffer helped procure an annulment to dissolve the marriage of Hemingway and his first wife, freeing him up to leave first wife and son high and dry in Paris to start his next chapter with Pauline.

Seems pretty tawdry. Were the new in-laws not put out by this louche philanderer who impregnated their daughter out of wedlock and sent her off to have an abortion, all while he was married to another woman? The warm and generous welcome the Pfeiffer family gave Hemingway suggests they were not.

The family eventually washed their hands of him when Pauline gave up on her cheating husband 12 years in and granted a divorce, but the couple had plenty of adventures in that dozen years. The museum includes game trophies and photos from a safari financed by wealthy uncle Gus Pfeiffer, and photos of the couple’s children. Pauline never remarried and died at age 56. Hemingway married again twice, was hospitalized for mental illness and eventually killed himself with a shotgun.

Even if Hemingway’s testosterone-soaked prose and serial womanizing aren't your thing, the Pfeiffer clan of Piggott is fascinating in their own right and worthy of a visit regardless of any affiliation with a literary lion. Also, there’s pie.

The Hen House right on Piggott’s sleepy main square is locally famous for its lemon, coconut and chocolate meringues. Duck in for a slice before you head out of town.

The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Education Center in Piggott is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the last tour of the day starting at 3 p.m. Admission is $12. The Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Museum and Study Center is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free admission.

A Must-See Get Away

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State of the Arts

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE A VISIT TO ARKANSAS’S MAJOR MUSEUMS.

BY DANIEL GREAR

I

f you go to Arkansas’s most prominent museums expecting to find regal paintings and masterly sculptures by esteemed artists, you won’t be disappointed. That said, the cultural institutions throughout our state recognize that an equal emphasis on history, experimentation and participatory exploration can widen art’s appeal, deepen the visitor’s learning experience and ensure that no one and no subject gets left out of the narrative.

CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART 600 Museum Way, Bentonville

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which opened in 2011, is the kind of exorbitantly well-funded juggernaut whose permanent collection is so studded with name-drop-worthy classics that it doesn’t really need to put much effort into its temporary goings-on, and yet, the rest of the year holds much to get excited about up in Bentonville. Top of the list is the world premiere of a new show (Sept. 16 to Jan. 29, 2024) from Annie Leibovitz — one of the most well-known living photographers — whose intimate celebrity portraits for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and Vogue transformed how the public understands fame. Also 40 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

HETEROGENEITY: Whether your idea of art is intimate celebrity portraiture by Annie Leibovitz (top left), ‘90s nostalgia taken to its gaudiest limits by Yvette Mayorga (top right) or elegant artifacts from the Museum of Native American history (bottom right), Arkansas’s cultural institutions have you covered.

upcoming at Crystal Bridges is a site-specific installation (June 24 to April 22, 2024) from Marie Bannerot McInerney that employs light, silk and concrete to interact with the ancient legend of Orpheus and Eurydice; a short-term performance art piece that involves costumed singers spontaneously approaching random museumgoers and serenading them with a song

by Franz Schubert (Sept. 9-29); and a display of new acquisitions by Toshiko Takaezu and Lenore Tawney, two friends whose work in their respective fields of ceramics and fiber helped pave the way for craft to be recognized as fine art (Oct. 14 to March 25, 2024).

THE MOMENTARY

507 SE E St., Bentonville Since its opening in 2020, the Momentary has functioned as an art space that one might affectionately call Crystal Bridges’ slightly weirder cousin. In addition to sponsoring another iteration of FORMAT Festival (which this year will bring LCD Soundsystem, Alanis Morissette, Leon Bridges and much more to a nearby airstrip) on the weekend of Sept. 22, you should be on the lookout for concerts by Brothers Osborne (July 15), Rina Sawayama (Oct. 6) and Wu-Tang Clan (Oct. 28); a queer film festival presented in partnership with NWA Equality that will bring movies like “The Birdcage,” “Paris Is Burning” and “How to Survive a Plague” to the big screen (June 3); and an indoor/outdoor procession of dance performances choreographed by Matty Davis and scattered across the galleries and grounds (Aug. 4-6). Longer-term exhibitions by Firelei Báez, Yvette Mayorga and Will Rawls (in the form of a large-scale passageway sculpture that you can literally walk through; intentionally gaudy, pink-frosted paintings; and a glitchy stop-motion video installation) have been at the Momentary for a while now, but will stay up until October.

ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock If you haven’t yet visited “Together” — the impressive, community-themed Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts exhibition chock full of work that’s large in both size and heart — in the month and some change that it’s been open, make sure to catch it before it leaves on Sep. 10. Beyond what’s currently showing, however, you’ve got a lot to look forward to in the way of art, events and programming on the horizon. There’s Delta Voices (July 13), a oneoff happening that will unite curators from the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Crystal ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 41

ESTABLISHED

2017

Bridges Museum of American Art, the Philbrook Museum of Art and the AMFA for a discussion about the Mid-South region. Then, starting Aug. 29, an 11-minute protest film by Rhea Storr will play in the galleries. In the fall, Filmland (Oct. 4-8) — the Arkansas Cinema Society-led festival known for screening award-winning movies and facilitating brushes with famous actors and influential directors — will be held at the new building for the first time. Plus, the AMFA just announced an inaugural concert series with shows from the Secret Sisters (Nov. 8), Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band (Feb. 1, 2024), Sunny War (March 28, 2024) and a slew of other genre-spanning acts. If what you desire is something less defined and more low-key, stop by the museum from 5-8 p.m. on any given Hump Day for Wednesday Spins, a post-work mingling op in the awe-inspiring Cultural Living Room with a DJ and happy hour specials to help stimulate the banter.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock

No matter what time of year you come to the Clinton Presidential Center, founded in 2004, you can expect — among oodles of other Clinton-era memorabilia — to set foot in fullsize replicas of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, two integral White House sites where historically significant decisions are made to this day by the commanders-in-chief and their most trusted advisers. Though both are accurate recreations, the former takes precision to the next level by decorating the space exactly as Bill Clinton had it when he was in office. If that much Clinton intimacy feels indulgent to you, come out from June 8-Oct. 1 for Dinosaur Explorer, an exhibition that explores the links between presidential policy and public knowledge about the prehistoric reptiles and boasts 20 advanced animatronic dinosaurs.

Rhea Drug Store

SERVING LITTLE ROCK SINCE 1922 • 2801 KAVANAUGH LITTLE ROCK 501.663.4131 42 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

MUSEUM OF NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY

202 SW O St., Bentonville No new exhibits are on the books yet for the Museum of Native American History, but that doesn’t mean a trip up to Northwest Arkansas isn’t worth it, especially if you’re already in the area to check out the Walton mammoths.

Founded in 2004 by David Bogle, a member of the Cherokee Nation who was born and raised in Bentonville, the MONAH collection consists of 14,000 years worth of indigenous culture.

Divided into the Paleo (12000 BC-8000 BC), Archaic (8000 BC-1000 BC), Woodlands (1000 BC-900 AD), Mississippian (900 AD-1450 A.D.) and Historic (1650 AD-1900 AD) time periods,

the museum’s accumulation of over 10,000 artifacts from the First Americans allows for a panoramic view of human development in an untouched environment and the ways in which that trajectory was forever altered by the intrusion of an outside force.

2023 ViPS AWARD

Nominees & Winners

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM 200 E. Third St., Little Rock

If it feels like the Historic Arkansas Museum — home to the Hinderliter Grog Shop, the oldest still-standing building in Little Rock, constructed in 1827 — was plopped right in the middle of the chaos of downtown, it’s really the other way around. Aside from the transplanting of an 1830s plantation home from Scott, the other 19th century structures on the grounds — the McVicar ​​ and Brownlee houses from the 1840s and an Arkansas Gazette print shop from the 1820s — have been reconstructed, maintained and restored in their original locations. Every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you’ll find costumed staff members and handson crafting activities on the grounds, which is a great time to bring the kids. In addition to these more immersive offerings, the museum portion of this entity is known for its extensive collection of Arkansas-made artisan crafts in the broadest sense of the word, including but not limited to the work of cabinet makers, silversmiths, potters, quilters and tailors. Much visual art from Arkansans of the past and present is also on display. Make sure to check out “We Walk In Two Worlds,” a permanent exhibit with over 150 pieces of pottery, clothing and weapons from the Caddo, Osage and Quapaw people of Arkansas.

MID-AMERICA SCIENCE MUSEUM 500 Mid America Blvd., Hot Springs

Leave the formal museum attitude at home; everything at the Mid-America Science Museum — established in 1979 — is designed to be tinkered with. Whether you’re investigating the magic of movement through the Vertical Wave Machine, the Bicycle-Wheel Loopy and the Sand Pendulum of the Marvelous Motion Gallery; examining the ever-changing creation of prisms and color through visual manipulations on the Light Bridge; or traversing the various ropes of the Bob Wheeler Science Skywalk (which overlooks 21 beautifully wooded acres), you’re in control of the experience. This summer, a nostalgia-pumped exhibition called Toytopia will travel to the Mid-America Science Museum, providing visitors of all generations with a window into the fast-evolving science and ingenuity behind their favorite childhood pastimes (June 10-Sept. 4). The world’s largest Etch A Sketch — nearly 8 feet tall! — will be on site for all to put their paws on.

Previous Jane Mendel Award recipients in attendance at this year’s ‘An Evening for the Stars’ included Charlene Kirk (2021), Henri Smothers (2013), Karen Ryall (2020), Ginny Belotti (2015), Nell Matthews (2023), Denise Persons (2022), Debbie Bass (2014), Patty Barker (2008) and Rita Qualls (2010). Student artist for this year’s award was Levi Zaller, 5th grader at Gibbs Magnet Elementary School.

Student Volunteer Award

Community Resource and Leadership Award

Little Rock School District Alumni Award

Steve Abochale and Madison Tucker

Marsha Masters and Pamela Bingham

Dr. Kiffanie Walker and Kelton Roach

ViPS staff Jackie Merrell and Tammy Blaylock.

ViPS Award nominee Tracy Rhodes and guests.

Aaron Lubin and Tyrone Harris

Congratulations! Nominees and 2023 ViPS Award Winners* Steve Abochale * Angela Alexander Arkansas Cinema Society, Young Storytellers Clarshun Beyah Pamela Bingham * BNB Projects / Brian’s Closet Lyuba Bogan * Deidra Brown Katy Campbell * Canaan Missionary Baptist Church Lee Casterline * Central Church of Christ, Sixties Class Chanan Ministries Chick-fil-A, Broadway & 7th Street Chicot Elementary Influencers * Mariana Abarca Maria Aguilar Greg Ferguson Kenneth Patterson Heath Welch Maria Weyrens Teffine Green Craig Christopher Crane Linda Donley Angela Doyne Ashley East Dr. Revis Edmonds of AR Heritage & Tourism Fellowship Bible Churches, West and Midtown Jennifer Ferguson * First United Methodist Church Little Rock * Tasha Fennell

First Security Bank Teresa Gilzow Greater Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church Helga Halloran Theresa Harris * Jowanna Higgins Hillcrest Merchants Association * Sharon Houston Susan Jackson * Ebonee Johnson Janann Johnson Mayo Johnson * Edward Jordan * Thomas Kelly, PhD * of UAMS Cancer Institute Janna Knight Katelyn Leisenring Lessons for Life Little Rock Chapter of The Links, Inc. Little Rock Church * Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority Mary Lowe Kennedy John Fitzgerald Madlock * Marsha Masters * of Economics Arkansas Nell Matthews * Curtis Norwood Otter Creek Community Church Georgia Pettit Essie Phillips-Rendell Tonya Prowse Tracy Rhodes Kelton Roach *

Latriana Robertson * Jessica Rodriguez Isaiah Ross Keith Saine * Dr. Noelle Scuderi * Tiffaney Sharp Antwanette Smith of Jr. Achievement Paul Smith Lyana Snow Deborah Solee Nicki Spencer St. Andrew’s Church Tracie Sugg The Mercy Church Willie Thomas * Shelby Thompson Madison Tucker * Michelle Turner Abbigale Walker Dr. Kiffanie Walker * Sarah Welch Wendy Welch * Glenn Williams LaTonya Williams Morris Williams, Jr. Zionalvary Mentoring Group

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JUNE 2023 43

BROTHELS, BALLS AND BRIDGES TEN UNSUNG ARKANSAS MUSEUMS.

MARY HENNIGAN

KIRK LANIER

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, HERITAGE AND TOURISM

BY MARY HENNIGAN

UNDERAPPRECIATED: Clockwise from top left are the U.S. Marshals Museum, the visitor center at Miss Laura's, the Sultana Disaster Museum, the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, the Natural Bridge and the Ozark Ball Museum.

rkansas has oodles of museums, from the typical county museum to stateof-the-art shiny pieces like the new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and the inbetween, unsung important places that keep history alive more than a century later. With so many options and mortality a constant reminder that people don’t have time for everything, some great Arkansas museums get pushed to the back burner. Here’s a collection of some of the state’s underappreciated treasures.

country’s history occurred on the Mississippi River. Transporting nearly 2,000 more passengers than it was made for, the Sultana steamboat’s broilers suddenly burst into flames and the wreckage sank near the Arkansas bank in Marion. The Sultana Disaster Museum is currently in a modest 1,000-square-foot center, but a $6 million expansion will revamp the museum in a 17,000-square-foot space, set to open by 2025.

having a roadside attraction would be cool and birthed the Ozark Ball Museum right in their living room in Fayetteville. When they’re not jamming together as Still On The Hill, they act as curators for their unique and charming collection of spheres, which even includes a compact ball of cat hair. You can check out the Ozark Ball Museum with your own eyes by appointment only.

THE SULTANA DISASTER MUSEUM

OZARK BALL MUSEUM

789 Riverfront Drive, Fort Smith

104 Washington St., Marion

Email still@stillonthehill.com for appointment details. Fayetteville

Nearly 160 years ago, following the end of the Civil War, the deadliest maritime disaster in the

Folk musician duo Donna and Kelly Mulhollan needed a retirement plan, thought

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ARKANSAS TIMES

U.S. MARSHALS MUSEUMS After 16 years and $50 million of development, the U.S. Marshals Museum is expected to open its doors in Fort Smith on July 1. The museum is shaped like a giant star, and it offers 53,000

square feet of storytelling space. Several interactive exhibits will help visitors along the journey of the U.S. Marshals’ history. The museum also has a space dedicated to those who have lost their lives while on duty.

THE GANGSTER MUSEUM OF AMERICA

Make Christmas Possible for Arkansas Children who are Abandoned, Abused and Neglected

510 Central Ave., Hot Springs

Hot Springs, once a vacation destination for such mobsters as Al Capone, is home to The Gangster Museum of America. Capone is perhaps the country’s most famous gangster, as he dominated organized crime in Chicago a century ago and was among the first group of prisoners who served time in Alcatraz. Museum visitors can learn more about his story as well as other riveting tales from the 1920s-1940s.

Please visit MethodistFamily.org/Donate for ways to make Christmas possible for the Arkansas children in the care of Methodist Family Health

DELTA CULTURAL CENTER 141 Cherry St., Helena

Just off the banks of the Mississippi River in Helena, the Delta Cultural Center offers a collection that highlights the culture of the Arkansas Delta through legendary blues musicians and historic dialogue. One permanent exhibit takes visitors on a walk through “A Heritage of Determination” to explore the hardships and triumphs of residents, while a temporary exhibit takes an immersive dive into the role of the Baptist Church in the lives of African Americans during the Jim Crow era and the prominence of Reverend Elias Camp Morris.

CLINTON NATURAL BRIDGE MUSEUM

1120 Natural Bridge Road, Clinton From March to November, visitors can check out Clinon’s natural bridge and cabin museum.

Tucked away in the Ozark Mountains, the 100foot natural sandstone bridge took millions of years to form and now makes for a quaint afternoon destination. A small cabin museum also sheds a light onto what life was like many moons ago. Moonshine, wagon wheels, Arkansas-shaped rocks and more open a window to a time when a family of six could live in a single room together and depend on their fireplace for warmth.

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JUNE 2023 45

ARKANSAS ALLIGATOR FARM AND PETTING ZOO 847 Whittington Ave., Hot Springs

ASHLEY CLAYBORN

Is this a museum or a zoo? A zooseum?

What’s more clear is that the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo is exactly what it sounds like. Visitors can get up close with baby gators, watch live feedings, hang out with miniature goats and feast their eyes on wolves, mountain lions, monkeys and more.

MISS LAURA’S VISITOR CENTER 2 North B St., Fort Smith

If you’re looking for a museum experience that transports you into an early 1900s brothel, Miss Laura’s Visitor Center is the place to be.

The building was once part of a row of similar pleasure houses in Fort Smith’s old booming red light district, and Miss Laura’s operated as a house of prostitution until 1948. Decades later, the mansion was saved from demolition, remodeled and turned into something of a time capsule with walls covered in extravagant wallpaper and rooms jazzed up with antique furniture.

SOUTHERN TENANT FARMERS MUSEUM 117 S. Main St., Tyronza

Tyronza is a small Arkansas town that doesn’t have much outside of a few churches, a bank, a school, public library and the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum. The museum sits humbly on the town’s main street, neighboring a railroad track. Inside a historic building that once acted as the unofficial headquarters of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, exhibits focus on the farm labor movement in the South, including the history of sharecropping.

PLUM BAYOU MOUNDS ARCHAEOLOGICAL STATE PARK AND MUSEUM

THE DREAMLAND BALLROOM: At Taborian Hall.

No Place Like Home GETTING SOME LITTLE ROCK HISTORY INTO YOUR SUMMER STAYCATION.

BY ASHLEY CLAYBORN

n average of 111,000 drivers pass by downtown Little Rock on Interstate 30 every day, but when it’s time to plan our summer, do we think enough about the rich history embedded in this city? Not just the big moments, but the smaller glimmers of humanity rooted deep in paint-flaked brick walls. If you want to stroll through lesser-known Arkansas history in downtown Little Rock on a weekday afternoon — or on your summer staycation — all that is required is a little planning ahead.

UA LITTLE ROCK DOWNTOWN’S “STRUGGLE IN THE SOUTH” 333 President Clinton Ave.

First stop: UA Little Rock Downtown, a learning space in the River Market and home to a massive 44-foot mural that once graced the walls of a radical socialist labor college in rural Arkansas. Painted by Joe Jones in the dining hall of the Commonwealth College in 1935, “Struggle in the South” is a gem of the often-overlooked thread of socialism and labor activism in our state’s past. The college was founded to train leaders for labor activism and union organizing in the 1920s and ’30s. A deep dive into the school’s history includes everything from collaborative organizing with the Southern Tenant Farmer’s Union to a federal investigation over accusations of practicing free love. The mural depicts the conditions of labor at the time, including the miseries of sharecropping, the trauma of racial violence and the plight of miners and industrial workers. For four decades, the mural was thought to be lost to time, so the story of its restoration is one for the history books. Before you visit, you must email and coordinate a time with UA Little Rock Downtown Director Marta Cieslak at mxcieslak@ualr.edu.

TABORIAN HALL

490 Toltec Mounds Road, Scott

800 W. Ninth St.

Stomping around the grounds of the Plum Bayou Mounds State Park is really great — it takes visitors through places that Native Americans once used as a ceremonial space and along the cypress trees growing in the Mound Pond. Even better, the park also includes a wonderfully air conditioned, indoor museum that is just as awesome. Stories of the area and the history of prehistoric tools line the walls, while interactive animal pelts and equipment quizzes are available for those who love to touch things.

Since the early 1990s, the first floor of this old giant has been the home of Arkansas Flag and Banner. However, this building was once the entertainment heart of the Ninth Street “Line,” a cultural and social mecca for the Black community in Central Arkansas. During its heyday, Taborian Hall was a common touring stop on the illustrious Chitlin’ Circuit. Many greats have graced that stage, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and others. Much like Jones’ mural, Taborian Hall, specifically Dreamland Ballroom on the third floor, fell into disrepair before rediscovery and revival decades later. Since 2009, the nonprofit Friends of Dreamland has worked to restore the space to its former glory. With the help of a grant from the National Park Service, awarded in 2021, the nonprofit hopes to bring the old dance hall back to life. Once again, you’ll need to coordinate your visit beforehand at dreamlandballroom.org with the Friends of Dreamland director, Matthew McCoy, but it is more than worth the effort to see the space.

46 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

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Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

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ARKANSAS TIMES

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Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

JUNE CANNABIS HIGHLIGHTS

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2023

COSMIC GO PEN: BIG BANG

BEST DISPENSARY GROWN FLOWER AROUND ARKANSAS BEST DISPENSARY AROUND ARKANSAS BEST SERVICE AROUND ARKANSAS BEST VIBE/OVERALL EXPERIENCE AROUND ARKANSAS Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

50 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

FRUIT BURST GUMMIES

NO MCT OIL. NO VITAMIN E ACETATE. NO FILLERS. Just pure cannabis oil + natural terpenes.

Osage Creek Cultivation's Fruit Burst Gummies are a popular cannabis edible option for those seeking a flavorful and convenient way to consume cannabis. Crafted with precision and expertise, these gummies offer a delectable combination of fruity flavors and the therapeutic benefits of cannabis edibles.

Each gummy's precisely dosed THC content can help alleviate pain, anxiety, stress, and insomnia. The sensitive nature of gummies also makes them an appealing choice for individuals seeking relief without the need for smoking or vaping.

$30

Vegan - Gluten-Free - Sugar-Free

The Cosmic GO Pen has landed. Blasting off with the flavor that started it all: Big Bang. A galaxy of smooth vanilla and sweet, sugary berry flavors meets a nebula of peppery, herbal notes for an unparalleled vaping experience.

Cosmic GO Pens are sleek, colorful, all-in-one vape pens that are like a Big Bang of flavor. It’s time to GO on a cosmic voyage.

OSAGE CREEK DISPENSARY BERNER'S BY GOOD DAY FARM 101 E. Van Buren 11600 Chenal Parkway Eureka Springs Little Rock 479-431-4897 501-441-0944 Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during gooddayfarmdispensary.com pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. osagecreekdispensary.com Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vechicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

ADVERTORIAL

CLEAN GREEN CERTIFIED® CRAFT MEDICAL CANNABIS AT ITS FINEST

By Dr. Johanna Rahman

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t’s about 1AM on a random Tuesday night when we get the now common “it’s just me” text from Justin Berger, our Director of Cultivation, followed shortly thereafter by the building’s alarm notification. He’s been remotely monitoring his live stream of data covering every parameter of Harvest’s medical cannabis grow operation and he doesn’t like what he sees coming from one sensor. He’s got to go back in and double check. Well, he doesn’t have to, and many growers wouldn’t, but this man does. Every.Single.Time. So, middle-of-the-night text/alarm notifications have become a regular thing for us ever since Justin set out to transition our traditional in-house cannabis grow to the decidedly non-traditional: all natural, sustainable, regenerative, and biodynamic - in other words, “organic” though it’s best to avoid that term.* In essence, Justin has taken all traditional cannabis paradigms and, simply put, turned them on their heads.

Right here in Arkansas. s innovation often requires, Justin first had to tear the old system down.

We’re talking a bare-floorsand-walls level of dismantling. Then, over the course of two long, difficult years, he built a whole new one, from the ground up, designed to mimic nature as closely as possible. He started with the development of self-regenerative living soils, which are now entire little ecosystems of their own - arguably the most difficult part of the process. He built raised beds on rolling platforms and used “air pots” to maximize soil volume and nutrient access for each plant. e added cover crops and companion plants, and inoculated the beds with oyster mushroom mycelium to bioremediate any potential contaminants. He brews his own nutrient tea and creates char for use as a soil amendment. And he fussed over the structure of his water long before any of us knew what that meant. Now he’s achieved something truly remarkable: in March, he attained Clean Green Certification®** and, in April, his first harvest passed state testing requirements with flying colors and hit the shelves for resale. While he and his small crew of assistants continue “dialing-it-in” to his exacting standards, every two weeks a new batch is harvested, cured, and trimmed, by hand nonetheless, ensuring the highest quality and attention to detail. is new system for Harvest utilizes processes complex enough that many of us just nod our

heads, pretending we understand what he’s talking about, and most growers wouldn’t even attempt it.

Clearly, it takes a certain kind of person, and a certain kind of business, to take on this challenge. “You have to believe in what you’re doing so deeply that it’s truly fundamental, or else you would give up and take a path of less resistance”, said Justin. “I’ve questioned it myself. I’ve wondered if it’s even possible, given Arkansas has some of the most stringent regulatory standards in the country. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to go after what you believe in. I believe in this and now look where we are.” hough he doesn’t much like it when we call him “Master Grower”, his competence and tenacity with growing a variety of living things is undeni-

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able. That’s why we dutifully comply when he asks us to bring him our spent organic egg shells or pile up our freezers with organic banana peels so he can char them into a topsoil amendment. That’s why we drive 40 miles to The Nursery, the only one around stocking fresh bags of organic live worm castings, without batting an eye. That’s why we spend countless hours and loads of money sending every organic soil available on the market out for pre-testing to find the few that actually meet ppb standards for heavy metal contamination. And that’s why we react gleefully at the bunnies now making a home next to the massive bioreactors out back where he recycles and regenerates spent soil and root balls with the help of giant sunflowers and leafy gourds acting as companion plants. If this is how paradigms are shifted, sign me up. t’s impossible to overstate the significance of what he’s accomplished here for both the state and country at large. In fact, if you drove due east

or west from Arkansas in search of another active Clean Green Certified® cannabis operation, you’d have to go all the way to California before stopping.

Justin’s dedication and expertise have transformed our craft grow operation into a truly unique model of sustainability and innovation. We’re proud to now offer some of the finest medical cannabis in the country, and we’re excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the industry. After all, we chased after what we believed in. Once you try it, we’re fairly certain you’ll believe in it too. *The term “organic” is regulated by the USDA. Until cannabis becomes federally legal, the USDA cannot certify cannabis as “organic”, even if it otherwise meets or exceeds those standards. **Clean Green Certified® is a global leader in cannabis sustainability certification, founded in 2004 to regulate legal cannabis products claiming to be “organic.” It offers certifications to crop producers, processors, and products based on national and international organic, sustainable, and regenerative programs.

The program ensures farmers use best practices with natural pesticides and control methods under organically based regulations and maintains legal compliance at the state level. Clean Green Certified® is recognized for its high standards and agricultural experience, with its growers and processors winning more awards than any other cannabis certification program. The certification process involves an extensive expert materials review, eligibility assessment, and inspection, followed by an annual review for renewal.

Dr. Johanna E. Rahman is Harvest’s Medical, Creative, and Social Impact Director Justin Berger is Harvest’s Cultivation Director

I

Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vechicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

CONGRATULATIONS

!

L PT ALN SE F I URAL R OTIV O F ES US F IN ITA O R J A RG MA

TO THE WINNER OF THE SPRING

2023 ARKANSAS TIMES TIM ES MARGARITA MARG ARITA FEST

PEPPERMINT HIPPO

AND OUR FINALISTS

WXYZ BAR

PRESENTED BY

AND MUSIC PROVIDED BY SPONSORED BY

MI PAELLA

Don’t miss Bloodies, Bubbles & Brunch July 15th at Rusty Tractor Vineyards

get tickets to upcoming events at

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CONGRATS to first place & WINNER of the Golden Taco: Jimmy’s Jerk Chicken & BBQ for the second year in a row!

Congrats also to our runners up: Second place: Mockingbird Bar and Tacos Third place: The Cajun Trouxth Thanks to our sponsors

THANK YOU TO ALL PARTICIPANTS CANTINA LAREDOO, SANTO COYOTE MEXICAN FOOD & TEQUILA BAR, THE PEPPERMINT HIPPO, CASA MAÑANA RIVER MARKET, AND DIABLOS TACOS & MEZCALERÍA - ALL HAD INCREDIBLE ENTRIES.

Presented by Hornitos

Get to centralarkansastickets.com for your tickets to the Bloodies, Bubbles & Brunch event happening at Rusty Tractor Vineyards July 15th!

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THE FOODIE GUIDE

EVER GO TO A RESTAURANT AND SAY, “WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND?” WELL, HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO SEE WHAT SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS’ CHEFS AND OWNERS LOVE TO EAT FROM THEIR OWN MENU! Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 53

DR. JINNINGS BURRUSS, CHEF DE CUISINE

KATHERINE ELDRIDGE, OWNER CHEF DAVID

SARACEN CASINO RESORT

DOE’S EAT PLACE

As Chef de Cuisine for Saracen Casino Resort, Dr. Jinnings Burruss is responsible for ensuring that all food served throughout the property meets with the highest quality and consistency standards. As a Certified Executive Chef, Dr. Burruss employs his extensive background of managing food and culinary operations, which includes strategic planning, developing staff, budgeting, and contributing to the overall quality of food service offered throughout the Casino. Dr. Burruss often acts as a coach and mentor, helping to set staff objectives and then teaches them how to achieve their goals through hands-on leadership.

Doe’s Eat Place offers convenient curbside parking and your choice of inside or outside dining. It is a down-to-earth, no frills southern atmosphere. A longtime regional favorite. We have your favorite steaks and all the fixings. We also offer big servings of our famous hot tamales with chili, broiled shrimp, grilled salmon, hamburgers, cheeseburgers and more at a reasonably good price.

SARACEN CASINO RESORT | PINE BLUFF SARACENRESORT.COM

1023 W. MARKHAM | DOWNTOWN LITTLE ROCK 501-376-1195 | DOESEATPLACELR.COM

LEFT TO RIGHT:

EDWIN SALVADOR SUSHI CHEF

DAVE BISCEGLIA

GENERAL MANAGER

RICARDO RINCÓN CHEF DE CUISINE

Located on Kavanaugh Boulevard in Hillcrest and Chenal Parkway in West Little Rock, Kemuri is a unique and exciting restaurant that offers a wonderful twist on traditional Japanese cuisine. The restaurant atmosphere is warm and inviting, with a sleek and modern design. The menu features sushi, seafood, and robatastyle skewers and offers a variety of dishes like Miso Cod with seasonal vegetables, crispy lotus root and coconut rice. Don’t miss the popular Dragon Eggs featuring avocados stuffed with tempura shrimp, blue crab, masago and chef ’s sauce. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, though. Kemuri’s bar is also not to be missed with an incredible selection of sake, whiskey and other spirits. The bartenders are knowledgeable and friendly, always happy to recommend a drink that perfectly complements your meal. The restaurant’s outdoor patio is a great spot to relax and enjoy a drink with friends on a warm summer evening. If you’re looking for a unique dining experience in Little Rock, Kemuri is definitely worth a visit!

KEUMURI | LITTLE ROCK | KEMURIRESTAURANT.COM 54 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

BEN LINDLEY CHEF | BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT Brave New Restaurant has been a staple of the farm-to-table fine dining scene for over 30 years and remains a treasure for many locals. Chef and owner Peter Brave has handed over the reins to Chef Ben Lindley, who has been mastering beautiful dishes such as raspberry wild boar chops, grilled mahi mahi, pine nut salmon and much more. We asked Ben what he would recommend to someone coming into the restaurant. “The scallops we get from Massachusetts are my favorite. They are beautiful, and we make them the way Peter always has.” Among Ben’s cooking philosophies: “simple ingredients without overthinking things.

I always try new combinations.” This philosophy definitely shines through when you are biting into the chicken risotto, finished with a peach basil chutney. Creating a unique dining experience for customers is one of Chef Ben’s favorite parts about his job. “It feels good to put great local ingredients together in creative ways and watch people’s faces when they try it.” Brave New was recently ranked No. 1 in Southern Living’s top 5 local restaurants in Arkansas, and has been voted best fine dining restaurant in the Arkansas Times Readers Choice awards. Make a stop into Brave New Restaurant, and enjoy a fresh dish on their patio overlooking the Arkansas River. You are sure to have an amazing experience!

SCALLOPS AND STRAWBERRY SALAD

GRILLED MAHI MAHI

BRAVE NEW RESTAURANT | 2300 COTTONDALE LANE #105 | LITTLE ROCK | RESERVATIONS 501-663-2677 Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 55

PAYNE HARDING CHEF | CACHE RESTAURANT Chef Payne Harding, a Little Rock native, owns and operates Cache. Cache is a modern restaurant, founded in 2013 and located in the River Market district of downtown Little Rock.

Harding’s passion for fine dining developed at a young age, and he still carries the same passion and love for food today. Cache Restaurant offers a plethora of unique and flavorful dishes that will keep you coming back for more. Chef Payne’s recommendations include the Caprese salad, smoked pork belly, candied bacon, shrimp scampi, crab cakes, and of course, the New York Strip. When asked what unique ingredients stand out in these dishes, Payne remarked, “The smoked pork belly releases smoke from a cloche tableside, the shrimp scampi has a great scratch made sauce.” Something special about the crab cakes is that they are actually cooked on a “plancha,” and not deep fried. This creates a unique texture and taste. Make sure to stop by this summer and grab some of Cache’s spectacular seasonal fish such as mahi-mahi, halibut, and sea bass. Chef Payne also features ladypeas, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and fresh berries during the summer. This is delightful in flavor, but also makes for a beautiful plate. Come

by Cache Restaurant today, and try some award winning, tasty dishes!

PORK BELLY

SHRIMP SCAMPI CACHE RESTAURANT | 501-850-0265 | 425 PRESIDENT CLINTON AVE. | LITTLE ROCK | CACHELITTLEROCK.COM 56 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

We may be known for our burgers and sandwiches, but we would like to highlight one of our favorite light, and tasty dishes. Our Tuna Poke Nachos featuring sushi grade tuna marinated in a house-made sesame ponzu is layered on crispy fried rice paper then topped with a rich sriracha aioli, fresh micro cilantro and chives all culminate into what could be one of your favorites this patio season and beyond.

HILL STATION 2712 KAVANAUGH BLVD. | HILLCREST 501-747-2230 | HILLSTATIONHILLCREST.COM

At Hillcrest Area Market (H.A.M.), you can’t go wrong with any of our sandwich selections from the Brick Pressed Prosciutto to our namesake cold cut sandwich, The H.A.M. Tryour Squash Blossom, (pictured here) we love being a butcher shop that has the best vegetarian sandwich in town. We also have a daily offering of scratch-made soups. Come see us, we’re a little place with a lot going on!

HILLCREST AREA MARKET (H.A.M.) 2807 KAVANAUGH BLVD STE B | LITTLE ROCK | 501-671-6328

Try us at the Arkansas Times Cannabis & Wellness Expo June 24th!

2023

Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

Special Advertising Section of the Arkansas Times

ARKTIMES.COM

JUNE 2023 57

SAVVY

THIS SUMMER READING LIST FIGHTS FASCISM

THE BOOKS YOUR STATE LEGISLATURE DOESN’T WANT IN YOUR CHILD’S HANDS.

DEEMED 'HARMFUL TO MINORS': Works by J.J. Austrian, Alicia D. Williams and Erica Silverman are among the targets of book banning movements in Arkansas.

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s the school year winds down, parents often start looking for good books for their kids to read over the summer. This year, your child’s summer reading list can be about more than just screen-free entertainment and academic enrichment. It can also serve as a patriotic protest against censorship.

In March, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Senate Bill 81, signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and now a new law that makes it a crime for librarians to provide access to books that are deemed “harmful to minors.”

The law comes after a wave of book challenges by groups like Saline County Republican Women and Moms for Liberty (a member of which was caught on tape last year fantasizing about shooting an Arkansas school librarian for refusing to remove books that present LGBTQ+ characters in a positive light). Now, these groups are working to defund public libraries and have successfully pressured some library systems to remove diverse and inclusive books from the children’s section.

What’s all the fuss about? Are these books actually “X-Rated,” as a huge new anti-library billboard in Saline County claims? Use our handy summer reading list to judge for yourself.

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PICTURE BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS Worm Loves Worm, by J.J. Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato Two worms fall in love and decide to get married, but their insect friends have questions: How will the worms exchange wedding rings if they don’t have fingers? How will the guests be able to tell the bride from the groom when the worms look identical? In the end, the worms teach us that love really isn’t that complicated and traditions can be updated to fit our needs.

Common Sense Media, a parent resource for evaluating books, movies, video games and other content aimed at children, gives this book five stars and says, “It’s an excellent book to start a conversation about same-sex marriage, but it works just as well as an introduction to wedding celebrations or as an example of how creativity, individuality and unconventionality can make a big event even more special.” Saline County Republican Women had this book removed from the children’s section of the public library because “gay marriage books aimed at children are inappropriate” and because they view the book as “anti-Biblical.”

The Talk by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu This Coretta Scott King Author Honor-winning children’s book tells the story of Jay, a young Black boy who loves hanging out with

BRIAN CHILSON

BY ALI NOLAND

his friends, spending time with his grandma, riding in his dad’s car and getting measured by his mom with pencil marks on the wall to mark his growth. As Jay grows, the adults in his family begin to warn him about how others will judge him based on the color of his skin. To protect him, his parents teach Jay how to behave in public and how to interact with police, but Jay just wants to be a kid. Publisher Simon & Schuster describes this book as “a gently honest and sensitive starting point for this far-too-necessary conversation, for Black children, Brown children, and for ALL children.” The extremists who had it pulled from library shelves in Saline County said the book is “not an appropriate topic for little children and PRODUCES racism,” and they claim it is part of a “Critical Race Theory agenda.”

Jack Not Jackie, by Erica Silverman, illustrated by Holly Hatam Older sister Susan can’t wait for the day that her younger sister Jackie will be old enough to play Susan’s favorite games, but as Jackie grows up, Susan realizes that her younger sister prefers to play with mud and bugs, likes ties better than tutus, wants to cut off her long hair and wants to be called Jack instead of Jackie. This is a book about a family loving and accepting their child regardless of gender identity or personal expression, so right-wing activists in Sa-

The Pulaski County Special School District is committed to providing a quality and equitable education to all students. Our hard work is exemplified each year through the accomplishments of our students. Nearly a dozen students, representing all four feeders in PCSSD, are headed to Arkansas Tech University this summer for Arkansas Governor’s School. Four rising seniors share their thoughts and expectations as they prepare for Governor’s School later this summer.

Samantha Lee from Maumelle High will spend the summer program focusing on mathematics.

“I chose to be part of Governor’s School because it will open opportunities for me when it comes to college and further education. I hope to figure out a career path. As of right now, I’m undecided about what major I’ll pursue let alone a career. By surrounding myself with intellectuals and mentors, I hope to become inspired.”

Sylvan Hills High’s Tyler Forst will participate in the instrumental music program this summer. “I really enjoy playing my French Horn and was hoping I could make some connections while I’m there. I hope to learn some life skills. I am excited for this opportunity and hope that I’ll learn something that will change my life.”

Kalinda Loomis from Mills University Studies High will also spend the summer program focusing on instrumental music. “I have been involved with orchestra and band for half of my life, and orchestra is a big part of me. I plan to pursue a career in music education, and Governor’s School will give me skills to be prepared for it. It will be a new and useful experience for me to be around more people in music, and at Governor’s School I can have experiences I won’t have anywhere else.”

Yash Vyas attends Joe T. Robinson High and will be in the natural science program this summer.

“I want to dive deeper into the field of natural science and experience the environment of a college class. Learning more in the field of science will also allow me to refine the material I have learned throughout high school. By gaining a deeper understanding of the coursework, I can better prepare myself for college.”

The 44th Annual Arkansas Governor’s School will take place on the campus of Arkansas Tech University from July 5 to August 1. The program is a unique experience for incoming seniors to live on a college campus and focus on a particular interest, including choral music, development engineering, drama, English/language arts, instrumental music, mathematics, natural science, social science, and visual arts.

ABOUT PCSSD

www.pcssd.org

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

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

line County found it objectionable and had it removed from the children’s section.

Bathe The Cat, by Alice McGinty, illustrated

by David Roberts Why was this charming picture book deemed too salacious for kids? Well, it’s not due to the story. As a family rushes to prepare for a visit from grandma, a mischievous cat rearranges the chore list on the refrigerator to delay getting a bath and, in the process, sends the family on a wild ride full of zany mixed-up housework (“Sarah, scrub the lawn! Dad, you feed the mat!

Bobby, sweep the baby! I’ll vacuum the cat!”).

The problem, apparently, lies in the illustrations, which feature a family with two happy, loving gay dads. In Arkansas, showing samesex parents in a positive light is enough to get a book pulled from library shelves.

BOOKS FOR MIDDLE READERS Transphobia, Deal With It and Be a Gender Transcender, by J. Wallace Skelton, illustrated by Nick Johnson This informative book aimed at students in middle school uses comics, lists and quizzes to teach kids about transphobia. In challenging this book, the Saline County Republican Women have claimed that it is “leading some kids to go even further and identify as dogs and cats.”

Pawsitively Devine Pooch Fashion Show Saturday, June 24 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Show your fur baby off with style at Chenal Pines in support of Arkansans for Animals.

Prizes awarded for first, second, and third place. $25 to enter your pup.

Go to: Centralarkansastickets.com.

16715 Champagnolle Drive Little Rock, AR 72223 60 JUNE 2023

ARKANSAS TIMES

Chenal Pines

Flight of the Puffin, by Ann Braden From award-winning author Ann Braden, this story about four middle schoolers who aren’t what their families want or expect them to be showcases the power of compassion, hope, kindness and courage. It includes a nonbinary character, and the author is an outspoken gun control advocate, so it’s no surprise that this book has also been targeted for censorship in Saline County.

Caring for Your Child’s

Everyday Health

Arkansas Children’s is here for the everyday medical needs of your children. Whether it’s treating a fever or giving an immunization, our primary care clinics provide diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care for illnesses or injuries. We are committed to preventative care, including immunizations, physical examinations, positive newborn screens and child health maintenance.

We are shining a spotlight on a few:

ACH After-Hours Clinic Partners with community primary care clinics to offer sick visits seven days a week.

ACH Southwest Little Rock Clinic Our staff cares for the diverse needs of patients, from well-child visits to acute illness treatments.

ACH Pine Bluff Clinic Southeast Arkansas families can receive care close to home with physicals, vaccines and screenings.

ACH Primary Care in Little Rock Pediatric care includes well-child visits, immunizations, diagnosis and treatments.

Visit archildrens.org/primarycare to learn more and make an appointment for your child today.

501-510-6847

BOOKS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS All Boys Aren’t Blue, by George M. Johnson The Farmington School Board recently slapped an NC-17 age restriction on Johnson’s powerful YA memoir about growing up Black and queer. Johnson tells readers to “Love who you want to love, and do it unapologetically, including that face you see every day in the mirror.” This book is one of the most critically acclaimed and most widely banned YA books on the market today.

BOOKS THAT WILL HELP KIDS UNDERSTAND CENSORSHIP The following books haven’t (yet) been removed from library shelves in Arkansas. We are including them on this list because they are a great way to help your child understand current political efforts to censor the content that kids can access.

Ban This Book, by Alan Gratz When fourth-grader Amy Anne Ollinger tries to check out her favorite book, “From the MixedUp Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” from her school library, she learns that the book was banned because a classmate's mom thought it wasn’t appropriate for kids to read. Amy Anne fights back by starting a secret banned-books library out of her locker, and she soon ends up in the center of a battle over who has the right to decide what students can read.

A Night Divided, by Jennifer A. Nielsen My 9-year-old daughter loved the suspenseful and thrilling story of Gerta and her brother Fritz, who risk their lives to tunnel under the Berlin Wall in order to reunite their family and escape the censorship and oppression of the Stasi, the secret police who control all books, magazines, music and school lessons in communist East Germany. When Gerta’s elderly neighbor is arrested and tortured for distributing pamphlets that say, “If I cannot speak what I think, then it's a crime just to be me,” Gerta begins to understand the importance of free thought and expression.

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CULTURE

PLAYING INTO A TRANCE JOSHUA ASANTE ON FATE, FREEDOM AND HIS DEBUT SOLO LP.

BY DANIEL GREAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSHUA ASANTE

HUNKERED DOWN: With the help of Zach Reeves — a local engineer and producer — Joshua Asante spent the last three years working on his debut solo LP, "All the Names of God at Once," a synth-heavy, Afrofuturist journey that comes out on Friday, July 21.

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efore Joshua Asante was even born, the idea that he was chosen followed him around. After learning by way of pure intuition that she was pregnant with Joshua, his mother attended a tent revival where a minister passed her by, stopped in his tracks and then turned around. “He touched her womb and kind of lost his shit,” Asante said. Because his mother hadn’t yet told anyone about the baby, she took the clergyman’s gesture as an affirmation that all the mystical energy she’d been feeling around her gestating child was something to take seriously. When Joshua finally came, the birth was shockingly painless, the myth of his uniqueness made physical. “My earliest conversations that I can recall are of my mother telling me that I was different and special, even amongst my siblings,” Asante said.

If you’ve ever been entranced by a Joshua Asante performance, drawn to the stage like an altar, you’re probably guessing that this is the part of the story where an instrument gets placed in his hands and everything magically clicks into place, his calling made clear. Not exactly. Growing up in the Delta, he got his start behind the drum set at church when he was 10 or 11, but his reason for being there had seemingly little to do with fate, or even personal desire, for that matter. Asante’s brother was more of a natural on the kit, yet to punish him for behavior that was “unworthy” of “the holy space,” their pastor father kicked him out of the pulpit and replaced him with Joshua, whose beats flopped week after week. His brother fumed from the pews. “I had no sense of rhythm,” Asante said.

“I don’t know how much time you spend in Black church, but there’s a lot of royalty, a lot of circumstance and pomp. Someone who’s really not a musician trying to play can really disrupt that. All the girls who’ve got their hair high-combed and got their dresses on thought all week about their solo, and I’m just ruining the song.”

Though Asante eventually found the groove by aligning his kick drum hits with his father’s foot pedal work on the organ, he wouldn’t pursue music outside of the church walls until about a decade later, when he moved to Little Rock for college. Counter to his clumsy beginnings, the tale of how Asante ended up in his first band is the stuff of legends, a situation of divine plucking if I’ve ever heard one. Sometime in the late 2000s, he was perched on the corner outside Mediums — an art gallery on Kavanaugh that no longer exists where he’d regularly sing songs on an acoustic guitar and read lengthy spoken word poems — when an “old ass Mercedes” pulled up, smoke and reggae music pumping through the windows and into the night. Next, a man he’d never seen nor met popped out of

2415 Broadway St • Little Rock 501- 372-6868 1307 John Barrow Rd • Little Rock 501-224-2057 • simsbbqar.com

Now Back: Dining In!

Experience That Great Southern Flavor READERS

CHOICE

A ARDS FINALIST 2022 2023

BEST SALAD

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LITTLE ROCK’S MOST AWARD-WINNING RESTAURANT 1619 Rebsamen Rd. 501.663.9734 • thefadedrose.com

Open Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fri 4pm to 9pm Open Sat 11am to 10pm & Sun 12pm to 9pm (closed Tues)

(501) 324-2449 • bigwhiskeyslittlerock.com 225 E Markham, Little Rock ARKTIMES.COM

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SACRED FRATERNITY: Before Joshua Asante formed Amasa Hines and then eventually went solo, he was the frontman for Velvet Kente, an all-Black trio that provided him with the kind of firsthand ecstatic experience that he’d only witnessed from the sidelines in church.

"IT'S DIFFICULT TO CARE WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU FIT IN. IT'S DIFFICULT TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHEN YOU'VE HURT PEOPLE WHEN YOU FEEL HURT ALL THE TIME." the car, told Asante apropos of nothing that he looked “like an artist” and invited him to hop in and drive around town. Asante was bashful about the accusation of artistry, but he didn’t say no. Once Asante was sitting shotgun, the source of the smoke revealed itself: bundles of lit incense that had been stuffed into the slits of the air vents.

Unlike almost every other musician he knows, Asante never imagined being in a band as a teenager, in part because his sense of what was possible had been made small and abstract by the acute poverty of his childhood. “It’s not that we were inundated with what we couldn’t be, but nobody was saying what you could be, so it kind of just didn’t even cross your mind,” he said. “Your existence was kind of an intellectual matter, not something that felt forward propelled.” All of that said, the connection that 66 JUNE 2023

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he and the electric stranger in the Mercedes — a keyboard player named Tim Anthony — forged over a hazy evening of coasting, chatting and listening to Gregory Isaacs records was strong enough to spawn a series of jam sessions, which were strong enough to spawn Velvet Kente, a trio that was complete once Jamaal Lee entered the picture. “He’s the best drummer I’ve ever seen. I know people say that about their friends, but I’m sorry, man,” Asante told me, laughing with disbelief at just how incredible Lee’s chops are. “The life-changing aspect was it gave me a lot of room to grow. Because he is as open and as empathetic as he is good. So I felt like for the first time I could really do anything and it would sound interesting.”

Channeling John Coltrane, Sun Ra and a “punk ethos,” Velvet Kente were so naturally in sync that they often relied on instinct and

improvisation more than a strict plan. Making music with Anthony and Lee provided Asante with the kind of firsthand ecstatic experience that he’d only witnessed from the sidelines in church. “That was my first journey into what I’ve come to know as spiritual music,” he said.

“Like, playing into a trance.” The band became a sacred fraternity, leading Asante to apprehension when they started getting hit up by other players in Little Rock who were interested in collaborating. “I wanted the thing to mature without being diluted or changed,” he said. His protectiveness also stemmed from the fact that none of these hopeful musicians had paid them much attention before they were drawing big crowds. “It’s just regular playground shit,” Asante said. “You go to the sandlot, you hit a home run, and next week everyone wants you to be on their team.” On a more complicated level, Asante picked up on a racial subtext underneath why they were initially overlooked, given that Velvet Kente was an all-Black band in a scene made up of almost exclusively white people.

When in 2011 Asante conceded to form Amasa Hines — his second full-fledged outfit — with a sprawling collection of six mostly white performers who’d been gigging in various groups in Central Arkansas and lurking at Velvet Kente shows, he made sure there were “definite lines of demarcation” between his projects, though Velvet Kente dissolved quickly afterward due to Lee moving away. Coupled with a genuine investment in the creative and professional success of the new band, Asante told himself that his involvement was going to be something of a social experiment, one that would allow him to learn the “language” and “nuance of interaction” that white folks in the industry use when they “think you want to be one of them.” He spent the next eight years at the helm of Amasa Hines, which he describes as more singer-songwriter-influenced and lyric-focused, particularly in the way the songs often extended from his “love of Black speculative fiction.”

If Velvet Kente was all about chasing the ever-changing musical truth of the moment, then Amasa Hines was an exercise in doggedly sticking to a very ornate script. “The Amasa Hines guys needed a lot of things to be predetermined,” Asante said. “And there’s a lot to be gained from that. There’s some really good lessons in arrangement and hitting the mark.

There’s a different kind of ecstasy that comes when you really hit it on time.” That extreme attention to detail earned them major support spots on national tours and sessions with Daytrotter and Audiotree. By the time they disbanded in 2019, they’d put out an LP and an EP: “All the World There Is” and “Ivory Loving Glass.”

Maybe it’s the fact that Asante is relentlessly creative, or maybe it’s that he always had one foot in and one foot out with Amasa Hines, but regrouping after the breakup didn’t take long, even though he refers to 2019 as a “survival year.” Within months, he was touring

as an opener for Adia Victoria and honing his sound as a solo artist. After a memorable show at Rough Trade in New York City, the seeds for what a possible record could look like were sown. “I played this really seamless set where there was a drone that never stopped,” he said.

“The songs just weaved one into the other. I’ve had really good receptions within bands, but I’ve never had a reception like that playing by myself.” The goal wasn’t to recreate that live performance; instead, he wanted to make a thoroughly crafted debut solo LP that rivaled the cohesiveness of it.

Around the same time, Asante and Seth Baldy were starting Quiet Contender, their own independent record label, so the timing seemed fortuitous to launch the thing with Asante’s now-percolating album as their inaugural release. In the past, Asante’s time in the studio had been one of efficiency, mostly due to financial constraints, so when he and Zach Reeves — an engineer and producer whose recording space shares walls with Fellowship Hall Sound — began working in early 2020, they figured the project would be tracked and onto mixing within a few weeks. In reality, the process took three years of patient tinkering. “COVID the blessing came through and slowed everything down,” Asante said, half-sarcastically. “A lot of the expectations I placed on myself, there was nowhere to export. Like, nobody was looking for the record, bro. Even fewer people than the three people who were looking for it before. It was such a gift to have something meaningful going on, after the terror of it all.”

The question of what the resulting album — a layered, synth-heavy Afrofuturist journey called “All the Names of God at Once” that’s set to come out on Friday, July 21 — is fundamentally about is a complicated one. When his ex-partner first listened, she asked if it was supposed to be a “repentance record,” which Asante doesn’t dispute. “There’s a lifestyle that I was allowing that I just got burnt out on,” he said. “A lot of it was me being convinced that I was always going to be an outsider. A lot of my toxic behaviors are rooted in that. Like, it’s difficult to care when you don’t feel like you fit in. It’s difficult to acknowledge when you’ve hurt people when you feel hurt all the time.”

Fortunately for Asante, he’s making progress.

“If there’s an overarching theme, it’s probably freedom,” he said. “I feel like my life was designed to be impenetrable. I did a lot of shit in the name of fearlessness, but it was not the same as vulnerability.” Like the lyrics on his new album, which are far less cryptic than in his previous songwriting, he’s moving through the world with an unprecedented openness, one that has him intentionally striking up conversations with every stranger he comes in contact with. Whether his life is feeding the music or the music is feeding his life, I’d argue that he’s finally found what he’s been meant to do all along.

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FOOD & DRINK

GEMS AT THE MARKET HOW FIDEL SAMOUR TURNED EAST VILLAGE’S OLD STERLING PAINT FACTORY INTO A FOOD HALL.

BY RHETT BRINKLEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

FOOD COURT: Sterling Market boasts about 4,000 square feet and features a butcher shop, fresh greens station, bakery, artisan pizza station, full bar and grab-and-go market.

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fter a series of soft openings in March of this year, the Sterling Market food hall opened in the former Sterling Paint Factory building (515 Shall Ave.) in downtown Little Rock’s East Village neighborhood.

The newly updated, posh spot by Fidel & Co coffee shop owner Fidel Samour’s restaurant concept group Remolinos LLC boasts about 4,000 square feet and features a butcher shop, fresh greens station, bakery, artisan pizza station, full bar and grab-and-go market offering housemade granola, jams, pickled veggies, Arkansas-shaped cutting boards, bottled wine, local beer and an assortment of Sterling Market swag like T-shirts and water tumblers.

Neighboring Cromwell Architects renovated the space with legacy in mind. It’s hard to miss the nod to the building’s history: The wide swath of orange and white paint cans (designed to look like Sterling originals) along the eastern wall spell out the word Sterling. In development is an additional rain-or-shine green alley space directly behind the kitchen on the building’s northern end that will feature a retractable roof and a massive TV wall. The green alley space is slated for late summer and will add an additional 126 seats to the current setup: 56 inside, 18 on each of two front patios.

Samour opened Fidel & Co — located directly across the street from Sterling Market — eight weeks before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and when I became a regular a short time later, the coffee shop already felt like an established brand, with excellent coffee and food offerings. Other downtown coffee shops were closing, yet here was one east of Interstate 30 that was growing — and in a time when office buildings were mostly deserted.

Less than a mile east on Bond Avenue, Rosie's Pot & Kettle opened in 2020 and was also able to grow despite pandemic hurdles. The ability of restaurants to succeed in such a precarious time speaks to the potential for business growth in one of Little Rock’s first industrial districts, which includes previously established Lost Forty Brewing (2014), The Rail Yard beer garden (2018) and Camp Taco (2021), which made use

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of the space formerly occupied by Rebel Kettle (2016) and later, East Sixth Brewing.

Staffing was difficult for many restaurants during the 2021 labor shortage, and Samour considers himself lucky in that regard.

“Our employees are phenomenal, and they make the experience behind the product worth coming back for,” he said.

“We try to put as much care and compensation into their hands as we possibly can. I’m not playing any type of short game. I’m passionate about people and I want them to feel important and part of it.”

Samour grew up in El Salvador and was reconnected with a childhood friend named Raul after finding out he supplied coffee to a handful of U.S. roasters, including Onyx in Northwest Arkansas. More than 80% of the coffee roasted at Fidel & Co comes from Raul’s farm in El Salvador.

Early on in the pandemic one of Samour’s friends and business partners told him to be on the lookout for gems in the job market who might be unavailable otherwise, as well as businesses that might be closing. He found two such gems in John Burt and Paige Russell-Burt, Sterling Market’s executive chef and executive pastry chef, respectively. The couple met in Los Angeles and worked together at the Culver City restaurant Hatchet Hall. While working there as a pastry chef, Russell-Burt, a Conway native, made the 2015 Zagat Guide’s Los Angeles “30 Under 30” list for culinary professionals.

Shining as a pastry chef in Los Angeles isn’t easy, but the accolade made so much sense as I recalled the list of pastries I’ve had at Fidel & Co and Sterling Market. The first thing I tried at Fidel & Co was a Saturday morning cinnamon roll (I ordered the last one and heard audible groans of disappointment in line behind me) and it was one of those bites you want to share with everyone you love, or at the very least show off to your TikTok followers. I also had a perfect chocolate chip cookie at Fidel & Co’s newer River Market spot with chocolate chips the size of quarters, as well as an unforgettable bite of cardamom coffee cake.

Burt and Russell-Burt both started at Fidel & Co in the summer of 2020, Samour said, and were instrumental in the development of Sterling Market’s concept.

“I saw the value in hiring them,” Samour said. “I knew from interacting with them at Fidel & Co that something like Sterling would be possible.”

It was around that time when Samour heard that Sterling’s previous occupant, Cathead Diner, was closing down. Samour said the original idea was to take over the lease and use the building as a ghost kitchen for chefs wanting to try a new concept or get into delivery. It would also give Russell-Burt a bigger kitchen space 70 JUNE 2023

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MARKET GOODS: A nod to the market's history with the word Sterling spelled out in paint cans, the smoked chicken sandwich, the bread-based panzanella salad and the margarita pizza.

where she could expand her baked offerings while maintaining the quality of the items she was doing in the smaller kitchen at Fidel & Co. As the pandemic’s peaks and valleys wore on, ideas materialized and the group wondered if they could turn the space into a food hall.

Food halls are ubiquitous in bigger cities, but aside from Little Rock’s Ottenheimer Hall in the River Market, the only food halls by definition existed in shopping mall food courts. Samour said his team took inspiration from Denver’s Milk Market while consulting with Cromwell Architects about the design concept.

Russell-Burt’s expanded offerings at Sterling Market include donuts (strawberry glaze, chocolate ganache, salted caramel and buttermilk icing flavors have been available when I’ve stopped by), Kouign-amann, muffins, pumpkin bread, banana bread, scones and a variety of bagels. The highlights from our visits include a diamond-shaped orange-cream cheese danish (swoon), a blueberry cream cheese muffin and the brookie, which is perhaps the best brownie I’ve ever eaten. In addition to the pastries, breakfast items from the bakery include three toast offerings made with house-baked milk bread. We tried the ricotta toast with seasonal jam, and it was like a piece of strawberry toast on steroids. The toast itself had a perfect texture, a crisp exterior and soft pillowy interior that married perfectly with the cool, creamy ricotta and fresh jam. If you’re looking for something more savory, you can get a bagel or an egg and cheese sandwich (add house bacon for $3.50) on a bagel or a croissant. Drip coffee from Fidel & Co is available, as well as cold brew on draft. The vibe is chill and quiet in the morning, if you need a place to get some work done away from your home or office. Saturday brunch is also available from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

The pizza station features fresh lunch slices (until 3 p.m.) of cheese, housemade Italian sausage or pepperoni on house-made sourdough crust. Whole pies are available as well. We tried a cheese slice ($4) and the whole margarita pie ($15) with tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil.

It’s obvious when restaurants are using quality ingredients on pizza, and that was apparent here on both visits.

A variety of sandwiches are available from the butcher station: a smoked beef sandwich ($18); an excellent roast pork sandwich with shaved pork on toasted sourdough ($13); we loved the croque monsieur ($12) made with house-cured ham and milk bread nearly dripping in béchamel sauce. My colleague Stephanie Smittle’s report on the Sterling Burger ($16): “When a pizzeria-slash-coffee shop-slash-bar-slash specialty grocery is slinging house-cured ham on its Croque Monsieur and aging Flintstone-esque hunks of meat in the window case, chances are they’ve given some thought to how they wanna

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serve up a burger. Pleased to report my latelunch craving for a dairy bar burger got a fancy spin when our food writer plopped a cardboard container onto my desk, inside of which was a pillowy milk bun, toasted and topped with sesame seeds and an adorable stack of thick pickles, then filled with a crisped patty made of Sterling’s house-ground beef, plus lettuce, tomato, a not-too-sweet onion jam and melted white cheddar. And, as it turns out, the “less is more” thing I wanted from a Friday afternoon dairy bar burger was there, too; Sterling knows what I’m after isn't so much a whopping volume of beef, but as much griddled surface area as possible. And I’d happily eat this onion jam on its own with a spoon. If you can skip the chips and spring for the Wonka-esque triple-cooked potatoes with the bearnaise sauce to dip them in, you will not be sad you did.”

One of the highlights from the market menu is the Little Gems salad ($16) from the greens stand with smoked chicken, herb breadcrumbs, pickled red onion, grated egg garnish and a delightful cheddar dressing. The Caesar salad ($14) features boqueróns (anchovies processed with vinegar), and if you want a locally made bread salad, try the Panzanella ($12) with cucumber, kalamata olives, red onion, cottage cheese and a wonderful tomato vinaigrette.

I met a friend for a recent happy hour (4-6 p.m. Tue.-Thu.) and had a fantastic $6 Old Fashioned with a house-soaked cherry garnish I’m still thinking about. My friend tried the prechilled Tiki-La shot with tequila, passion fruit liqueur and tiki bitters. It was so delicious you might choose to sip it, though my friend threw it down in hopes of making room for more happy hour specials before the time ran out on us.

The actual butcher case features a dry-aged ribeye chamber as well as house bacon, German brats from Rabbit Ridge Farm (Bee Branch), jalapeno cheddar dogs, Spanish chorizo and more.

Samour says they’re trying to source locally as much as possible, partnering with vendors from Barnhill Orchards, War Eagle Mill (Rogers), Arkansas Natural Produce and several others.

Currently Sterling Market’s hours are 8 a.m.9 p.m. Tue.-Fri. and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sat. You can order any item on the menu from any station in the market. There is no table service. Parking is available in front of the market, in the parking lot on Sixth Street or in the Heifer lot north of the restaurant. The space is available for private events. For more information go to sterlingmarket.com.

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THE OBSERVER

MAYDAY (IN JUNE)

MOMENTS OF DESPERATION FROM THE OBSERVER(S).

PASSPORT SCRAMBLE Since one only has to renew their passport every decade, it’s not really something you should keep track of, right? This is the kind of myopic logic that got The Observer into trouble recently. With plans to fly to Guatemala in an embarrassingly short amount of time, I discovered that passports do, in fact, eventually expire, and that even the expedited version of the renewal process takes longer than you’d think. I was certain I was screwed, the dream of visiting my world-traveling best friend thwarted by my own stupidity. Fortunately for those of us who live in Arkansas, one of the only 26 regional passport agencies in the United States is, for some reason, in Hot Springs. These facilities — the otherwise closest locations being Dallas, Houston and Atlanta — allow you to procure a passport in record time, but only in the case of a genuine emergency, which means they don’t let you even book an appointment until 14 days before you’re scheduled to leave the country, which means you’re more or less obligated to purchase your plane ticket without a total guarantee that they’ll actually let you on the flight. I decided to put my trust in the system and forked over hundreds of dollars to United Airlines in the hopes that it would all work out. Once the two-week mark rolled around, I finally secured a time slot at the magical office where I would supposedly be able to walk out, same day, with an official passport in hand. Literally two days before my trip, I drove the hour to Hot Springs and waited 74 JUNE 2023

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in line amongst many exhausted-looking people who appeared to be in far more urgent situations than me (minus the guy who was desperate to get to Amsterdam on the next day, April 20). I submitted all of the necessary paperwork and the requisite terrible 2x2 photo that I’d had made at Walgreens. Within six hours, I was somehow the proud owner of a slick government document that would permit me to cross borders.

HOW THE OBSERVER GOT HIS GAME BACK The Observer has been a proud, cardcarrying member of my local community center for the past eight years, where I’ve been able to clear my head and work off the stress of daily life by playing the game I love, basketball, while hopefully maintaining steady levels of cardiovascular fitness and improving my overall game. That morning hour is an important part of my mental health routine, and when it was suddenly taken away from me by a pickleballobsessed posse from the senior center across the street who started taking over the court from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. four days a week, it mucked up my whole program. It’s not that I hate the sport of pickleball; I’m actually down with it. But the fact that these pickleballers feel entitled to the entire court while the rest of us are prevented from respectfully contained five-on-five pickup games, free throw practice or even just a silly round of horse is a travesty. After months of being pushed to the sidelines, I’d had enough.

When the pickleballers showed up to take over the coveted court, I just kept shooting. They stared and put off the vibe that they wanted me gone. Eventually, I was escorted off the court by the front-desk attendant who blew a whistle and said something like, “It’s pickleball time.”

I had to take to the sauna to calm myself while devising a plan to put a stop to the pickleball assault, lest this small group of people take over the world. I wrote a cordial, yet firm email to the parks and rec department asking if they could please free up at least one half of the court for the friendly hoopers. It went all the way up the chain and reached the mayor, who personally called the community center and told them to cease and desist with this horrible practice immediately. With half of the court freed up this morning, The Observer was on fire, and all the pickleballers could do was watch with anger and amazement as I taunted them by draining repeated threes like Steph Curry.

WORRY WART The Observer has control issues and (undiagnosed) severe anxiety. These two things combined — and being a Virgo — leads me to intensive planning, overflowing to-do lists and admittedly shaky, sweaty hands almost always.

The silver lining here is that The Observer rarely finds herself in moments of desperation. Are the years that unjust stress has taken off my life worth the organized lifestyle? I guess only time will tell. Sounds like a new thing to worry about.

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