Eureka Springs Fat Tire Festival Celebrates Mountain Biking

The 11th Annual Fat Tire Festival in Eureka Springs is scheduled for July 17 -19 and will feature an array of mountain biking events. The festival is presented by Adventure Subaru and is operated under the umbrella of Progressive Trail Design. The Fatty Fest will also be a part of the Dynasty of Dirt Series in 2009. The DOD is a Northwest Arkansas Series of bike events designed to take Arkansas bicycle racing to the next level and bring the many “disciplines of dirt” together.

The schedule of events includes competitive and non-competitive cycling events, and courses that cover cross country elements, downhill, short track and trial runs. A bike parade, film fest and other activities are also scheduled. For a complete schedule of events for the Fat Tire Festival, click here.

There are several new developments for the Fatty Fest 2009 in Eureka Springs. The PTD Downhill course has gotten a makeover and will have a fully dedicated DH line eliminating double traffic. Plus, the makeover has allowed more challenging features to be incorporated, so expect more jumps, kickers and drops as well as tweaked-up existing features. Another new development is that the location for the Phat Tire Short Track (scheduled for the 17th) has moved to a local MX flat track course 4 miles north of town. This all-dirt track allows the entire race course to be viewed at one time, creating a neat spectator aspect for the event. It also promises to be super fast and flat, which will test all of the mountain bike riders.

The weekend before the festival, July 11-12, there will be warm-up events available for those who wish to get in some practice sessions. There will be pre-rides of the XC course, DH practice sessions and an open house at the short track venue. There will also be a time trial challenge on the short track sponsored by Adventure Mountain.

Sunday July the 12th (water permitting) there will be a pedal and paddle on the King’s River brought to you by Adventure Mountain Outfitters and Kings River Outfitters. The adventure includes a guided ride through the Madison County Game Reserve to the spectacular Kettle Falls, boat rental, sack lunch, and bike shuttle.

Native American Pow Wow featured at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, located 7 miles south of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, on Scenic Highway 23, will again host its popular Native American Pow Wow on Father's Day Weekend.
The festivities at Turpentine Creek are as follows:

- Craft Booths open at 3 PM on Friday
- Grand Entry at 7 PM
- Craft Booths open at 10 AM on Saturday
- Grand Entry at 1 & 7 PM-
- Craft Booths open at 10 AM on Sunday
- Grand Entry at 1 PM

The weekend celebration, in addition to the craft booths, will include dancing, Color Guard, drumming, artists, wildlife exhibits, and other activities. Food and soft drink concessions will be available. $5.00 daily admission or $10.00 for the weekend; children 3 and under admitted free. Proceeds help to build natural habitats for the Big Cats of Turpentine Creek.

Eureka Springs Blues Weekend 2009

The 2009 Eureka Springs Blues Weekend will be held on May 28, 29, 30 & 31 in beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Confirmed Acts Include:
-Guitar Shorty
-Hubert Sumlin & The Buddy Flett Band
-Joe Louis Walker
-David "Honeyboy" Edwards
-EG Kight
-Candye Kane
-John Nemeth
-Deanna Bogart
-Moreland & Arbuckle
-Mary Flower
-RJ Mischo
-Lee McBee & The Confessors
-IBC Winner JP Soars & The Red Hots
-Ozarks Blues Society IBC Band Oreo Blue
-Ozarks Blues Society IBC Duo
-Kory Montgomery & Isayah Warford
And more to be announced soon!!!

Shows will be held in The Auditorium, Basin Park Hotel's Barefoot Ballroom, Basin Park, and venues around Eureka Springs.

Proceeds from the 2009 Eureka Springs Blues Weekend will go to benefit two non-profit organizations; the Blues Foundation's Handy Artist Relief Fund and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.

Ozark UFO Conference in Eureka Springs April 10-12

The 21st Annual Ozark UFO Conference is scheduled in Eureka Springs at the Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center April 10 -12.

The conference includes a myriad of activities, including eight lectures and audio-visual presentations on Friday and Saturday, with Sunday morning featuring mini sessions that spotlight speakers and videotape sessions.

Wendelle C. Stevens, a retired U.S. Air Force Pilot turned UFO investigator and researcher, is one of the scheduled lecturers. He will speak on UFO sightings and film footage, as well as his interest in uncovering the truth regarding UFO’s.

Grant Cameron will address the conference regarding presidential knowledge of UFO’s, and alleged government cover-up conspiracies. Richard Dolan will also discuss government involvement in UFO activities and their continuing cover-ups of said activities. Dr. Paul LaViolette, Ph. D., will discuss reverse engineering of UFO technologies. The study of early Christian writers and their connection to UFO’s will be presented by Dr. Joseph P. Farrell, who has a doctorate in patristics. Local UFO enthusiast Ted Phillips will speak on “The Marley Woods: Ten Years of Research,” which details decades of strange encounters and sightings near Altus Spring Hollow, MO.

Several other presenters will also attend the conference, including Timothy Good, Linda Moulton Howe and Allison Joiner.

Registration is $50 per person or you can register in advance for $45. To register by mail, send information to Ozark UFO Conference, #2 Caney Valley Drive, Plumerville, AR, 72127.

To reserve Eureka Springs Lodging for the UFO Conference, please view all of our selections at ReserveEurekaSprings.com.

13th Annual Eureka Springs Antique Show this Weekend

This 13th Annual Eureka Springs Antique Spring Show will be held at the convention center at Best Western Inn of the Ozarks.

The Eureka Springs event starts on Friday night with a wine and cheese preview reception starting at 5:30 p.m. The Friday night wine and cheese reception offers a sneak preview of over 50 regional and national antique and collectibles vendors. Admission covers the entire weekend.

Tickets for the reception are $10 and include admission to the antique show for the rest of the weekend. If you skip the reception and just come to the show, admission is $2.50 for adults; ages 12 years and younger are admitted free of charge.

For more details, visit www.eurekaspringsantiqueshows.com. The phone number is 479-253-7551.

Eureka Springs St. Patrick's Day Events

As the old saying goes, "If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough!" For the rest of us, St. Patrick's Day, March 17 and one of Eureka Springs' major holidays, is a chance to be Irish in spirit if not in genealogy.

St. Patrick (circa 340 to 460 AD) was a Roman Britain-born Christian missionary, and is one of the three patron saints of Ireland, along with St. Brigid of Kildare and St. Columba. Patrick, captured by Irish raiders at age 16 and taken from his native Wales to Ireland as a slave, lived there six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the church, he returned to Ireland as a missionary. By the eighth century he had become the patron saint of Ireland.

It appears Patrick was active as a missionary in Ireland during the second half of the fifth century. Two letters from him survive, along with later hagiographies -- books of saints' lives -- from the seventh century onward.

Pious legend credits Patrick with banishing snakes from the island, though all evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes. One suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of that era. Legend also credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the concept of the Trinity by showing people the shamrock, or three-leaf clover, using it as a metaphor for that Christian belief.

March 17 is believed to be his death date and is the date celebrated as his feast day. St. Patrick has never been formally canonized by a Pope. Even so, various Christian churches declare that he is a Saint in Heaven and he is in the List of Saints. He is still widely venerated in Ireland and elsewhere today.

Eureka Springs St. Patricks Day Events

County Judge Sam Barr will be honored as Grand Marshal for the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday, March 14. The parade will roll at 2 p.m.

Eureka Springs highschooler Amanda Knapp will be honored as the Krewe of Blarney's Sweet Sixteen Colleen.

In addition, Joe Easton will be recognized for having founded the "All Star Kazoo & Free Form Marching Band," which will make its 15th appearance this year, in a private "Roast and Toast" before the parade, administered, complete with Irish serenades, by the Kaptains Klub of the Krewe of Blarney.

The Kaptains Klub, along with the Rowdy Beaver Restaurant, will host an after-parade "Corn Beef and Cabbage" open table for float riders and registered parade units.

On St. Patrick's Day, Tuesday, March 17, Joe Easton will lead the "All Star Kazoo & Free Form Marching Band" in the annual Pub Crawl from Chelsea's to the Cathouse Lounge and back.
Participants should meet at Chelsea's that day at 3 p.m. or anytime before.

Information courtesy of Lovely County Citizen

Devastating Ice Storm Hits Turpentine Creek

Our travel supplier partners here in Eureka Springs, Arkansas have experienced some serious icy weather conditions. Please read this and support them if you can.

From Scott at Turpentine Creek:

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge was hit by a devastating storm last week. I just now can go to a library to send a notice to you. Last Tuesday mother nature sent us 3 inches of pure ice. I guess it was our turn. Everything screeched to a halt around 2 pm. Lights out by 3 pm (seven days ago). Our preparation for an emergency was now to be tested. We did have water in our 10,000 gallon tank which gravity fed most toilets, that was nice. More importantly, we were able to use the water to haul it to every animal in buckets three times a day as temperatures fell to single digits. The low temperatures froze our well house and burnt up a $4,100 well. All this is happening when visitors are scarce. This means money is scarce. It may be up to another week before we get electricity. We need generators and other necessities fast.

The animals were all snuggled in their den as trees began to fall all over the place. Every "Crack" you heard sounded like thunder in the night. You could here it everywhere but could not tell what it hit, until morning. This went on for three days. Tanya Smith, TCWR President, was on a four wheeler when ice fell and struck her head. She was not seriously hurt but didn't want to go in the woods either. Several Interns and staff members fell but nobody was seriously hurt. Local Hotels, Eureka Inn Best Western and The 1876 Inn, donated rooms for our people to take showers.

Laurie Vanderwal, 10 year veteran staff zoologist, and I, in the meantime, were fighting our way back to the Refuge from Manhattan, Kansas with the cubs, Mack and BB King. The University was nice and let us leave the cubs at their facility while we waited out the storm. On Tuesday morning we headed for Arkansas. By dark we have made it just to the Arkansas/Missouri border and was forced to stay another night, hoping to be able to follow the snowplows through the mountains. I wish I could post photo's, they are amazing.

This storm has consumed every staff, intern, and volunteer at the Refuge. We are struggling to make sure every animal is fine, and they are, at this point. Clean-up will take months at best. Our trees our all busted up...it looks as if a bomb went off. We have holes through roofs, trees all over habitat fences, and impassable roads. We do have food for everyone.

This is the worst storm I have ever seen. Three feet of snow would have been easier to deal with. The ice was so thick but now is gone. It has been in the fifties and is now drying out. The devastation is just now coming into sight. Please Help. Volunteer or Donate Today. Click Here



I will get back to the library very soon.

Scott

Robert Burns Weekend in Eureka Springs Celebrates Renowned Bard

Celebrating the 250th birthday of the renowned Scottish bard, the 11th annual Robert Burns Weekend is set for Jan. 23-25 at the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.
The Burns festival kicks off with the Ceilidh on Friday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. at the Crescent Hotel. Music and dance from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Asturias will be presented in an informal setting.

Four seminars will be presented on Jan. 24 between 10 a.m. and noon. Reg Edwards will speak on the Scottish fiddle tradition, Terry Edwards on the Scottish kitchen, Brent Crow on Ozark Music's relationship to the Scottish/Irish tradition, and Clark on Burn's contemporaries. The Scotch whiskey tasting follows at 3 p.m.

A full program is planned for the Burns Supper at 6 p.m. that evening. Highlights include music, toasts, and the Presentation of the Haggis, a traditional Scottish dish. The weekend concludes with the Burns Sunday Brunch Jan. 25 from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.

For tickets and package reservations, call 800-342-9766.

Information courtesy of The Rogers Hometown News

Eureka Springs Prepares for Mardi Gras Extravaganza

City Advertising and Promotions Commission (CAPC) Executive Director Jim Williams has announced that the city's annual Mardi Gras celebration, Eureka Gras Mardi Gras Extravaganza, has been granted festival status for 2009. The festival takes place Feb. 19-24.
Having festival status granted means that the event will receive significant advertising support from the CAPC. Williams cited two main reasons for the granting of festival status to the Eureka Gras festival. "It's a wonderful reproduction of the traditional, New Orleans-style Mardi Gras celebration," he explained. "As such, it draws folks here from around the state and the entire region."

Former New Orleans resident and Hurricane Katrina transplant Dan Ellis decided to bring the Mardi Gras tradition to Eureka Springs shortly after relocating here. The festival is presented by the organizational group, the Krewe of Krazo ("Krazo" is "Ozark" spelled backwards).

The 4th Annual Eureka Gras, according to Ellis, will be the biggest and best attended. "We had a five-year plan to build the local Mardi Gras celebration, and it continues to proceed right on track," he said. "Each year we're fleshing it out a little more. And we started getting calls about the '09 event months ago."

This year's theme is Art Whirl and All That Jazz. The fun begins Feb. 19 with the Hookers and Jokers Ball at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks. The following evening, the Royal Court Coronation Ball, with live music and a champagne buffet, takes place at the Crystal Dining Room in the 1886 Crescent Hotel.

The Krewe of Krazo Eureka Gras Parade departs from the Crescent Hotel Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. Colorful floats and festive walkers, throwing beads and candy to the crowd, will wind their way through historic downtown, loop the courthouse, and complete their route at the Art Colony on Main Street. The next morning a jazz brunch is set for the Crystal Dining Room.

Festival goers will gather at the Pied Piper Pub at 4 p.m. Feb. 24 for the Mardi Gras Second Line Krazo Krawl. The pub crawl will feature live music and an array of brunch items. "Crawlers" will visit six different taverns while wearing their full costumes, complete with masks and decorated umbrellas.

Eureka Gras also includes the Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper on Feb. 24, 5-9 p.m., at the Best Western Eureka Inn Gazebo Restaurant. The dinner is a benefit for Habitat for Humanity.

Information courtesy of Carroll County News

Unique Things to do in Arkansas

Ten Things To Do In Arkansas

1) Growl. Have you spent time in the wild lately? For a reasonable facsimile, give the Little Rock Zoo a visit and commune with the zebras, monkeys, bears and bats. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and admission is $8, $6 for ages 65 and older and children 1-12. Call (501) 666-2406.

Up Northwest Arkansas way, you can get your fill of lions and tigers - as well as bears, bobcats and badgers - at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is off Arkansas 23 just south of Eureka Springs. Gates are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and admission is $15, $10 for veterans, ages 65 and older and children 3-12.

2) Trek. Stroll through downtown Hot Springs and explore the artwork ithas to offer.

3) Shoot. Hog calls will fill Alltel Arena in North Little Rock when the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team takes to the court against North Texas, 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets to the game are $25. Visit www.ticketmaster.com or call (501) 975-7575.

4) Gather. A slice of the Big Apple is on display at the Arkansas Arts Center during the 40th Collectors Show & Sale. The exhibit of New York gallery purchases ends its run Sunday. Center hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday and admission is free. Call (501) 372-4000.

5) Go inside. This weekend is your last chance to go under the skin and see what makes us all tick. At the Mid-America Science Museum through Sunday, “Our Body: The Universe Within” is a detailed exhibit exploring the workings of the human body. Admission to the exhibit is $21, $20 for ages 62 and older, $17 for ages 2-12. The museum is at 400 Mid-America Blvd in Hot Springs. Call (501) 767-3461 or (800) 632-0583 or visit www.midam ericamuseum.org.

6) Munch. Work a bit of history into your lunch hour by taking part inthe monthly Sandwiching in History tour, noon today. This month’s historic structure is the Park Hill Fire Station and Water Company, 3417-3421 Magnolia St., North Little Rock. Bring your lunch, listen to a lecture on this 1938 building, then take a brief tour. Admission is free. Call (501) 324-9880.

7) Blow. Watch your step as you “ooh” and “ahh” your way through River Market Artspace, where the artwork is a bit fragile. The contemporary art glass of a Northwest Arkansas artist gets the spotlight in “Playing With Fire: The Blown and Sculpted Hot Glass of Gary Carter.” The exhibit ends Saturday and gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. Call (501) 324-2787.

8) Go back. How much do you know about your hometown? Arkansas is full of historical museums, some with surprising features and hidden treasures. For instance, De Queen’s Sevier County Historical Museum has a 1940s house, meticulouslydecorated to fit the period. Or there’s the extensive Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie in Stuttgart with its vast collection of old farm equipment and a dizzying array of duck calls.

9) Relax. Unwind after all the Christmas and New Year’s frenzy bytreating yourself to a spa day or two. Hot Springs and Eureka Springs offer a wealth of options for those looking for a little pampering.

10) Dig in. Oscar hopefuls and wannabe blockbusters are crowding the multiplexes, so spend the weekend gorging yourself on popcorn and Milk Duds while watching Kate Winslet, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and other big-name stars command the silver screen.

Information courtesy of Arkansas Democrat Gazette