NWA Life

Northwest Arkansas is full of opportunities to keep kids active In Northwest Arkansas there are multiple organizations that are trying to encourage local kids to be active and participate in sports to learn life lessons. In Fayetteville, two of those organizations are the City of Fayetteville and Boys and Girls Club of Fayetteville. "For youth sports we have soccer for boys and girls, we have baseball, softball for girls, ultimate disc golf youth leagues which are all youth. Then, we have adult softball leagues that play year round," Connie Edmond of Fayetteville Parks and Recreation said. Summer camps and sports camps are very popular with the kids and offered through the Parks and Recreation Department. Other camps include Camp Wilson, held at Wilson Park, offering kickball, volleyball, tennis, four square, swimming, dancing and more activities. The kids really enjoy their time and all the various forms of entertainment offered during the two sessions at summers' end. Basketball and football are two of the sports played at the Boys and Girls Club of Fayetteville. Youth sports are very important for children, helping them develop social skills, winning and losing and the general concept of competition while keeping them active. There is also a Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, where kids can participate in basketball, football and volleyball. Another program in Northwest Arkansas is The First Tee organization. The international youth program aims to introduce golf to young people, as well as teaching values of integrity, respect and perseverance. The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas offers programs at two locations in Northwest Arkansas. The First Tee Learning Center in Lowell, which is the main site, as well as in Bella Vista at the Tanyard Creek Driving Range and Brittany Golf Course facility. Here are more opportunities to keep your kids active in Northwest Arkansas: • The City of Bentonville offers recreational sports including ice skating, mountain biking, swimming, tennis, soccer, softball, baseball, volleyball and fencing for youth. • Rogers has its Aquatics Center and Rogers Athletic Center. Siloam Springs, Gravette and many other towns have aquatic centers and plenty of public parks. • In Springdale, The Jones Center is a 220,000 square foot indoor recreational facility for kids & adults with an ice rink, pools, soccer court and gym. It's also home to the Runway Bike Park, a 2.75 acre state-of-the- art outdoor bicycle skills training area. Of course, last but not least are the numerous opportunities for youth sports participation in the outstanding schools of Northwest Arkansas. Check your local school district for more information. Cave Springs celebrates 110 years of Arkansas history that led to becoming Shortly after Arkansas became a state in 1836, people started moving to the area that is now the town of Cave Springs. At the time it was made up of gristmills and a general store. "After a short time we had a one room school house that was called the "Stick in the Mud,'" Randy Noblett, Mayor of Cave Springs said. "It got its name from the materials it was made from." For many years the main industry in the region was apples and strawberries, and from 1908 to 1919 a train line ran through the town dubbed the "Fruitline" after its primary cargo. The train brought to the town a bank, hotel and a barbershop. Cave Springs was officially incorporated as a city on March 15, 1910. Cave Springs got its name from the two caves that are in the town, one of which has a spring running through it. The stream is considered to be an outstanding example of an Ozark Mountains cave stream and hosts the largest known population of the rare Ozark cavefish. The cave has also harbored a summer maternity colony of gray bats. Ozark trillium, a rare plant species, also occurs on the natural area. Cave Springs has played an interesting role in the history of Northwest Arkansas through the years. "We have a long and storied past," Mayor Noblett said, "One of the little known, but fascinating, facts about Cave Springs is its role in the entertainment industry. The town was the site of the first feature film shot entirely in Arkansas called Wonder Valley." The film was released in 1953. Thirty years after that, the popular mini series The Blue and The Gray was also filmed in Cave Springs and even used some of the locals as extras in the series. Today, Cave Springs boasts of being perhaps the most exceptional success story in Northwest Arkansas. "This past year we were recognized for a host of reasons," Mayor Noblett said. "For one, we were named the fastest growing city in Northwest Arkansas, having grown 187% since 2010 and approximately 400% since the year 2000!" And the acknowledgements don't stop at the population numbers. Back in 2000 Cave Springs was still a farming community with the median income around $35,000. This past year, Cave Springs was named by one online study to be the richest small town in Arkansas, and later in the year USA Today named Cave Springs the richest city in Arkansas, period, with an average income of $103,000. Another proud distinction of Cave Springs is being named fifth safest city in Arkansas out of over 500 cities. "There is an online realtors magazine called the Niche.com which named us last year the number one suburb in the entire country to live in," Mayor Noblett added. "It makes us very proud when we think of how far we have come." the state's most affluent city SPONSOR CONTENT Sierra Bush/Herald-Leader A girl enjoys the water slide at the Siloam Springs Aquatic Center. CONTINUED FROM 40 3.29.2020 • nwa life • 43

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