What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1283471
Groesbeck outlines the various adjustments that will be in place for the second season of North Forest Lights in response to covid- 19, including timed tickets, required masks for all visitors, and a one-third operating capacity for the trail loop — which amounts to just under 200 people admitted per hour. Other changes upon the lights' return are in response to feedback from visitors. Those requested updates include more lighting for the pathways and a longer exhibition period to allow more time to visit, as well as the opportunity to experience North Forest Lights in varying seasons and weather conditions. "This is going to allow us to have not only a really cool winter experience, but also to have more fall and spring," Groesbeck explains of the extended display time — through April 4. "Another fun one is the rain, believe it or not," she adds. "Moment Factory told us, 'Actually it's really quite beautiful in the rain.' And what happens in the rain is that it catches the light in a different way, and you actually see the droplets and the mist, and you can see rainbow effects. So I do encourage people, if they can, to check it out a couple of times and in different conditions because it's a different experience." The five installations remain the same as organizers put their efforts into making the experience as safe and as comfortable as possible for everyone who would like to visit. That means queuing at the entrance, as well as at Whispering Tree — where guests can communicate with a magnificent tree and see the color of their own voice — have been reconfigured to allow for better distancing. Memory of Water, a simulated stream projected in and around a dry creek bed, will have a second bridge installed to accommodate more viewing while safely distanced. "The pandemic is very, very challenging and difficult," Groesbeck acknowledges. With the safety measures, North Forest Lights "won't be as crowded and so, if there's any kind of up side, it's things like that where maybe you'll have a more personal experience with your loved ones or on your own. "It sort of transports you," she goes on thoughtfully. "It makes being outside in the forest at night a safe space for everyone. And it also literally lets you see the forest in a new light. I also think that the combination of the music, the sound, the natural setting and the lighting experience is so magical and unexpected. It's a step out of the everyday for everyone." LIKE our Facebook page before 11:59 pm this Tuesday, Sept. 1, to be entered to win... Go to: facebook.com/BestBranson Like The Best of Branson on Facebook for a chance to win some Really Great Prizes! This week's prize: New contest each week! facebook.com/BestBranson A $25 gift cArd to be used toward purchasing tickets at Branson.com Gift Card $ 25 486 Branson Landing Blvd., Ste. #207 Branson, Mo 65616 PRESIDENT Brent Powers EDITOR Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAbecca ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jocelyn Murphy 479-872-5176 jmurphy@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAJocelyn DESIGNER Deb Harvell 479-872-5029 REPORTER Lara Hightower 479-365-2913 lhightower@nwadg.com WHAT'S What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. ON THE COVER A Seattle Times reporter on hand for the first flight of the B-17 inadvertently gave the plane its forever nickname when he exclaimed, "It's a flying fortress!" COURTESY PHOTO 40 WHAT'S UP! AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 BENTONVILLE Forest Lights Continued From Page 7