What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1194942
LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette S et one foot in the fairy tale town of Eureka Springs, and you immediately know it's something special. Gracious Victorian style houses are cut into the side of a steep mountain and accessed by fantastically windy, narrow roads. The funky downtown area comprises brick and stone buildings, most dating back to the turn of the 20th century, when the town experienced its biggest boom as a fancy resort destination anchored by the reputation of the healing properties of the springs. The town's quirky past includes a rich artistic history that began when artists Louis and Elsie Freund arrived in town to start an art school for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. Those artistic beginnings have blossomed into the vibrant creative community that exists today: This modest town of just under 2,100 people boasts an opera company (Opera in the Ozarks), a community theater (Five and Dime Drama Collective), a nationally recognized book festival (Books in Bloom), two film festivals (Eureka Springs Indie Film Fest and Human Rights Art and Film Fest), a folk festival (Ozark Mountain Music Festival) and a dozen art studios and galleries. Three of the city's cultural institutions have had particularly good years: The Eureka Springs City Auditorium — less formally known as the Aud — which hosted huge acts like Marty Stuart and Lyle Lovett this year; the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow; and the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, all of which are nationally recognized institutions that have been around for decades and continue to expand. The Aud Eureka Springs' premier performance space had the misfortune of opening mere weeks before the great stock market crash of 1929; its birthday seems to have set a pattern of ups and downs that has been repeated throughout the theater's history. John Philip Sousa and his 67-piece band were the first performers in the space, and other boom times have featured visits by legends like Willie Nelson, BB King, Ray Charles and Arlo Guthrie. More recently, however, money problems have plagued the venue and, in recent years, it has primarily been used for performances by local groups. That's when renowned Tulsa promoter Larry Shaeffer came in to the picture. "I like this town, and I have for decades," says Shaeffer, who owned Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa for more than 20 years and has a colorful history in the music business. He says he had been a frequent visitor to Eureka Springs before he got the idea to bring some big names back to The Aud. "I have a focus now, and I've made a commitment to Eureka Springs. Because of the caliber of shows I've done over there this year, this has become a very important project to me, not a sideline." Shaeffer's company, Little Wing Productions, is known for bringing acts to Tulsa that might have previously passed through town. In fact, Shaeffer says he's proud to be known as the promoter who is "the only guy to book both Frank Sinatra and The Sex Pistols to play Tulsa." Since he started bringing acts to the Aud, he's booked the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Steve Earle and the Old Crow Medicine Show, and many of those shows sold out or came close to doing so. "The key to making that venue work over there is to capture the [National Public Radio] listeners," he says. "Eighty percent of the ticket sales I've tracked are coming in from as far as 200 miles away, like Springfield, Fort Smith, Dallas, Tulsa — a great little radius of people with expendable income, as well as retirees. The NPR crowd is 38 to 72 years old, which is a # 6 8 WHAT'S UP! DECEMBER 22-28, 2019 A Renaissance In The Hills Eureka Springs sees renewed artistic interest Courtesy Photo The Eureka Springs City Auditorium's intimate house — just under 1,000 seats — means that every seat is a good one, says music promoter Larry Shaeffer.