What's Up!

January 5, 2020

What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!

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JANUARY 5-11, 2020 WHAT'S UP! 9 A little less than two and a half hours away in Springfield, Mo., Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium impresses at every turn. The 350,000-square-foot complex is a monumental celebration of nature and was voted "America's Best Aquarium" by USA Today in its first year. On the museum side, the wildlife galleries are stunning and extraordinary. The aquarium side is immersive and amazing. But the opportunity to get inside an exhibition with dozens of reef fish, Goliath grouper, barracuda and sharks — from the safety of a protective cage, and with no need for scuba certification — was thrilling and surprisingly emotional. For a mere $45 (weekend/$35 weekday), guests age 10 and older can slip into their own (venue- provided) wetsuit and come face-to-face with the impressive underwater creatures. The Monument Trails — The Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation is a new nonprofit that debuted its flagship project this year — the Monument Trails in four of the state's most iconic and historic state parks. Thanks to an unprecedented partnership with the Parks and Recreation Department, Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the new single-track trails were created to specifically highlight some of the parks' most beautiful natural features. On the prettiest of springtime Fridays, days before the 17.36-mile trail in Rogers' Hobbs State Park opened in early June, I took a tour of the new trail with APRF staff. It was my very first time on a mountain bike. The trek was tough (despite it being a green trail) but exhilarating and got me out of my head for a couple hours while I focused solely on keeping two wheels on a trail. Cooking at Tri Cycle — Fayetteville's Tri Cycle Farms is an unexpected oasis in the middle of the city. Behind an unassuming house on Garland Avenue lies a beautiful grove and urban farm that gives back to the community through sustainable farming, education and environmental stewardship. In late spring, I attended one of the farm's outdoor cooking classes led by charming and bubbly chef/author Erin More info • wondersofwildlife.org • arparksfoundation.org • tricyclefarms.org • theatre2.org • eurekaspringspreservationsociety.org THROUGH OTHERS' EYES There really is more going on in our region than one person could ever see, do or experience. Here, a few of my coworkers share the moments that made their 2019 meaningful in further demonstration of the potpourri of interests Northwest Arkansas can cater to. Car people are weird, or at least we seem weird to people who don't love cars as much as we love them. We shuffle through life always ready to talk engines or paint codes with another car person. So it should come as no surprise that my favorite event was a car show in March, quickly organized to raise money for one of our own — a beloved mechanic who is fighting cancer. Unsure if anyone would even come, cars of all kinds began appearing until the lot was overflowing. — Andy Shupe, photographer When we adopted our daughter all those years ago, I was determined she'd be a fan of musicals — and the indoctrination worked. Even with her developmental delays, she loves going to live theater and is Mom's favorite date. This year, she espe- cially enjoyed "The Rocky Horror Show" at Arkansas Public Theatre — in part, because she has a crush on actor Michael Myers. We saw every matinée, and her eyes never left the stage — not even for M&Ms! Those were the best afternoons of 2019! — Becca Martin-Brown, Features editor Voices of Angles, A Holiday Concert: What a fantastic end-of-the-year concert with the Muses at Crystal Bridges Museum of Amer- ican Art! Their amazing voices performed everything from traditional to contemporary music to kick off the Christmas season. I hope this becomes a seasonal tradition in Northwest Arkansas. — Brent Powers, NWADG President It's always hard to narrow down my favorite activity, but this year, I would have to go with the one that I took part in the most often — fishing. My husband and I enjoyed many early mornings on several of the lakes in the area, including Bob Kidd, Lincoln Lake, Lake Wedington, Lake Wilson and Lake Fayetteville. There's just something special about being out on the water when the sun begins to rise, feeling the cool mist from the lake, enjoying the general peace and quiet, and occasionally getting a good bite. (I'm more of a fisher than a catcher, and my husband is the opposite.) Whether we take individual kayaks, the tandem or our old trusty flat-bottom, we always have a good time. If you haven't visited our beautiful lakes here in Northwest Arkansas, I recommend it. — Deb Harvell, designer One of the best times I had this year was attending "Cats" the musical at the Walton Arts Center. I've wanted to see it for years and bought a couple of tickets as soon as they were available. Making it more special was that one of my sisters was visiting from Montana. My siblings are scattered through- out the North where I grew up so I don't get to see them often. Spending time with her and watching a great performance made for an amazing time. — Fran Johnson, Design editor See Others' Eyes Page 10 See Memories Page 10 Shupe Johnson Powers Harvell Martin-Brown Reporter Jocelyn Murphy (from left), APRF executive director Suzanne Grobmyer and APRF trails project manager Amber Chambers pause on one of the new cedar bridges constructed for the Karst Loop on the new Monument Trails in Hobbs State Park ahead of the grand opening on June 8.

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