What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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TOP 5 4 WHAT'S UP! DECEMBER 27, 2020-JANUARY 2, 2021 Even yoga went outdoors. This class took place at the Peel Mansion in Bentonville. (Courtesy Photo) are willing to do whatever it takes to grow the sport." But what 2020 also proved is that you don't have to be a mountain biker to take your entertainment outdoors — particularly in the year of the covid-19 pandemic. For some people, that meant a stroll through a newly designated arboretum, an outdoor concert, movies at the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion, outdoor art or even live theater presented on the streets. For others, it meant socializing outdoors in newly created entertainment districts. Compton Gardens Becomes An Official Arboretum "I can attest to the fact that the gardens have been bursting with even more visitors than ever since the pandemic's very first days," says Jeannie McIntire, a spokeswoman for the Peel Compton Foundation in Bentonville. The gardens surround the former home of Dr. Neil Compton — a noted Bentonville physician, writer, photographer and founder of the Ozark Society who is credited with turning the Buffalo River into a national park — and have been popular since their inception in the 1990s, long before this year's accreditation as a Level II arboretum. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum cited Compton Gardens for "achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens." It is the only Level II arboretum in the state of Arkansas. The driving force behind the process of gaining that status was Madeline Samec, the site manager for Compton Gardens. "I took the tour of Compton Gardens, and the first thing that spoke to me was this was an arboretum," Samec says about coming into her new job four years ago. "It's a beautiful collection of trees and woody shrubs that Dr. Compton wanted to use to teach people. We already had five Champion trees on site. So this is just continuing his legacy. "For me, [the designation] means paying more attention to the trees we have and seeking out the trees we don't," she says. "For our visitors, it's a wonderful place to walk and explore and learn — and maybe see what you can do in your own little piece of paradise." Coler Mountain Bike Preserve Attracts Everyone Completed in 2020, Coler Mountain Bike Preserve also falls under the umbrella of the Peel Compton Foundation and boasts more than 17 miles of soft surface mountain biking trails that wind through a 300-acre preserve. But again, one doesn't have to be a mountain biker to enjoy what Coler Mountain has to offer. In October, the preserve opened 22 campsites — eight small tent platforms, eight large tent platforms, and five Class B camper van parking pads — along with an Airship coffee house — complete with beer garden and rooftop bar — two renovated open-air barns for small group events, yoga platforms and a community fire pit that is stocked with wood at 4 o'clock every evening. Kenny Williams is the program manager for the Peel Compton Foundation, charged with "activating" education programming. Looking out his window on a sunny Monday just before Christmas, he says Coler Mountain is "packed." "The place was absolutely crawling with families all summer, I think because a lot of playgrounds were closed. The creek that runs through the middle was a haven for kids to come play," says Williams, who came to Peel Compton from running the outdoor adventure program at the University of Arkansas. "Luckily, Coler Mountain is 300 acres of nature's playground. I think we had a lot more people find Coler because of the pandemic than would have otherwise. "It was built as a mountain bike preserve, and it attracts a lot of mountain bikers, but it's an unexpected bonus that just as many people come to enjoy the greenway, the cafe, the creek or just walk in the woods with their families." Movies At The AMP; Music At The Drive-In While the AMP in Rogers is ordinarily a music venue, this year, it became an outdoor movie theater, while outdoor movie theaters like the historic 112 Drive- In in Fayetteville and the Kenda Drive-In Theater in Marshall became concert venues (while also showing movies, of course). The first Saturday Cinema was hosted Sept. 12 indoors at the Walton Arts Center with a showing of "Blinded by the Light" — the story of a young British teen who finds the courage to be himself, set to the music of The Boss — followed by a recording of the live London stage production of Outdoors Continued From Page 3 See Outdoors Page 5