AY About You March 2026

There are many brands of beef, but only one Angus brand exceeds expectations. The Certified Angus Beef brand is a cut above USDA Prime, Choice and Select. Tend quality standards set the brand apart. It’s abundantly flavoreful, incredibly tender and naturally juicy. 15 store locations throughout Arkansas

HEALTHY Heart. HEALTHY You. HEALTHY Future.

Take control of your heart health with the UAMS Healthy Heart Screening—a fast, non-invasive, 30-minute assessment designed to detect early signs of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. For just $99, you’ll receive a comprehensive evaluation that includes:

Calcium score: HeartSaver CT scan (non-invasive)

Lipid panel: Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, and glucose

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Peripheral vascular assessment

Blood pressure evaluation

Stroke risk assessment

Body composition: Body Mass Index (BMI)

Kidney assessment

Nutritional consult

Consult with a cardiac nurse

Same-day results

SIX YEARS IN A ROW!

AY BEST OF 2026

CONWAY REGIONAL

For six consecutive years, you have helped name Conway Regional the Best Hospital and Best Place to Have a Baby in Arkansas. Nominations for AY’s Best of 2026 are now open, and we would be honored to have your support again. Vote daily through March 11 and help us celebrate care that is highly intentional, refreshingly personal, and rooted in our community.

BEST HOSPITAL

Conway Regional Health System

BEST OVERALL COMPANY

Conway Regional Health System

BEST BARIATRIC SURGEON

Brock King, MD, FACS

Anthony Manning, MD, FACS

Conway Regional Surgical Associates

BEST CARDIOLOGY CLINIC

Conway Regional Cardiovascular Clinic

BEST DENTIST

Gary Jones, DDS

Conway Regional Interfaith Dental Clinic

BEST FAMILY PRACTICE

Conway Regional Health System

BEST FOOT & ANKLE SURGEON

James Head, MD

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center

BEST GASTROENTEROLOGY CLINIC

Conway Regional Gastroenterology Center

BEST HAND SURGEON

Bryan Head, MD

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center

BEST HEALTH COACH

Julia King

Hunter Little

Cassidy Teague

Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center

BEST HOME HEALTH CARE

Conway Regional Home Health

BEST IN-HOME CARE

Conway Regional Home Health

BEST NEUROLOGIST

Tim Freyaldenhoven, MD

Keith Schluterman, MD

Conway Regional Neuroscience Center

BEST OB-GYN CLINIC

Conway Regional Renaissance Women's Center

BEST ORTHOPEDIC GROUP

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center

BEST ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON

Austin Cole, MD

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center

BEST ORTHOPEDIST

Thomas Roberts, MD

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center

BEST PAIN CENTER

Conway Regional Advanced Pain Management Center

BEST PAIN SPECIALIST

Mikio Ranahan, MD

Conway Regional Advanced Pain Management Center

BEST PHYSICAL THERAPY CLINIC

Conway Regional Therapy Services

BEST PLACE TO HAVE A BABY

Conway Regional Health System

BEST RADIOLOGY CLINIC

Conway Regional Health System

BEST REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

Conway Regional Rehabilitation Hospital

BEST SPORTS MEDICINE CLINIC

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center

BEST SURGEON

Mike Stanton, MD, FACS

Conway Regional Surgical Associates

BEST SURGEON (LOWER EXTREMITY)

James Head, MD

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center

BEST SURGEON (UPPER EXTREMITY)

Jay Howell, MD

Conway Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center

BEST CHARITY EVENT

Arkansas Duck Derby

Conway Regional Health Foundation

BEST FUNDRAISER

Arkansas Duck Derby

Conway Regional Health Foundation

BEST BUSINESS IN CONWAY

Conway Regional Health System

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

Conway Regional Health System

BEST FITNESS CENTER/GYM

Conway Regional Health & Fitness Center

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Joe David Rice, born in Paragould and reared in Jonesboro, probably knows Arkansas as well as anyone alive. The former owner of an outfitting business on the Buffalo National River and the state’s former tourism director, his Arkansas Backstories is published by the Butler Center.

Emily James is a freelance photographer recognized for her intentional, humanfocused style and commitment to honesty and genuine representation. She coowns ECLIPS Productions with her husband, Ethan James, where they produce artistic, story-driven visual media including promotional campaigns and real estate marketing.

Margie Raimondo blends culinary skills with storytelling. She specializes in Mediterranean cooking classes that emphasize healthy eating and has authored two cookbooks: Mangiamo and Finding Your Path Additionally, she is a filmmaker. She produced the awardwinning documentary The Soul of Sicily

Lori Sparkman, owner of Lori Sparkman Photography, has traveled the globe to work extensively with beautiful brides and grooms, fierce fitness clients, and growing families, as well as high-profile and corporate clients. She prides herself in capturing their personalities with a sophisticated and lighthearted style.

Terrance Armstard is a photojournalist who has worked at institutions such as the University of Louisiana Monroe, the News Star in Louisiana and El Dorado News-Times. In addition to his freelance work, Armstard teaches courses in photojournalism, sports journalism, multimedia journalism, advertising and public relations.

Jamie Lee is a freelance photographer originally from southwest Louisiana who now resides in Little Rock. With a strong focus on portrait, branding and food photography, she loves capturing people’s stories and cultures through the lens, helping businesses build their brands visually, and showcasing the local food scene and small businesses.

Justina Parker has a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and is the creator of We Belong, a blog that features women in leadership across Arkansas. She loves people’s stories of selfdiscovery and spending time with her two boys, and she has never met a dog or potato she did not like.

Jane Colclasure is a Little Rock native with more than 25 years of experience in product, architectural, and home and garden photography. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado and an associate’s degree from the Colorado Institute of Art.

2nd St., Suite 200, Little Rock, AR 72201. Subscription Inquiries: Subscription rate is $24 for one year (12 issues). Single issues are available upon request for $5. For subscriptions, inquiries or address changes, call 501-244-9700. The contents of AY are copyrighted ©2025, and material contained herein may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher. Articles in AY should not be considered specific advice, as individual circumstances vary. Products and services advertised in the magazine are not necessarily endorsed by AY

Please recycle this magazine.

Arkansas is Going Green!

Even though the full blush of springtime is still a ways off, you can feel the seasons changing, can’t you? After our Snowmageddon in January, we are still in for a little chilly air, but there is no denying that beautiful blooms and lush foliage are right around the corner.

There is a lot of green in this issue of AY About You, as well. Check out our preview of the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade coming up in Hot Springs — one of the craziest, most amazing events of the year. Also, check out our section about conservation to learn ways to beautify your yard and community this Earth Day and meet some eco-warriors who are working to keep the Natural State beautiful for all.

This month is also all about the family. Our special section takes you from what to expect when you are expecting to choosing the right school and right extracurriculars, along with other milestones that come with being a parent.

Plus, what would an issue of AY be without a roundup of the best food in Arkansas? This month, we go all out with the results of our annual Readers’ Restaurant Poll and the diners, restaurants and holes in the wall voted best in the state across a variety of categories. No place in America can touch Arkansas when it comes to great food, and we reveal your picks for where to find the best eats and drinks.

At AY About You, we pride ourselves on telling the stories of our beloved state and all it has to offer. We thank our advertisers for making that possible and our readers for their loyal following. Drop us a line, and let us know what you are enjoying in Arkansas this month!

Heather Baker, President & Publisher

hbaker@aymag.com / heatherbaker_ar

50 YEARS OF STORYTELLING

There is something incredibly powerful about experiencing the Bible as a family—not just reading the stories but stepping inside the pages together. At Sight & Sound, every production is more than a performance. It is an invitation to gather with your loved ones, witness the Scriptures come to life, and be encouraged by true stories of hope and redemption.

From the ministry’s beginning as a multimedia slideshow, Sight & Sound has existed to reveal the power of the Gospel through meaningful storytelling on stage and screen. 50 years later, it has grown into one of the largest faith-based entertainment companies in the nation. With two state-of-the-art theater locations, a global streaming platform, and a feature film studio, Sight & Sound continues to expand its mission of telling His story through who they are and what they do — all while creating space for individuals to have an encounter with Christ through story.

Throughout these five decades, millions of guests have traveled from near and far to be swept into stories like JESUS, NOAH, QUEEN ESTHER, and JONAH as they come to life on a 300-foot wrap around stage. And this summer,

one of Sight & Sound’s most legendary productions, DAVID, is returning to Branson, MO for one final season!

From peaceful pastures to epic battlefields, your family is invited to journey alongside this young shepherd on his giant ascent to the throne. Complete with live animals, towering sets, and stunning special effects, DAVID is a theatrical experience designed to spark conversation, strengthen faith, and create lasting memories for every generation. Are you ready to make this summer one to remember? Join us for DAVID live on stage in Branson, MO now through October 8th.

CONNECT

READER FEEDBACK INSTAGRAM

We cannot begin to express our appreciation for all the coverage you have given us in the recent issue! I just got home yesterday from working in Dallas, so was able to see it in person. Again, we are so blessed & humbled!

Heather, your including us in last Friday’s post was even more than we could have asked for. As a small business — your support is more valuable than you’ll ever know! We are excited about the relationship we have started with you — yand are here to be a resource to you any time!!

Joy and Paul Floyd, Red Door Gallery and Framing Studio

DIAMONDS: JACOB LOFLAND

He’s been fun to watch in RAM: Race for the Seat. Hoyt Plunkett Jr.

LONGSTANDING BUILDER PARKINSON BUILDING GROUP LEADS THE LUXURY HOME FIELD

The best choice! The best home builder!

Tasha Shew

‘WE MADE A PROMISE’: BUCKING THE TREND, RUSSELLVILLE DOUBLING DOWN ON OB SERVICES

We appreciate the opportunity to share our ongoing commitment to supporting moms and babies in the rural communities we serve.

St. Mary’s Regional Health System

KATV’S MELINDA MAYO TO RETIRE AFTER 39 YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY

Will miss you, but you have certainly earned a retirement, and I hope you make the most of it.

Jodi Morris

EXQUISITE SERVICE MEETS EXTRAORDINARY CUISINE: A NEW ERA AT J&S ITALIAN VILLA

One of our favorites!

Ginger Russell

AY’s Best of 2026 voting round

Livestreamers discover historic find at Crater of Diamonds State Park

KATV’s Melinda Mayo to retire after 39 years in the industry

Exquisite service meets extraordinary cuisine: A new era at J&S Italian Villa

Top Weekend Events: Feb. 2026

Season

OAKLAWN HOT SPRINGS

IS HONORED TO RECEIVE TOP 5 RECOGNITION IN AY’S BEST OF AWARDS CATEGORIES.

THANK YOU TO THE VOTERS FOR VOTING OAKLAWN!

Best In Biz for Hot Springs | Seasonal Attraction | Tourist Attraction | Casino

Hotel | Resort | Live Music Venue | Concert Venue | Wedding Venue | Event Venue

Hydrafacial: Astral Spa | Best Spa: Astral Spa | Special Occasion: The OAK room & bar

Cocktails: The OAK room & bar | Fine Dining: The OAK room & bar

Chef: Ken Bredeson, The Bugler | Fun Dining Experience: Mainline Sports Bar

Sports Bar: Mainline Sports Bar | Place for Trivia: Mainline Sports Bar

5Top

you just can't miss!

MJ: THE MUSICAL

March 4-8

Robinson Center — Little Rock

See Michael Jackson’s unique artistry and career come to life in Little Rock with MJ: The Musical. The four-time Tony award-winning show centers around the making of the 1992-1993 Dangerous World Tour, offering a musical journey into the artist’s mind and showing what it is like to be catapulted to legendary status. It is a show that the whole family will not want to miss.

ARKANSAS FITNESS

PROFESSIONALS HALL OF FAME

March 12

Chenal Country Club — Little Rock

Presented by AY Media Group, the Arkansas Fitness Professionals Hall of Fame Awards Banquet is a night to celebrate those who have promoted health and well-being in their communities. Enjoy a reception, dinner and festivities at the Chenal Country Club to celebrate this year’s class of inductees.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

March 14

Downtown — Little Rock

Grab some green garb and go experience the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Little Rock. The route begins at Sixth and Main streets downtown and travels through the Argenta Arts District in North Little Rock. Along with parade floats, the day also features musical performances by marching pipe and drum bands and traditional Irish dancing. Be sure to take part in this festive way to celebrate the holiday.

23RD ANNUAL WORLD’S SHORTEST ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

March 17

Downtown — Hot Springs

Featuring big names such as Carmen Electra, Matt Iseman and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the The First Ever 23rd Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade may be small, but it is mighty. The day promises to be full of fun, offering everything from a 0K race to a Blarney Stone kissing contest and a concert to complete the night.

ARKANSAS DERBY

March 28

Oaklawn — Hot Springs

Enjoy the excitement and tradition of the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Hot Springs. Attendees can dress their best and bet on some Kentucky Derby hopefuls. Do not forget about the live music and plenty of choices for food and drinks.

hot springs

Short Course Long on Fun

Luck never seems to be in short supply around Spa City, but on March 17, it will be very short indeed. The First Ever 23rd Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade is back in Hot Springs this March. At a mere 98 feet long, the parade route follows Bridge Street, the world’s shortest street in everyday operational use.

Do not be fooled by the diminutive dimensions, however — the world-famous shindig still manages to pack a punch in terms of festival-like fun and more than just a wee bit of Irish spirit. The parade always attracts a lineup of interesting characters, from musicians and movie stars to internet sensations, and this year is no different.

Serving as 2026 grand marshal is actress, model, singer and entrepreneur Carmen Electra of Baywatch and Scary Movie fame, and American Ninja Warrior host Matt Iseman is on deck as the official parade starter.

Special guests include the returning crowd favorites, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, as well as former Arkansas Razorback and College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan “Danimal” Hampton. Also dancing his way down the route will be Vincent “Vinny” Chapman, better known as the Dancing Umpire for a Savannah Bananas baseball team that has taken the country and social media by storm.

Oodles of parade-goers and visitors from all over will be lined up well in advance to secure a prime spot for the parade action, as well as take part

By MAK MILLARD

in the day’s lead-up activities. At 4 p.m., “athletes” of all descriptions will gather for the 5th Ever World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Zero-K. Covering 299 feet of Bridge Street, the antimarathon benefits the Tri-Lakes Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA. Also at 4 p.m. is the Blarney Stone Kissing Contest, an outrageous event happening in front of the Hot Springs Convention Center.

The excitement starts to build at 5 p.m. with preparade festivities and hijinks culminating with the annual Official Measuring of Parade Route at 6:29 p.m., followed by the parade itself, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. The festival program concludes with a free concert by The Molly Ringwalds and their Ultimate ‘80s Experience right after the parade ends.

Perhaps a little crazy, but definitely one-of-a-kind and an assuredly good time — sounds about right for this beloved Hot Springs tradition.

hot springs

Carmen

SPA CITY LEPRECHAUNS SET TO BE ‘ELECTRA-FIED’

The last of the true poster pin-up models is headed to the Spa City to lead the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Carmen Electra — model, actress, recording artist, sex symbol — will be visiting Hot Springs and Arkansas for the first time when she appears as grand marshal of the event March 17.

The parade takes place on all 98 feet of historic Bridge Street in downtown Hot Springs, and the event itself and festivities around it have grown into one of the more unique events in the country.

Last year’s parade drew more than 30,000 spectators. Think of an Irish-themed Mardi Gras for the Spa City, and trade Fat Tuesday for Green Tuesday. Electra may very well not yet comprehend just what awaits her.

“I hadn’t heard about it until I signed on for this,” the Ohio native told AY About You, “but I’m looking forward to some good soul food. I’m from Cincinnati, and we know how to make some good soul food. My good friend, Billy Bob Thornton, tells me they make some good soul food in Arkansas too.”

Electra will have every opportunity to sample Arkansas food and drink and, of course, to have fun. From what she now knows about the parade, Electra said, “it looks like a lot of fun.”

The parade district around Bridge Street opens at 3 p.m. on March 17. The now famous 0K race begins at 4 p.m., when contestants will sprint, stroll or even saunter down Bridge Street to finish at O’Kelley’s Pub, the world’s biggest inflatable Irish pop-up pub.

The Arkansas Blarney Stone, “discovered by a leprechaun in the forests that surround Hot Springs” and now sitting in front of the Hot Springs Convention Center, plays a big part in the festivities — the Blarney Stone kissing contest commences at 4 p.m. Preparade festivities kick off at 5 p.m., the official

measuring of the parade route is set for 6:29 p.m., and the parade starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by a live concert.

This year’s music will be provided by The Molly Ringwalds. Other parade officials include celebrity parade starter Matt Iseman; king and queen Monte Everhart and JoAnn Mangione; and special guests Vinny Chapman, a Texarkana native known as the dancing umpire of Savannah Bananas fame, and former Razorback great and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Dan Hampton. Never fear — the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will make their annual trek to the Spa City for the parade.

Past grand marshals have included George Wendt from Cheers; comedian Pauly Shore; Mario Lopez from Saved By the Bell; Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs; John Ratzenberger from Cheers, who is also a Pixar voice actor; Bo Derek, who first found success with the movie 10; John Corbett from Northern Exposure and Sex and the City; Tim Matheson from Animal House; Jim Belushi from According to Jim and Saturday Night Live; Arkansas native and famous former NASCAR driver Mark Martin; Kevin Bacon, six degrees to everyone; Alfonso Ribeiro from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; Joey Fatone from NSYNC; Ralph Macchio from The Karate Kid films and Cobra Kai; Cheech Marin from Cheech & Chong; Arkansas native and country music star Justin Moore; former Dallas Cowboys all-pro Emmitt Smith; and actress and TV host Valerie Bertinelli.

Electra has seen her fair share of spotlights, though Hot Springs may end up representing the most unique. Now 53, Electra — real name Tara Leigh Patrick — began her career as a recording artist signed to Prince’s Paisley Park Records. Her self-titled debut album, a mix of hip-hop and dance, was released in 1993.

Turns out, it was Prince who gave Electra her stage name. She told AY she was watching the 1954 musical Carmen Jones with Prince when the purple one suddenly declared, “You look more like a Car-

on Point

By MARK CARTER

men.” He even produced an unreleased Electra song titled, “Carmen on Top.”

“I was, like, OK, whatever you say,” she said. “The Electra came later.”

Allegedly, Prince added Electra in recognition of her “electrifying” dance moves.

“At first, I thought it sounded like a superhero name,” she said, “but I went with it.”

She went far with it. By 1996, she had moved to Los Angeles permanently and was modeling professionally, most notably in Playboy. The following year, she broke into TV as a regular on Baywatch and the world was officially “Electra-fied.”

She has appeared in many movies, among them An American Vampire Story, Meet the Spartans, Starsky & Hutch, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, Get Over It, and I Want Candy. She was also recognized for her work in parody films such as Scary Movie, Scary Movie 4, Date Movie, Epic Movie and Disaster Movie.

Electra also hosted the MTV dating show Singled Out and co-hosted the MTV reality series ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave with then-husband Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction fame.

Electra said she started recording dance music again about 10 years ago. One of her singles, “I Like It Loud,” was “on the short list for a Grammy nomination,” she said.

“For me, music the second time was a hobby,” she said. “My attitude was, ‘Let’s just go out and have some fun.’”

Electra said modeling was always her preferred vocation, but she is happy anytime she has “an av enue where I can dance.”

“Dancing is where my heart is,” she said.

Electra should have opportunities to indulge all her passions in Hot Springs, the little tourism hot spot that could.

“I love that I get to travel all over the world and go to the most interesting places,” she said, “and I love parades. Always have, since I was a little.”

By DOUG CRISE

PRO FOOTBALL GREAT DAN HAMPTON RELISHING CHANCE TO RETURN TO ARKANSAS Home to be

When a national celebrity makes an appearance at a city event, the rules are usually the same. They arrive, maybe do some press, glad-hand and say a few words, pose for pictures, and take off. Typically, that is enough to ensure everyone has a halfway decent time.

Dan Hampton does not do halfway.

It is a late January morning, and Hampton is pumped — pumped to be back in Arkansas, pumped to meet people, and pumped to hit Hot Springs as a headliner for the First Ever 23rd Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. As he starts to reel off each and every reason why he is excited to head to Arkansas, one has to wonder: Is it possible for someone to jump directly through the phone?

“It really is amazing,” Hampton said. “I don’t know everything about Hot Springs, but over the years, I’ve been there many, many times, and the whole thing is really, really impressive — all the names, all the people, all the folks who have gone into being a part of [the parade].”

Most know Hampton as the hyperkinetic defensive tackle who helped key the Chicago Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl title. On a team bursting at the seams with colorful characters, he became both a fan and media darling for his enthusiasm and near-unlimited motor on the playing field.

American honors before becoming a first-round draft pick by the Bears in 1979.

“My dad was born in Osceola, Arkansas,” Hampton said. “He moved us back to Arkansas when I was 5, and that really became home, my homeland — and you cannot be in Arkansas and not be a Razorback fan. I was a dyed-in-the-wool Razorback fan long before I was offered a scholarship.”

The rest really is history. Hampton helped anchor one of the best defenses pro football had ever seen on the way to a Super Bowl thrashing of the New England Patriots. During the process, he was embraced by one of the world’s greatest sports towns. Chicagoans loved his maximumRPM playing style, his toughness and his Arkansas-bred people-loving friendliness. On a team where tailback Walter Payton was the star and quarterback Jim McMahon was the colorful media darling, Hampton was something even better — a man of the people.

In Arkansas, Hampton is a favorite son from his time at Jacksonville High School, where he first began to hone his frenetic style of play. He moved on to play for Lou Holtz at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he would earn All-

“We were such a terrific team,” Hampton said. “We were very proud of how we basically not only grabbed the city of Chicago by the ears but grabbed the nation, as well.”

Any doubt about that was erased in 2002 when Hampton was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and, in the process, delivered one of the most touching acceptance speeches the ceremony had ever seen. Hampton sidestepped any self-aggrandization and instead spoke genuinely of his teammates and coaches, even including his high school coach, Bill Reed.

Hampton also talked about his full-throttle style of play, saying it was born out of a genuine desire to be a good teammate while also adding that it was also a response to occasional insecurity.

“I did not start playing football until the 11th grade,” Hampton said. “I tell my kids all the time — everything in life, there’s a trick to it. I didn’t know what my trick was, so in my mind, I thought all these other guys had four, five, six years of experience. The only salvation I had was effort.”

Even today, Hampton cannot go far talking about his playing days without roping others into it. It is not a carefully curated, “Aw, shucks,” false modesty; in an era where the NFL was truly becoming a cultural phenomenon powered by big paychecks and endorsement deals, a part of Hampton still remained grateful to simply still be playing.

“A huge part of it was Walter Payton,” Hampton said of the Hall of Fame running back, who died in 1999. “There was such a reverence for not only what he brought as a football player but as a human being. The best teams don’t have coaches lead. It’s the players. Walter was preeminent as far as being the leader, the captain. Everybody loved him. A lot of people come and go in your life, but I remember the exact date that Walter passed away.”

It is worth remembering, for those younger, that the 1985 Bears truly were the first modern NFL team to effectively become part of American popular culture. Pro teams often get described as “colorful,” but back then, the Bears were a singular phenomenon. Hampton, McMahon, Payton and several others scored endorsement deals on the strength of the 1985 season, and “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” an in-season rap single, blew up radio airwaves. Hampton, who could play multiple musical instruments, passed on the opportunity out of fear of coming off as arrogant.

On top of that attention, head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan clashed fearsomely throughout the season over just who was in charge of Chicago’s record-setting defense. The Bears were a team of extroverted alphas with pride and ego to spare, yet despite the emotions in play — or maybe because of it — all the team played as a united front.

Today, Hampton bears the same love for his coaches as he does for his former teammates.

“I’m proud to say I was a pallbearer for Buddy,” Hampton said of the famously cantankerous Ryan. “I don’t know, but I could have been one of his favorite players because we saw eye to eye on everything.”

“I did not start playing football until the 11th grade.”

Even in retirement, with a truckload of validation, part of Hampton still remains that high school band kid who went out for football unsure of his own talent. That is why he still moves at a fever pitch, doing radio and TV while lending his time to charities and special events. The love and support of people helped power Hampton through the ups and downs that come with the game of football, and today, he remains dedicated to giving that love and support right back.

That includes a trip to Hot Springs, even if it is for the shortest parade on the planet.

“I cannot wait,” Hampton said, “and I’ve got to tell you, my wife is from the Chicago area and she loves Arkansas. I’ve got a lot of friends in the area. I can’t wait to see them.”

springs

CHEERLEADERS! How ‘Bout Them

Legendary sports entertainers bring star power

One of the most popular attractions at the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hot Springs, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, will once again be on hand to entertain the crowd at the annual event.

“It just wouldn’t be the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade without the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,” said Steve Arrison, Visit Hot Springs CEO and parade founder. “They’ve been highlighting our grand little 98-foot celebration since 2013 and have missed only two years, 2020 and 2021, in the COVID-19 pandemic.”

A group that needs little introduction, especially in these parts, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders date back to 1961, when the then-brandnew NFL franchise Dallas Cowboys became the league’s first expansion team. Dee Brock, the squad’s original director, utilized high school students for about the first decade until Dallas Cowboys President Tex Schramm charged Brock with developing a more polished team of entertainers to go with the team’s glamorous new Texas Stadium. The resulting troupe set the mold for the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders look and function fans are familiar with today.

Not unlike the football team, the DCC grew in popularity throughout its second decade under the astute leadership of Director Suzanne Mitchell. A performance at Super Bowl X in 1976 captivated millions of viewers and helped solidify the cheerleaders as a cultural phenomenon.

In 1991, co-owner and Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones handed the reins to Senior Director Kelli Finglass and Head Choreographer Judy Trammell. Over the years since, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have become a sports entertainment powerhouse. During an exclusive interview last year, Finglass shared her thoughts on the DCC’s enduring appeal and worldwide popularity with Arkansas Money & Politics

“I think we had the right idea at the right time in the ‘70s. I give that credit to Tex Schramm and Dee Brock, the original director, and Texie Waterman, the original choreographer, and then eventually Suzanne

By DWAIN HEBDA

to parade

[Mitchell],” she said. “They made a conscious decision to have beautiful women in a star-spangled costume that no one had seen on the sidelines of the NFL, in the glamor of Dallas, Texas. We were winning Super Bowls in the ‘70s. Dallas was the biggest show on TV. There was just something exceptionally glamorous about being associated with Dallas, and we’ve stayed true to a glamorous line of exceptional dancers.

“Sometimes I think people try to be different, and then you’re just not identifiable. The cheerleaders, they’re recognizable all over the world. We have not changed the uniform; we’ve enhanced it. I’ve added crystals and designer buckles and Lucchese boots, but we’ve stayed true to what worked.”

To date, the troupe has made over 85 United Service Organizations tours spanning more than 40 countries, earning the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders the inaugural USO Spirit of Hope Award. They have also been honored with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall of Fame Award and the American Legion’s Distinguished Service Medal, among many other accolades.

In 2018, the classic blue-and-white DCC uniform was added to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History collection as a permanent symbol of pop culture. More recently, the team has also proven bankable in reality TV; Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team ran on CMT network from 2006 to 2021, and America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is reportedly set to debut its third season on Netflix this summer.

All that, of course, plus a return appearance is coming this month at the little ol’ St. Paddy’s parade in Spa City, certified the shortest in the world.

“They have added spice and enthusiasm to the parade,” Arrison said. “The crowd loves them, and they’ve told us they love coming to Hot Springs and being part of such a fun event. We can’t wait for them to strut their stuff and interact with our fans on Tuesday, March 17.”

hot springs

FROM THE BASEBALL DIAMOND TO THE Diamond State

Banana Ball’s dancing umpire talks dream job ahead of Hot Springs appearance

Vincent Chapman, also known as the Savannah Bananas’ Dancing Umpire, will be a special guest at this year’s annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 17 in Hot Springs.

Since joining the league in 2022, Chapman has made a name for himself as an entertaining umpire in the sport phenomenon that has taken the internet and country by storm — Banana Ball.

Chapman grew up playing sports, including baseball, basketball and football. However, he was never just a jock, also being a part of choir and, of course, finding time to dance.

“I’ve danced since I was little,” he said. “I always just enjoyed music and had rhythm. I was never a choreographed dancer or went to classes or anything like that. It was kind of natural.”

His love of baseball translated into becoming an umpire to make some extra money throughout school, and he continued doing umpire work into adulthood. He was in his seventh year of being a Little League umpire when dancing and baseball came together.

“In between innings, I just started dancing, and it caught on,” he said. “Kids started laughing. Those kids are getting yelled at by their parents, coaches and teammates for missing a ball, but it’s a game. We have to remember this was created to be fun.

“When I dance, I just want to make everybody around me relax and enjoy the sport,” he said.

A video of him dancing went viral on the internet in 2015, but his 15 minutes of fame was about to last much longer. In December 2021, he received a Facebook message asking him to join the Banana Ball team. His son had shown him a viral video of the team and their silly antics a few weeks prior, but at the time, Banana Ball was not as well known as it is today.

Chapman said he was not sure what to

TikTok account has more than 11 million followers, and Chapman himself has amassed more than 518,000 followers and 4.2 million likes on the app.

Unlike the Harlem Globetrotters, which Banana Ball is often compared to, the baseball games are unscripted, so the players’ emotions can run high, just like in the big leagues.

“It’s real,” he said. “Those guys really want to beat each other, so I have to be a good umpire and call a good game.”

expect at first, but after he had a Zoom meeting with founder Jesse Cole and Director of Entertainment Zack Frongillo, he knew he needed to take the opportunity.

“Three things that I’ve always enjoyed doing is making people happy, I love to umpire, and I love to dance, so I knew the job was meant for me,” Chapman said.

At the time, he had just left the restaurant business and was about to start a job in sales. He continued to work that job whenever he was in town until last year, when he finally decided to make Banana Ball his only job because he was beginning to burn out.

Since joining the team, Chapman has

The Banana Ball league now boasts six teams, which play to consistently sold out crowds in stadiums of all sizes. Banana Ball is coming to North Little Rock this year on March 14 and 15 at Dickey-Stephens Park, where the Firefighters will face a new team, the Coconuts.

Chapman himself is branching out beyond the field with personal appearances and his own comedy tour called Umpire Unmasked. He said he never expected his popularity or Banana Ball to grow as big as has, but he is thankful for it.

“Being able to be just a little piece of that pie is amazing,” he said. “I can truly say it changed my life.”

hot springs

Party Like

Ninja

Warrior

host Matt Iseman official starter for World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day

parade

By SARAH DECLERK

Go, ninja, go! Matt Iseman, host of American Ninja Warrior, has been selected as the official starter for the First Ever 23rd Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Hot Springs.

“It’s honestly one of the greatest honors in my entire career,” Iseman said. “I looked up the parade. I’m ashamed I’d never heard of it, but it’s one of the top St. Patty’s Day parades in the world. I saw the list of luminaries who’ve gone before me. It’s incredible. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are going to be there, Carmen Electra. I mean, this is a fantasy come true.”

Growing up in Denver, Iseman said he never expected to be an entertainer. Instead, he went to medical school and became a doctor. However, one early January morning in the intensive care unit, he realized his heart was not in the work. He was afraid he might make a mistake, he said, one that could cost a patient’s life.

Having done some standup during medical school, he decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy.

“I knew what I was doing was ridiculous,” he said. “Obviously, you don’t walk away from a career like medicine, especially after putting in all the time and the savings into it, and so I really had a hunger in me and an urgency. I think I was willing to withstand a hundred, thousands of nos before I finally heard a yes.”

He landed a role on General Hospital — not as a doctor but as a kidnapper — and worked in commercials, each gig signaling to him a step in the right direction. Then he was the host of a short-lived reality TV show called Scream Play, which he described as Fear Factor with a Hollywood twist, and then worked for six years as the go-to guy on a home makeover show called Clean House

It was his role hosting Sports Soup, a sports-themed spinoff of The Soup, that led to him becoming the face of American Ninja Warrior. Now, having just finished Season 18, he said the show is “going stronger than ever.”

“I feel like this was a show that came at the right time for a lot of people who felt they didn’t fit traditional sport,” he said. “Maybe they weren’t tall enough for basketball or they didn’t like being hit in football. For whatever reason, a lot of people just didn’t like the idea of I win, you lose. Ninja Warrior came along as this

new sport for athletes with this idea of we all get better together. Really, the only person you’re competing against is yourself.”

The tables turned for Iseman when he competed on The New Celebrity Apprentice, hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and won, raising nearly $1 million for The Arthritis Foundation, a cause near to Iseman’s heart because he has rheumatoid arthritis.

“On Ninja Warrior, I’m there, but I’m not on the course. I’m not the one that puts in years of effort and might fall on the first obstacle, and what was a switch was on Celebrity Apprentice,” he said. “Now I’m the one in front of the cameras. I’m the one who’s being judged. I’m the one who they’re looking for you to screw up, but it really felt like such a fun challenge for me to get to experience different things, to get to meet some incredible people.”

Now with a new baby at home, Iseman said he looks forward to watching his son grow up, as well as filming another season of Ninja Warrior and hosting Gold Zone at the 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A. He looks forward to starting the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, as well.

“I’m a quarter Irish, so I feel like I get to honor that heritage, and I hope to see some leprechauns on the parade,” he said. “I can’t wait.”

“Gary Houston has done all the electrical work in my nearly 100 year-old house for over a decade. They’ve been able to diagnose and fix some thorny issues. The electricians are always prompt, cheerful, and happy to answer any questions. I highly recommend this company.”

— Karen Bradford

The midterm elections will not be decided until this fall, but a far more important election is currently underway. “AY’s Best of 2026” poll has unveiled its final slate of candidates, and the public is clamoring to make their voices heard.

From among tens of thousands of nominations, the final five have emerged across hundreds of categories, all vying for the coveted title of “AY’s Best of 2026.” The unprecedented level of interest and participation in this year’s reader’s poll promises to make “AY’s Best of 2026” the biggest survey in the magazine’s history.

“Our reader’s poll has continued to get bigger and better every year,” said Dwain Hebda, editor-in-chief at AY Media Group. “People in Arkansas are fiercely loyal to their favorite restaurants, physicians, retailers and many other service providers, and we give them a chance to promote those favorites. The response we get is truly overwhelming, which is what makes this poll so eagerly anticipated every year.”

The nomination process began at the first of the year, when anyone could nominate their favorite business, professional or individual in the hopes of advancing them to the “AY’s Best of 2026” final ballot.

“I think more than anything else, what has helped ‘AY’s Best Of’ rise above the many other reader’s polls in this market is the fact that it is 100 percent the voice of the people,” Hebda said. “Nominees only come from the field — there is no way to buy one’s way onto the ballot, and there is no selection committee determining who makes the cut. This is truly determined by the public, many of whom are AY About You readers, speaking up for the companies and service providers that deliver the best to their customers every day.”

one of the largest and most widely read publications in the region, AY About You has been an influencer before there was a word for it,” Hebda said. “That makes ‘AY’s Best Of’ designation one of the most coveted seals of approval that any Arkansas company, organization or individual can have.”

Heather Baker, president and publisher at AY Media Group, said the “AY’s Best Of” badge awarded in every category has become a cherished designation for companies, organizations and individuals across Arkansas.

“‘AY’s Best Of’ designation goes to only the very top percentage of each category. The eventual winners are the very, very best at what they do, voted on by the most important audience there is: their customers and the general buying public,” Baker said.

“Just think — out of roughly 4,400 primary care physicians, 4,000 physical therapists, 1,400 dentists, 5,800 restaurants, 6,300 attorneys, 78 banks and all the other subcategories that add up to the more than 280,000 small businesses in Arkansas, only five per category reach this stage of the voting, and only three get to call themselves ‘AY’s Best of 2026’. Given that, just making the slate of five is an honor, and being an ‘AY Best Of’ is a very exclusive club, to be sure.” Baker said it is small wonder then that honorees plaster their “AY’s Best Of” credentials on billboards, in waiting rooms, in print advertising, on websites, on social media and even on company vehicles.

Following close of nominations, the top-nominated entries make the slate of five finalists per category, and from there, the general public makes its voice heard. This year, the voting period opened Feb. 16 and continues through March 11, during which time thousands upon thousands of votes will be cast to name “AY’s Best of 2026.”

After the voting period concludes, the top three candidates will earn the coveted “Best Of” title in their respective field and those winners will be published in the May issue of AY About You magazine. The top vote-getters in each category will receive additional recognition with publication in the June edition.

“As Arkansas’ premier statewide lifestyle magazine, and

AY About You’s ‘Best Of’ badge is a real prize,” Baker said. “When people see that badge, they know the company has been recognized as a top-tier business that delivers quality and value with every customer interaction. I have seen winners get emotional over being named an ‘AY Best Of’ for the first time, and even among our repeat honorees, there’s a pride that goes with that, which never gets dull, never gets old.

“I love going into a restaurant or an office and seeing the award up on the wall or sitting in traffic and seeing the ‘AY’s Best Of’ badge on a delivery truck. It is a designation of real value and something that cannot be purchased at any price. The only way to get it is by the vote of the general public in our reader’s poll, so let me say congratulations to the finalists and best of luck in the voting.”

To vote, visit aymag.com through March 11. Individuals may cast one vote per day, across any or all categories, per email address.

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Dynamic Duo

Seasoned real estate pro and upstart builder join forces to create powerhouse

By DWAIN HEBDA // Photos by JANE COLCLASURE

Ask anyone who spent any appreciable amount of time in the residential real estate business — be it as a builder, developer or real estate agent — and it won’t be long before they extol the critical importance of building relationships when it comes to success. The same can be said for the relationships formed among the various players in any real estate project where each professional must rely on the others for maximum outcome.

Chassie Sharpmack and Staci Medlock understand those dynamics intimately — how the best house will not move if the salesperson is unmotivated and how a multimillion-dollar producer is limited if the product is shoddy. It is an understanding that drew the two real estate professionals toward each other and to form an alliance, one that has the potential to shake up residential real estate in central Arkansas for years to come.

“I met Staci when she was the agent for a couple that bought one of my houses,” said Sharpmack, founder of CS Custom Homes in Cabot. “I was just impressed with her, and we started talking, and I gave her some other houses to sell.”

“I love her; she’s just precious,” said Medlock, an agent at LPT Realty. “I have one house listed with her at the moment, and I hope to have more. She’s really talented at what she does, and most of all, she listens to the client. She’s not the only builder I work with, but I’m very excited for what we’re going to do together.”

THE PROVEN VETERAN

At first glance, the duo stands out more in professional contrast than for what they hold in common. Medlock is a well-known name in the central Arkansas real estate market, having been in the business of buying and selling houses for more than two decades, half of that time as a multimillion-dollar producer. Well entrenched in various boards and associations, she was named North Pulaski Board of REALTORS® 2016 Realtor of the Year, the same year she served as the group’s president.

“I’ve always wanted to do real estate,” she said. “I was in the beauty industry when I got the chance to follow my dream and take advantage of

an opportunity to get my real estate license. It was a turning point in my life and set me on the path for a career that I absolutely love.”

Working for a large national real estate agency, Medlock built her reputation by not acting like she did so. Even as her list of clients grew, her modus operandi remained the same — that is, to treat each buyer or seller as if they were her only client and therefore her most important account.

“I treat my clients like they’re my family basically,” she said. “I literally thank God for my clients. I am here to serve them and answer their questions and help them in any way they may need. I’m proud to say a lot of my clients are repeat business, kids of previous clients and friends they have referred by word of mouth.”

Medlock’s longtime expertise and engaging way of communicating make her a natural choice for first-time homebuyers, those looking for a little extra help as they navigate the process for the first time.

“Let me tell you, I’m in the service business. I tell people that all the time — I offer a service where you’re judged by how well you take care of people,” she said. “A client is kind of like your child; you have to look out for what’s best for them, and you have to help them make the right decisions.

“If you take care of them and they trust you, that’s success. That’s when the job almost doesn’t feel like a job because you’re serving people with a sincere desire to help. I think a lot of agents forget that sometimes.”

“Let me tell you, I’m in the service business. I tell people that all the time — I offer a service where you’re judged by how well you take care of people.”

—Staci Medlock Agent, LPT Realty

THE HOT NAME IN HOMEBUILDING

Sharpmack’s entry into the homebuilding business was an inauspicious one. After having a home built, she was hired by her builder to be a project manager. However, the job turned out to be less than advertised, and the self-confident Sharpmack pushed back.

“He found out that [being a secretary] was not what I wanted to do,” she said, “so I project managed for him for about three years before getting my general contractor license and started building on my own.”

Sharpmack had a lot to learn, having never worked in the construction field before. That plus the fact construction was dominated by men meant she would have to dig in her heels to get people to show her the ropes or learn things for herself.

“[Construction] is a man’s world, and I had to put up with a lot from people who didn’t really think that I was worth having around,” she said. “There were two male project managers that worked for this builder, and I would literally get in the truck with them and follow them around. After that, I just pretty much learned on my own.”

Three years ago, Sharpmack launched her company and quickly saw her hard work pay off. She started in spec houses, having already completed 10 of them, and graduated to custom homes when she was approached by a member of her church.

“Then I met a guy that had developed a neighborhood in Heber Springs. He’d walked through one of my specs in Sherwood and was like, ‘Will you build me this house in Heber?’” she said. “I was like, ‘Well, sure. I’ve already built it once.’ I built that up there for him, and now I’m building a second one up there.”

Even as Sharpmack’s work gains attention, her initial meetings with clients still bring the occasional odd look, particularly from male homeowners. She does, however, see advantages to being a woman in a man’s industry.

“As far as the husbands go, some of them are like, “Are we really hiring this little blonde girl to build our house?’” she said, “but I have other customers, like an older lady right now that I’m building a house for, and I think [my being female] makes her more comfortable. I’ve had women as clients who really had no idea what they wanted or what to do or what to pick. After I met with them they were like, ‘We’re just going to trust y’all.’”

THE PROJECT

Sharpmack’s latest home, what the duo plans to be the first of many, is a 1,850-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bath charmer in the Hidden Valley development of Beebe. Luxury appointments abound in the home, including quartz countertops, arched shower glass and arched interior doorways, a fenced yard, and oak floors. Sharpmack spared no details on the home, right down to a tongue-and-groove treatment on the porch ceiling.

Medlock said the skill and thoughtful craftsmanship of Sharpmack’s creations is evident from the very first visit.

“She put everything into a 1,900-square-foot house that a high-end, bigger house would have — I mean, all the things in your half-million-dollar houses,” Medlock said. “She’s got tall ceilings, open floor plan, gold fixtures. The floor plan is amazing; not only is it open, but you have a little locker area. All this, and you’re not cramped.”

The duo is currently lending its talents to the Hidden Valley development in Beebe, building homes with luxurious finishes one might expect to find in larger, higher-priced homes.

With Medlock’s proven expertise in real estate and Sharpmack’s talents as a custom home builder, the two professionals said they hope to continue the partnership into the future.

Sharpmack said she was inspired by the location in building the home.

“I love the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s really kid friendly. It’s in the Beebe school district. Everybody knows everybody over there. There’s lots of little lakes out there. It’s just a really nice, calm neighborhood.”

Medlock agreed, saying the demand for small-town living combined with the quality of Sharpmack’s builds is attracting a lot of attention.

“You have that country feel, but at the same time, you are literally less than five minutes from the interstate,” she said. “Then you go 2 blocks, and you’ve got the ball field — and all while you feel like you’re in the country.”

Two more homes, larger than this one, are already under construction in the development, both with water views. Sharpmack said it is gratifying to create something of value for people to call their own — which, at present, are being bought almost faster than she can build them.

“The first one I built sold as soon as I was done with it. The second one sold halfway through construction,” she said. “I actually really like it when people buy them halfway through because they can add their own unique touches to them.”

Both professionals said they look forward to doing more business with each other on future builds on the basis of their professionalism and character first and their business interests second.

“She knows real estate,” Sharpmack said of Medlock. “She’s experienced, she has a great reputation, and she really looks out for her clients, just like I try to do as a builder. It’s been a good match so far.”

“She’s a good builder. She’s a good moral person, a good human being, a good mother, a good wife,” Medlock said. “I like all that, every bit of it. That’s the kind of person you want to do business with and just generally be around.”

floral newBirth

By CHRIS NORWOOD, AIFD, PFCI, AAF

Photos courtesy of NORWOOD-DAY FLORAL CO.

As the first blooms of spring make their way out of the ground, thoughts turn to rebirth, renewal and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is here, and with it comes a fresh wave of seasonal decor.

When I was first getting into the business in McCrory at age 14, Easter was the busiest time of the year for florists. Nearly everyone wore corsages to church, and one of my main responsibilities was making Easter bonnets for people to wear on the holiday.

While fewer people follow those traditions today, many continue to welcome spring into their homes by ensuring there are fresh flowers on the table. Bulbs are by and large the most popular flowers this time of year, including daffodils, tulips, irises, ranunculuses and anemones. Also popular are flowering branches of all varieties, including cherry, plum, forsythia and quince. I enjoy making “egg trees” by hanging Easter eggs from a flowering branch using ribbon. For larger events, I often use silk branches as a base for designs and enhance them with cut flowers such as lilies and hyacinths.

Plenty of people also decorate their doors with wreaths made of seasonal flowers accented by rib-

bons and holiday design elements such as eggs and Easter bunnies.

For florists, business depends on when Easter falls during the season. People tend to buy more cut flowers for their homes if Easter is later in the season, after all the springtime blooms have come and gone. Flowering branches are in demand at the start of the season and can be harder to come by when Easter happens later in the year.

Pastel tones are experiencing a resurgence in spring designs, but there are plenty of bold hues too. Apple green, daffodil yellow and hot pink are a popular vivid palette. Buttery yellows, blush pinks and soft greens form the basis of a pastel Easter arrangement.

Easter also brings an abundance of whites, from white-on-white designs to mixtures of white-and-green. I personally enjoy white and green floral arrangements for Easter because I find them to be more restful compared to designs that have a lot of colors.

There are plenty of spring patterns to choose from, too, from stripes and checks to florals and spring plaids. Look for them on ribbons, linens and other accent items. Expect to see plenty of crosses this season, as well. They can be found in wreaths and other decorations as a reminder of rebirth and the promise of eternal life.

Hosts often design breathtaking tablescapes for Easter lunch or dinner. Some embrace an “Easter parade” motif with tons of springtime colors and an assortment of bunnies, chicks and Easter eggs.

Others prefer a gardenesque look with a more sophisticated palette, lush greenery and florals, and weathered statuary. I have even incorporated carrots and other vegetables into my Easter designs. It is also fun to add a bird’s nest with eggs.

Of course, there are those who just swap out the Santa Claus in the foyer for an Easter bunny, and that is fine too.

When it comes to Easter, choosing a direction is as simple as knowing your audience. For households with children or those entertaining grandchildren, the more colors, the better. Easter is a great time to invite whimsy with adorable chicks, rabbits and other Easter characters. Children can enjoy being a part of Easter decorating by helping dye eggs.

For folks without children or those who prefer a more subtle look, the best designs appear as though they were picked straight out of the garden. Opt for more restrained palettes with a focus on green and white, and choose subtle adornments with antiqued or weathered qualities.

Be sure to check in on local florists when shopping for Easter presents. At Norwood-Day Floral Co. in Little Rock, we offer plenty of customized Easter baskets loaded with

chocolate, toys and other goodies.

Easter may have changed since I was young, but the message remains the same — Christ is risen, and hope springs anew. The flowers and warmth have returned, and maybe someday, Easter bonnets will make a comeback too.

Happy Easter!

Chris Norwood and Christina Day-Essary are coowners of Norwood-Day Floral Co. in Little Rock. For more information, visit norwood-day.com.

By DWAIN HEBDA //

One One of

New development in Rogers creates exclusive luxurious enclave

The American garage has been regarded as a lot of things over the years, from a utilitarian storage space to the earliest man caves to the domain of the gearhead to the high-tech auto labs of Formula 1 teams. Rarely, if ever, has “garage” and “luxury” been part of the same mindset, however.

A new development in Rogers, Marque Collection Suites, is changing all that. The property, a self-described “collector’s community,” caters to those looking for a luxury option for housing all manner of grown-up toys while communing with like-minded enthusiasts.

A purpose-built community offering 56 units of what the company calls “hobby ready condominiums,” Marque is unlike anything the state has ever seen. Buyers have their choice of three condominium options ranging from 1,250 to 3,750 square feet of customizable interior and featuring a loft section. Many of the buyers have tricked out the spaces to house exotic and collection autos, but the units are not limited to that.

The property also includes a members-only clubhouse featuring a fitness room, racing simulators, a bar, a conference room and other amenities. Future plans include town homes with individual garages and The Stacks @ Marque, 10,000 square feet of vertical three-high racking systems for autos that will be rented monthly, just like parking spaces.

“A lot of guys need to get out of their house, especially if they’re retired. This is a place he can put his sports cars, build a bar or card games or whatever they want to do. They build their hangout there.”

— Mark Martin NASCAR driver

Dan Christensen first purchased a condo before buying in as a partner with founding entrepreneur and fellow auto enthusiast Nick Dozier. As an owner in the development, Christensen shares Dozier’s vision of the untapped market that is northwest Arkansas.

“There’s definitely a high number of car enthusiasts here locally, and that’s noticeable when you go to car shows on the weekends,” he said. “We started to recognize that there’s a need for folks to come together and spend time and enjoy their passion for cars, a shared love of cars, while knowing garage space is often limited as neighborhoods have developed and homes have gotten closer together.

“There are several of these [developments] across the country in some of your bigger [metropolitan statistical areas]; for instance, there’s one in Dallas and one in Chicago and so forth. We thought this could be a really cool opportunity to provide additional space to enthusiasts and then also center it around a clubhouse, which allows an area for folks to collaborate and get together, much like a country club does for golfers.”

While the suites can be tailored to house virtually any collection or hobby, auto buffs

represent the majority of the exclusive kinship at Marque. As such, ownership has built in additional perks with the high-end collector in mind.

“A really cool thing is the first floor of the clubhouse is designed to allow automobiles to be on full display,” Christensen said. “We’ve been working with a number of exotic car dealerships and collector car dealerships to allow them to place some of their cars there and then also allow them access to our members’ vehicles as they want to trade in and out of them. We’re going to post a QR code there in the lobby that’ll allow any of our members to simply scan it and have direct access to buyers.

“It’s always difficult when you’re in the market for these types of autos; most of the ones that are collector’s quality are difficult to find. If you do find one, of course, you have to do your homework to make sure you’re buying something of quality with the right pedigree. That’s remained a difficult situation over the years, and that’s part of the perks of being associated with 50 or 60 other folks who are also passionate about cars. It can provide opportunities to acquire some pretty special cars through that network.”

Membership may have its privileges, as the saying goes, but it does not come cheaply. Marque Collection Suites start at $395,000, the largest size starting at $1.2 million. If that sounds prohibitive for the Arkansas market, think again; at writing, only 10 of the Phase 1

“We started to recognize that there’s a need for folks to come together and spend time and enjoy their passion for cars, a shared love of cars, while knowing garage space is often limited as neighborhoods have developed and homes have gotten closer together.”

— Dan Christensen partner

units were still available, snapped up by a clientele both inside and well outside the borders of the Natural State.

“I’m going to say most [owners] are from the area, but we do have folks who reside fulltime elsewhere,” Christensen said. “One of our owners resides full-time in the Virgin Islands, for instance; one of our customers resides fulltime in the mountains out west. One is from Florida. This provides them an opportunity to get back here and enjoy Arkansas while having a collection of their things handy.

“It started with word of mouth and passing information around at local car shows. We’ve hit all the avenues. We circulated information among the local country clubs for folks who maybe aren’t as involved in golf but enjoy the comradery and the social aspect of being a member of a club. Of late, we’re starting to consider corporate memberships and folks who may not have automobiles to store here but want to take part in the clubhouse and all that it has to offer.”

One very familiar face among condo owners is NASCAR Hall of Famer and Arkansas native son Mark Martin. The retired racer

from Batesville, who bought two of the units, called Marque’s condos “the ultimate man cave.”

“A lot of guys need to get out of their house, especially if they’re retired,” he said. “This is a place he can put his sports cars, build a bar or card games or whatever they want to do. They build their hangout there. There’s going to be a lot of cool cars housed there and a lot of cool people, and it’ll be very exclusive.”

Martin also described the units as a good investment, citing continued growth and development in that corner of the state.

“There’s nothing like it in northwest Arkansas. Really, I don’t think there’s anything like it in Arkansas, period,” he said. “These are catching on really well in a lot of bigger cities. I think it’s an incredible investment. I don’t think that people understand yet what it’s really going to be.

“I bought a unit as a shop for myself, and I bought an extra one with my son as an investment because when they’re all built out and finished, there’s going to be people wishing that they would’ve got on board when they were for sale.”

For his part, Christensen is looking forward to breaking ground on the townhomes this fall and, based on the take rate, said ownership is open to further expansion from there.

“We have an additional 14 or 15 adjoining acres here that could be further developed should this take off,” he said. “I think there’s a need for something like this down in the west Little Rock market, for sure. Scope and size are always things that can be adjusted depending on the demand, but I think it’d be a really cool atmosphere to create there, as well.”

We are grateful for the respect of our peers in the legal community and our clients’ loyalty and support. We look forward to continuing to exceed your expectations.

Please vote for us at aymag.com through March 11.

“I

Love That Place!”

No matter how adventurous diners may be, how far their tastes reach or how much variety they prefer spicing up their lives, everyone everywhere has a favorite.

Favorites in restaurants are the spaces that fit mind, body and spirit, places to mark on special occasions and ordinary Tuesday nights, places to splurge in celebration or retreat for peace and solace.

A favorite restaurant may be a new find, or it may be a place that returned to so often it knows us better than we know ourselves. Theirs are the plates by which all other plates are measured and the ones missed most when we are far from home.

This year’s AY Readers’ Restaurant Poll, like all those before it, celebrates favorite places, those that have become synonymous with patrons’ lives and an indispensable part of the fabric of Arkansas. They are the doorways we return to again and again yet never tire of.

Here’s to the winners and some of Arkansas’ favorite places.

CULINARY ADVENTURE

BROOD & BARLEY WINS OVER LOCAL DINERS

By MARK CARTER

Afew years ago, chef Brayan McFadden embarked on what many might consider a cultural adventure — moving from his native Philadelphia to central Arkansas.

This was no blue-state exodus to red; on the contrary, McFadden moved to Arkansas as more food missionary — he intended to open a gastropub with his cousin, Jess McMullen.

The year? 2020 — and January at that. Not the best time to launch a business. But six successful years later, Brood & Barley has become one of the most talked-about dining experiences in the metro, known for its innovation and hospitality.

The restaurant is also starting to become known for its accolades. AY About You readers named Brood & Barley the winner in three categories in this year’s AY Readers Restaurant Poll — Best Appetizers, Best Restaurant for Holiday Gatherings and Best Server for Morgan Roberson.

What’s not to like? Elevated dining? Check. Comfort dining? Check. In fact, Brood & Barley seems to check most if not all of the boxes for central Arkansas diners. Its location on Main Street in North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District gives the gastropub some of the area’s highest-level visibility. And the food? Locals cannot seem to get enough. Patrons love the restaurant’s bold, seasonal flavors and its “elevated” takes on pub classics.

Examples include the housemade pierogies, a spicy falafel, pork tenderloin, barbecue Korean salmon, a turkey AEBLT (BLT with avocado and egg), smashburgers, “Dad’s Famous Meatloaf” (or Mom’s, if it’s lunch), and a wide selection of — what else? — Philly cheesesteaks, including shaved ribeye, Mongolian beef and much, much more.

The restaurant’s popularity resulted in two “spin-offs.” McFadden and McMullen partnered with Conan Robinson, owner of Four Quarter Bar, to open Pizza Pub in North Little Rock’s Park Hill neighborhood, and McFadden partnered with Tina Bone, McMullen’s wife, to open Funky Stretch Pizza in Argenta the first week of February.

McFadden brings “East Coast sensibility to Southern hospitality,” according to the Brood & Barley website.

That is true, but for McFadden, the move to Arkansas was more about introducing new things to new people. The cousins share the same ideas about service and food, so the partnership was inevitable, he said.

“We didn’t realize the world was going to fall apart, and looking back, I’m happy that I didn’t,” McFadden said. “That might have changed things. We just wanted to bring something new to this awesome town and community that they have never seen before. I think the biggest challenge was just educating people and gaining their trust in food and experience.”

Appetizers include classics such as crabby and slush fries but also duck wing drummettes, deep-fried olives and fried mozzarella. Desserts include Arkansas staples banana bread pudding and turtle cheesecake, as well as more “ambitious” offerings such as Elvis ice cream — banana ice cream, peanut butter sauce and candied bacon.

The drink menu is extensive, as well, offering an impressive offering of beer — including a rotation of national India pale ales, sours, porters and stouts — plus spirits, cocktails and wine.

“Success comes from surrounding yourself with great people,” he said. “I have been super lucky to have people in my work and personal life. We have found some pretty good harmony so far, and we plan on keeping the rhythm going.”

Ultimately, of course, a great vibe will get you just so far — and so far, there have been a lot of swings and a lot of hits coming out of Brood & Barley.

Arkansas, of course, is not Paris, New Orleans or Manhattan, but the state can hold its own when it comes to food, and Little Rock is a national under-the-radar foodie hotspot. McFadden, appointed to the North Little Rock Advertising & Promotion Commission in 2023, said he is happy whether he is helping foster local talent, developing seasonal specials or simply pouring a pint for a regular.

His focus remains on craft, connection and consistency. But would he change anything about his adventure?

“It would probably be to get more sleep and taste more of the food this great city has to offer,” he said. “This city is a sleeper. We have so much good food here. Everyone that comes from Philly to visit says the same thing.”

WhereKnowsEverybody Your Name

OLD RELIABLES ABOUND ON 2026 AY READERS’ RESTAURANT POLL

Dining at its best is a process of discovery, of finding new tastes in new places. Most everyone has had the thrill of checking out a restaurant for the first time, be it a brand-new opening or just being late to the party for some old standbys one has heard about for years. It takes a special kind of talent to survive fickle tastes and changing times in the restaurant business. As unforgiving and cutthroat a business as they come, eateries featuring skillful chefs and delicious food go out of business every day after all. Those that survive over the long haul offer that special intangible that one knows when one tastes it but struggles to put words to.

Deluca’s Pizza

(Photo by Jamie Lee)

By DWAIN HEBDA

This year, AY’s Readers’ Restaurant Poll is again chockfull of restaurants that have, by a pinch here and a dash there, continued to thrive during challenging times and look good doing it. They are the old reliables and proudly so, the places patrons return to again and again, in some cases over the course of multiple generations.

During an era of instant gratification and blink-quick changes in the marketplace, these spots offer a timeless experience, a satisfying meal and the kind of satiation that transcends mere sustenance. Here’s to the winners with a few scars and burns to show for it and the moments they have given us.

People who are puzzled about the best burger in Arkansas coming out of the most decorated pizzeria the Natural State has ever seen do not know Anthony Valinoti very well. After all, the native New Yorker has made a 13-year habit out of producing excellent food that many so-called experts insist cannot happen in this part of the world.

Valinoti turned the pizza world on its head with Deluca’s Pizza in Hot Springs, churning out artisan pies that quickly landed on multiple “Best Pizza in U.S.” rankings and was eventually anointed as a master by Dave Portnoy of Barstool’s viral One Bite Pizza Reviews.

“Spectacular pizza,” was how the awestruck Portnoy put it. “It’s the real deal.”

As if making Spa City a must-visit in the pizza universe was not accomplishment enough, Valinoti followed that up a few years back with his cheeseburger, a confoundingly delicious creation cooked in the restaurant’s pizza oven, that lays serious claim to the unofficial state appetizer. The burger became an overnight sensation and now rivals the pizza itself as the main draw at Deluca’s, which has since expanded to a Little Rock location.

“I think people still come in for pizza more so than anything, but we sell a ridiculous number of hamburgers. I can’t remember what the record was — 50 hamburgers in a day or something. I mean, that’s impossible,” Valinoti said.

“It’s not easy because they all have to be made individually in the

pizza oven. You’ve got to heat the skillet up. You’ve got to get the right temperature. It takes a lot for those kids in the kitchen to really keep up with it.”

The reaction of first-timers to the burger is almost always the same, somewhere between shock and utter disbelief. From an observational perspective, it is not hard to see why: In addition to coming out of a pizza kitchen, the burger is kept incredibly simple to allow each of the three elements — meat, bun and cheese — to play their part as intended (OK, four parts if you add the pickles that arrive sidecar).

As the saying goes, something can be simple, but it ain’t easy, and that is the method to Valinoti’s madness. He scoured the country for the right meat blend and was so picky about the bun, he originally had them FedEx’d from the east coast because he could not get them in Arkansas. There are no postcook frills to the sandwich, either — no foie gras, no bacon jam, no tower of toppings.

“Doing something that simple is hard because there’s nowhere to hide,” he said.

The creation routinely wows food bloggers and podcasters and was recently featured in Garden & Gun magazine, which proclaimed it, in headline type, “The Best Cheeseburger in Arkansas.” For Deluca’s loyalists, even that proclamation falls short; they believe it the best in the

South if not the country. “It makes me elated, you know? I’m so happy that people just like it that much,” Valinoti said. “I couldn’t be any luckier to be where I am and to have people support us. It really, really warms my heart.”

DELUCA’S PIZZA

originaldelucas.com

833 Central Ave., Hot Springs

501-609-9002

Thursday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Bar open until 9 p.m.)

Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Bar open until 10 p.m.)

Sunday: Noon to 7 p.m.

Monday through Wednesday: Closed

10301 N. Rodney Parham Road, Suite C8, Little Rock 501-246-5656

Tuesday through Thursday: 4 to 9 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monday: Closed

The Purple Cow Restaurant

Everythinganyone needs to know about the love Arkansas has for The Purple Cow Restaurant can be seen in the weeks following the 2023 Little Rock tornadoes, which bounced and dragged through a swatch of west Little Rock, eviscerating trees, levelling homes and damaging businesses.

One of those businesses, the original Purple Cow on Cantrell Road, was a particularly painful loss for people in the surrounding neighborhoods, many of whom grew up on the tasty, kid-friendly diner fare, got their first jobs there, and brought their children and even their grandchildren there. Locals were concerned the neighborhood staple, which had to be bulldozed, would not return, and while it was not the only location in Arkansas, being the original gave it a special status in that part of the city.

Leslie Cotton, director of operations, said company leadership understood that, which is why there was never any doubt over rebuilding.

“[Rebuilding] was so important to us, and it’s probably one of the reasons why it took so long to get reopened,” she said. “We were trying to make sure we kept that same feel everybody loved while also making it a little more functional for the guest experience, as well as the team members. It was so important to make sure it still felt like home.”

The same neighborhood spirit is one of the elements that makes The Purple Cow such a hit with families, even as the Arkansas chain has grown to multiple locations. No matter where it operates, the same themes repeat themselves, from the decor to the menu, and for one simple reason: They work.

“Just seeing a kid, when you bring a purple vanilla milkshake to the table, nobody gets tired of experiencing that,” Cotton said. “We have a lot of team members and managers in our company who genuinely love making sure a kid has a memorable experience and gets a little bit of that joy out of it.

“We stay focused with our kids’ menu to keep that interactive and keep them busy with the crayons at the table. We’ve also started to have more consistent ways to display their artwork via a coloring page display area where they can pin up their stuff and be proud of it and, when they come back, maybe see it again. That creates memories. It’s the small things that we really hope make a lasting impression.”

The real genius of the Purple Cow formula is that it does not focus just on children but strives to please all the members of the family, from the youngsters through the merely young at heart.

“Our tagline is, ‘We’re for the young of all ages,’” Cotton said. “The original concept of Purple Cow was meant to be family friendly but also a place for adults to come and have a childlike sense of enjoyment and happiness and joyfulness. We strive for that. That’s part of our core values we teach all of our new team members. It’s part of our principles to have fun and keep the environment fun. There’s nothing better than that.”

PURPLE COW

8026 Cantrell Road, Little Rock

501-221-3555

ilovepurplecow.com

Sunday through Thursday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Additional restaurants in Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, North Little Rock, Benton and coming soon to Rogers. Visit website for hours by location.

'S CHAIN RESTAURANT WINNER

AY

David’s Burgers AY 'S PIZZA WINNER

Itis the height of irony that beloved burger outfit David’s Burgers would land “Best Chain Restaurant” in this year’s AY Readers’ Restaurant Poll, considering the Arkansas-born and based company’s very success is rooted in a philosophy to be as antichain as possible. It is what has led its growth into nine locations with a 10th coming soon as the company looks to spread the good word of magnificently cooked burgers and hand-cut French fries to as wide a section of the Natural State as possible.

“Our leadership team, Alan and Jessica Bubbus and David Bubbus, always push for the little things,” said Ryan Rooney, the company’s creative director. “The big things tend to take care of themselves, so we focus on the little things and make them important, and we don’t let them get away from us.

“We’re in a growth pattern, and for a lot of companies, they find ways to cut here and there as they grow. We did the opposite; the more we’ve grown, the more we’ve looked to provide quality.”

Aside from the fact that the savory patties are round and served on a bun, there is little to compare David’s Burgers with average hamburger restaurant fare. The beef used is

Shotgun Dan’s Pizza

The best pizza parlors are all about gatherings. Little League teams, college study groups, families on a Friday night — all are drawn to the comfortable, aromatic confines of a favorite pizzeria. Better still are the places where the fare meets the surroundings as something worth sharing.

Arkansas institution Shotgun Dan’s Pizza meets all of those criteria and then some. For nearly five decades, the place has been serving up delicious, toppings-heavy pies in an environment that hearkens to a simpler time.

“The secret sauce to our success is that for almost 50 years, we continue to honor the product the customer expects and employ the staff they deserve,” said Josh Woodard, owner, whose father founded the place. “You have to be as perfect as you can on the food each and every time. That is why we provide our No Skimpin’-style pizza with loads of toppings.

“I also want to stay as true to the original design as we

always fresh, hand-cut in the company’s own processing facility in North Little Rock from U.S. Choice chuck and ground for that day’s use, a practice unheard of in the quick-service world.

The restaurant’s singular focus of doing the little things right is reflected in the menu. Burgers and chicken sandwiches represent 95 percent of the fare. Only a grilled cheese sandwich and a couple of salad options lending variety. The company philosophy — less is more when less is done exceptionally well — has stood the test of time.

Another distinguishing feature is the ambiance: a bright redand-white color scheme gives off a retro diner vibe, while postersized blowups of Bubbus family photos grin from the walls. It is a setting as familial as they come and, combined with the staff’s legendary customer service, sets a tone of hospitality that is undeniable.

“We’re a burger place. We’re a place where families are supposed to come and have a good time and not have to worry about things,’ Rooney said. “What we try to instill in our staff is to go out there and have fun, as well. You’re not going to have fun if you’re just standing around not paying attention, so that’s why we push the engagement aspect. When our staff is engaged, their self-esteem goes up, they get a little spring in their step.

“By encouraging that, we bring people out of their shells, and the second they do that, they’re having a blast. That translates into the atmosphere that our customers notice. It’s something we train on, something that comes from leadership on down, and if I had to point to one thing that sets our team apart, it’s that they’re just having a lot more fun with it. Once that happens, things kind of take care of themselves.”

DAVID’S BURGERS

200 S. Bowman Road, Little Rock 501-227-8333

davidsburgers.com

Monday through Saturday: 10:45 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

Additional restaurants in Mabelvale, Hot Springs, Bryant, North Little Rock, Cabot, Searcy and Conway. Visit website for hours by location.

can. I am very cautious to make major changes to our saloon/Western theme. We've all seen what can happen when a restaurant brand moves too far from the original concept. My dad wanted the customer to feel a Western theme all those years ago, and it was not mainstream back in

the 1970's or ‘80's. We have seen excitement in recent years with TV shows about the Western life and ranch life, and we feel like the appeal will always be there.”

For those seeking a more manageable bite, the restaurant’s sandwich menu is another heavy hitter among locals. Beyond that and a couple of appetizers however, the menu has remained as steady as the decor, another nod to Woodard’s firm belief in maintaining identity through consistency, right down to the last pepperoni slice.

“We are still using the same vendors that my father built relationships with during the first decade of business,” he said. “When others are changing their meat or cheese to meet margins, we hold true to the suppliers and ingredients that brought us here today.”

Topping a restaurant poll category as crowded as Best Pizza is a feat for any establishment. Woodard expressed gratefulness for the honor, saying he is proud that the little place his father started is still winning new fans all these years later.

“It is an honor to be recognized by our customers,” he said. “Their

The Oyster Bar

Inan industry as mercurial as the restaurant game, every winner on the 2026 AY Readers’ Restaurant Poll represents perseverance in the face of long odds and the skill and determination to navigate shifting currents and tastes.

Of all of these, the owners of The Oyster Bar, voted Best Seafood, take arguably the greatest measure of pride in their recognition. After all, the Tanner family heard more than a little grumbling from longtimers after buying the place in 2019 and transforming decades of shabbyyet-warm chic into a bright, sleek, modern restaurant. Add to that the gut-punch of COVID-19, and the family’s venture was far from assured, making the vindication of the 2026 award particularly sweet.

“You could go on social media and look at a post that I did for my parents about the takeover, and this was five years ago,” said General Manager Chris Tanner. “You know, 70 percent of that was love and support, and I’d say the other 30 percent of it was — I hate to use this word

support reinforces the efforts our team makes each and every day. I have three managers who celebrated 20 years with me last year and we continue to strive for the best pizza and experience possible.”

SHOTGUN DAN’S PIZZA

10923 W. Markham St., Little Rock 501-224-9519

4020 E. Broadway St., North Little Rock 501-945-0606

4203 E. Kiehl Ave., Sherwood 501-835-0606 shotgundans.com

Monday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday: 4 to 9 p.m.

— but it was utter disgust. Those people were mad at us. They thought we were going to ruin it or shut it down. It wasn’t going to be the same place.

“We kept a realistic approach. We knew we weren’t going to make everybody happy, but we also knew that as long as the food is good and the service is good, the memories and the experiences will continue on, so yeah, we still get a little bit of that backlash even today, but we just bring that positive experience that they thought was not going to happen. It’s a nice reassurance that we’re continuing the legacy that The Oyster Bar started.”

The restaurant has won over more than its share of doubters on menu alone. Not only does The Oyster Bar still deliver the freshest, meatiest raw oysters in town, but caters to the discerning palate by stocking different varieties from which to choose. The same attention is paid to the other creative seafood dishes featuring an array of ocean delights.

“Both of my parents are very much connoisseurs when it comes to food and wine,” Tanner said. “Growing up, it was never the same thing every night. It was always a learning experience. It was always something new to try. Being able to play with different flavors now is really just a full circle, if you will.”

Asked what being recognized by the readers of AY About You meant to the family, Tanner expressed gratefulness for recognition on this year’s list.

“Honestly, I feel privileged,” he said. “I’m very blessed to have people on my team that really do care about the experience. We inherited a lot of people from the old Oyster Bar, and we like to think we truly embody that spirit. It’s a new shell but the same meat on the inside.”

At this Tanner paused, then indulged in a playful endzone celebration.

“Hey, winner, winner, catfish and oyster dinner,” he said.

THE OYSTER BAR

3003 W. Markham St., Little Rock 501-666-7100 lroysterbar.com

Tuesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday and Monday: Closed

CACHE HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH DOWNTOWN DINING CORNERSTONE

By MARK CARTER

Photo by JAMIE LEE

Courtney Wellborn, general manager at Cache Restaurant in Little Rock’s downtown River Market District, believes her establishment has become a “cornerstone” of the downtown dining scene.

Cache’s loyal regulars and its ideal setting on the city’s front doorstep have made it a popular stop for locals and tourists alike.

“Its success isn’t built on trends or flash but on something far more enduring — consistency,” she said. “From the quality of the food to the warmth of the service, guests know exactly what they’re going to get when they walk through the doors, and that reliability has built trust over time.”

Wellborn said the restaurant definitely benefits from the “energy, walkability, and steady flow of locals and visitors” but insists something else brings people back.

“The setting draws people downtown; it’s the experience inside that keeps them coming back,” she said. “The restaurant has helped shape what dining in the River Market feels like — polished yet comfortable, celebratory yet welcoming.”

Cache has become known for its “middle ground” — patrons can experience various aspects of dining and catering to multiple tastes and budgets. Chef Payne Harding works to appeal not just to foodies but to diners from all walks of life. The restaurant was even voted by AY About You readers as the best date-night restaurant for 2026.

without being intimidating, refined without losing approachability. It’s equally suited for a milestone anniversary, a business dinner or a spontaneous date night. The space feels elevated but never exclusive, making guests feel both impressed and at ease.”

Harding’s menu reflects the same balance. Signature dishes such as filet mignon, salmon and double pork chop have become staples for regulars, Wellborn noted, while popular appetizers such as Cache’s tuna wontons, shrimp and grits, and charcuterie boards “invite tables to linger.”

“The menu delivers sophistication alongside comfort — a combination that resonates deeply with the local community,” she said. Resonate, it has. Cache anchors what is arguably downtown’s most iconic street corner at the high-profile intersection of President Clinton and River Market avenues.

Wellborn said the blend of upscale food in an approachable environment with a state-of-the-art, open-air kitchen that is visible to diners allows for a more personal feel.

“What truly sets Cache apart in central Arkansas is its balance,” Wellborn said. “It occupies a rare middle ground: upscale

“Loyalty at Cache isn’t manufactured through marketing campaigns,” Wellborn said. “It’s cultivated through relationships. Guests are remembered. Celebrations are acknowledged. Service feels genuine rather than scripted. Over time, those personal touches transform first-time diners into regulars and regulars into advocates.”

The average restaurant in the United States does not make it past five years. Many do not survive the first year. Cache has put down roots in the River Market since it opened in 2013.

Multiple restaurants in central Arkansas have come and gone since then.

“In a restaurant industry known for constant change, Cache’s steady presence stands out,” Wellborn said. “By pairing thoughtful hospitality with a prime River Market location and a consistently strong menu, it has built not just a customer base, but a following — one rooted in experience, trust and a sense of belonging.”

GTown Get Outta

Destination restaurants a worthwhile road trip

reat restaurants can be found in all corners of the Natural State. Some folks have a favorite hidden gem they make sure to visit every time life takes them to that neck of the woods. Still other establishments are waiting to be discovered in some of Arkansas’ top vacation spots. For those who like to venture off the beaten path, here are a handful of eateries worth traveling for, recently awarded tops in their categories in AY About You’s 2026 Readers’ Restaurant Poll.

By SARAH DECLERK

AY 'S AMBIANCE WINNER

THE SPRINGHOUSE

Situated near the Buffalo River in Yellville, The Springhouse provides a one-of-a-kind dining experience to travelers from near and far. Owner and Executive Chef Jennifer Russell opened the restaurant in 2024 after leaving the hustle and bustle of DallasFort Worth to settle in the Ozarks with her husband, Dustin.

“When I saw this gorgeous building, I had a beautiful vision for it, and we knew that we had to do something special here at our restaurant,” she said. “It is a chef-driven restaurant in a part of Arkansas where that’s not common at all. Everything we do is rooted in craft, technique and a point of view that really highlights our region.”

With 30 years of culinary experience, Russell said she works to infuse “punches of interest” in every bite. Hand-cut ribeyes and tenderloins are the top sellers at the establishment, she said, but the smoked prime rib — and especially the prime rib French dip sandwich — is a close second.

Diners can savor tastes of Texas that include coffee rubs and combinations of jalapeno with sweetness, but there is plenty of Ozark flavor, as well. Russell and her team partner with local growers, in addition to foraging for ingredients in the wild.

Recently diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne illness that can cause allergic reactions to red meat and dairy, Russell said she works to make her menu inclusive to all by offering vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and allergy-friendly options. The restaurant is also gaining renown for its artisan mocktails.

(Photos courtesy of The Springhouse)

As the restaurant continues to grow its fan base, Russell said she is looking to expand its impact by hosting community events, as well as private functions such as weddings.

“As a chef, I truly never wanted the brick and mortar in a city,” she said. “I thought if I ever could do a destination restaurant, it’s what I would give my all to. Somehow, I found it, and you know when you walk in that our heart is in every inch of what we do.”

SAM’S SOUTHERN EATERY

Visitors flock to Dardanelle for Mount Nebo State Park, known for its breathtaking views of Lake Dardanelle and the Arkansas River. Now added to the list of reasons to visit the city is Sam’s Southern Eatery, part of a chain that originated in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2008.

Kristin Alotaibi opened the location last year with her husband, Azooz, and his brother, Ahmad, after seeing the success of the Russellville location, which the brothers opened in 2019.

The Springhouse 17 Canoers Loop, Yellville 870-449-3663

thespringhousear.com

Thursday and Friday: 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday: Closed

“We actually just heard through mutual acquaintances that they had the building for rent, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to open over here,” Kristin said. “Dardanelle’s sort of a smaller town, so they don’t have a lot of options.”

She added that the restaurant has become very popular in a short amount of time due to its generous portions and scrumptious, Southern-style offerings.

“All of our food, from the appetizers to the meals to the sides, everything’s hand-battered and prepared by order, so it’s always hot and fresh,” she said. “We don’t have anything that stays under a warmer.”

The Philly cheesesteak, coconut shrimp, and fried fish and shrimp are the most popular offerings, she said, but guests can also find traditional Southern favorites such as oysters, chicken gizzards and chicken livers.

“You’ll never leave hungry,” Kristin said. “For the most part, everyone leaves with togo boxes because the portions are huge, and the food is great.”

Out-of-town guests often stop by the restaurant to fuel up after a day of hiking or mountain biking at Mount Nebo, and Kristin said she has enjoyed getting to know the regular customers, as well.

“It’s a small town, so you get to know people in a short amount of time,” she said. “When you know them on a personal level, I think you can kind of connect with them and relate with them more, and they feel more comfortable coming around and seeing you.”

She added that she hopes Sam’s Southern Eatery will remain a part of the Dardanelle community for years to come.

“Come and give us a try,” she said. “We’re always going to try to make it worth your time and worth the drive. Hopefully, you leave full.”

When it comes to special occasions, a Hot Springs getaway is a goto. Add to that the upscale, modern cuisine at J&S Italian Villa, and the next birthday, anniversary or date night is in the bag.

Husband-and-wife duo Saddiq and Jeannie Mir acquired J&S Italian Villa in 2022. The couple fell in love with Hot Springs after moving to the city to help open the hotel at Oaklawn Hot Springs. They have since purchased several other restaurants in the city, including Copper Penny Pub, The Ohio Club, and Mueller’s Bistro & Bakery.

Saddiq joined the hospitality industry as a dishwasher in France and Germany and worked his way up to management at some of the finest hotels in San Francisco, including the Four Seasons and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

“My wife and I fell in love with Hot Springs,” he said. “We realized the small community here needs some upscale restaurants.”

The couple remodeled the establishment with a trendy new look and recently brought on board as corporate executive chef world-renowned chef Sascia Marchesi, who was born and raised in Italy and most recently worked at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida.

With Marchesi at the helm, the restaurant offers a vast menu of Italian coastal cuisine with a focus on fresh-made pasta, sauces and desserts. In addition to the newly added fried heirloom tomatoes with burrata cheese, fan-favorite items include fried calamari, crab cakes, eggplant tortellini, seafood cannelloni, lobster rigatoni, spaghetti and meatballs, and Nonna’s lasagna, an 85-year-old recipe from Bergamo, Italy.

Equally important to the Mirs is the service, and everyone from the hosts and hostesses to the servers and bar managers undergoes extensive training to create a memorable experience for guests.

The couple’s efforts have been recognized across the state and beyond. In addition to appearing on numerous “best of” lists, including in AY About You, J&S Italian Villa was recently received the Distinguished Restaurants of North America’s coveted DiRōNA Award.

“Our goal is to provide an ultimate cuisine and a flawless guest experience at each one of our restaurants to local guests from Hot Springs and our local community and make you all proud of what we have brought to Arkansas,” Saddiq said.

THE BUGLER AT OAKLAWN

Oaklawn Hot Springs is a destination in and of itself, offering live thoroughbred racing, a smoke-free casino, an event center and Forbes-recommended hotel, and the Forbes four-star-rated Astral Spa. Each of the resort’s numerous restaurants are well worth the visit, but The Bugler’s trackside views and unique fine-dining experience make it a must-try.

“The Bugler’s constantly been in evolution, I think, for this area not only for the owners of this property, one, trying to create truly on oasis for the Hot Springs area but also have Arkansas seen in a limelight that it has not always been for a culinary scene,” said Ken Bredeson, director of culinary operations at Oaklawn. “I think people now are starting to come here and starting to see the ability to create a large, metropolitan feel when it comes to the type of food that we offer and the service we offer here but also a very small, hometown-feel to it that is very approachable and also very comforting.”

The goal of the restaurant, he added, is to bring the highest level of food and service to the area while maintaining a sense of local identity. Tableside experiences are a hallmark of The Bugler, where chefs burn aromatics at the table to engage all the senses, pour broth or cream over meat and vegetables to create soups before guests’ eyes, and lift the glass dome from a seafood tower, sending smoke billowing as LED lights add to the display.

Equally impressive is the expansive wine list, which Bredeson said was crafted to challenge the most eclectic palates while providing more approachable selections for those

who are new to wine. The restaurant is Forbes recommended and has been recognized by Wine Spectator. Bredeson said he hopes to build on those honors, but for him, success is not about awards; it is about exceeding guests’ expectations.

“As a chef, my goal is to try to challenge and engage all the senses of the guests,” Bredeson said. “Food is a sense of sustenance for us here but going to a restaurant like The Bugler should be an experience, and it should be a memorable experience of things that you’re engaged in.”

STILL STANDING

AFTER 40 YEARS, CAJUN BOILERS REMAINS ARKANSAS’ CAJUN FOOD DESTINATION

By DOUG CRISE

For those in the know, Cajun food is not just a fun regional cuisine to dabble in — it has as much history and tradition of any food that can be found anywhere in the country. That history and tradition lives at Cajun Boilers in Hot Springs, a testament to both its Louisiana roots and the power of family.

It is hard to get more Cajun than Abbeville, Louisiana, which sits south of La fayette and is just east of Avery Island, home of Tabasco hot sauce. Abbeville is where Ro maine Guillory grew up, surrounded by the aromas and spices unique to Cajun cooking. It was also in Abbeville that Guillory worked and refined the ins and outs of Cajun food before bringing it to Hot Springs in 1985 with Cajun Boilers.

Guillory, who retired in 2023 and died in 2025, had no guarantees of smooth sailing when he arrived in Arkansas. Cajun Boilers was the first of its kind in Hot Springs and just the second Cajun restaurant in the entire state. Yet the next 40 years would show just how fully Guillory had hit the mark with Cajun Boilers emerging as a dining destination in a city full of them. Customers warmed to Guillory’s seafood gumbo, loved the fried catfish and, of course, went wild for the po’boy sandwiches.

As the foot traffic increased, Cajun Boilers would evolve from the boxy, white-brick building where it started to a fully renovated casual dining experience located right by Lake Hamilton. Guillory, a fishing enthusiast, loved the location, and it remains today as one of the best spots in Hot Springs to grab a bite to eat and relax.

Guillory’s death was a blow to not only Cajun Boilers but to the entire community and to foodies all across Arkansas. Fortunately, the right fit arrived almost immediately in the form of Noah and Taylor Galster, who purchased the restaurant. As a family, the Galsters have roots deep in south Louisiana and arrived with the same enthusiasm for their native cuisine as Guillory.

The new owners hardly had time to cool their heels before being hit with adversity this past August, when a thunderstorm tore through the area and dealt heavy damage to Cajun Boilers, especially the roof. The timing for that is never good, but for the Galsters, it could not have been worse. They had already kept the restaurant closed for much of 2024 while performing transformative reservations only to be socked by severe weather not long after. Yet once the repairs were made, diners returned in droves, eagerly anticipating the return of Cajun Boilers’ one-of-a-kind menu and food.

Today, Cajun Boilers hums along, and ownership has become a family affair, other members of the Galster clan having worked in the kitchen, in the front of the house and behind the scenes. Members of the Hot Springs community, as well as travelers from across Arkansas, routinely converge on Cajun Boilers, getting a food fix that remains as true to its roots as it did in 1985, when Guillory arrived with some recipes and a dream.

Tall Paul’s | Winner Best Catfish

Not very often does a newcomer make such a splash in the Arkansas restaurant scene, least of all in a category as competitive — not to mention close to the Southerner’s heart — as fried catfish. Opened just last year in Cabot, Tall Paul’s has quickly captured the tastebuds of AY About You readers with its delectable take on the classic dish. The mouthwatering menu does not stop there, however. Diners have a wealth of comfort food with a twist to choose from, such as fresh oysters, salmon salads, world-champion cheese dip, smoked pork chops and the fan-favorite Monte Cristo sandwich.

More than just great food, good times at Tall Paul’s run the gamut. Diners can enjoy relaxed conversation with family and friends, hit up happy hour at the bar or even listen to live local music. Guests also have the chance to show off their own talents with karaoke or try their luck at DJ bingo.

Fast becoming a go-to community spot, Tall Paul’s promises to find itself on AY readers’ minds — and plates — for years to come.

12406 Arkansas 5, Suites A and B, Cabot

501.446.2040 | tallpaulscabot

Fresh

faces

Restaurant award winners share stories behind establishments, menus

AY About You’s Readers’ Restaurant Poll highlights establishments from across Arkansas turning out memorable dining experiences. Some establishments are familiar to the winner’s circle, having topped their categories year after year. There are also many newbies that make the list, not all of which are new to Arkansas but perhaps new to this prestigious list.

We congratulate the owners and staff on this achievement and wish them well in bringing great food, service and experiences to their communities for years to come.

Barnaby

AY's Speakeasy Winner

WhenBy ALEX HARDGRAVE

one walks off of Kavanaugh Boulevard into George’s Little Rock, they are met with a cozy, neighborhood Italian restaurant feel. However, a short walk through a series of hidden doors transports patrons to Barnaby, the speakeasy that resides under the same roof and offers guests an entirely different experience.

“When you’re there, you feel like you’re in a hotel bar in London, Paris or New York,” said George’s operating partner Greg Baber. “That is probably what I’ve heard most from guests when they walk in. They’re like ‘Man, I forgot that I’m in Little Rock when I’m back there,’ which is really cool.”

No speakeasy is complete without a host of spirits to enjoy. General Manager David Hesselbein said the staff prides itself on keeping Barnaby’s cocktails classic and simple.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “We want to use ingredients that we have to make delicious cocktails that go with the experience and with the menu.”

All of the Italian fare on George’s menu can be ordered in the speakeasy area, and the drinks have been created to pair well with the dishes.

“[The areas] might seem extremely different, but they rely on each other,” Hesselbein said.

Some of the most popular cocktails include the bar’s espresso martini and a drink called the Spaghetti Western, which is a take on an oldfashioned.

Whether people choose to come just for a cocktail or for a whole meal and to sit in Barnaby, it is guaranteed to be a unique experience unlike any other in Little Rock.

Barnaby

Located inside George’s Little Rock 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd., Little Rock

501-353-2239

georgeslittlerock.com

Monday: 4 to 10 p.m.

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday through Sunday: 4 to 10 p.m.

Cross Creek Sandwich Shop AY's Sandwich Winner

While Cross Creek Sandwich Shop in Conway is new to the Readers’ Restaurant Poll list, it has been a destination well known for its sandwiches since it opened in 2009.

The restaurant was first opened in Jenifer’s Antiques after Christine Jennings connected with the shop’s owner, Jenifer Hendrix, and they agreed to open a restaurant in the building together.

“The two women knew each other because one frequented the other’s shop, but they weren’t friends at the time,” current owner Caitlin Bailey said.

A couple years later, Jennings was looking to retire, and Bailey, who had worked there in her college years, came on to help her get everything in order to be able to sell it. A long road followed that led to Bailey and her husband buying Cross Creek themselves from Jennings.

When asked if she ever saw herself owning a restaurant, Bailey answered quickly.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “I jokingly tell people Chris tricked me into buying it.”

However, many people in Bailey’s family have been business owners, so owning a business had always been a dream. She just never suspected it would be a restaurant. She said she does not always feel qualified despite loving to cook and serve people.

“It’s a challenge every day,” she said.

Cross Creek exudes comfort from its food to its ambiance, which Bailey said is supposed to give the vibe of grandma’s house.

“Everyone feels comfortable at their grandma’s house,” she said.

Also like Grandma’s house, all the food is made from scratch, including the restaurant’s beloved cookies and its popular chicken salad sandwich.

“We want to be known for better-than-plain food,” she said. “We want our food to be memorable and be an experience you really want to be a part of.”

Cross Creek Sandwich Shop 1003 Oak St., Conway 501-764-1811

crosscreeksandwichshop.com

Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

Tall Paul’s AY's Catfish Winner

Itis a tall order to have the best catfish in Arkansas, but Tall Paul’s fills it.

The restaurant opened its doors only a few months ago in August 2025 after renovating what used to be known as J’s Place in Cabot, making it more sleek and modern-looking inside, said co-owner Johnny Campbell.

Campbell and co-owner Tim Higginbotham started discussing the idea casually in a barbershop one day about a year ago. Higginbotham

told Campbell he wanted to open a place and name it after his father, whose nickname was Tall Paul, Campbell said.

“An ironic nickname because he was not tall,” Campbell said.

Since opening, the restaurant has made a name not only for its catfish but also its Monte Cristo sandwich and bone-in pork chop. The menu also features two favorites from Campbell’s past concept, Mockingbird Bar & Tacos in Little Rock, which are the smoked wings and the award-winning cheese dip.

The restaurant features both casual nights where people can relax and enjoy the company of their dining companions, as well as more lively event nights, including weekly bingo, karaoke and live music.

“The response has been great,” Campbell said. “We filled a need in the market.”

Tall Paul’s

12406 Arkansas 5, Suites A and B, Cabot 501-446-2040

facebook.com/tallpaulscabot

Monday through Thursday: 3 to 10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Zeke and Lizzy’s Seafood and Steakhouse AY's Cake Winner

Whenhusband and wife DeWitt and Sherrye Ginn moved from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Heber Springs, they brought the flavors and dishes of home with them.

“[Opening a restaurant] was always the plan,” Sherrye Ginn said. “It’s a huge leap of faith to do something like that. We just decided, ‘What have you got to lose?’ and here we are.”

Since Zeke and Lizzy opened its doors in 2022, the city has taken to the restaurant, especially during the summer months, when visitors come in for recreation at the nearby Little Red River.

“Summers are wonderful here,” Ginn said. “We have a great bunch of guests. They eat with us, and a lot of them have become friends.”

The restaurant has a family-friendly section and a 21-and-up area, all with an upscale diner vibe.

“You can come in dressed up if you want to, or you can come in your shorts and flip flops, and that’s just fine,” she said. “There is no proper way to be with us as long as you are wanting to eat good food.”

One of the most popular dishes is the fish specials, which feature whatever is fresh when the owners order it and have it shipped in from Louisiana.

“You can’t get it anywhere else,” Ginn said.

Of course, guests cannot forget the delectable scratch-made cakes.

“As a way of expressing my creativity, I started baking cakes for the restaurant,” Ginn said.

Week to week, she is not sure what flavor she will bake. It just depends on what mood she is in, she said. The chocolate cake and classic coconut cake are some of the most popular flavors.

“It’s all made totally with love,” she said. “It’s my passion”

Zeke and Lizzy’s Seafood and Steakhouse

404 S. Seventh St., Heber Springs

501-365-3300

zekeandlizzys.com

Wednesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 8 p.m.

Monday and Tuesday: Closed Sunday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

THE NOT-SO-SECRET SAUCED

LITTLE ROCK RESTAURANT COVERS ALL THE BASES WHEN IT COMES TO DINING OUT

By DOUG CRISE

One of the first things guests notice upon entering Sauced Bar & Oven in Little Rock’s West Village is just how many bases the 8-year-old restaurant has covered.

A good, casual lunch? Check. TVs to catch a game? Check. A welcoming and elegant interior that fits both T-shirts and jeans but also coats and ties? A warm and inviting bar? Fresh, lo cally sourced ingredients? Check, check and check.

“We just wanted a neighborhood restaurant with good food for the locals,” said co-owner Leslie Case, who runs the restaurant with her husband, Kevin.

The food is a good place to start. The lunch and dinner menus for Sauced range from wood-fired pizzas to pasta dishes, sandwiches and more plus an extensive brunch menu that includes favorites such as eggs Benedict, French toast, and even a wood-fired brunch pizza with sausage gravy, eggs, potatoes and more. On top of that, Sauced has one of the best catering operations in the area thanks to a full-fledged mobile pizza oven.

The goal at Sauced has never been to reinvent the wheel — just to be among the best on the local food scene.

“We knew we wanted the pizza,” Case said, “so we got the best pizza oven we could find and brought it over from Italy. That was the main focus initially — just to do a Neapolitan pizza, which has evolved over time based on tastes and everything. The recipe’s changed a little bit for the dough, but the main core recipes have stayed the same for all our pizzas since we opened. The rest of the menu kind of evolved over time.”

“We just wanted more of a Neapolitan-style pizza that you can make in the wood-fired oven,” Case said, “not a traditional hard-crust pizza like Pizza Hut or whatever.”

The menu at Sauced has never been static. Rather, it is a testament to listening to customers and regulars. For example, Case and the kitchen staff moved away from the by-the-book preparation of those Neapolitan recipes to a crispier crust based on customer feedback. Likewise, a more formal menu has been altered to also accommodate more casual tastes.

The only hard and fast rule at Sauced is that the dishes must be crowd-pleasers made from the best locally sourced ingredients available.

Sauced covers all the bases for pizza with high-quality standards such as four-cheese and pepperoni varieties, along with signature selections Margherita, an arugula pizza with prosciutto, and a blackened chicken Alfredo pizza with a creamy Alfredo sauce as its base.

Looking back, Case said the success at Sauced is directly related to the entire restaurant team’s ability to pivot, whether in the kitchen, behind the bar or on the main floor. New ideas are always welcome, but the guidepost has been and always will be customer feedback.

“It’s imperative because your ego can’t be involved,” Case said. “It has to be that way, basically, to survive. You have to be flexible with the market and geared toward what the customers prefer.”

What exists today is a well-loved mainstay of central Arkansas dining and a testament to the Cases’ constant ear toward customer feedback. Any moves made in the future will be just

like the changes in the past: always to make the dining experience at Sauced just that much better.

“We’re proud,” Case said. “It’s rewarding that we’ve still been doing well over time. We’re known for being open in the snow and for a lot of the catering we’ve done, like at weddings. We are proud that we’ve been able to maintain it.”

Sweet Spot The

AY readers get their just desserts at a few favorite locations

By MAK MILLARD

Whether one has gone toe-to-toe with a tart recipe or is content to simply enjoy the fruits of another’s baking experiments, most everyone has a healthy appreciation for those professionals who have perfected the art of filling a pastry case — AY About You included. Arkansas is blessed with a wide variety of experts in the sweet treat arena, not the least of which are reader favorites Cinnamon Creme Bakery, Dale’s Donut Shop, Mueller’s Bistro & Bakery, and Scoops Homemade Ice Cream. Thanks to these folks, winners in their respective categories of AY About You’s 2026 Readers’ Restaurant Poll, it is possible to fill one’s day from dawn to dessert with all manner of flaky, fluffy, creamy, crunchy, piping-hot or exquisitely chilled mouthfuls.

-Ay's Cinnamon Roll Winner-

“We probably go through a thousand cinnamon rolls on a normal week, but if there’s a pending holiday or snowstorm that number can skyrocket.”

Thus estimated Crystal Cooper, co-owner of Cinnamon Creme Bakery in Little Rock. An avid home baker, Cooper previously spent somewhere in the realm of 15 years mastering just her icing recipe. She later married her husband, Truman, whose family owns the beloved Country Village Oven Bakery in Star City. The couple sold their stake in the business to Truman’s brother in 2017 and opened up shop in Little Rock.

“I told Truman that I thought that his cinnamon rolls were better than my recipe, but I thought that my icing recipe was better than his, so we put together the cinnamon roll that you now know at Cinnamon Creme Bakery,” Crystal said.

In addition to the generously sized cinnamon rolls, Cinnamon Creme peddles a variety of fresh-baked goods, including other flavored rolls. Most popular among the fruit rolls are cherry-almond and wild blueberry, Crystal said, and the bakery has even put out variations such as lemon-raspberry and triple chocolate.

“We use little to no margarine at our bakery and lots and lots of

real butter,” she said. “You can’t beat the flavor of real butter. Also, we aim for taste over picture perfect. We perfect the flavor first and then try to make it look pretty as a secondary goal — always flavor first.”

Those already locating their car keys for a trip down Chenal Parkway should be aware of the business’ unique hours. The Coopers have driven the hour-and-fifteen-minute commute into Little Rock for almost nine years now, so Cinnamon Creme does not hold the crack-of-dawn schedule one might expect. The bites are great, to be sure, but nothing beats staying close to family.

“I guess our standard of quality and service comes from the fact that we’re Christians,” Crystal said. “We believe that you should treat and serve others the way you’d want to be treated. If you treat others well, it will come back to you.”

Cinnamon Creme Bakery

17200 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock 501-821-0002

cinnamoncremellc

Wednesday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday: Closed

Jeannie and Saddiq Mir, owners of J&S Hospitality Group, have their hands in many a concept in Spa City and have a talent for finetuning the guest experience at each. One of their latest acquisitions seems poised to follow that pattern of success. Mueller’s Bistro & Bakery in Hot Springs has already claimed the title of Best Bakery among AY readers, and the couple is just getting started.

“I think we have a knack for acquiring iconic properties in Hot Springs and restoring the identity and the quality they’ve been known to have,” Saddiq said. “Mueller’s is no different. It opened in the ‘80s, and the Mueller family was known to do an amazing job.”

The bakery has passed hands a few times since the original Muellers opened up shop, and locals could not help but notice a change in quality over the years, Saddiq said. He and Jeannie were “very pleased” to have the opportunity to reestablish the standard of excellence.

“We are focusing on fresh-baked breads and freshly baked European-style pastries and Danishes, croissants, pastries — every-

Mueller’s Bistro & Bakery

111 B Crawford St., Hot Springs 501-623-7005 muellersbistrobakery.com

Tuesday through Sunday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday: Closed

thing,” he said “Our goal is to serve freshly baked, warm danishes and croissants to our guests for breakfast to enhance their experience. We’re making gluten-free breads and gluten-free desserts. Our folks are going to be there to offer a lot of options that you cannot find commonly.”

New executive chef and co-owner of J&S Italian Villa, Sascia Marchesi will be involved in upgrading the bakery’s menu items to include healthier options, Saddiq said, and he also hopes to offer weekend brunch in the near future. The goal is to cultivate a cozy, exclusive European vibe where guests can stop in for a quick breakfast or lunch or grab their favorite freshly baked goods to go. Customers can also call ahead at Mueller’s and pick up their own loaves of made-to-order sourdough, ciabatta, focaccia and more.

“We feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to take another iconic place and take it to the next level,” Saddiq said.

Dale’s Donuts

There are few institutions as close to a town’s heart as its favorite local donut shop, and nowhere does a region’s passion for the glazed, filled and sprinkled treats shine brighter than in the Saline County home to one Dale’s Donuts in Benton.

“We take a lot of pride in making sure that our donuts truly are made fresh every single day,” said Head of Operations Traci Long. “Everything has to rise and prove and all that stuff, but it makes it so good. It’s like going to your grandma’s kitchen when she’s making homemade biscuits versus popping a can open.”

Founded by Dale and Peggy Atchley in 1978, the unassuming shop has since become a community cornerstone, so much so that when second-generation owner Joel Dale Atchley announced his intent to retire last summer, the question was when — not if — someone would come along to continue the tradition. Local business owners Blake Torres, Zack Haley and Jared Voth soon stepped up to carry on the Dale’s torch.

“It’s a lot more, I think, than just donuts,” Long said.

so many delightful dozens. One fan favorite, the raspberry-filled jelly donut, recently made a comeback following a long hiatus. Those who pair their savory and sweet breakfast options will not be disappointed by the lack of kolaches on the menu either. Instead, Dale’s offers a sausage roll blanketed in that oh-so-special donut dough, and they pretty much fly from the cabinet as soon as they are made.

Long, for her part, has worked at the shop nearly 15 years. That kind of tenure has allowed her to see firsthand just how much the spot means to customers. Children once barely able to reach the counter are suddenly about to graduate high school, and Dale’s has been there on countless mornings for every high and low in between.

“We’ve got people who tell us all the time that their parents or grandparents would bring them in, and now they’re getting to bring their kids or grandkids in,” she said. “It’s definitely something I’m grateful that Blake and Jared and Zach kept going so the community can continue these traditions and memories.”

Also fresh-made daily are the chocolate and regular glazes that grace

“You just can’t go wrong,” Long said.

Dale’s

Donuts

919 Military Road, Benton 501-776-2710 dales.donuts

Tuesday through Saturday: 5:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday: 5:30 to 10 a.m. Monday: Closed

Scoops Homemade

Ice

-AY's Ice Cream Winner-

she said. “They want what they expect, and we deliver that, keeping their favorite flavors there all year long. We do generally have one seasonal flavor to give them something new that they can try. For example, during the Christmas season, we had peppermint bark.”

A Hot Springs favorite since 2003, Scoops Homemade Ice Cream’s slowchurned process produces a creamier-than-the-competition flavor bomb that sends most other places packing. So good are the frozen treats, in fact, that businessman and philanthropist Greg Hatcher scooped up the business itself and expanded it to downtown and Breckenridge Village in Little Rock. More locations are already in the works.

“We will grow steadily and thoughtfully,” said Scoops spokesperson Ashley Clinton. “Our next Scoops location that will open in 2026 will be in downtown Hot Springs next to Deluca’s Pizza. We would also hope to open one at another location in late 2026 or early 2027.”

The stores themselves have been overhauled to be more spacious and have an inviting, retro, 1950s vibe. The good stuff, meanwhile, comes in 25 classic flavors, from cake batter and butter pecan to turtle tracks and chocolate chip. Death by chocolate, vanilla, cookies and cream, and strawberry cheesecake are popular, Clinton said, while the kids’ favorites alternate between animal cracker and cotton candy — with plenty of sprinkles, naturally.

“When people go to any restaurant or hotel, they are looking for consistency,”

That is not to say Scoops is an afternoon or after-dinner destination only. Coffee lovers find themselves with an excuse to stop by any time of day for an upgraded treat such as an ice cream pourover, affogato, latte or frappuccino. Guests have even more to smile about thanks to the positive impact of their purchases. All of the profits from Scoops go directly to The Mighty Bluebirds, a nonprofit youth sports organization founded by Hatcher.

“I would say order your favorite ice cream flavor, and you will be fine,” Clinton said. “We don’t make it complicated. We just make it really good.”

Scoops Homemade Ice Cream

212 Broadway St., Little Rock 501-777-8766

Daily: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

10221 N. Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock 501-580-4949

Daily: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

4043 Central Ave., Hot Springs 501-525-3119

Daily: Noon to 10 p.m.

829 Central Ave., Hot Springs — Coming Soon scoopshomemadeicecream.com

TACOS GODOY SUCCEEDED THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY BATTLE TESTED

By DOUG CRISE

Growing up in Mexico City, Alejandro Gutierrez joined his family on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to help prepare and sell homemade Mexican food at a corner near his home. His path toward owning his own restaurant was a long and winding one, but the au thenticity of the food and the satisfaction of the custom ers remains just as it was so many years ago.

“When I moved to Arkansas in 1997, I thought it was going to be easy to be able to do something like that,” said Gutierrez, who previously lived in Illinois after coming to America. “I had my business plan written and everything.”

Gutierrez’s wait has been worth it. Now the owner of Tacos Godoy in Little Rock, Gutierrez oversees a Cantrell Road location known just as much for its inviting, festive decor and friendly staff as it is for the deliciousness of its food. By the time the restaurant opened in 2019, Tacos Godoy already had a fanatical following thanks to its food truck, which continues to draw both new and loyal customers.

Yet back in the beginning, Gutierrez was not sure when or how to take the first step — not only was he helping raise a family, but his day job as a corporate database administrator left time for little else. Even when his sister helped him find a food truck, Gutierrez was not sure about taking the plunge.

“I go and look at the food truck, and man, it was a jewel,” Gutierrez said.

Godoy, but he could not afford to sit tight as the pandemic ran its course. Using his connections in several different neighborhoods, Gutierrez reached out to let people know that the food truck would still be doing business. Then he waited and hoped.

“There’s no food. Everything was closed,” Gutierrez said. “There’s nothing. Every 10 minutes, we’d get an order, and then they could come pick it up. Then we’d change our gloves and masked up on everything.”

With little more than a reputation to rely on, Tacos Godoy pushed through the crisis on the shoulders of loyal customers who had fallen in love with Gutierrez’s tacos, burritos, quesadillas and much more.

Gutierrez need not have been so worried. A combination of good equipment, friendly customer service and food lovingly prepared with premium ingredients allowed the Tacos Godoy truck to take off, so much so that Gutierrez finally left his job in the summer of 2019 to open the brand’s restaurant location.

“And COVID[-19] hit,” Gutierrez said.

The timing could not have been worse, but the food could not have been better. Gutierrez knew he had something good going with Tacos

“It worked like a champ,” Gutierrez said. “We were going from one neighborhood to another neighborhood. I was like, ‘Man, this is good.’”

At the same time, Tacos Godoy teamed up with another food truck owner, Kyle Pounders, to help get meals to communities in need through World Central Kitchen, a charitable food organization.

“Basically, we were going out to the Clinton Library, filling up our trucks with food and going into the community to hand out free meals,” Gutierrez said.

The resulting goodwill combined with good food did more than just keep the business afloat. Now with multiple food trucks to go along with the restaurant location, Tacos Godoy has emerged from Little Rock’s crowded Mexican food scene with a reputation for excellent ingredients and service.

A lot has changed since Gutierrez helped his family sell food on a corner in Mexico City, but much has stayed the same.

“The concept, it’s basically from Mexico City,” Gutierrez said. “We play with a lot of peppers. We play with a lot of different condiments. Basically, it makes us totally different from whatever food is out there.”

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Best Place to Watch the Game and Best Sports Bar: Mainline Sports Bar

Celebrating its unbeatable atmosphere, massive screen setup, and perfect blend of sports viewing and casual dining.

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THE CROISSANTERIE PROVES PATRONS WILL FIND GOOD FOOD INSTANT HIT

By MARK CARTER

The Croissanterie in Little Rock is proof people will find good food wherever it is.

Croissanterie chefs and co-owners Wendy Schay and Jill McDonald started out by selling their French-style homemade croissants at local farmers markets in 2019. Overall demand and the popularity of the breakfast sandwiches, their most requested item, soon dictated an upgrade to their vision, and plans for a food truck were launched.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the chefs designed their truck during the lockdown. Once they were able to hit the road with the truck, popularity once again offered a challenge.

“Quickly growing out of the truck, we found ourselves needing more hands and moved into our first brick-and-mortar in late 2021,” Schay said.

For almost five years, The Croissanterie thrived in a strip center where Taylor Loop meets Cantrell Road in west Little Rock. As had been the case with the farmers market stall and then the food truck, The Croissanterie could barely keep up with its own growth. The restaurant now employs 33.

Known for its French pastries, sandwiches, sweet treats and what many will insist is Little Rock’s best burger, The Croissanterie was ready for Stage 4.

In January, the team moved into a new, bigger space located just down the street at 14502 Cantrell Road in the building formerly occupied by Capers Restaurant.

Photo by JAMIE LEE

said. “We will do some catering out of one of the kitchens, as well, but it’s pretty much Wendy’s full bakery kitchen.”

She added that the new location will feature the same menu with specials and more offerings to come, and the bakery kitchen will enable Schay to host baking classes again.

The Croissanterie 4.0 also features an outdoor patio and a coffee lounge serving local coffees.

“We have couches, we have a nice little cozy seating area for people to come in and bring their laptops and hang out and get some work done and eat some pastries and have some coffee,” McDonald said. “On our huge patio, there’s about 45 seats outside, so when weather’s nice, we’ll have that open.”

The private dining room can seat up to 60 and has audio/visual hookups and more to accommodate private meetings, wedding showers and other groups.

The new space came with two full kitchens and seating for 120. Finally, the chefs could accommodate the demands of both a restaurant and a bakery.

“What was the Capers Market is now the bakery,” McDonald

Both chefs graduated from the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute in Little Rock, and both are dedicated to local sourcing and giving back to the community.

Opened on Jan. 15, hours at the Croissanterie’s new location are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The chefs expressed gratitude for the patronage that sent them on such an upward growth trajectory.

“We are really in the people business,” McDonald said. “It’s such an honor to be recognized by your community and peers, especially when we are so new to the show and up against such great restaurants.”

Zeke

CHAIN

CATERER

CHEESE

CHEF Chef

CHICKEN

CHICKEN

CHICKEN

READERS’ RESTAURANT WINNERS

DESSERT Trio’s Restaurant

DISTILLERY

DIVE

Donuts

ENTERTAINMENT

FRENCH FRIES

FRIED

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT Petit & Keet Little

GLUTEN FREE

GUYS’

Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe

HAPPY HOUR Sauced Bar and Oven

HISTORICAL RESTAURANT

READERS’ RESTAURANT WINNERS

PEOPLE WATCHING

Doe’s Eat Place

Little Rock

PIE

Blue Cake Co./Honey Pies

Little Rock

PIMENTO CHEESE

Boulevard Bread Company Co.

Little Rock

PIZZA (NONFAST FOOD)

Shotgun Dan’s Pizza

Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood

PLACE TO WATCH THE GAME

Mainline Sports Bar, Oaklawn Hot Springs

Hot Springs

RESTAURANT FOR HOLIDAY GATHERINGS

Brood & Barley

North Little Rock

RESTAURANT FOR VEGAN OPTIONS

Flora Jean’s

Little Rock

RESTAURANT TO IMPRESS OUT-OF-TOWNERS

The Bugler, Oaklawn Hot Springs

Hot Springs

RESTAURANT WORTH THE DRIVE

Sam’s Southern Eatery Dardanelle

SALAD US Pizza Co.

Batesville, Bryant, Cabot, Little Rock, Fayetteville, Maumelle, Conway, Springdale, Sherwood, North Little Rock

SANDWICH

Cross Creek Sandwich Shop

Conway

SEAFOOD (NONFAST FOOD)

The Oyster Bar

Little Rock

SERVER

Morgan Roberson

Brood & Barley

North Little Rock

SPEAKEASY Barnaby

Little Rock

SPECIAL OCCASION

Sonny Williams’

Steak Room

Little Rock

Mthe first taste of

Celebrate the season with early-arriving vegetables

arch is a month of transition. The days stretch a little longer, the soil begins to warm, and the first signs of the growing season quietly appear. In the kitchen, that shift is unmistakable. We move away from the richness of winter and toward foods that feel awake.

This risotto is built slowly, the way it should be. The rice is stirred steadily with hot stock until it releases its natural starch. Prosciutto adds

For me, that moment arrives with asparagus and peas. They are among the earliest crops of the season — tender, green and fleeting. Their arrival signals renewal and the promise of what is ahead. When they appear, I turn to risotto not as a heavy winter dish but as a canvas for freshness, patience and technique.

By MARGIE RAIMONDO

Photos by MARGIE RAIMONDO

depth, thyme brings a savory herbal note, and good olive oil — rather than butter or folded-in cheese — finishes the dish with clarity and balance. Parmesan is shaved at the table, where each person can decide how much they want.

The result reflects early spring itself: comforting, green and newly alive. This is a dish for March, when winter loosens its grip, and the kitchen begins to wake up again.

Early Spring Risotto with Asparagus, Peas and Prosciutto

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

• 5 to 6 cups chicken stock, kept hot

• 3/4 cup dry white wine

• 1 1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed

• 1 1/2 cups fresh peas (or frozen)

• 5 ounces prosciutto, cut into strips

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• Kosher salt

• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Shaved Parmesan, for serving

Instructions

1. Prepare the vegetables

Cut asparagus into bite-size pieces, separating stalks from tips. Bring the chicken stock to a gentle boil. Blanch the asparagus stalks for 2 to 3 minutes until just tender. Transfer to an ice bath, and then repeat with the tips. Drain and set aside. Keep stock hot over low heat.

2. Start the risotto

Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until soft and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, prosciutto and thyme, and stir constantly for about 2 minutes, allowing the aromatics to bloom and the prosciutto to render slightly.

Add the Arborio rice and stir until the grains are well coated and lightly toasted.

bright. If using frozen peas, add them at the end, along with the asparagus.

When the rice is nearly al dente, stir in the asparagus and cook for a few more minutes until the risotto is creamy and cohesive.

3. Build the texture

Pour in the white wine and stir until fully absorbed. Begin adding the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring often and allowing each addition to absorb before adding the next. Maintain a gentle simmer and continue for about 15 to 18 minutes, letting the rice slowly release its starch.

Remove from heat. Finish with a drizzle or two of good olive oil and several grinds of black pepper. Stir well and taste for seasoning. Serve immediately with shaved Parmesan offered at the table.

Seasonal Tip: March marks the reopening of many Arkansas farmers’ markets after winter shutdowns. Early in the season, vendors rotate, and offerings change weekly. Checking your local market is often the best way to find out who is harvesting asparagus and peas right now.

Who grows spring asparagus and peas in Arkansas? As winter markets reopen, a few Arkansas growers are among the first to welcome spring with asparagus and peas. Availability varies by weather and year — checking ahead is always wise.

• C & C Farm: A family-run farm in Eureka Springs growing asparagus, peas, greens, herbs and more, available through community supported agriculture, or CSA, shares and local farmers markets.

• Diamond J Orchard & Ranch: A historic family farm in Beebe offering a variety of garden produce, including peas when in season.

• Mountain Home Berry Farm: Best known for berries, this farm also cultivates asparagus, typically available in early spring until blueberry season begins in late May.

If using fresh peas, add them about 10 minutes into cooking so they remain tender and Cook’s Note: Proper risotto should flow gently on the plate. It is not stiff. If needed, loosen with a splash of hot stock or olive oil just before serving.

TOP OF LIST Front of House,

By

AY About You salutes the best in hospitality for 2026

The best restaurants stand on a trifold foundation of great food, excellent ambiance and, not least, terrific service. Everyone has a favorite server, the person who makes ordinary dinners special and special occasions extraordinary.

The hospitality business is hard work, as publicfacing jobs tend to be. Anyone who has tended bar, managed an event or waited tables for any length of time has stories to tell that would fill magazines cover to cover. The best ones, however, do not dwell on the slammed rushes or the nightmare guests but on how

they made guests’ days better by taking good care of them at lunch or dinner.

In covering dining across the Natural State, AY About You has always noticed and appreciated good service. That is why every year, we take time to recognize a handful of recommended service workers who work to ensure every guest encounter is a special one.

We realize this barely scratches the surface of good servers in Arkansas. Wherever you find yours, be sure to let them know they are appreciated, order the special and always tip your wait staff.

Cortney Watt

On a mild Friday evening The Ohio Club in Hot Springs is standing room only. The famous former gangster hangout, one of the most interesting watering holes in all of Arkansas, is wall-to-wall people enjoying drinks, sharing a laugh and digging into plates of chef-inspired food.

Spa City native Cortney Watt winds her way from the bar to her tables and back again, working the crowd with a smile. She is coming up on her sixth anniversary at The Ohio Club, and her experience shows. Every customer, from familiar-faced regulars to wide-eyed first-timers and all others in between, gets the same friendly treatment.

It is the mingling with such a variety of people that has kept her in the business this long, 18 years in all.

“I tried to work a desk job once,” she said, “but the monotony of seeing the same people every day just wasn’t for me.”

If Watt ever doubted her job choice, the COVID-19 pandemic drove such thoughts from her mind as social distancing and staying locked up took its toll on such a social creature as herself.

“I stayed home for the entire two years of it,” she said. “I was ready to get back out there. I felt like I was going to go crazy. My mom actually knew the person who owned [The Ohio Club] at the time, and so I came down here, and we talked on the bench out front. She hired me on the spot.”

With its romantic backstory serving gangsters and molls back in the day, working at The Ohio Club requires one to do more than just recommend the pastrami. Watt and her cohorts are fonts of local lore and love to share the more colorful aspects of Hot Springs history.

“To me, the appeal of working here is the whole place — the history of it, the bar, the people,” she said. “Where we are downtown, we’re right in the middle of everything. The Ohio Club is one of the first original bars. It was a shotgun place, and it’s just really cool.”

Dakota Besancon

Withpeople

RŌBER :: Cocktails + Culinary

Benton

more than a decade in the service industry, the last two at popular Benton night spot RŌBER :: Cocktails + Culinary, Dakota Besancon is living out a family tradition with every customer he serves.

“My sister and my stepmom always worked at restaurants, so I kind of grew up in restaurants because I’d go up there and see them [at work] a lot,” he said. “Just the act of taking care of people was really appealing to me.”

Besancon came to RŌBER because a friend of his was working in the kitchen and he knew other people on staff. Living in Benton, he did not mind not having to commute back and forth to Little Rock either.

“It’s a nice restaurant, the kind I’ve always wanted to work in,” he said.

Asked what it takes to be successful in the service industry, Besancon said a level head and even demeanor are two key elements to working with the public.

“Just keep things in order for yourself and don’t let anything overwhelm you too much,” he said. “If I get a bad table, which happens every once in a while, I don’t let it bother me.

“You also have to be able to multitask, and you have to be a good team player. I’ve played sports my whole life, and so I’ve always been a teamfirst kind of guy. Up here, I just kind of do as much as I can to help everybody out, helping run people’s food and just doing whatever I can to make sure the restaurant runs right.”

Besancon said while he and his friends in the industry have kicked around the idea of perhaps owning their own food truck one day, he has no immediate plans to do so. Instead, he directs all of his energy and skill to taking care of newbies and regulars alike as they enjoy the ambiance and fare at one of central Arkansas’ favorite hangouts.

“I’d kind of like to get my own thing going at some point, but right now, I’m very happy doing what I’m doing,” he said. “It’s great to give people a nice experience.”

RŌBER :: Cocktails + Culinary 302 W. South St. Benton 501-403-1057 eatrober.com

Dontea Aday

WhenCache Restaurant Little Rock

it comes to his chosen profession, Dontea Aday likes to keep things simple, focusing entirely on the dining enjoyment of his guests and doing whatever he can to make every meal a memorable one.

It is a lot harder than it looks but a challenge the veteran server enjoys every shift.

“What attracted me to serving, man, honestly, it’s just seeing people happy,” he said. “When they come out to eat, they expect to have a good time, and I want to go above and beyond to help them achieve that. Serving is something that’s in my heart.”

Aday has been with the legendary fine-dining restaurant Cache from its very earliest days and has earned some managerial duties to go along with those at tableside. Continuing to perfect the art of serving others not only helps him personally but has also shown him what attributes to look for in others looking to enter the service industry.

“The necessary skills to succeed in this business are patience, and you have to have passion for what you are doing,” he said. “You also have to have the ability to make people smile. These are things that always came naturally to me back to when I started as a barback. I’ve always been comfortable talking to customers and being at the table.”

Aday said in addition to making a living doing what he is doing, the ultimate compliment of being in the service industry is when people attribute part of their enjoyment to his work. He has a long list of people who ask for him by name to back that up.

“Serving isn’t pressure to me. I honestly enjoy it,” he said. “It means everything to me when somebody remembers my name and they come back or they let other people know through word of mouth what we do here and what I do here, as well. I really can’t explain it; I’ve just got a passion for it. I am lucky to have found this industry. It’s something that I like to do, and I take pride in doing it well.”

people

Cache Restaurant

425 President Clinton Ave. Little Rock

501-285-8381

cachelittlerock.com

Despite being the shortest-tenured server on this year’s list, Laken Brown has already ascended to favorite-server status. She joined the staff of The Oyster Bar four years ago, and while she also pulls the occasional shift at the eatery’s sister restaurant Samantha’s Tap Room & Wood Grill downtown, the Stifft Station neighborhood favorite is where she is known best.

Her formula for having excelled in the industry so quickly is not complicated, but it continues to draw raves from regulars and first-timers alike.

“I think it’s just really important to get to know your guests and decide whether they are wanting to interact or if they want more of an experience with the people at their table,” she said. “I kind of go based off of that.

“I try to make sure everyone has a great time. I like to make people smile because not often do people come in super happy. I mean, some people do, but some people don’t. I just try to make sure that they have a great time and they leave smiling.”

Brown said the other parts of the job are more learned behaviors, such as being able to juggle multiple orders during slammed periods as seamlessly as during more moderate traffic. She said time and experience are the best teachers there.

“I will say it gets very difficult sometimes, but I just try to keep things organized,” she said. “I’ve developed a certain way of doing things where I stay organized in my head, and I try to make sure that every five minutes or so, I go check on people. I have a mental timer, I guess you could say.”

Finally, thoroughly understanding the menu is an absolute must for any successful server, Brown said.

“I’ve tried everything on the menu, and so I am very good at recommending things,” she said. “I consider that part of building a relationship with the customer. Finding out what they like and even what they don’t like and then being able to recommend things I think they would enjoy is essential to giving everyone a positive experience.”

The Oyster Bar

3003 W. Markham St. Little Rock 501-666-7100 lroysterbar.com

David “DJ” Lenderman

people people

Asked

what he considers one of the best things about his job, David “DJ” Lenderman mentioned the immediacy of feedback serving others gives him. It is what has kept him in the industry in one way or another for more than two decades, the past seven at Kemuri in Little Rock’s Hillcrest neighborhood.

“Instant gratification, being able to give someone what they want, is something that is really, really nice about serving,” he said. “That’s mainly what got me involved and kept me going.”

Lenderman, who grew up on a farm in eastern Arkansas, said 20 years has vested him with a lot of applicable skills for creating an enjoyable night out for customers. However, knowing that anything expected or unexpected can and does walk through the front door keeps him light on his feet on any given shift.

“Being able to read the room is definitely a quality that I have,” he said. “There’s an art to picking up what people are putting down and talking to them in a way where I’m not overstating or understating anything.

“That’s something that I had innately, and I had a mentor or two develop it in me. It is re-

Brittany Paladino

People get into the service industry for a wide variety of reasons. For Brittany Paladino, fate had something to do with it.

“My grandpa owned Catfish City & BBQ Grill [in Little Rock]. He ran that place for 40 years,” she said. “My mom worked there, and I worked there growing up, doing little random jobs. That got me really interested in the restaurant business.”

Paladino worked fast food in high school and a couple of stints at pizza joints before finding her way to the acclaimed Pasta Grill’s Conway location.

“I had a friend who worked there, and she recommended that I apply,” she said. “I’m coming up on five years here. It’s been really, really awesome.”

Paladino said she has learned to look forward to special-occasion clients and the chance to play a role in someone’s birthday, proposal or other life event.

“It used to be a tad intimidating when I first started, but now I welcome it,” she said. “This wasn’t even a week ago: I had a two-top, serving a younger married couple, and they just recently found out they were pregnant. The wife gave me the results of the gender test,

KEMURI Little Rock

ally a skill that’s very important in a job where you’re helping people.”

Lenderman said such intuitive skills are important at any time but especially when a table is celebrating a special occasion. Not unlike a wellcrafted dish, knowing how to accentuate the moment without upstaging it is the highest form of the server’s art, he said.

“I don’t see [special occasions] as pressure necessarily, but it is something where you want to really do what you can to make that moment,” he said. “You don’t override it; you’re just there for it, and you want to be a key part of making it happen perfectly by lending a helping hand in any way possible.

“Giving someone what they want to the best of my ability is what I really love about my job. I take pride in helping people, and I take pride in what I do.”

Kemuri 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. Little Rock 501-660-4100 kemurirestaurant.com

PASTA GRILL

and I was supposed to bring out a strawberry cake for a girl or a chocolate cake for a boy.

“I told the other servers, and we put a plate on it so they wouldn’t see what dessert I was bringing out. Then we popped it open for them, the other servers clapped, and it was really sweet. It was fun to be a part of that moment, for sure.”

While most diners know Paladino for such encounters, what many do not know is that she credits the job with various aspects of selfimprovement in her life.

“I don’t want to get too dramatic, but serving here has changed me as a person,” she said. “My boss has done a really good job bringing in a good crew, and they have motivated me. Everyone here was going to college, and I was like, ‘Well, I should be doing that,’ and I’ve actually gone to college and graduated. I’ve found a lot of really good friends here. It’s been a really great time at Pasta Grill.”

Pasta Grill

915 Front St., Conway 501-205-8751

Additional locations in Russellville and Van Buren pastagrillrestaurant.com

Morgan Roberson

Hospitality veteran Morgan Roberson, who has served people with a smile for the past four years at Brood & Barley in North Little Rock, believes in superpowers. Not only does she believe in them, but she points to a few of hers that have helped her reach the top of her profession over a career that spans more than a decade.

“I think the ability to read a table quickly is definitely a kind of superpower,” she said. “From the time I first seat the table, I can tell if they want some advice on the menu or if they have already decided they know what they’re doing. I can just tell based on those first couple of minutes if they want me to stop and chat with them and get to know them or if they would prefer to be left alone.

“That carries over to the menu. Sometimes I feel like I can look at them and have a two-sentence conversation with them, and I know what they’re actually looking for. It’s really weird sometimes. When people are like, ‘What’s your favorite thing on the menu?’ and I tell them, they’re like, ‘OK, that’s what I was thinking about ordering.’ It’s interesting how often that happens.”

An El Dorado native, Roberson first started waiting tables at Dixie Cafe when she was an 18-year-old college student. In 2020, she and her daughter moved to Benton, where she continued to refine her serving skills before a variety of customers.

She said the casual elegance of Brood & Barley, located in the stylish Argenta Arts District, offers the best of all worlds, from the quality of food and cozy ambiance to the friendly service she and her teammates work hard to deliver.

“What I really enjoy about serving is getting to build relationships with people,” she said. “Even if I’m serving a guest for the first time, I really try to make a point to remember what drinks they get or the food they order. I love making recommendations to people because we have a very unique menu at Brood & Barley, and it gives me time to talk to people and figure out what they’re actually looking for. I can be like, ‘Oh, you’ll love this.’”

people

BROOD & BARLEY North Little Rock

Ashospitality manager at J&S Hospitality Group in Hot Springs, GiGi Sims may not have the title of server, but she does have a job description that mirrors very closely the company’s hard-working servers at its properties, The Ohio Club, J&S Italian Villa, Mueller’s Bistro & Bakery, and Copper Penny Pub, all in Hot Springs.

Sims is responsible for serving J&S Hospitality Group’s catering clientele, a role in which she sees to every detail of a function to ensure a wedding reception, corporate meal or other special occasion comes off deliciously and without a hitch. As her many satisfied clients attest, “service” is central to success in her role.

“No. 1, I’m in the people business,” she said. “I don’t look at it like I’m in the planning or food business; I’m in the people business. From the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, I just want to make a difference with someone.

“It’s about relationships. If I grow a good relationship with a client, everything else is smooth sailing. It’s about building that good reputation that says I’m there to make life easier.”

Sims, a licensed wedding planner, came to her role last April after operating her own party and event planning business. She said she got into the industry because it reminded her of the big family gatherings she loves so much, and she tries to make every client feel the same way she felt during those occasions.

“I come from a very big family, and we’re always planning and doing something. I’m No. 7 of eight kids,” she said. “There was always a ton of us, we all have big families, and we just continued to grow.

“In addition to that, I like good food, food that’s made with good-quality ingredients. Put that together, and working at J&S Hospitality Group is amazing. They have the same love for the community as I do. It’s not just about making money; it’s about taking care of people and building a good reputation and excelling at good food and good service.”

Sims

Those who do not believe angels walk among us never met Marilyn Boyle, and anyone who did never doubted it. Remembered in her 2021 obituary as a selfless servant of others, her distinguishing characteristic was a penchant for feeding people both through the family catering company and on her own time through River City Ministry in North Little Rock.

The example was a powerful one to those who witnessed it, not the least of whom being the people within her own household.

“It was one of her skill sets, always had been,” said T.J. Boyle, her son. “When she worked with River City Ministry, she would always get so excited about the deliveries and the support that she was able to receive, like from the Arkansas Foodbank. The amazing thing about her and the organization and the food bank was, together, they were touching 80 people a day.”

T.J.’s wife, Cindy, also saw the dedication of her mother-in-law and the lives she impacted through the nonprofit with the help of the food bank.

“She was inspirational,” Cindy said. “After she retired and moved to Arkansas, she started volunteering, and it kept growing from a day or two a week until she was there at least five days a week, cooking breakfast and lunch.”

Now, five years after her death, T.J. and Cindy are picking up where Marilyn left off. As co-chairs of the 2026 Empty Bowls gala, the couple is spearheading the biggest annual fundraising event of Arkansas Foodbank, the state’s largest hunger relief organization. The event, of which AY Media Group is media sponsor, is slated to start at 6 p.m. March 13 at The Venue at Westwind in North Little Rock.

Hungry in the land of plenty

Empty Bowls gala funds Arkansas Foodbank’s work feeding people

By DWAIN HEBDA // Photos by JANE COLCLASURE

Cindy and T.J. Boyle, co-chairs of the Arkansas Foodbank’s 2026 Empty Bowls gala, said they hope to honor the work of T.J.’s late mother, Marilyn Boyle, who was known for feeding those in need.

Cindy said even during a season crowded with worthwhile philanthropic events, the Empty Bowls gala stands out for both its program and its beneficiary’s purpose, fighting a scourge of hunger that reaches into every corner of the state.

“I would say one of the perks of the event is that there’s not a long, big program. It’s really just about getting together and having a great meal and a celebration in support of a really good cause,” she said.

Founded to serve several central and south Arkansas counties, Arkansas Foodbank was established in 1984 to provide nonprofit organizations feeding the hungry with a reliable food source. By its second year, the amount of food distributed annually first reached 1 million pounds, and by 1989, the group joined the Feeding America national network to gain more assistance in acquiring and distributing food. In total, Arkansas Foodbank has distributed more than half a billion pounds of food in its history and now serves 33 counties statewide.

A track record like that is bittersweet — an achievement to be sure, but also a reminder of the staggering need that has existed in Arkansas for more than four decades. Even more sobering is the fact that despite the efforts and the food bank’s substantial growth, reach and logistical sophistication, the problem only appears to be getting worse when it comes to hunger in Arkansas.

The numbers are shocking to the point of numbing. Study after study and survey after survey report Arkansas leads the nation in food insecurity — that is, people unsure of where their next meal is coming from. A modern-day plague, food insecurity affected almost 1 in 5 households between 2022 and 2024 in the Natural State, according to the Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. The two-year average is the state’s second highest behind 2012 to 2014 and a 4.4 percent increase over the COVID-19 pandemic era, 2019 to 2021.

The numbers ranked the state first in the nation in food insecurity for the period 2022 to 2024 after trailing only Mississippi in the other two time periods. The Magnolia State remained the country’s most food insecure from 2012 to 2024 but has made substantial progress, lowering its rate nearly 5 percent over that time. Arkansas, by comparison, has only improved half a percentage point and is second in the unhappy statistic by a mere tenth of a percentage point for the decade.

Put another way, 593,000 of Arkansas’ 3 million residents were food insecure in 2023, Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report states, including 168,000 children, or 1 in 4, living with no guarantee they will eat on any given day.

“Hunger in the state of Arkansas is a very unique problem,” said Claire Tiffin, Arkansas Foodbank’s director of community engagement. “Arkansas is one of four states in the country that have a higher rate of food insecurity than the national average. We went from 18.9 percent to 19.4 percent over this last year.

“I would say there are three main reasons why hunger is so bad here. The first is Arkansas has a history of rural poverty, and rural areas within our state are where we see the highest level of food insecurity. My second reason is tied into a lack of transportation within rural communities, making access to food very challenging.”

Tiffin said the third reason is outward migration from rural communities to urban areas or out of Arkansas entirely, taking businesses with them, including food sources.

“That means people are facing a 45-minute drive to the nearest grocery store, and once they get there, obviously, inflation has increased, and there’s a higher cost of living without much increase in wages to combat that,” Tiffin said. “People’s budgets are getting tighter, and they’re having to make harder decisions.”

Inflation is not the only national circumstance exacerbating the situation. Last year, funding cuts and the government shutdown increased the number of food insecure people coast to coast and put a strain on resources and operations that have yet to fully reset.

“There’s definitely a ripple effect and a delay in getting back to normal,” Tiffin said. “The U.S. government provides 80 percent of the solution for food insecurity in the nation, and charitable systems provide 20 percent. When government programs are behind or are cut, it’s really significant and exponentially impacts those who are food insecure.

“For example TEFAP, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, does food ordering at the national level. When their employees didn’t work for over 40 days, they were not able to execute those orders. That resulted in a 20-million-pound shortfall in TFAP food for the month of January, and they were expecting a gap in February deliveries, too, although smaller.”

Tiffin said it is hard to predict how long it will take for the situation to return to pregovernment shutdown levels both in terms of operations and in the number of people seeking food through local groups and agencies.

“We don’t expect to have what we would say are ‘regular’ numbers at the food pantry until March and April,” she said. “One or two missed paychecks when you are living paycheck to paycheck really knocks you off. If you miss rent, if you miss utilities, you’re having to make those payments up. We are here so they’re not having to make a choice on food.”

One of the crueler ironies of the situation in Arkansas is the impact it has had on the state’s agricultural producers. Loss of government funding impaired Arkansas Foodbank’s ability to purchase millions of pounds of local produce, Tiffin said, and other issues, such as lack of a federal Farm Bill and depressed farm prices, have led to increased food insecurity throughout Arkansas’ farm country.

“Farming has had a horrible, horrible year, and we’ve seen multiple farms close that were donors to the food bank. When we’re not receiving as much food in the building, that’s when donations become so much more important because that is the money we use to purchase food,” Tiffin said.

“What’s more, we lost a federal program where we were receiving $1.2 million from the government to purchase produce from local farmers. Those are Arkansas minority-owned farms. We lost all of that funding in the month of September right before the government shutdown occurred, and we’ve been having to work this entire year to fundraise specifically for produce because of that loss.”

All of those factors make Empty Bowls more critical to helping ensure food supplies reach the agencies facing a growing populace of vulnerable Arkansans. The black-tie event, set to a black-and-white theme, will offer a cocktail hour featuring live jazz and signature espresso martinis, followed by a dinner prepared by Petit & Keet in Little Rock and a program highlighting the organization’s work and its impact.

The event will also honor two longtime volunteers, Joe and Lynn Copeland, who have been involved with Arkansas Foodbank for 25 years.

“We’re absolutely thrilled about our honorees this year,” said Emily Piechocki, chief development officer. “[The Copelands]

have been around longer than the majority of our staff. Joe is currently a board member, and Lynn is 100 hours away from the most volunteer hours in our history, having donated more than 1,220 volunteer hours over the last 15 years. They are not only fantastic people, but they are truly important to the Arkansas Foodbank.”

The situation on the ground has forced the food bank to get even more creative and stretch resources that were already being put to work at a very high efficiency. Arkansas Foodbank provides five meals for every dollar donated, meaning the event’s fundraising goal of $300,000 would translate to 1.5 million meals.

That kind of financial stewardship was appealing to the Boyles in agreeing to chair the 2026 Empty Bowls event.

“Being we’re both [certified public accountants]. We care about organizations being very physically responsible,” Cindy

Arkansas is one of four states in the country that have a higher rate of food insecurity than the national average. We went from 18.9 percent to 19.4 percent over this last year.

— Claire Tiffin, Director of Community Engagement, Arkansas Foodbank

said. “We did our research and found [Arkansas Foodbank] is rated four-star on Charity Navigator with a 100 percent score for impact and accountability, the highest you can get. That makes them a group we want to support just because they’re so good with their money.”

T.J. agreed, saying such fiscal responsibility is especially gratifying knowing it is going to as urgent and worthwhile a need as feeding thousands of hungry citizens every day, including children, something Marilyn would approve of.

“One of the things we really believe in is providing a way to help feed people, especially kids,” T.J. said. “Hunger is a huge problem in Arkansas, and kids being hungry at school or at home is certainly an issue that should concern everybody. We don’t have kids ourselves, but we believe in providing kids with every opportunity they can to succeed. Arkansas Foodbank is working every day to address that.

Bringing Home Baby

Children are multifaceted — and expensive — miracles

Despite news to the contrary, there are still a whole lot of babies being born every year. True, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent statistics forecast a decline in 2025 births by about 24,000 nationwide, but the numbers have stayed fairly steady since 2020, registering in the neighborhood north of 3.6 million babies annually.

What has also not changed are the myriad steps parents face when having a baby and raising a family, from prenatal health issues and developmental milestones to choosing the right school and activities.

Cost is yet another factor most parents need to consider when bringing home Baby. A 2022 study from The Brookings Institution found that the tab for starting a family has been reliably ticking upwards for years now to where a middle-income family with two children can shell out more than $300,000 to raise one child to the age of 17.

Fortunately, cost is relative to where one lives. Raising a child in Massachusetts can cost upward of $36,000 a year, while in Mississippi, which boasts the lowest cost of living, the cost is almost half. Arkansas is similarly bargain priced; Natural State parents face the second-lowest cost of living among U.S. states.

What lies ahead for the nation’s birth rate is anyone’s guess. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2024 that more women of prime childbearing age across the board were choosing to remain childless, although that tapered off starting at age 35 and actually went down at age 45.

Even with the trendline, there are still plenty of new and existing parents with a lot on their hands when it comes to bringing new life into the world. Read on for expert advice on handling some of the joys and challenges of bringing home Baby.

OB-GYNs talk what to expect when expecting No RIGHT or WRONG Way

By ALEX HARDGRAVE

Pregnancy is often seen as one of the most exciting times in a person’s life. However, it can also be overwhelming and full of unknowns. When it comes to prenatal care and delivery advice, it can be hard to know what information to trust, especially in the age of social media.

The first thing someone should do once they find out they are pregnant is to find the right doctor for prenatal care visits. Dr. Suzanna Chatterjee-Morris, owner of River Valley Obstetrics and Gynecology in Russellville, said a big part of that relies on what providers are in one’s network for insurance and then going from there.

“[After that], it’s word of mouth,” she said, “talking to friends or colleagues at work, asking about their experiences.”

If a patient calls a large system such as the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, they are taken through a series of questions by an operator to determine what clinic they will be referred to. That depends on factors such as whether the pregnancy is high or low risk and whether the pregnant person would like a midwife involved in the process, said Dr. Dora Smith, OB-GYN and director of inpatient obstetrics services at UAMS.

Smith said the main difference between having a midwife involved in the pregnancy and delivery process or not is “patient participation.”

“A lot of patients that are seeking midwives as part of their care tend to favor what we call low-intervention-type deliveries,” she said.

Many doctors encourage lower-intervention delivery in an effort to reduce cesarean section rates around the country and in the state, Smith said. If a patient is able to induce labor on their own naturally, they are less likely to have to undergo a C-section.

During the first appointment, a pregnant patient can expect to receive an ultrasound to establish a due date, receive routine lab work and discuss pregnancy recommendations, said Dr. Kala Slaton, an OB-GYN at the Conway Regional Renaissance Women’s Center.

“Subsequent visits may include an ultrasound or a doppler to listen to the baby’s heartbeat at each appointment as the pregnancy progresses,” she said. “Certain lab work and vaccines will also be discussed.”

Routine recommendations doctors give patients at their first couple of appointments range from what the pregnant person should or should not eat to what medications they should continue to take and what supplements they should start. However, this process is not one size fits all.

“It may be different [between two patients] in regard to what we recommend nutritionally,” Smith said.

The doctors agreed that one healthy habit pregnant patients should establish or continue is a light exercise routine. Chatterjee-Morris said even one brisk 30-minute walk a day can be very beneficial for health during both pregnancy and delivery.

“We see better success with vaginal births,” she said. “We see labors that are shorter. Sometimes people think, ‘Pregnancy makes me feel so bad. I just need to lay in bed,’ and that’s really not the best thing for you.”

Smith also suggested pregnancy yoga or looking into pregnancy physical therapy because of the aches and pains such body changes can cause.

Chatterjee-Morris said attempting to lose weight prior to conception if one is obese is also a good idea, since it will help to lower the chance of developing gestational hypertension or diabetes.

“If the plan is for pregnancy, try to lose a little bit of weight by being active and watching calories or even getting on medication,” she said.

“Obesity is becoming much more common in the general population, and this is reflected in many of our pregnant patients, as well,” said Dr. Victoria Helton, an OB-GYN at The Woman’s Clinic in Little Rock and practitioner at Baptist Health. “High blood pressure is another common health issue I see in pregnancy. Trying to work on these issues before becoming pregnant can be very beneficial to your future pregnancies.”

As check-ups continue, they may include ultrasounds and listening to the baby’s heartbeat, Salton said, along with continued lab work and vaccines. Routine care continues every four weeks until about the third trimester, Salton said. Then the patient will be seen every two weeks and then nearly weekly until term.

“Most of the time, prenatal care tends to be pretty standard,” Smith said.

During the appointments, providers also create a labor-and-delivery plan, which is highly individualized based on each patient’s wants and needs. Helton said when it comes to choosing where to deliver, one should look at the number of deliveries a hospital performs monthly or yearly.

The plan may also outline things such as who else will present with the patient during delivery, what lights and sounds the expectant mother wants in the room, what she would like to use for pain management, and what position she may want to give birth in.

The options for pain management have grown past what people may know of as the traditional epidural. Today, pa tients can opt for low doses of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. A growing number of patients are choosing to give birth without medication, Smith said.

Of course, unexpected emergencies can happen during labor and delivery, and that is where communication between the care team and the family becomes even more criti cal than with a standard birth.

“We are at the bedside quite a bit, communi cating with the patient about what we’re think ing,” Smith said.

“If there is ever a concern about the health of the baby, baby’s heart rate or maternal health and a cesarean section is recommended, this is, of course, discussed with a patient and her family in order for them to have shared decision making with the provider,” Slaton said.

“If an emergent situation develops requiring urgent decision making and care, this can be a scary situation for both a patient and her family, and sometimes a discussion of the event after everyone is safe and stabilized occurs in order for them to understand what happened and why.”

All the factors that are out of the patient’s control can be frightening during delivery, and feeling anxious is very normal, Helton said.

“By asking questions during your prenatal visits and setting good expectations for labor and delivery, you should be able to decrease some of that anxiety,” she said. “You will be surrounded by an experienced team who delivers babies all day long and whose only goal is to keep you and your baby safe.”

Communication is also important in the postpartum period, as well, Helton said. Baptist Health offers the Baptist Health Childbirth Academy, which includes classes that teach subjects such as childbirth, postpartum care, healthy pregnancy, breastfeeding, newborn care and baby safety.

“The childbirth academy is a great option for patients that do not live in the Little Rock metro area,” Helton said.

Access to prenatal, delivery and postpartum care can be a subject of concern depending on where one lives in the state. Nearly half of Arkansas counties are considered maternity deserts, meaning there is no birthing facility located there and there is a lack of maternity care providers, Slaton said.

“Maternal mortality in Arkansas is among the highest in the U.S., with a higher proportion of these being Black, non-Hispanic women,” she said. “A recent review reported that approximately 92 percent of these deaths were preventable.”

Helton said the recent spate of rural hospitals closing in Arkansas has further reduced care access.

“Many people are driving hours to their prenatal visits, which bring unique challenges,” she said. “While different institutions are trying to address this through telehealth visits or with travel providers, this remains a critical issue that our state will continually have to address in the near future.”

Smith said she sees a patient who has to travel two hours to receive care.

That, coupled with Medicaid coverage ending at 60 days postpartum in Arkansas rather than 12 months, as it does in many other states, can worsen chronic conditions that patients had prior to pregnancy or developed during pregnancy.

“Education and awareness can hopefully lead to an improvement in care, which the women of Arkansas greatly deserve,” Slaton said.

Smith and Slaton pointed to telemedicine helping increase access to health care for pregnant patients, as well. Smith noted that health departments are working to fill the gaps in care, and UAMS sends nurse practitioners to maternity deserts to help with routine checkups in hopes of helping expectant patients make sure their pregnancies progress in as healthy a manner as possible.

While there are benchmarks to hit during “normal” pregnancies and general healthy habits for all pregnant patients, Smith said people should not stress if something does not go exactly as it should.

“No one ever mentioned that hiccups are going to happen,” she said. “We all talk about what’s normal.”

Chatterjee-Morris said most pregnancies these days meet the strictest definition of

“high-risk” for one reason or another, but that alone should not worry a patient.

“Even the slightest things can make you a high-risk pregnancy,” she said.

Smith’s best piece of advice is for pregnant women to give themselves some grace with how things are going in the pregnancy, a sentiment shared by Helton.

“I tell my patients there is no right or wrong way to have a baby,” Helton said. “I want to try to take some anxiety and pressure off of their delivery experience. I also encourage them to be cautious about what they consume on social media, as this can often be a source of worsening anxiety, especially in the postpartum period.”

Similarly, Slaton said to bring questions or concerns to a medical provider because there can be an abundance of information online

“I tell my patients there is no right or wrong way to have a baby. I want to try to take some anxiety and pressure off of their delivery experience. I also encourage them to be cautious about what they consume on social media, as this can often be a source of worsening anxiety, especially in the postpartum period.”

— Dr. Victoria Helton, The Woman’s Clinic, Baptist Health

about pregnancy, which can get overwhelming.

“The information may be entirely false or not apply to you or your situation and create unnecessary fear and anxiety,” Slaton said.

Trusted for s peci al del iver ies.

Named “Best Place to Have a Baby ” by

AY readers for six consecutive years

Nurser y alliance with Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Specialized team including a newborn speech pathologist and a neonatolog y APRN

Our Labor & Delivery team brings together innovative services and specialized care to welcome your baby into the world – with compassionate providers here for you both. This is not mass-produced health care

This is your family’s health care.

Earlier is better when tracking childhood development

By MARK CARTER

Medical and early-childhood development professionals agree that the first three years of a child’s life are critical.

During that time, babies’ brains form connections faster than at any other time in life — more than 1 million new neural connections every second, according to Zero to Three.

It is therefore crucial to support early development in infants and young children when brains are most adaptable. Early development can greatly impact a child’s ability to learn new skills and tackle challenges.

Suzanne Carter, assistant director of early childhood at ACCESS Schools in Little Rock, said parents should be concerned when developmental delays are impacting their children’s ability to appropriately access and participate in their daily environment.

“This is especially important when there are language and communication concerns. The sooner we start early intervention, the better the outcome,” she said. “Anytime you notice that a milestone delay is causing your child frustration, this can also indicate that it’s time to intervene.”

Roughly 1 in 6 U.S. children — about 17 percent — has at least one developmental delay, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Laura Sisterhen, professor of pediatrics and medical director of Arkansas Children’s Pediatrics in Little Rock, cited the American

Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that children be screened for general development at 9, 18 and 30 months and for autism at 18 and 24 months or whenever a parent or provider has a concern.

“One of the most important pieces of advice is to trust your instincts. You know your child best,” she said. “Don’t wait. If your child isn’t meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills he or she once had, or you have other concerns, act early. Talk with your child’s pediatrician and share your concerns.”

Sisterhen said the providers at Children’s use two screening methods for potential developmental delays at screening visits — the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers.

“If, after those screenings, the parent or doctor is still concerned, ask for a referral to a specialist who can evaluate your child more,” she said, “or call your state’s early-intervention program to find out if your child can get services to help.”

In Arkansas, that program is called First Connections, which is

administered by the state Department of Human Services Division of Developmental Disabilities Services. It provides speech, occupational and physical therapy at no cost to children as old as 3 in eligible families.

Fretting over a young child’s developmental progress is a rite of passage for new parents, but when should they really be concerned, and how do they recognize a developmental delay when they see one?

“Most of the time, children meet their developmental milestones on time,” Carter said. “However, some parents get concerned when their child doesn’t do something by the age they’re ‘supposed to.’ It’s even harder when a friend or family member is telling you all these big things their child is doing and yours is not.”

How do parents distinguish between traits or quirks and actual delays?

“A developmental delay is when your child is slow to reach one or more developmental milestones compared to their peers,” Carter said, “skills such as smiling for the first time, rolling over, pulling up to stand,

waving bye-bye, taking a first step or saying a first word such as ‘dada.’ Children reach milestones in playing, learning, speaking, behaving and moving. They all reach these milestones at different rates, so if your child is a little behind, that doesn’t mean they have a developmental delay. A developmental delay means your child continually is behind in developing skills expected by a certain age.”

Sisterhen advised parents to have specific questions about their children’s behavior and development for their pediatricians, especially at the 9-, 18-, 30- and 48-month well visits. She added that parents should

follow through with scheduling and attending follow-up appointments with specialists.

“They will be able to do a complete evaluation on your child,” she said. “They also will work with your pediatrician to decide on the next steps to take to help support your child’s growth and development. These specialists can be referred to various clinics around the state or even through your child’s school district. Early help makes a huge difference, and it’s always OK to trust your gut.”

Typical warning signs can include loss or regression of skills, lack of eye contact and social engagement, not responding to sound or language, extreme behavioral issues that interfere with daily life, and consistently missing multiple milestones, she said.

Symptoms of developmental delays vary depending on the type, she added.

“Symptoms may include delays in rolling over, sitting up, crawling and

walking; trouble with fine motor skills; issues with social skills; inability to connect actions with consequences; or problems talking or talking late.”

Sisterhen said parents and guardians should start talking about development in young children early on and not just at times of concern.

Questions they should be asking include:

• What are the typical milestones for my child’s age?

• What resources do you have to track my child’s development?

“Most of the time, children meet their developmental milestones on time. However, some parents get concerned when their child doesn’t do something by the age they’re ‘supposed to.’ It’s even harder when a friend or family member is telling you all these big things their child is doing and yours is not.”

— Suzanne Carter, ACCESS Schools

“A wait-and-see approach rarely serves a child well. If there is a delay, research shows that the birth-to-3 window is the best opportunity to remediate delays. Even if a child doesn’t qualify for intervention services, assessing for possible delays can give parents good information, guidance and peace of mind.”

— Suzanne Carter, ACCESS Schools

• What should I do if I notice delays in my child?

• What are the next steps if my child is showing signs of a developmental delay?

• What support services are available for my child if he or she is diagnosed with a developmental delay?

ACCESS Schools is a nonprofit offering evaluation services, therapy services, mental health services, vocational training, community integration and full-time education for individuals with language and learning disorders and developmental disabilities for kids starting at 6 weeks and even up to 21 years.

As a special needs preschool educator, Carter knows what “red flags” to look for. They include a child getting frustrated by not being able to get a point across, a lack of vocabulary or using many words, such as those repeated from others or TV shows, and not being able to effectively communicate wants and needs.

“These are some first signs of developmental delays because communication is the foundation for everything,” she said.

Carter’s other red flags include:

• Not walking independently by 15 to 18 months

• Not verbalizing single words by 15 to 18 months

• Not stringing together at least two words by 24 months

• Not able to physically keep up with same-age peers

• Not interacting socially with peers, adults or the world around them

• Not eating a variety of foods across the food groups

• Not able to regulate their emotions and energy level to match the situation

At what point should parents actually be concerned?

“Parents need to be concerned when developmental delays are impacting their child’s ability to appropriately access and participate in their daily environment,” Carter said. “This is especially important when there are language and communication concerns. The sooner we start early intervention, the better the outcome. Anytime you notice that a milestone delay is causing your child frustration, this can also indicate that it’s time to intervene.”

Development is a continuum, she noted, and while there can be a wide range of what is considered normal, it is important to identify and address delays sooner rather than later.

“A wait-and-see approach rarely serves a child well,” Carter said. “If there is a delay, research shows that the birth-to-3 window is the best

opportunity to remediate delays. Even if a child doesn’t qualify for intervention services, assessing for possible delays can give parents good information, guidance and peace of mind.”

Developmental delays can look different at different ages, and pediatricians typically screen for developmental milestones at a child’s various well visits. A comprehensive developmental evaluation looks at all five areas of development — self-help, social, communication, motor and cognitive — and provides concrete information about where a child is functioning developmentally considering their age.

Carter said this gives a comprehensive, standardized look at a child’s development and helps all involved determine next steps. Plus, parents can self-refer their child for evaluations. From birth to age 3, Arkansas First Connections offers screening, evaluation and intervention services. Three- to 5-year-olds can be referred to their local school district for evaluations and services, Carter said, and school-age children can be referred through their school counselor.

“There are also a number of private organizations — like ACCESS — that can provide evaluations and services,” she said.

Carter stressed that parents need to educate themselves about basic developmental milestones and just what is expected.

“If your child is evaluated and identified as needing services for delays, ask your child’s service providers for a home program to help reinforce what they are learning during services,” she said. “This should include a list of targeted activities for parents/families to help their child meet goals and make progress. Also, request to sit in and be a part of

Developmental-milestone resources and websites include:

• The Physical Developmental Delays: What to Look for Tool from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which can be found at healthychildren.org

• The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, asha.org

• Pathways.org

• Arkansas First Connections, found at firstconnectionsar.org

Options are out there for parents with a child who needs help, in cluding outpatient therapy services such as occupational, physical and speech. Carter advised parents to ask providers about intensity and what types of services would be best for their child.

In Arkansas, early-intervention day-treatment programs such as ACCESS can provide therapy services, as well as educational services.

“This model helps children learn and grow in a natural environment, allowing education and therapy to work hand in hand to maximize growth and generalization of skills,” Carter said. “School districts can also provide services starting at age 3. It is important to note that there are differences between a school-based model and the EIDT model, including wait time for services, how services can be provided, the frequency of services that may be available, and the types of evaluations offered.

Ultimately, parents should always go with the old trope, “Better safe than sorry.”

“Parents are their child’s first and best advocate,” Carter said. “Ask at well-child visits if your child’s skills are on track developmentally. Be honest with your pediatrician about concerns that you have, and push for further evaluations if you have concerns or feel like something is off. Ask about evaluations and what services are available should your child

For Your Imaging Needs

At Baptist Health Imaging Centers, we know that imaging tests, like X-rays and MRIs, are important for finding out what’s going on with your health. You have options, and we want to be your choice for these services. Our doctors and staff are highly trained, and we are here for you, for life.

We make it easy to schedule your tests quickly, and we work hard to give you results in no time. This way, you can plan your next steps with confidence. When you tell your doctor you want your test done at any of our Baptist Health Imaging Center locations, you’ll get the best care possible for your future needs.

Baptist Health Imaging Center-Fort Smith

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To schedule an appointment or find a Baptist Health Imaging Center location near you, call (501) 202-1922 or visit baptist-health.org

Ageless Memories Ageless Memories

Arkansas is a playground for grandparents and grandkids alike

By DOUG CRISE

Spring in Arkansas is a great time to be a kid — or just act like one. That little block of time between the drab of winter and the blast of summer heat puts the “natural” in the Natural State. The air hums with life as nature goes about the business of waking up after hibernation, and people happily shut off their furnaces, crack their windows and find their own reasons to explore.

The season also brings generations together. There still is not any force on Earth capable of completely pulling people away from screens and cell phones, but the itch to be out and about remains irresistible to all age groups. There is no better time for grandparents to swoop in and have a day or two out with the grandchildren, creating memories while simultaneously giving parents a brief respite from winter’s cabin fever.

“We offer a true multigenerational experience,” said Ace Cox, marketing and sales manager at Magic Springs Theme & Water Park in Hot Springs. “We have a number of kid-friendly splash areas, classic rides and relaxing attractions like our lazy river.”

Creating those experiences does not happen by accident. It takes thorough planning to make

Ace Cox

sure good memories await each person who comes through the front gates. That is why Magic Springs divvies up its ride selection into three categories: family rides, kids’ rides and thrill rides.

However, simply settling on a selection of rides and then throwing the doors open is not enough, which is why the Magic Springs staff spends just as much time focusing on what pa trons can experience between boarding rides.

“As far as those guests who are 55-plus, we offer a discount rate for them,” Cox said. “The other nice thing is that for those guests that are maybe needing a mobility scooter or just needing a little more support navigating the Arkansas hills and the terrain we have here, we do offer those things.”

One of the better kid-and-grandparent attractions at Magic Springs is the Ozark Mountain Taxi Co., which lets kids pilot and steer replicas of old-time taxis. It is a ride geared toward giving young children their first driving experience with plenty of room for passengers. The park’s large and old-fashioned carousel is also a favorite, and grandparents love to join their grandkids going round and round or just spectating and taking pictures.

“The whole point of the museum is we’re hands on. We want everybody to touch everything and play with everything and experiment.”

— Diane LaFollette, Mid-America Science Museum

There is plenty available to do between rides, as well. Magic Springs has ample seating in shaded areas for when it is time to take a load off, along with concessions and small shops where grandparents can pop in and grab sunscreen and other essentials. Saturdays also include free concerts, offering everything from country and rock to Christian musicians, and patrons can also rent out cabanas to create a kind of home base for relaxing between all the attractions.

“It’s a great way to just kind of get out of the sun, find a spot to relax, but then also you have a base camp for the grandkids to go play, come back and check in,” Cox said.

Not far down the road, Hot Springs is also home to Mid-America Science Museum, which has provided fun-filled, all-ages educational experiences with science and technology since 1979.

“In March, for spring break, we’ve got an exhibit called The Family Room,” said museum chief executive officer Diane LaFollette. “We call it The Family Room because it’s multigenerational. We want kids and grandkids and parents to be able to play in there. We’re making giant-size retro toys, and some of the toys are like chess and checkers, things that little kids don’t even know how to play these days, so you see grandparents there teaching them.”

Also coming in March are new interactive exhibits in the museum’s Hall of Wonder, including a giant Mr. Potato Head that kids and adults can customize with magnetic accessories.

To that end, the Mid-America Science Museum puts more into its exhibits than just typical eye candy. Experienced educators are roped into the process to help craft a full-on learning experience that touches all generations.

“We’ve tweaked the focus just a little bit to really lean into the educational impact of generational learning,” LaFollette said. “The older generations can facilitate the learning of the younger ones, and we would like to provide that platform for them. We have a very talented staff here that know how to do that. We try to provide something so that anyone who walks through the door finds something not only entertaining but educational.”

on a beautiful 21 acres of land that allows pa trons to enjoy the weather while interacting with several exhibits. The DinoTrek behind the building allows kids and grandparents to stroll down a trail while checking out multiple dinosaur exhibits, and a 40-foot-high skywalk allows people to explore the treetops.

“We have a lot of land, and we’re programming that land,” LaFollette said. “People can explore the nature up in the trees, and we have a stream where there’s fish and turtles and all kinds of wildlife they can explore.”

A bit further northeast, exploration is the name of the game at the Little Rock Zoo — a century’s worth of exploration to be precise.

“We just celebrated our 100th anniversary,” said Joy Matlock, director of marketing and development for the zoo. “Something grandparents can do with their children that’s unique is they can bring their grandchildren to a place they themselves came to as children.”

Nowhere is that more apparent than the Arkansas Carousel, an undulating “over the jumps” carousel that made its debut at the 1924 Arkansas State Fair and now stands as the only remaining carousel of its kind.

“If those grandparents rode that carousel as a child when it was in the Fair Park area of Little Rock, they can bring their grandchildren to make new memories,” Matlock said, “and

that’s just the physical fun stuff. I have always said we are a living classroom where people can

Matlock is not kidding. Grandparents can introduce their grandchildren to animals native

to spots ranging from Borneo to South Africa. When spring rolls around, the zoo kicks off its spring break celebration in conjunction with school districts throughout central Arkansas, opening its doors to even more young patrons.

Also in the works is Bugtopia, a comprehensive exhibit featuring 21 larger-than-life figures of exotic insects that kids can climb on and explore. It is all part of a commitment on the zoo’s behalf to making sure there are plenty of interactive opportunities for visitors both young and old.

“Our mission is to inspire people and conserve the natural world,” Matlock said. “We don’t think that can be accomplished without helping people be able to connect with the animals. Our mission of inspiration is very much connected to education.”

Inspiration and education are also very much the key words at the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville. There, families can find You + Me = Play activities such as building castles with foam blocks and creating art with play dough.

It is not uncommon to visit the Amazeum and see grandparents crouched down next to their grandkids while exploring a water maze or checking out up-close “microeye” displays of various wildlife.

That is by design; the focus is on the child being in control of the learning process.

“One of the most notable dynamics of the Amazeum is how often children take the lead,” said Holland Hayden, senior manager for marketing and communication. “A grandchild might pull an adult toward an exhibit they find fascinating or explain a process they just discovered. These moments shift the traditional caregiver role and often spark meaningful exchanges.”

Such moments when a child and grandparent partner together for cross-generational learning experiences lead to memories that will last a lifetime.

“Grandparents learn how their grandchildren think, problem-solve and express curiosity,” Hayden said. “The child-led approach can be especially powerful across generations.”

“The takeaway for grandparents is not about finding the perfect destination but about choosing experiences that allow curiosity to lead and conversation to follow.”

“If those grandparents rode that carousel as a child when it was in the Fair Park area of Little Rock, they can bring their grandchildren to make new memories.”

— Joy Matlock, Little Rock Zoo

AfterTHE BELL RINGS

Extracurriculars encourage growth beyond the classroom

By MARY LESIEUR

Extracurriculars are rarely one size fits all, which is why Arkansas youth sports organizations and nonprofits provide myriad options teaching children more than courtside, on-the-field or stage knowledge.

For some, dance and kinesthetic intelligence is inherent. The most basic and genuine movements, when combined in a cohesive choreography, can become a lifetime skill. Studies have proven the importance of dance through scholarly studies, noting dance in all forms aids in physical and cognitive development, bolsters selfesteem, and can be used as a form of expression. Combining fitness and kinesthetic movements,

There are few things more adorable than a row of pint-sized ballerinas, but the activity can also assist in children’s education.

forms of dance such as ballet are popular choices for young children wanting to be involved in activities.

Ballet Arkansas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has impacted more than half a million Arkansans through its performances, education programs and community engagements. The LEAP program was added under the leadership of Michael and Catherine Fothergill, respectively the organization’s executive and associate artistic directors.

LEAP, which stands for language, expression, art and play, is designed specifically for daycare- and preschool-aged children. By partnering with school districts, the no-cost option aims to get children interested in the art form.

“Using dance and movement as a foundation, the program nurtures young minds through storytelling, creative expression, basic dance concepts, arts and crafts, and play-based activities,” Michael said. “LEAP supports early development in language, comprehension, movement, self-expression and social interaction through engaging, age-appropriate sessions led by costumed Ballet Arkansas artists working alongside educators.”

Programs such as LEAP at Ballet Arkansas in Little Rock can provide a memorable learning experience for youngsters.

Alongside LEAP, Ballet Arkansas offers a wide range of K-12 programs that bring dance directly into schools and communities across the state, reaching more than 10,000 students annually. The programs include customizable classroom experiences, interactive performances, movement lessons inspired by science, technology, engineering and mathematics, master classes, and virtual field trips, all of which introduce students to professional dance and careers in the arts.

The benefits of incorporating dance are numerous, aiding in everyday learning, comprehension and stress relief.

“Even at a young age, children naturally start tapping their toes and moving to music,” Catherine said. “There are so many benefits, and people find a passion in different aspects of the art form. Having something else to focus on mentally can strengthen what students are doing scholastically. Extracurriculars give context to life beyond school.”

For children whose interests lean toward team and contact sports, Arkansas has amassed a variety of youth organizations parents can choose from.

Since 1994, The Mighty Bluebirds have cultivated an organization that balances life at home with extracurriculars. The nonprofit’s founder, Greg Hatcher, created the organization after his experience of navigating the overwhelming schedules of his children’s activities.

Hatcher said he knew that families could still incorporate sports for their youngsters without missing family dinner. After purchasing land from a close friend, he pursued creating an organization based on the premise of balance. What started as two soccer fields has grown into a 100-acre complex housing extracurriculars from soccer and wrestling to tennis and equestrian riding.

“If you’ve got multiple kids, one’s going here, one’s going there, and nobody gets home until 8 p.m.,” Hatcher said. “We start practices at 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. so everybody can be home for dinner.”

The Mighty Bluebirds travel both in-state and out of state, competing from the East Coast to the Midwest. They have brought home 22 state championships, and the organization has also produced more than 100 Div. 1 athletes.

Starting children at younger ages is what Hatcher said is the key to success, leading to development on and off the field.

“Great high school teams come from great youth programs. Development has to start early,” Hatcher said. “Get your kids into as many sports as you can. Keep them busy. Keep them out of trouble. They learn discipline, leadership and how to be a good teammate.”

At Arkansas Rising Soccer Club, soccer is used as a tool to teach self-belief, teamwork and work ethic. By creating an environment where players feel valued, challenged and supported, players grow through effort and commitment.

“Great high school teams come from great youth programs. Development has to start early. Get your kids into as many sports as you can. Keep them busy. Keep them out of trouble. They learn discipline, leadership and how to be a good teammate.”

— Greg Hatcher, Founder, The Mighty Bluebirds

Luke Lines, academy director of players ages 2 to 8, said that if children learn to work diligently, believe they can improve and be good teammates, the organization wins. Instead of emphasizing the importance of undefeated teams he, along with his coaching staff, “build good humans.”

“We want players to leave with confidence and accountability,” Lines said. “We want them to learn how to handle success with humility and failure with resilience. Most importantly, we want them to understand that effort, attitude and consistency matter more than the outcome.”

The soccer club works with kids from toddlers to high schoolaged players, focusing on long-term development at every stage, Lines said. Fun is always part of that equation.

Arkansas Rising has also organized its scheduling to accommodate children who play several sports. Soccer can be intense, and Lines plays by the rule book when considering his players’ time.

“Every program varies when it comes to time commitment,” Lines said. “In our U8 programs, with a focus on individual development and confidence on the ball, we do not want to burn

out players or families, so two to three hours per week is typical.”

In any extracurricular program, Lines said, parents serve an important role in their children’s learning. As partners in the development process, skill is retained with practice away from the field.

“The best thing a parent can do is encourage effort, support the team environment and allow coaches to coach,” Lines said. “When kids feel supported instead of pressured, they develop confidence and a lasting love for the game.”

Whether or not a child wants to take on the sport full time, Arkansas Rising hosts numerous summer and winter camps to sharpen skills and develop players of all skill levels and ages. In any variable, Lines said extracurriculars offer an opportunity beyond the field.

“Extracurricular activities teach kids how to push through frustration, commit to something bigger than themselves and earn confidence through effort,” Lines said. “Hard work gives kids proof that they are capable of more than they think, and that belief carries into every part of their lives.”

Whether private or public, education is what families make it

By MAK MILLARD

Alittle less than a quarter of the Arkansas population is younger than 18, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That shakes out to more than 700,000 Natural State kiddos somewhere along the K-12 path, whether preparing to enter, transition or exit one institution or another. Factor in parents, guardians and other interested parties, and one thing is clear: In many households around the state, education is either a currently pressing concern, or it will be very shortly.

The Learning Policy Institute estimates there are 149 private schools in the state, or just more than 12 percent of all Arkansas schools. With the LEARNS Act opening voucher program eligibility to all students starting with the 2025-2026 school year, that meager percentage is on track to eat up an increasing share of state education funding. The Arkansas legislature in January voted to send an additional $32 million to the program’s coffers amidst a swell of applicants, bringing the total cost of Education Freedom Accounts to nearly $310 million for the current school year.

“Because of the LEARNS Act, the Catholic schools in Arkansas have grown in population,” said Theresa Hall, superintendent of Catholic schools at the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock. “We are more diverse in ethnicity, and we also support more students with specific academic needs.”

As previously reported by the Arkansas Advocate, public schools saw a nearly 2 percent reduction in enrollment this school year compared to 2024-2025, the largest decrease in at least a decade. As lawmakers continue to refine the rules around what education-adjacent private and homeschool expenses can be covered by taxpayer money, many families are undoubtedly weighing the best use of tuition funds for their little learners. For some, that has meant attending one of the 26 schools under the auspices of the diocese.

“Our Catholic schools have many students that attend and have attended in the past that receive scholarships based on financial needs,” Hall said. “Sometimes that tuition was a loss for the school and not ever accounted for. The EFAs [have] helped our families in not having the burden of worrying about how to pay for their child’s education. It has also assisted more of our schools to collect the tuition, which makes our budgets more solid.”

Enrollment has increased gradually over the past five years, Hall said, this year showing the biggest uptick. A growing student body brings with it the need to accommodate a wider range of medical, academic and behavioral needs with individualized plans — something Catholic schools, for their part, are tackling with the very EFA funds that facilitated those students in the first place.

“This has also allowed our schools to be able to hire more interventionists, pay for security and other safety devices, and allowed our schools to be able to pay our teachers more, even though most of our teachers’ salaries are still quite a bit less than the public school teachers’ salaries,” Hall said.

Cost, however, is only one of several topics on families’ minds as they consider their children’s educational options. Another important factor is the school’s relationship with parents and guardians themselves. According to The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the right amount of parental involvement has numerous noteworthy benefits for both individual students and the school in general. A review by the National Committee for Citizens in Education named better grades, higher test scores, higher graduation rates and stronger enrollment rates in postsecondary education among the positives.

“I have noticed that within our schools, more parents are more involved in their child’s education, which we welcome,” Hall said. “They ask more questions and are in better contact with both the teachers and the principals.”

Further research, the foundation said, “indicates that classrooms with engaged families perform better as a whole, meaning that the benefits affect virtually all students in a classroom.” Supported by a strong network of involved families, schools are better equipped to confront the challenges faced by students both inside and outside the classroom. One such collection of issues, cell phones and social media, has been of particular focus in recent years.

“Now that all our schools have either laptops, desktops or Chromebooks, we have more discussion of how much screen time during the school day is too much,” Hall said. “More research on this topic emphasizes that too much screen time can impact the students’ mental health.”

Arkansas public schools have had a full semester and change of experience implementing the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2025. So far, the indication from school districts around the state is that banning smartphones has largely resulted in better student interaction, less cyberbullying and improved classroom environments. That reaction seems to track with a

growing countrywide sentiment; last fall, the National Governors Association highlighted a survey of 20,000 public school educators that found “stricter, school-wide cellphone policies [were] linked to less in-class phone use and higher teacher satisfaction.”

“We all know the statistics that show why overexposure to screens is bad for our kids, but I was also compelled as a mom of three to

protect kids from the harms of constant phone use,” Sanders told the NGA in response to the survey results. “Arkansas classrooms are now bell-to-bell no cell, so students can have fewer distractions, better learning opportunities and less worries in the classroom. Testimonials from our teachers show why this initiative is so important. This isn’t a red state or a blue state issue; it’s about putting our kids first.”

Perhaps more critical than what schools might take away, however, is what they add to a student’s intellectual and social growth. Socialization and peers was one of the top three categories considered most important by parents in traditional public school districts, according to EdChoice’s 2025 Schooling in America survey. Similarly meaningful to private and charter school parents was character and values instruction. Many families opt to put their children in religious schools — regardless of their own faith — with personal development front of mind.

“As stated in our philosophy for our Catholic schools, developing the whole person spiritually, intellectually, personally, socially and physically is the focus of Catholic education,” Hall said. “Our school communities partner with parents to prepare students to lead a life formed by Christian virtues so that they become responsible, strong, faith-filled leaders. I would say that this is a goal that most parents have for their children.”

Deciding where to send one’s children for the better part of the day five days a week is no small matter, and indeed, it can involve quite a bit of homework on the part

“Arkansas classrooms are now bell-to-bell no cell, so students can have fewer

distractions, better learning opportunities and less worries in the classroom. Testimonials from our teachers show why this initiative is so important.

This isn’t a red state or a blue state issue; it’s about putting our kids first.”

— Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders

of parents and families. When weighing their options, Hall recommended parents first look at the mission of the school, as well as visiting and asking questions. From proper accreditation and curricula to standardized testing and, in some cases, religious instruction, there is no facet too small to consider when it comes to education. Still, the object is “best fit,” not “perfect fit,” and the efforts of families to achieve even that certainly bode well for the journey ahead.

“We also want our parents to be involved, as they are the first teachers of their children,” Hall said.

Cosmetic procedures, physical therapy provide functional and aesthetic relief for mothers

By SARAH DECLERK

It is natural to have a lot of questions after giving birth. Some questions are about the children themselves: How often should they eat? Sleep? Are they meeting their developmental milestones?

Other questions are about parenting: What is our parenting style? How should I structure my baby’s routine? When should I go back to work?

For many women, having children also raises a very important question: Will I ever look and feel like myself again?

It is natural for bodies to change during and after pregnancy, and many mothers embrace their new “mom bods” with pride. Even the most body-positive mothers may have some features they would like to change, however. Whether practical or aesthetic, there are a wide variety of treatments, procedures and therapies that can help women regain confidence and functionality after giving birth.

BEST FACE FORWARD

Dr. Suzanne Yee at Dr. Suzanne Yee Cosmetic & Laser Surgery Center in Little Rock has two daughters who are both in the medical field. Like most mothers, she is proud of her children, but she also remembers what it was like to look in the mirror and wonder when her body became so different.

“When you have kids — they tell you this, and you don’t realize it — but it really changes your life,” she said. “Your priorities change, and you don’t think about yourself, really, initially.

“As time goes on, you start looking at yourself because your kids get older, and they’re more independent.”

The most common surgical procedures she completes have to do with the areas most impacted by childbirth. Patients often request breast lifts, breast augmentation and tummy tucks, she said, adding that tummy tucks can also help address diastasis recti, in which the abdominal muscles have separated, causing problems with core strength. Yee said she can complete a mons lift to address sagging skin at the pubic bone at the same time as a tummy tuck.

Women who find that their labia have stretched or enlarged to the point where it causes discomfort during sex, while pursuing activities such as biking or while wearing certain kinds of clothing might opt for a labiaplasty to restore the labia, she said.

There are also plenty of nonsurgical options for mothers. Yee said she offers laser services that can help with stretch marks, as well as devices that can help tighten skin, including Morpheus8 radiofrequency microneedling and Emsculpt and truSculpt body contouring. Some treatments can be combined to address various areas of the body, she added.

“We’re getting great results for the arms,” she said. “Patients will have some laxity in their arms, and we’re able to do some liposuction and tighten their skin by doing the Quantum [RF device] and then the Morpheus on top of that at the same time of their surgery instead of doing what we call a brachioplasty where we’re trying to make an incision in the arm and they have a scar there. So that’s been exciting for us.”

Yee also provides services that can help tighten the vagina, improve moisture, and alleviate sexual dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Options include a radiofrequency device called ThermiVa; Emsella, a chair patients sit in fully clothed that contracts the pelvic floor muscles; and the CO2LiftV at-home treatment.

Hormone fluctuations during and after pregnancy can also cause changes to the skin, including acne and melasma, Yee said. She added that she offers skincare products and laser treatments that can improve both conditions. Mothers may also opt for facelifts, Botox or fillers to help remediate the effects of weight fluctuations and stress, she said.

Women who have lost hair during pregnancy have more options than ever, Yee said, adding that she has had good outcomes from Nutrafol vitamins, platelet-rich plasma treatments, laser treatments and NeoGraft hair transplants. Her office offers eyebrow transplants, as well, she added.

“If you’re not taking care of yourself, it’s hard to take care of other people,” she said. “If your abdominal muscles are lax and you’re uncomfortable because you can’t do those sit-ups and your stomach is sticking out and you feel like, ‘Oh, I don’t look good in my clothes,’ or you have incontinence issues, those are quality-of-life things that we can address.”

PELVIC FLOOR THERAPY

Pelvic floor therapy can also help improve quality of life for new mothers. Kelsey Moix, pelvic floor health therapist at Advanced Physical Therapy, said she would like to see all women receive pelvic floor therapy six weeks after giving birth. However, most patients visit her office much later and only after experiencing symptoms such as urinary incontinence or pain during intercourse.

“Ideally, at that six-week mark, even if you’re not having any symptoms, we still want to do a full postpartum assessment,” she said. “We can do a pelvic floor exam. We can also check you for diastasis recti abdominis, check out how your core muscles are working, your hip and your back muscles, and just get you into a good postpartum program so that you don’t have any problems later on.”

Pelvic floor therapy is about more than just Kegels, she added. In fact, she said about half the population should not do Kegels, since symptoms can also be caused by pelvic floor muscles that are too tight or tense.

She added that pelvic floor therapy engages not just the pelvic floor but also the abdomen and low back because all three muscle groups work together. Physical therapists can help with pregnancy-related or postpartum pain in areas such as the back and hips, she said, and she can also help patients prepare for labor and delivery by teaching them how to push and breathe appropriately.

While vaginal treatments such as those offered at cosmetic surgery centers and medical spas can be complementary, she said, she encouraged patients to consult with a pelvic floor health therapist first to ensure they are addressing their

symptoms in the most effective way.

While physical therapy, including pelvic floor therapy, is covered by most insurance providers, the amount patients may have to pay can vary, she said. Since Arkansas is a direct-access state, patients do not have to be referred by a physician to access physical therapy.

The biggest misconception she hears about pelvic floor health, she added, is that women’s symptoms are normal. It is not normal for women to leak urine when they cough or sneeze, she said, and it is not normal to have only one bowel movement a week.

“If you have any kind of symptom that’s getting in the way of you living a full life or that’s embarrassing or that’s bothering you, I can guarantee that that’s not normal, and it’s not how our bodies are supposed to function,” she said. “Pelvic floor therapy is your avenue to get that checked out by professionals who do this all day long.”

Dr. Eric Wright, owner of Wright Plastic Surgery & Med Spa in Little Rock, noted that a mommy makeover is not a specific procedure but can include a number of procedures depending on a patient’s goals.

“It’s very much patient driven,” he said. “Just because I think there may be an issue or may want to change things, it doesn’t matter. If patients are happy with where they’re at, then we’re good, and if not, then we just talk about the different options that are available.”

Breasts are often an area of concern, he said, adding that while some patients may address sagging or a lack of fullness with lifts and implants, others may seek out breast reductions instead.

He said fat grafting has become more popular among patients who want fuller breasts, and he is particularly excited to start offering off-the-shelf fat grafts that use manufactured material, rather than a patient’s own fat.

While fat grafting helps patients avoid implant-related complications and maintenance, he said the results are not as predictable as with implants. Even patients requesting implants are opting for smaller sizes as consumer trends shift toward a more natural look, he added.

“Nowadays, patients want much more subtle, much more natural results,” he said. “As it relates to the breast, this filler and fat grafting may be an option. If someone still wants a very large enhancement, an implant’s still the only way to go.”

Abdominal surgeries could include a combination of liposuction, skin removal and muscle repair to correct diastasis recti, he said, adding that correcting diastasis through surgery can have functional benefits such as improved posture and reduced back pain.

He added that labiaplasties are a surprisingly popular request due to more information about the procedure being shared on social media.

Some patients may benefit from a new nonsurgical skin removal device that can get rid of excess skin without scarring, he said.

“I know a lot of people think of just plastic surgery as surgery, but nowadays, there’s a lot of options available that do not include general anesthesia, more minimally invasive,” he added. “Doing procedures under lidocaine or awake anesthesia is becoming much more common, trying to minimize any of the downtime overall.”

Patients frequently visit his office for laser hair removal after having children, he said. For new mothers needing a boost, he recommended noninvasive facial rejuvenation such as laser resurfacing or injectables For most other aspects of a mommy makeover, he said, it is better to wait until the patient’s weight has stabilized and she has finished having children.

“We like for patients’ weight to be stable. Pregnancies should be behind us for the most part, and then we can kind of go forward with the next big question: ‘Who do you have helping you at home?’” Wright said. “Some of the recoveries for the procedures have a little bit more downtime, and so it’s hard for a new mom to really take off a couple weeks unless there’s help at home.”

LOVE YOUR BODY

of Healing Houses

The oft-quoted phrase “the right tool for the right job” speaks to the relevance of applying the correct technology and expertise to accomplish a task efficiently and well. In health care, a third element plays an equal if not more significant role in achieving exceptional patient outcomes — the facility in which care is administered and healing occurs.

Arkansas’ health care facilities present myriad options to meet the needs of patients and accentuate the physician’s skill. From large health systems that rival anything to be found in America to specialty hospitals and clinics focusing talent and technology on a specific medical field, the Natural State is blessed with options to serve every condition.

The following pages give a sample of these outstanding medical facilities, each offering cutting-edge medical treatments and compassionate, individualized care to patients of all ages and backgrounds. During an era in which many services are delivered impersonally, it is comforting to know these entities stand at the ready to serve the needs of families in communities from one end of the state to the other.

AY About You is proud to salute these outstanding pillars to our quality of life in Arkansas and the qualified, caring professionals who work there.

Little Rock, North Little Rock and Conway

Advanced Physical Therapy was founded in 2006 with a focus on providing patient-centered, outcome-oriented and scientifically based treatment for general orthopedic problems, lymphatics, prenatal and postpartum conditions, and pelvic floor dysfunction for men, women and children of all ages. Over the two decades since, the company has expanded into more communities while retaining the same passion and dedication to patient wellness it started with.

The practice is staffed by a growing team of experts with the highest credentials in physical and occupational therapy, personal training, and sport-specific therapy. With the addition of orthopedic and lymphatic therapy, the exceptional therapists at Advanced Physical Therapy advocate for holistic

care, educating patients about their health and bodies and providing best practices that lead to a healthy, pain-free life. Advanced Physical Therapy has multiple clinics in the central Arkansas area, but they all share one purpose: to make a positive impact on the health and well-being of each patient who walks through the doors.

Advanced Physical Therapy was also one of the first private, outpatient physical therapy clinics to provide pelvic health services to central Arkansas and to educate members of the community in all seasons of life that their issues are common but not normal. Patients may turn to Advanced Physical Therapy when they have a specific ailment, but when they leave, they are equipped with the tools and techniques needed to maintain both a healthy body and mind.

Expert Staff

Members of the Advanced Physical Therapy team prioritize relationships above all else. They listen to patients’ ambitions and aspirations with intention, and they build connections to help heal holistically. APT clinicians specialize in a variety of areas, including sports-specific screens from the Titleist Performance Institute, which is geared towards golfers; OnBaseU for athletes focused on throwing and hitting; and medical bike fits for cyclists.

Reach

Advanced Physical Therapy has grown to include multiple locations across central Arkansas, allowing its experienced therapists to serve even more people. At every location, APT prioritizes cleanliness and employs the most up-to-date features. Current locations include three in Little Rock — on Rodney Parham, at the CARTI Cancer Center and in the SoMa district — in addition to clinics in North Little Rock, Maumelle and Conway.

Services

Patients should note that one does not need a referral to see a physical therapist. APT takes all major insurances, and most, including Medicare, cover therapy without a referral. The APT team verifies benefits for patients so that there are no surprises on the cost of their services. In addition to general orthopedic pre-hab and rehab, APT clinicians can treat for issues such as:

• Vertigo

• Headaches

• Jaw pain

• Bowel, bladder and sexual dysfunction

• Pediatric pelvic health

• Individuals undergoing or recovering from breast cancer treatment

• Lymphedema/lipedema

• APT also provides Lee Silverman Voice Treatment-BIG, or LSVT BIG, for Parkinson’s disease.

Community

As a center of whole health, Advanced Physical Therapy partners with a variety of providers, including medical doctors, counselors, nutritionists and more, to provide patients with the most holistic and well-rounded care. The APT team also constantly seeks opportunities to give back, educate and support, whether that means putting therapists on the sidelines for sports teams, educating hospitals and providers about the benefits of therapy, or contributing to organizations in the communities it serves.

Recovery is not just about healing an injury; it is about reclaiming one’s life. For more than 50 years, the Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute has been Arkansas’ largest and most comprehensive rehabilitation provider dedicated to helping patients regain independence after stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury or amputation. That continuum of care extends far beyond the hospital walls. Through an extensive network of community-based therapy centers and comprehensive Health at Home services, Baptist brings world-class, compassionate and connected care to every step of a patient’s journey.

BHRI consistently ranks among the top rehabilitation facilities in the region and holds prestigious accreditations in comprehensive inpatient rehab, as well as specialty programs. The Baptist team includes certified rehabilitation registered nurses and board-certified therapists who are leaders in their field. What is more, the Health at Home

division has received HomeCare Elite recognition, identifying it as one of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States.

Whether relearning to walk at the health system’s flagship institute, building strength at a local therapy clinic, or receiving skilled nursing and rehabilitation in the comfort of one’s own living room, the goal remains the same: “Your again begins here” when it comes to recovery. Baptist combines advanced technology such as robotic-assisted training and bodyweight support systems with a faith-based approach to treat the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of patients.

From the most complex inpatient cases to outpatient therapy close to home — when “good enough” is not enough, only a dedicated institute such as BHRI has the specialized equipment, certified experts and lifetime follow-up care needed to get back to one’s fullest life.

Specialized care

The Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute is the only facility in Arkansas with specialized Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities accreditation for stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and amputation. That “Gold Standard” ensures patients receive the highest level of proven, specialized rehabilitative care available.

Bringing care to the doorstep

Recovery often happens best at home. Baptist Health’s Health at Home service was recently recognized among the top home health providers in the nation. Health at Home provides skilled nursing, physical therapy and chronic disease management in one’s living room, keeping patients safe and comfortable.

Advanced robotics

Baptist Health utilizes cutting-edge technology to accelerate recovery, including the Lokomat by Hocoma for intensive gait training and the Bioness Integrated Therapy System. The tools help patients with neurological conditions or severe injuries regain mobility faster and more effectively than traditional therapy alone.

Award-winning culture

Baptist is proud to be Great Place to Work-Certified for consecutive years. That distinction is vital for patients because happy, supported therapists and nurses provide better care. When patients invite Baptist’s talented providers into their homes or visit one of the health system’s clinics, they are served by a team that truly loves what it does.

North Central Arkansas and the River Valley

Conway Regional brings together key service lines, providers, technologies and more across central Arkansas and the River Valley to create patient experiences that are highly intentional and refreshingly personal. With an eight-county service area centered on a 180-bed acute care medical center, the health system provides patients with a variety of services, including heart health, orthopedic care, neuro-spine surgery, gastroenterology services, women’s health, surgery and rehabilitation.

Conway Regional’s providers and clinics blend access and excellence tailored for each patient. With a focus on familiarity, relationship building and a fierce commitment to advocating for patients, the health system empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their unique health journeys. As a trusted partner for patients, Conway Regional is not mass-produced health care; it is curated care crafted to

meet the specific needs of its community.

Conway Regional’s compassionate care is widely recognized as among the best in the state. The health system has been named a best place to work by numerous publications and has received the honor from Modern Healthcare for seven years in a row. Conway Regional also appears regularly throughout AY About You’s “Best Of” rankings, being named the Best Hospital and Best Place to Have a Baby for the past five years. As a magnet nursing hospital, Conway Regional has further demonstrated its commitment to high-quality, clinical patient care services.

Conway Regional has a vision to be the regional leader in health care excellence. With a mission-driven culture and a commitment to constant improvement, the health system’s promise to its community is to be bold, be exceptional and always respond to its call to assist others.

Memory clinic

The Conway Regional Memory Clinic is dedicated to quickly identifying and treating memory-related issues. Staff offer multidisciplinary services, partnering with physical, occupational, and speech therapists to address daily life challenges. Nutrition consultations and behavioral health professionals support patients and caregivers emotionally. Using advanced tools such as the BrainCheck platform and MRI technology supported by artificial intelligence, staff detect early signs of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Food and Drug Administration-approved Alzheimer’s treatments are available at Conway Regional. They work by clearing amyloid protein from the brain to slow cognitive decline.

Labor and delivery

Conway Regional is home to a 16-bed labor and delivery unit that welcomed 1,900 babies in 2024. Along with that growing service, Conway Regional Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center of Arkansas provides high-quality, compassionate care for women with pregnancy complications. Services include targeted ultrasounds, genetic screening, prenatal consultations, high-risk pregnancy management, diabetes care and more. Conway Regional was also the first hospital in Arkansas to partner with Arkansas Children’s Hospital Nursery Alliance, allowing more babies to receive care closer to home.

Bariatric care

Conway Regional Medical Center, accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, is central Arkansas’ trusted provider for bariatric surgery. Conway Regional pioneered central Arkansas’ first-ever da Vinci bariatric program for those seeking a weight loss alternative. Arkansas law requires private health insurance plans to cover surgery and comprehensive pre- and post-operative care for patients with severe obesity. Patients qualifying for the coverage must meet specific health criteria. Once on a path to bariatric surgery, patients have access to a bariatric support group through a Facebook community of like-minded others who have gone through bariatric surgery or are about to.

Sports medicine

Conway Regional Health System’s sports medicine services are provided by orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and athletic trainers who collaborate to ensure players receive the highest quality of care before, during and after an injury. That philosophy extends beyond individual recovery, emphasizing injury prevention and long-term health, which empowers athletes to make informed choices about their care and future. The Conway Regional approach focuses on prevention, education and a team-centered strategy that engages the entire health system in the wellbeing of its athletes. Orthopedists work closely with more than a dozen athletic trainers and numerous physical therapists, providing services to hundreds of athletes at local schools and universities throughout north central Arkansas.

Founded by physicians in 1996, Highlands Oncology Group in northwest Arkansas is one of the largest physician-owned cancer programs in the country. The independent, multidisciplinary cancer center continues to grow alongside the northwest Arkansas community it serves, providing patients across the region and beyond a full spectrum of world-class care at six convenient locations. Services span the entire cancer journey from prevention, screening and diagnosis to advanced treatment, rehabilitation and survivorship.

Comprehensive offerings include medical, surgical and radiation oncology; radiopharmaceutical therapies; ACR-accredited diagnostic imaging; genetic counseling; multidisciplinary clinics and tumor conferences; access to clinical trials; outpatient infusion services; a CLIA-certified laboratory; and an in-house oncology pharmacy. Patients

also benefit from supportive care services such as nutrition counseling; oncology rehabilitation; physical, occupational and speech therapy; wound and ostomy care; and care coordination through the C.A.R.E. Clinic. Advanced treatments including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and bispecific therapies are complemented by community health initiatives such as a free lung cancer screening program, ensuring patients receive comprehensive, compassionate care close to home.

Being the best in the region is an ambitious goal, but it is one Highlands Oncology Group has proven capable of meeting for three decades and counting. With a reputation for quality among both patients and industry peers, Highlands has struck a delicate balance between relentless scientific progress and deeply personalized health care.

Nationally accredited breast cancer program

Highlands Oncology Group is home to the only nationally accredited breast cancer program in the region. At Highlands, breast cancer care consists of fellowshiptrained breast surgeons and an oncology team with more than 120 years of combined expertise. With 30 years of research experience and more than 120 published studies, Highlands delivers advanced, collaborative treatment backed by national accreditation.

Award-winning care

Accessibility

With well-equipped locations across northwest Arkansas, Highlands Oncology aims to give patients access to all of the doctors and services they need without leaving the region. That not only allows for expedited cancer care but for streamlined communication within the organization. The group’s primary cancer centers have laboratories certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, in addition to infusion suites, pharmacies and a number of imaging services, such as PET, CT, MRI, X-ray and ultrasound.

Radiation oncology

Using high-definition camera systems to track in real time, surface-guided radiation therapy enables highly accurate alignment without the need for permanent skin marks, improving both precision and patient experience. Continuous surface monitoring enhances setup accuracy, reduces treatment time and increases comfort, particularly for breast, thoracic and stereotactic treatments. With access to SGRT, community-based centers such as Highlands Oncology Group can offer the same advanced, patient-centered techniques used at leading institutions such as MD Anderson Cancer Center and Mayo Clinic.

Highlands Oncology’s community-based, multidisciplinary Center for Chest Care was the first of its kind in the country. The forward-looking C.A.R.E. Clinic — Cancer Assessment and Risk Education — provides patients with tailored insights into cancer risks, in addition to comprehensive management based on family history or a known genetic mutation. The group also received a 2025 Association of Cancer Care Centers Innovator Award in recognition of its remote monitoring model for support and symptom management between visits.

River Valley Obstetrics & Gynecology was built on the belief that women deserve the highest level of care possible as they traverse the myriad health needs that come with pregnancy, family planning or simply the different stages of life. Having worked for a corporation since finishing her residency, founder and owner Dr. Suzanna Chatterjee-Morris found herself frustrated with the limitations of corporate ownership. She knew there was a better way — one more appropriate for patients, their health and their well-being — and she was determined to bring it to her patients.

Chatterjee-Morris moved to Arkansas from Nashville in 2015 and has since dedicated herself to caring for women in Russellville and beyond. Despite warnings from fellow providers that private practice was a “dying breed,” she set out

to create a clinic that matched her vision for what women’s health care could be. After selecting a location and undertaking several months’ worth of renovations, River Valley Obstetrics & Gynecology opened in Russellville in December 2021. The clinic has also since expanded into Dardanelle.

River Valley Obstetrics & Gynecology is at the forefront of women’s health care in the region, and Chatterjee-Morris herself is a leading figure in ensuring the women of the River Valley have access to the care they need. In the near-term, her goals include offering expanded services, such as certified nurse midwifery, so patients can have lower-intervention births that can still occur within a hospital for increased safety. At both locations, Chatterjee-Morris has the additional help of physician assistant Brittany Helmer and nurse practitioners Kayla Kriesel and Allison Melton.

RIVER VALLEY

Experienced care

The offices

River Valley Obstetrics & Gynecology is a beautifully designed space that has numerous advanced amenities, including ultrasonography with HD Live technology. Each component has been carefully planned, from the paint on the walls to the lighting overhead, to enhance patient comfort during procedures and facilitate the most positive experience possible. The practice has also expanded into Dardanelle, bringing Chatterjee-Morris’ expert care to even more patients in the River Valley.

Chatterjee-Morris is double board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as obesity medicine. She has cared for thousands of women through pregnancies, births and other health needs over the course of her 17 years in practice. Her extensive training also includes hormone health for both men and women — Chatterjee-Morris is the medical director of an aesthetics and wellness practice, Vitality Medical Spa in Russellville, which she co-owns with her husband, Matthew.

Women’s health services

The practice offers a wide range of women’s health services, from birth control to obesity medicine. Other services include:

• Preconception counseling and family planning

• Sterilization

• In-house sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment

• Irregular period treatment

• Anovulation

• Low- and high-risk pregnancy management

• Pre- and postnatal care

• Perimenopause and menopause management

• Polycystic ovary syndrome treatment

• Fibroid treatment

• Minimally invasive robotic surgeries

• Minor in-office procedures with a licensed certified registered nurse anesthetist

The staff

The team at River Valley Obstetrics & Gynecology consists of hardworking, compassionate health care professionals with a wealth of experience. Being privately owned and operated allows a level of patientprovider familiarity that can be hard to find elsewhere. Chatterjee-Morris and her team are easy to talk to, know patients by name, and care for women as they would their own friends and family. With insurance and billing concerns handled in-house, patients can also have questions and issues addressed easily rather than dealing with a third-party company.

Smile Arkansas is a leading cosmetic dental practice in central Arkansas known for delivering refined, high-level dentistry in an elevated and personalized setting. With more than 40 years of clinical excellence, the practice has built a reputation for creating exceptional smiles through a thoughtful blend of artistry, advanced technology and patient-centered care.

Led by Dr. Jahon Zehtaban, Smile Arkansas is renowned for its expertise in cosmetic and restorative treatments, including traditional and no-prep porcelain veneers comprehensive smile makeovers, full smile rehabilitations, and advanced dental implant therapy. Each treatment is carefully planned using state-of-the-art digital technology to ensure precision, efficiency and predictable, natural-looking results.

Little Rock

Smile Arkansas is also the only practice in the state with an accredited fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, in addition to consistently ranking among AY About You’s “Best Of” honorees. From Invisalign clear aligner therapy and custom porcelain veneers to implant-supported restorations to replace missing or compromised teeth, every service is delivered with meticulous attention to detail and patient comfort.

At its core, Smile Arkansas is dedicated to helping patients achieve smiles that feel authentic, timeless and uniquely their own. The Smile Arkansas team believes exceptional dentistry extends beyond clinical outcomes — it is about creating an experience defined by trust, comfort and confidence.

SMILE ARKANSAS

Cosmetic dentistry and aesthetics

Zehtaban is an active member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and regularly travels to national meetings and hands-on workshops to remain at the forefront of modern techniques. Smile Arkansas also offers a curated selection of facial aesthetic treatments, from softening frown lines and smoothing forehead wrinkles to subtle lip enhancements. Those services are designed to complement one’s smile and overall appearance, providing natural, refined results.

Comfortable care

Patients are welcomed into an environment that prioritizes comfort, privacy and unrushed care from the moment they first step through the doors. Smile Arkansas’ clinical schedule allows time for thoughtful conversations, and staff members are tasked with creating a positive experience for every patient, from offering amenities such as refreshments, blankets, pillows and earphones to keeping the patient clean and comfortable throughout each procedure. Smile Arkansas also offers a range of sedation dentistry options, allowing patients to receive care in a calm, relaxed setting.

Smile makeovers

Smile Arkansas specializes in comprehensive smile makeovers, from restoring smiles affected by trauma to refining already healthy smiles using minimally invasive techniques. The practice’s signature custom porcelain veneers are carefully designed to improve the shape, color and harmony of the natural teeth while maintaining a timeless, natural appearance.

Zehtaban is also adept at replacing missing or damaged teeth through advanced implant therapy combined with gum tissue preservation and highly aesthetic restorations. The integrated approach allows the Smile Arkansas team to blend implants seamlessly with surrounding natural teeth, often making it appear as though nothing ever happened. After Before

Advanced technology

Smile Arkansas’ 3D cone beam CT technology provides detailed visualizations of the teeth, jawbone and surrounding structures for comprehensive diagnostics and highly accurate prosthetic design. Complementing that is the iTero digital scanner, which replaces traditional impressions with a comfortable, fully digital alternative. The scanner captures highly accurate digital models of the teeth, eliminating the need for messy impression materials. Those digital records can be used for detailed diagnostics, smile design and custom restorations, including porcelain work and 3D-printed models.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is the state’s only academic medical center and health sciences university, combining cutting-edge clinical care, groundbreaking research and top-notch education for the health care workforce of the future. With a network of primary care and specialty clinics located around the state paired with innovative digital health options that further increase access for Arkansans in rural areas, UAMS is committed to delivering expert care where and when patients need it.

UAMS Health is a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprises. The UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS is the state’s largest public employer and has more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and

its regional campuses around the state, as well as Arkansas Children’s, the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system and Baptist Health. Nationally recognized for excellence in patient care, UAMS Medical Center also earned magnet status in 2024, the highest honor for excellence in nursing.

UAMS Health is a leader in state-of-the-art cancer care, orthopaedic care, adult heart care, neurology, neurosurgery, urology, organ transplants, family care, geriatrics and much more. UAMS is also the only hospital in Arkansas to offer adult liver and kidney transplants, and both programs are consistently recognized among the best in the United States. UAMS Health strives to ensure Arkansans have access to the best care close to home. Every breakthrough, every treatment and every patient experience is driven by UAMS’ dedication to excellence.

The UAMS Health Heart Center provides world-class cardiovascular care with advanced treatments for heart disease, valve disorders, arrhythmias and more. The heart team utilizes cutting-edge technology for diagnostics, minimally invasive procedures and complex surgeries. From preventive care to life-saving interventions, the Heart Center delivers the most comprehensive heart care in Arkansas, ensuring the highest level of expertise and innovation for every treatment.

Orthopaedic and spine care

Cancer care

The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology Center offers the most sophisticated, cutting-edge radiation delivery technology available in the United States, providing advanced radiation treatments to children and adults with cancer. The center also houses the Proton Center of Arkansas, a collaboration between UAMS, Arkansas Children’s, Baptist Health and Proton International. Proton therapy uses positively charged proton particles to destroy tumors, often in hardto-reach areas, with greater precision and significantly less damage to healthy organs and tissues than other treatments. Patients who receive proton therapy have fewer and less severe side effects than conventional X-ray radiation.

Neurosurgery

UAMS neurosurgeons perform research and multiple clinical trials and work to be the leaders of simple and complex surgeries not available at other hospitals in Arkansas. More physicians refer patients to UAMS for neurosurgical procedures than elsewhere in the state. UAMS neurosurgeons come from diverse backgrounds and have a range of expertise in a variety of subspecialties, including:

• General neurosurgery

• Neurosurgical oncology — specializing in brain tumors and spine tumors

• Vascular neurosurgery

• Functional neurosurgery for chronic pain, movement disorders and seizures

• Neurosurgery for the spine

• Neurotrauma

The Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital at UAMS is the most specialized of its kind in Arkansas, offering patients access to the latest technology and most innovative care delivered by UAMS Health’s premier team of orthopaedic, spine and pain management experts who are focused on reducing pain, improving mobility and, most importantly, getting patients back to living their lives.

501.500.3500

At OrthoArkansas, the focus is on making orthopedic care easier to access and easier to navigate. With 10 locations across Arkansas, patients can receive care closer to home while still benefiting from the expertise they deserve.

Convenient care

When an injury happens, OrthoArkansas’ orthopedic urgent care provides a trusted place to turn for specialized care without an appointment. The practice offers walk-in urgent care services in Little Rock, North Little Rock and Conway. The OrthoArkansas team meets patients with understanding, clear answers and even onsite imaging when needed, helping them move forward without the stress of an emergency room visit.

OrthoArkansas brings urgent care, specialty treatment and ongoing orthopedic services together through a coordinated team approach. With providers across every orthopedic specialty, OrthoArkansas’ work is centered on helping patients heal and return to the activities they love.

Passionate

OrthoArkansas cares for patients through every step of their treatment journeys, whether that means sports injuries and joint replacement or spine care, hand and wrist, shoulder, foot and ankle, and more. OrthoArkansas’ talented physicians provide comprehensive care backed by patient-focused teams of nurses, therapists, athletic trainers and clinical leadership.

Briar wood Nursing and Rehab is a 120-bed skilled facility located in an urban setting within the heart of Little Rock, in the neighborhood of Briarwood. We are located just minutes from downtown Little Rock and are only one block off interstate 630.

We provide long-term care and short-term rehab care. All residents are monitored throughout the day with assistance in providing daily care as is needed: bathing, dressing, feeding and providing medications. Briarwood staff also work at ensuring the best care for residents through individual care plans of residents' needs, as well as daily activities, which allow for a variety of interests and abilities.

Nearly all - 98 percent - of our rehab residents return to the community as a result of positive, caring therapists. Briarwood's approach has provided healing to many people in the community.

At Briarwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, we are committed to ensuring that the best possible care is given to you or your loved one in an atmosphere that is calm, quiet and focused on healing. We endeavor to ensure that all aspects of your well-being — mental, physical and spiritual — are cared for in a peaceful and safe environment. Our staff strive to promote dignity, respect, and independence as much as possible, in a beautiful, soothing enviornment that was designed with our residents' comfort in mind. Briarwood's service-rich environment is made possible by its dedicated staff, from our nursing staff and therapists, to our operations and administrative employees. At Briarwood, our residents enjoy three generations of staff and families. That is over 30 years of service to the community!

Let us bring comfort, confidence, and peace of mind to your family with the services we provide + Housekeeping + Meal Preparation + Shopping/Errands + Transportation + Medication Reminders

+ Personal Care

conservation Conservation Kids

AGFC Stream Team programs engage students with local waterways

By SARAH DECLERK

Children across Arkansas grow up playing in creeks, fishing in rivers and splashing around in a favorite swimming hole. With the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Stream Team programs, students from pre-K through college can better understand the ecosystems that make those pastimes possible.

“There’s a definite misconception there that a conservationist is some type of adult with a college degree,” said Mary Beth Hatch, chief of education at the AGFC. “That’s something we really like to dispel in telling students and telling young folks and educators that you don’t need a single piece of paper to be a conservationist. You can start as soon as you start understanding what conservation is.”

Hatch knows the value of stream teams firsthand. A former educator, she led a stream team at a junior high school in Harrison that helped collect data when the city was considering removing a dam from Crooked Creek.

“It ended up being a really invaluable project that my students worked on, of course, presenting to the city council and other groups like that, utilizing the data they were collecting,” she said. “Students wanted to be on the stream team, and we continued it for several more years there while I was teaching. It was honestly one of the most fun projects I’d worked on.”

She joined the AGFC in 2024 with a goal of integrating stream teams into the agency’s roster of educational offerings and quickly created a stream team coordinator position. The program fits hand in glove with the AGFC School of Conservation Leadership she launched shortly after joining the agency. The program requires staff members at participating schools to complete professional development related to stream teams and implement stream team programs at their schools.

Joey Dickard, K-5 science interventionist at Bernice Young Elementary School and Hunt Elementary School in Springdale, has gotten both schools involved in the School of Conservation Leadership and implemented stream teams at each. Young Elementary has adopted nearby Brush Creek, while Hunt has adopted Spring Creek.

“They’ve adopted this stream, and based on what they report, if they have bad findings at their stream, then maybe the state’s going to have to pay attention and kind of take care of it, but [we taught students] just how important it was to their ecosystem, to them personally,” she said. “A lot of these kids swim in these streams. They fish in these streams. They wade in these streams, so they have a lot of personal buy-in.”

The fifth graders kicked off the program with a stream team day last fall, during which the students tested water quality and documented insect life at the waterways. Dickard said the activity dovetailed nicely with the fifth grade science curriculum, occurring just as the students were finishing a unit about ecosystems and beginning a unit about water quality.

“It just hit at the perfect time for them to go ahead and do some of the testing,” she said, “because a lot of kids don’t have a ton of experience with measuring out the correct amount of water, following the instructions to put in the correct number of pills, waiting, setting a timer for five minutes to get their results and then reporting out their results.”

The third graders, who had been learning about life cycles, led a stream team day this winter, getting an upclose look at macroinvertebrates collected from the local waterways by school staff. Dickard said she hopes to eventually involve younger grades, as well, such as by having kindergarteners and first graders collect and identify leaves, then assemble leaf packs older students can use to catch bugs.

“Kids, sometimes I think they see science as being disconnected and not applicable to real life, like you just learn science to take a test on science,” she said. “In reality, science is everything around us all the time.”

The fifth graders’ earth science unit will include lessons about erosion, Dickard said, providing another great opportunity to pursue hands-on learning with the stream team. Both streams show signs of significant erosion, she added, and she hopes students will eventually lead the charge to find ways to combat it.

“I would love to see the kids get to jump in and come up with a plan to extend the riparian zone, and that’s just the trees and stuff within 100 feet of the bank because we have one side of our creek that is pretty much bare. There’s a couple trees, and then it’s just eroding,” she said. “I would love for them to come up with an idea

that they could even pitch to somebody in the city that might listen and get to be a part of planting some flowers, some trees, some bushes.”

Hatch said that is just the kind of effort she likes to see from citizenscientists of any age.

“I think when we give students just a little bit of space to have a voice and a little bit of space to be problem solvers and critical thinkers, we’re going to get incredible solutions just like that,” she said. “It’s just another example of not having to be an adult to create these solutions that make really impactful change.”

During the program’s first year, 21 schools applied to the School of Conservation Leadership, and 13 received the designation, she said. This year, 65 schools applied. Of those, 58 are undergoing the designation process.

Real-world learning opportunities are what make the program so popular, she added.

“There’s no better way to learn than to apply your learning,” she said. “We can read, we can watch videos, we can do a few worksheets, we can listen to people talk about these things, but the best way to truly understand it instead of just knowing it is to go out there and apply that learning in the field. With stream team, it’s one of our best, it’s one of our truly easiest ways, it’s one of our most engaging ways to get students to apply their learning.”

The learning experiences do not stop at the elementary school level. Hatch said the lessons also hit home for middle and high school students, especially when paired with recreational activities such as fishing and floating.

“The big purpose there is for everyone to understand that there’s no way to have those types of safe outdoor recreation-type experiences without great habitat,” she said. “Those waterways and those streams are a major, major, major part of healthy habitats around our state, not just our waterways but how that affects our terrestrial habitats, as well.”

The AGFC also partners with postsecondary institutions to provide professional development opportunities for future teachers, as well as stream team activities similar to those at K-12 schools.

“We’re really having intentional focus for our college students as we enter the spring, summer and beyond for what that’s going to look like,” Hatch said. “We’re really, really excited to connect with our colleges and universities around the state.”

Meanwhile, in Springdale, the conservationists of tomorrow are taking root.

“They’re young. They have lots of very strong opinions about, ‘Hey, why did we cut all this back? There’s not going to be as many this or that in this area. Why have we done that? What’s going to happen to that population? How do we fix this?’” Dickard said. “They have lots of questions, and I hope that they’re things that kind of guide them as adults.”

Just as mayflies, dragonflies and other macroinvertebrates help support an ecosystem much bigger than themselves, the stream team program helps the students play an important role in shaping the future.

“Especially in Arkansas, where we’re surrounded by beautiful rivers and creeks and forests, and we like to take the opportunities to enjoy them with our hiking and our biking, I think that it’s probably a good thing to also take into consideration how are we going to keep those things? How do we make sure those things don’t go away?” she said. “I think any type of conservation project … makes them understand how important even the smallest people are.”

conservation

Lauren Anderson

IThe Buzz About Bees

By ALEX HARDGRAVE // Photo by SARAH REEVES

n recent years, there have been increased calls to save the bees. Factors such as parasites, pesticides and habitat loss have led to a massive decline in the insect’s populations across the U.S. A survey of American beekeepers showed more than 55 percent of managed honey bee colonies were lost between April 2024 and April 2025, the Apiary Inspectors of America states.

That could spell disaster for agriculture and food supply. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some scientists estimate that one 1 of every 3 bites of food a person eats exists because of animal pollinators.

“Imagine walking into Kroger or Walmart and there being no produce — that’s bees,” said Lauren Anderson, founder of Calm+Confidence, a Little Rock business that helps people tend to hives in their communities and hosts educational events for local organizations.

After launching a class whereby she tended two hives on the property of a school in Tacoma, Washington, Anderson moved to Little Rock in 2020 and soon began helping people set up hives around town. Her work took off in popularity, but Anderson worried it was a flash in the pan and that people would stop wanting hives to tend to once the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

That turned out to not be the case, and the number of hives Anderson and a team of beekeepers help manage has grown exponentially to about 150. The goal is to get to 200 this year.

Anderson said a great time to start thinking about how to protect pollinators — which also include moths, beetles and butterflies — is in spring, when one can start planting a garden of pollinator-friendly plants.

Early and late-blooming plants are essential to bees’ ability to find pollen to produce honey, Anderson said. Early blooms include plants such as milkweed, lemon beebalm and cream wild indigo, while examples of late blooms are azure blue sage, sunflowers and goldenrod varieties. She said those who have planted winter gardens should leave those plants, rather than pulling them up, because they will be some of the first plants to flower in early spring. Anderson also suggested people hold off on mowing their lawns until May or leaving part or all of their lawn unmowed year-round.

“Some people start mowing in March and April, but if you just wait until May, that’s a huge game changer,” she said. “All those early blooms, it leaves them there. You’re not chopping them down, and there are a lot of pollinators that live in the soil over the winter. Leaving that alone will allow for them to hatch and emerge.”

Anderson said springtime is also when bees tend to swarm, meaning part of a hive may leave to look for a new place to build another hive. She stressed bees are docile while they do so, and there is no need to spray them with anything. Instead, call a beekeeper or group such as Calm+Confidence.

“Call us for relocation before they move into a wall, chimney or tree in your yard,” she said.

Calm+Confidence recently received nonprofit status, meaning the organization will now be able to apply for grant funds and host fundraisers to spread the mission even further and educate more people about the importance of bees.

People can continue to support Calm+Confidence’s mission by attending its educational events, joining the apprenticeship program, joining the co-op or simply purchasing its honey, Anderson said.

“It’s really important that the younger generations understand that we have to put effort into this in our lifetimes, or we’re going to have some drastic changes,” Anderson said. “Without healthy, thriving pollinator populations, we would not have local food, and we would not be able to sustain even the population of the U.S. We have to have pollinators to feed everyone.”

ECO-WARRIOR

McKenzie McMath Coronel Keep Arkansas Beautiful

GreenClean, and Sustainable

By DWAIN HEBDA

McKenzie McMath Coronel believes actions speak louder than words. Thus did the 36-year-old, after five years as a volunteer at Keep Arkansas Beautiful, step in to lead the organization a year and half ago as its executive director.

“I am a big believer that if you’re going to talk about how great things would be, it would be great if you went out and did those things and led by example,” she said. “I love the Natural State; I can walk to any corner of the state and experience the most breathtaking view, whether that’s a pasture or a hike or a vista. I love how pristine and unique and serene this state is, and I love to help keep it that way.”

A Little Rock native, McMath Coronel graduated from Pulaski Academy before attending the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, after which she earned a master’s degree from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. During her undergraduate years, she also served two internships in Washington D.C., one with then-Sen. Blanche Lincoln and one with then-Sen. Mark Pryor.

She said years of antilittering media campaigns, from the Native American man with the tear in his eye to Woodsy Owl, have had a positive impact overall, yet problems with pollution still remain a tough challenge to overcome.

“I do believe that certain types of littering have gotten more under control. It’s great that we have been able to educate students and children at a young age,” she said. “That’s really what’s going to be the most pivotal thing that we can do is get in there early and educate students from an early age because we live in a much more throwaway, disposable society now.

“For example, more people today have a sensitivity when it comes to littering and how that’s an eyesore, but with things like battery waste, there’s still a lot of educating we need to do around not putting batteries in the trash. Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not damaging. I don’t have as much of a problem getting people to come out and pick up, but getting people to change their daily habits and responsibly get rid of their appliances and batteries and sorting their trash, that is still a challenge.”

McMath Coronel said another big challenge is making sure people who want to do the right thing when it comes to proper disposal have access to the means to do so, whether than be glass collection sites or events that take in old electronics for proper disposal.

“You have places in the state that don’t have different options, and everything goes to the landfill, and that’s it,” she said. “I think keeping up with the amount of trash that’s out there is very challenging, and making sure that people understand that there are serious consequences to getting rid of some things the incorrect way remains a challenge, but you also can’t just tell people, ‘Don’t do it,’ if they don’t have an alternative. You have to tackle how they can get rid of that material properly.”

To that end, Keep Arkansas Beautiful is active in partnerships throughout Arkansas to help citizen groups be part of the solution. The organization advises interested parties about steps they can take to beautify hometowns and neighborhoods.

“We work with many different organizations, chief among them being our own Keep Arkansas Beautiful affiliate network,” she said. “We have 13 affiliates around the state, and these organizations are affiliated both to the Keep America Beautiful network, as well as the state jurisdiction. We work very closely with them to help develop programs that are blueprints to implement in their communities to provide unified solutions.

“Our affiliate network are the boots on the ground, and the members of those communities readily identify what their needs are. By bringing all those voices together, we’re able to develop plug-and-play solutions to help guide those efforts on the ground.”

s the numbers clearly show, the secret is out about Arkansas as a tourist destination thanks in large part to its pristine outdoor spaces of woods, water and mountains.

According to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism’s most recent annual report, the state welcomed 52 million visitors in 2024, which bested 2023’s total by nearly 3 percent. The visitors directly spent about $10 billion in the state, a 4 percent year-over-year increase, and an additional $7 billion from supply chain and income effects, the report states.

All of that is decidedly good news to be sure but brings with it the challenges of accommodating the additional human traffic at places tourists most often visit. In Arkansas’ case, that generally includes outdoor recreation, be it a state park, mountain bike trail, lake, river, campgrounds, national forest or wildlife management area.

As anyone who has watched the crowds grow during tubing season at the Buffalo River or hiked a trail lately can attest, the growth in the number of people and the stuff they bring with them has caused increased problems with litter, graffiti and undue impact on habitat in natural areas. The issue has given rise to leave no trace, which is equal parts philosophy, slogan and dictate for those taking in Arkansas’ legendary outdoors.

Defined as “responsible outdoor recreation,” by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the practice operates along several guidelines the group calls its 7 Principles.

“Guided by evidence-based research, these principles help minimize human impact on nature,” the group’s website states. “The 7 Principles are fundamental ethical guidelines that help individuals and organizations navigate moral decision-making and interpersonal interactions. They emphasize integrity, respect, responsibility, fairness and compassion. These principles serve as a moral compass, guiding individuals toward ethical actions and fostering trust, cooperation and well-being in communities.”

While adhering to these broad brush ethical standards and practices, Leave No Trace translates into different things for different audiences. Kirsten Bartlow, watchable wildlife coordinator at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, approaches the concept from the perspective of wildlife watchers both of the intentional variety, such as birders, photographers, hunters and anglers, and those who encounter wildlife by chance while visiting a state park or other natural area.

“We all have different impacts that we leave,” she said. “We encourage people to visit our wildlife management areas and other public lands, and to do that responsibly, we have to understand and abide by some basic rules. In my wheelhouse of wildlife watching, this starts with basic things like watching from a distance.

“Watching wildlife from a distance is much less stressful for the wildlife, and it also gives us the benefit of getting to watch natural behaviors of animals. Wildlife give us signs that we need to be paying attention to when we get too close. If they are fidgeting, if they freeze and are staring like, ‘What is that scary predator coming toward me?’ if they start showing any increased vocalizations or aggressive behavior, you’ve gotten too close. If they’re fleeing, you’ve gotten too close. I think that’s the main message for folks doing any kind of birding and wildlife viewing is just keeping that safe, respectful distance.”

If merely watching from too close is an issue, then that logically rules out some of the other behaviors humans engage in, however inexplicably. Trying to pick up a copperhead or posing for a selfie with a bear cub read as ridiculous ideas, yet humans attempt such things regularly, often with harmful outcomes.

Spent shotgun shell casings are easy to pick up, especially if you’re in a duck blind or if you’re on a dove hunt in a field.

“Overall, the vast majority of wildlife just want to get away from us, and that is going to be their first instinct,” Bartlow said. “In fact, they’re probably fleeing before we even know they’re there, generally speaking. Problems happen where it feels trapped and where it can’t get away from you, especially a large animal.

“There are also certain situations people really need to pay attention to, like getting between a mother and her babies or during mating season. When elk are in rut and have all that testosterone flowing through them, they can be unusually aggressive. Wandering out into a field up in Boxley Valley where there are bull elk sparring would be a bad idea.”

Bartlow said some situations people do not generally think about involve humans wanting to help or assist animals, from feeding them to trying to help a creature that has been injured. She said all good intentions aside, such activities disrupt the natural order of things in the wild, which can sometimes be difficult to witness.

“We can be softhearted on these things, but if there is injured wildlife, approaching it is causing it more stress,” she said. “Injured wildlife, if it’s sick or it’s weak, is also food for another animal, such as a predator mom who needs to get prey to feed her young. It’s hard for many of us to look at that and not intervene or want to try to help, but this is the cycle of life in nature. The main message is just let wildlife be wildlife.”

Much of the rest of leave no trace follows common-sense rules that many people have been taught since childhood about picking up

after oneself and not littering. Bartlow said that is especially true for hunters and anglers.

“One thing we’d love to encourage folks to do is pick up their spent shell casings,” she said. “Some of that is good for the pocketbook because you can reload your brass or recycle it. Spent shotgun shell casings are easy to pick up, especially if you’re in a duck blind or if you’re on a dove hunt in a field.

“Something for people out on a fishing excursion that’s a heartbreaker is all that monofilament fishing line that gets left behind. That takes hundreds of years to photodegrade, and it’s obviously a real entanglement hazard for birds, other wildlife, and even people swimming or hanging around on the bank or the shoreline. Lead sinkers and lead jigs can also be poisonous for eagles, loons and herons that ingest it.”

Bartlow said people can take advantage of technology to make a trip to the wild safer and more enjoyable. A good set of binoculars allow up-close wildlife and bird watching while maintaining a safe physical distance, and stainless-steel fishing weights remove the chance of lead poisoning of birds. A modern compass is also a sound investment and can help keep the forests pristine.

“Something I’ve noticed when I’m out at dawn and dusk is how many people leave trail marking tacks that they put on trees or flagging to help find their way in and out of the woods,” she said. “I mean, I get those, but man, learn to use a map and compass or, if that’s too old school, a GPS.”

The 7 Principles of LEAVE NO TRACE

Plan Ahead and Prepare

Adequate trip planning and preparation helps backcountry travelers accomplish trip goals safely and enjoyably while simultaneously minimizing damage to the land. Poor planning often results in miserable campers and damage to natural and cultural resources.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

The goal of traveling in the outdoors is to move through natural areas while avoiding damage to the land or waterways. Travel damage occurs when surface vegetation or communities of organisms are trampled beyond recovery.

Dispose of Waste Properly

Outdoor enthusiasts are urged to consider the impacts they leave behind that affect people, water and wildlife. “Pack it in, pack it out,” is a familiar mantra to seasoned wildland visitors. Any user of recreation lands has a responsibility to clean up before he or she leaves and pack out all trash and garbage.

Leave What You Find

Allow others a sense of discovery by leaving rocks, plants, archaeological artifacts and other objects of interest as you find them.

Minimize Campfire Impacts

The use of campfires, once a necessity for cooking and warmth, is steeped in history and tradition. Yet the natural appearance of many areas has been degraded by the overuse of fires and an increasing demand for firewood. The development of lightweight camp stoves has encouraged a shift away from the traditional fire for cooking, and the devices operate in almost any weather condition.

Respect Wildlife

Learn about wildlife through quiet observation from a distance so they are not scared or forced to flee. Keep your group small. If you have a larger group, divide into smaller groups, if possible, to minimize your impacts.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

Many people come to the outdoors to listen to nature. Excessive noise, uncontrolled pets and damaged surroundings take away from the natural appeal of the outdoors.

ECO-WARRIOR

Raven Lawson

The Nature Conservancy

Putting ‘Natural’the in ‘Natural State’

By DWAIN HEBDA

Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy a year and a half ago, Raven Lawson worked for Central Arkansas Water as the watershed protection manager for nearly a decade. Her short career working on environmental issues belies a lifelong passion for preserving the outdoors.

“Growing up in northeast Arkansas, I was very fortunate to grow up in a time and place where I got to explore the outdoors,” she said. “I grew up canoeing the Spring River every week as a child. I went to camps at the Ozark Natural Science Center [in Huntsville] as a teenager. That exposure allowed me to watch how our ecological world was changing, especially by floating the rivers and watching it withstand floods and change shape.

“Getting to see that week after week piqued my interest, and I wanted to learn more. I wanted to understand our natural world and see what I could do to influence it.”

Lawson, 41, earned her undergraduate degree in biology with a botany emphasis from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and earned her master's degree in natural resource management and environmental sustainability from Texas Tech University. In her role at The Nature Conservancy, she is responsible for managing the organization’s 20 conservation staff members across the state.

“We work in land protection and stewardship, water conservation, agriculture, and fire — that is, prescribed fire, which we put a lot of our work into,” she said. “We were one of the groups that started the prescribed fire workshop school at Camp Robinson [in North Little Rock] that is 20-something years old now. We are the ones who do the science behind prescribed fire. For so much of the U.S., prescribed fire is becoming an important topic because of the wildland-urban interface. It’s the California problem, right? Everything gets dry and is unmanaged, and then it sets on fire and creates these big wildfire situations.

“Here in Arkansas, we’ve taken a proactive approach and a scientific approach. All of our partners, including the U.S. Forest Service, look at how our fire frequency and when we burn, and how we burn our landscapes influences biodiversity. We’re talking about how this restores plant communities over time, which influences wildlife communities, which influences pollinators and all of those things. We actually do the science behind that.”

A global organization, The Nature Conservancy has maintained a formal presence in Arkansas for 40 years. Lawson said over that time, the state had made great strides in conservation practices.

“Being such a small state and such a small community, we realize that no one organization has all the resources to go it alone,” she said. “We are super good as a conservation community at maintaining partnerships with state agencies and federal partners and other nonprofits.”

The group just completed a five-year planning process that identified goals moving forward, a major one being looking at new and better agricultural practices.

“I really think ag is our new space, and it’s an exciting space for us,” she said. “Agriculture is our state’s largest economic driver, and understanding that we have to do things differently or we’re not going to be able to support that economic driver is daunting. We’re losing our aquifers in the Delta at a rate that is scary, and if we can’t figure out how to slow that depletion, we won’t be able to support farmers in 20 years.

“That’s new for The Nature Conservancy as a whole, it’s new for Arkansas, and it’s new for all of the other interested parties too. We’re looking at what goes on on farms all the way up the supply chain into consumer packaged goods and large buyers and retailers and how we get everyone to look at water conservation as such an important aspect of that livelihood.”

conservation

ECO-WARRIOR

Rebecca Lochmann

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Fish Food

By MARY LESIEUR

Rarely would one consider any gill-breathing vertebrate to be an answer to the ever-growing crisis of food insecurity, yet that is precisely what Rebecca Lochmann has spent the majority of her career proving, highlighting the importance of aquaculture and what it can do for communities worldwide.

Lochmann’s interest in marine life has been a consistent current through her whole life, but after studying at Florida Tech, she heard the calling of the aquaculture industry loud and clear. Now, after years of specializing in the niche industry, she is convinced the field has enormous potential in the ongoing battle against worldwide food insecurity.

“At that time, I didn’t really realize the extent of food insecurity, even in the United States,” Lochmann said. “You think about it overseas, but it’s become more obvious since I moved to Arkansas. Things just started to come together — the nutrition background, the realization that seafood is an ideal source of almost every nutrient a person needs.”

A fish nutritionist and professor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Lochmann landed a Fulbright grant that took her to Ghana, where she studied catfish, one of Ghana’s most integral food components.

“The project was a combination research and teaching project, and it was focused on helping develop the aquaculture industry to address food insecurity issues, which we also have in Arkansas,” Lochmann said. “Aquaculture needs to be used more to address food insecurity here, as well as in Africa.

“We were trying to help them with some problems they had when spawning their primary catfish species, which is Clarias. It’s an air-breathing catfish, and that’s the main carnivorous species they raise for food.”

Accompanying Lochmann on her journey to west Africa was the knowledge and work she has been instilling in her own corner of the world.

“I had done some work here in Arkansas on channel catfish and working on improving the diets to help them spawn,” she said. “They’re very different species, but a lot of times, when it comes to reproduction, the same changes in the diet will make a positive impact on spawning.”

At UAPB, Lochmann teaches a variety of courses, including introductory and advanced aquaculture courses and aquatic nutrition, for which she regularly takes students into fisheries, wet labs and farms. Immersing her students in an outside-of-the-classroom environment not only allows her pupils to understand the material but to interact with it.

“I don’t even use a textbook. I put together my own materials to make it more relevant and more local. It just resonates with them more,” she said. “We take field trips to Lonoke County, where baitfish and sportfish production is centered, and catfish farms in Chicot County. Getting [students] on the farm and hearing producers talk about their issues really makes them light up. I think a lot of them are surprised by how big aquaculture farms are in Arkansas. They’re multigenerational, very successful entrepreneurial businesses.”

After her trip to Ghana and reacclimating to the classroom, Lochmann’s next steps include a collaboration with the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to further test new aquatic probiotics, renovate her wet lab at UAPB, and finish a submittal process for her largemouth bass and soybean study.

Lochmann said the most resonating thing about her work is the people she has surrounded herself with — both students and colleagues — and the call to foster the industry that could potentially cure a worldwide crisis.

“Of all animal production systems, I think aquaculture has the most potential to be environmentally sustainable,” Lochmann said. “Aquaculture is a small global community, and investing time and sharing expertise benefits both sides.

“Other countries support aquaculture more than we do here, but I think the time may be right now for us to grow our domestic aquaculture industry. It could address a lot of issues — food insecurity is one of them — but also being more self-reliant in terms of having a domestic seafood supply.”

Choices

‘Going green’ can be both painless and cost effective

A natural

By DOUG CRISE // Photos courtesy of COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE & PEEL COMPTON CENTER

s the cost of living continues to skyrocket, the concept of conservation or “green living” has evolved into a necessity. While friends of the natural world will always look for ways to limit their impact on the surrounding environment, conservation has become vital for everyone looking — or needing — to limit the bite on their bank accounts.

First, some good-ish news. Even as the costs of utilities and groceries continue to climb nationwide, Arkansas is still a bargain with the secondlowest cost of living among U.S. states according to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Arkansans also have utility bills that the AEDC claims are 8.7 percent below the national average.

That does not mean everything is peachy, however. Just swinging by any grocery store, consumers are sure to find eye-popping prices that were

hardly seen a decade ago, to say nothing of the lack of inventory. Utilities also do not exactly feel low after a few winter months of running the heat.

What to do? Letting go of preconceived notions of green living is a good start. Contrary to what some may think, reducing one’s footprint and saving a few bucks does not mean a wholesale lifestyle change. A little bit of common sense can go a long way — and without requiring unreasonable effort. It all starts with water.

“I’d say that around the house, probably some of the most common-sense things to do would be to address any kind of leaks or drips that you have,”

said John Pennington, instructor and water quality educator with the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. “A leak or a drip could do something like several gallons a day.”

Most people know that leaking water can turn into a money pit very quickly, but even if everything is sealed and fixed, there are added steps that can keep people from literally pouring their money down the drain.

“Letting the faucet run when you shave or brush your teeth uses a lot of water that otherwise wouldn’t need to be used,” Pennington said. “Take shorter showers, and if you’re going to wash your car, have a nozzle on your hose so that the water doesn’t continuously run. All of these things add up a bit to less water use.”

“

Letting the faucet run when you shave or brush your teeth uses a lot of water that otherwise wouldn’t need to be used.

Take

shorter showers, and if you’re going to wash your car, have a nozzle on your hose so that the water doesn’t continuously run. All of these things add up a bit to less water use.

– John Pennington,

Instructor and Water Quality Educator, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

While keeping an eye on faucets and spigots will certainly help indoors, ground zero for water conservation tends to be the yard. Almost everybody wants a nice lawn, especially as spring moves into summer, and many want eye-catching flower gardens around their homes, as well. For both, water usage and its associated cost can quickly escalate.

“The No. 1 most irrigated crop in the United States is turf grass, the lawn,” Pennington said.

For many, yard work is less a chore and more a way to enjoy the outdoors and actively relax. For those fitting that category, starting a naturalized lawn is a fun way to bring beauty to a yard without dumping massive amounts of water into it. The process involves replacing a manicured lawn with native plants that are then allowed to grow naturally.

When done right, the result is a beautiful habitat of plants and flowers that attracts birds and beneficial pollinators such as bees and butterflies. The key is to lock in on grasses, plants and flowers that require less water. Examples include wintergreen plants, barren strawberry flowers and Pennsylvania Sedge grass.

There are similar strategies for gardens. The UA Extension Service maintains a list of drought-resistant landscape plants, including medallion daisies, trumpet honeysuckles and Mexican sunflowers. When the time does come to do some watering, a little planning ahead can eliminate any of the cost.

“People can harvest rainwater from their rooftops and gutters to use to irrigate,” Pennington said. “A 1-inch rain on a 1,000-squarefoot area will make 600 gallons of runoff water. The runoff water, if you can catch it using something like a rain barrel, is a free resource.”

Of course, outside water is less of a concern during the winter, but that is when heating cost rears its ugly head. There are a bevy

of approaches to combat it, starting with making sure the home is sealed and using caulk to eliminate any air leaks. Upgrading to a smart thermostat is also a worthwhile investment that keeps temperatures manageable when nobody’s home.

Professionals can also install airsource or ground-source high-efficiency heat pumps, and while that can call for an initial outlay of cash, the return comes in the form of a whopping 300plus percent rate of efficiency over a standard furnace.

There are, of course, plenty of resources available for those looking to “go green,” and it need not be a dry and costly experience. The city of Bentonville makes for an ideal case study in conservation, since the area’s longstanding natural beauty must coexist with a decades-long population explosion and expansion.

At the center of that is the Peel Compton Foundation, which, among other things, offers native tree and plant sales during the spring, a great

People

can harvest rainwater from their rooftops and gutters to use to irrigate. A 1-inch rain on a 1,000-squarefoot area will make 600 gallons of runoff water. The runoff water, if you can catch it using something like a rain barrel, is a free resource.

– Pennington

The Peel Compton Foundation in Bentonville can provide inspiration and information for greener landscaping.

jumping-on point for those looking to naturalize their lawns or make their gardens more eco-friendly.

“As Bentonville continues to grow, it’s more important than ever to intentionally preserve the natural spaces that make this community so special,” said Alyssa Traxson, Peel Compton’s director of marketing and rentals. “Our mission is to cultivate experiences that connect people through nature, education, recreation and preservation, and we do that by operating vibrant, welcoming spaces that are free and accessible year-round. Growth brings incredible opportunity, but it also comes with responsibility.”

That responsibility includes educating the young and old alike on ways to preserve nature and limit environmental impact. More

In Bentonville, conservation is key to maintaining pristine outdoor spaces as the region welcomes explosive growth.

than 4,000 youngsters have had the opportunity to take field trips, engage in after-school activities and attend camps, all with an emphasis on preserving natural resources.

Patrons can also tour the Compton Gardens & Arboretum, which boasts 7 acres worth of biodiversity and native plant life. With education comes the opportunity for more sustainable practices, cleaner living and cost management.

“Conservation is woven into everything we do,” Traxson said. “From land stewardship and habitat restoration to native plantings and environmental education, our properties serve as living classrooms where people can learn by experiencing nature firsthand. We prioritize sustainable practices, protect native ecosystems and work to restore natural habitats within an urban setting.”

ECO-WARRIOR

WBuilding an Egg-acy

By SARAH DECLERK

hen Douglas Osborne joined the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 2012, he had one goal in mind: to build a waterfowl program in a state that, despite its abundance of hunting opportunities, had no waterfowl research activities to speak of.

Today, with the new Snowden Waterfowl Center of Excellence up and running, UAM is graduating researchers who will help ensure the longevity of the birds not just in Arkansas but across the United States.

“My goal was to build a waterfowl program, and from the ground up, that’s what we’ve done,” he said. “We’ve finished 16 master’s students with master’s degrees, and they’re all out, doing waterfowl work all over the country in 10 different states. It’s been great. We’ve gotten involved with a lot of conservation partners and private landowners, helping them make better management decisions for their land.”

With a passion born from hunting ducks while growing up in Illinois, Osborne earned his doctorate at Southern Illinois University and completed postdoctorate research at the University of Tennessee before landing in Arkansas.

During his time at UAM, he has worked to understand the movement and distribution of ducks, as well as influences on the landscape that affect bird populations. Of particular importance is his work to understand how sanctuaries increase their numbers.

DouglasOsborne University

of Arkansas at Monticello

“A lot of people go in thinking that the refuge and the sanctuary on the refuge is killing our duck hunting and we can’t shoot any ducks because of the sanctuary,” he said. “Well, that’s not true. If that sanctuary weren’t there, there would be no ducks in that area. Those sanctuaries are absolutely critical.”

He added that by understanding how the birds use sanctuaries, he has been able to share his data with hunting clubs and land managers to encourage them to provide more sanctuaries or better optimize existing ones.

“I think what our program has really done a good job of is bridging the gap between the landowners and science, right, and the landowners and policy,” he said. “A lot of people don’t understand how hunting regulations are made and the process on it. For a long, long time, they were kept out of that circle. Nowadays, there’s so many more communication opportunities and educational opportunities for us to teach people about what the data says.”

His findings have even been used to guide policy decisions both at a state level and in Washington, D.C. — policy decisions that are more crucial than ever before.

The mallard population has declined nearly 50 percent over the past five years, Osborne said, adding that the main reason is the decline of the prairie potholes in the Dakotas and Canada, where the ducks nest. As ponds dry up and much of the land is converted for agricultural use, fewer ducks breed successfully, he said.

With limited ability to control the climate and, to some degree, agricultural conversion, Osborne said it is time to focus on what can be controlled — harvest numbers. While limiting hunting has not been shown to be impactful historically, Osborne said previous data was gathered when populations were much higher.

“I think we need to take a deep dive as a science community to understand population dynamics, the abundance of ducks that we have in the population and how it responds to modified harvest,” he said. “If we reduce the harvest a little bit, how impactful is it going to be?”

As a young generation of conservationists arrives equipped with new tools and technologies, it is important to think critically and be willing to experiment with new ideas, he said.

“We’re going to keep fighting from the policy standpoint to provide the data [landowners] need so maybe additional funding can come for the farmers to help them manage their lands,” he said. “We’re going to keep fighting for trying to increase and understand the mechanisms that are impacting ducks so we can try to increase their populations again, and I’m going to keep on putting all my energy into students so we can have waterfowl managers all over the country.”

When you walk into the Robinson Nursing & Rehabilitation Center you will feel a comfortable atmosphere different from any other facility you have visited. We feature tall ceilings and an open floor plan. We have a lovely dining room and a covered outdoor patio area.

When you walk into the Robinson Nursing & Rehabilitation Center you will feel a comfortable atmosphere different from any other facility you have visited. We feature tall ceilings and an open floor plan. We have a lovely dining room and a covered outdoor patio area.

We specialize in short-term rehabilitation and long-term care services. The short-term rehabilitation area has its own dining area and day room. From the moment you enter our facility, we want you to experience the difference our facility has to offer. From our light-filled day areas to our beautiful outdoor areas, we want you and your loved one to feel comfortable and safe when staying with us. You will also notice the pride we take in our facility by keeping our building sparkling clean from the inside out.

We specialize in short-term rehabilitation and long-term care services. The short-term rehabilitation area has its own dining area and day room. From the moment you enter our facility, we want you to experience the difference our facility has to offer. From our light-filled day areas to our beautiful outdoor areas, we want you and your loved one to feel comfortable and safe when staying with us. You will also notice the pride we take in our facility by keeping our building sparkling clean from the inside out.

Our team is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment. Robinson Nursing and Rehab offers modern conveniences in a gracious setting. We provide daily planned activities led by certified activity directors, like social events and outings and pastoral services with spiritual care for all religions. We strongly encourage family participation in group activities, meals and celebrating family birthdays and special days.

Our team is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment. Robinson Nursing and Rehab offers modern conveniences in a gracious setting. We provide daily planned activities led by Certified Activity Directors, like social events and outings and pastoral services with spiritual care for all religions. We strongly encourage family participation in group activities, meals and celebrating family birthdays and special days.

To help you plan your visits, we provide a monthly event calendar and a monthly meal planner. Robinson Nursing and Rehab does not have set visiting hours. We view this facility as the “home” of each resident.

To help you plan your visits, we provide a monthly event calendar and a monthly meal planner. Robinson Nursing and Rehab does not have set visiting hours. We view this facility as the “home” of each resident.

We try our best to communicate with patients and families to help alleviate the anxiety that accompanies this journey. Our team of nurses, therapists and support staff work closely together to develop a plan based on the individual needs of each person. We recognize that rehabilitation involves not only the patient but the entire family.

We try our best to communicate with patients and families to help alleviate the anxiety that accompanies this journey. Our team of nurses, therapists and support staff work closely together to develop a plan based on the individual needs of each person. We recognize that rehabilitation involves not only the patient, but the entire family.

murder mystery Crime Maybe a

By SARAH RUSSELL

Maybe there is a crime here. Maybe not. There is a clear beginning to this case — and an ending, of sorts. It is in the middle that the mystery persists.

Struggle was a constant in the life of 47-year-old Jamie Valdez. His early life was one of children raising children while his divorced mother worked three jobs to provide for the five of them. Nothing really got easier with her subsequent marriages. Substance and physical abuse just moved in with each new man.

On nights that turned violent, Shawn Claiborne, the oldest, gathered her siblings together like a little covey, and off into the dark they would go. Once they found a place for the night, Claiborne read to the children, comforting them to sleep as they lay around her. Later, Valdez would read to his own little girl, although reading did not come easy for him. By middle school, the domino effect his dyslexia had on his grades and his self-esteem led to him leaving school.

It was after Claiborne left for college that Valdez’s lifelong struggle with drugs began. The habit beat him down through homelessness and jail, but he always took responsibility for the choices he had made. His resilience and his stints in rehab kept him alive, but the beast always came back.

vacations,” a euphemism for times he was gone, the implication that he was cheating. The family sensed trouble in paradise.

Anna was partially correct: Jamie did often leave, but it was to see his daughter. He also left when things got stormy at home, a residual coping mechanism he learned growing up. Nevertheless, Anna’s jealousy intensified, leading him to apologize for momentarily deactivating his Facebook or abruptly ending their calls so as not to upset her.

The couple moved into the Booneville home of Anna’s mother, whose health was deteriorating. Three is a crowd, as they say, but this was double that. There were also two children and their father, Anna’s brother, a man who had done seven years for kidnapping and attempted murder.

Finally, Valdez appeared to gain the upper hand — one year sober, one month married and had just received a promotion at work. He and his new wife, Anna, made their vows contingent on his sobriety, but now hers began to be in question as Jamie saw signs he knew all too well. The situation came to a head the day he walked in on her doing drugs with an ex-boyfriend.

Instead of being repentant, Anna lashed back, questioning his fidelity. There were frequent posts about “Jamie’s

Between both of them working, Anna going to school and the couple caring for her mother, the newlyweds’ schedules rarely coordinated. That was why, on June 9, 2021, Jamie was excited to have some time with her, but when the phone rang, Anna readily agreed to go into work. An argument ensued.

Jamie cooled off a while before showing up at her workplace to talk. By her own account, she angrily told him to pack his things and leave. It was also from Anna that police learned Jamie allegedly went back to the house, packed some clothes, and said he was going to the town of Ozark.

Eight days later, June 17, 2021, a blue 2010 Chevrolet Equinox was found off a dirt road in Sugar Grove southwest of Booneville, the opposite direction of Ozark. The man who found the Chevy was correct in thinking it belonged to Anna. Soon, the Booneville Police Department arrived at the scene to find questions but no answers.

Written on the dusty car was a plea: “Help me. He is near,” a cryptic message that pranksters would eventually admit to writing. The locked car had the driver’s seat extended right up to the steering wheel, a large tear in the upholstery next to the gearshift. That, Anna said, was new.

Inexplicably the engine had been dismantled, Claiborne later theorizing that it might have been an attempt to erase the GPS.

Yet there were no signs of a weapon nor blood visible on the interior

or exterior of the vehicle. Jamie’s keys, wallet and new phone were gone. Maybe there was a crime, maybe not, but there was definitely a missing persons case.

Anna, who had Jamie’s old phone, allowed a third party access to it. Jamie had indeed backed up the old phone to the new on iCloud, allowing the last location to be revealed nearby.

Time passed. Then a woman, self-described as a former co-worker of Jamie’s, told Claiborne she ran into him at an Ozark gas station approximately June 12. He had been staying at a motel across the way, she said, but told her he was heading back to Booneville. The story could not be verified, however, because surveillance video at the gas station and motel had since been recorded over. Claiborne also found no motel registration for him.

Then there is the wood chipper — a $20 must-sell-today post on Anna’s Facebook Marketplace. It was a fast sale, and Claiborne now moved fast, as well, straight to the man who had bought it. The retired police officer told her he would be happy to hand over the bone fragments the flawlessly working machine had just spit out.

To date, even Othram, the renowned genetic forensics company in Texas, has not been able to determine if the fragments, smaller than a penny, are human bone, but forensic science is exponentially developing. On the strand of hair found in the wood chipper, however, the lab was definitive: It was female.

That raised eyebrows. Local woman Thorina Watson had disappeared just a year before Jamie. Watson, coincidentally, was last seen on the same road where Jamie’s vehicle was found. In neither case had there been any signs of life since the day each disappeared, and Watson’s daughters, like Jamie’s siblings, do not believe she willingly left them.

Jamie’s daughter, then 15 years old, was Jamie’s true north star, the child he always read to. Despite that, he never contacted her, even though he was supposedly leaving Booneville to go to Ozark, where she lived. That alone makes everything about the situation suspicious and, in his family’s mind, rules out that he is on a “Jamie vacation” of any kind. Her high school graduation came and went without her father present, and as the young woman approaches her college graduation, the family has quietly accepted he will not be there.

Anna is now a woman living in limbo. Legally neither a widow nor a divorcee, she is a woman with relationships, one gossip said began within weeks of Jamie’s disappearance. The unflattering visuals, however, are nowhere near proof of guilt.

Initially cooperative with

Bone fragments were found in a wood chipper but have yet to be confirmed to be human.

?police, Anna stopped talking to authorities when asked to take a polygraph test. Her brother, meanwhile, has never cooperated in the investigation. Those facts mean, justified or not, the duo will likely be targets of speculation until it is clear what happened to Jamie. Anna, now withdrawn from law enforcement, Jamie’s family and the media, was long said to have believed this was just another “Jamie vacation.”

A search warrant executed at the home found any item that might have forensically provided information in Jamie’s case had been replaced, but again, remodeling is not a crime. The reason for the warrant was not connected to Jamie anyway — Anna’s brother was charged with choking out his ex-wife.

The Booneville Police Department and Arkansas State Police are now in collaboration on the case. Volunteers from the Logan County Sheriff’s Department have also joined their searches, some held recently. The Facebook page James “Jamie” Valdez Missing offers a tipline for those who are reluctant to share information directly with law enforcement.

In addition, a reward is also being offered and Episode 363 of the podcast The Vanished contains interviews with Claiborne and her sister Nicole. Additional information about the case has also come out, some of which is quite chilling, such as rumors Claiborne has heard that Jamie’s remains are scattered all over the Sugar Grove area.

Jamie Valdez was more than just another struggling addict. People remember how his from-the-core laughter would draw people across a room to him, and his warm hugs were known to set anything right. His big heart, maybe best revealed in how, when homeless, he offered up the last of his money to feed a friend’s children, held hope for his marriage and one day becoming a father again.

This may be a crime; it may not be. The beginning of Jamie’s story is told, the ending most hoped for has faded, but the middle — that is where the truth is as elusive as his whereabouts or the details about how he got there. Many a morning, Claiborne brought her covey back home safely. Now the children who braved the night together just want to bring Jamie in from the dark one last time.

SHERWOOD

We are devoted to providing high quality care which celebrates the dignity and grace of every person who enters our facility.

At Sherwood Nursing and Rehab we are committed to providing the highest quality of patient care. Our qualified staff is here giving support for the tasks of day-to-day living, allowing for the enjoyment of more pleasant and carefree activities.

We specialize in Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care services.

Phone: 501.834.9960 Fax: 501.834.5644

Rehabilitative

diamonds Joey Lauren Adams

Many people know Joey Lauren Adams for her throaty voice, impeccable wit and prominent roles in comedy films such as Dazed and Confused, Mall Rats, and Chasing Amy. Far fewer may be aware the star grew up in North Little Rock and now resides in Hot Springs, where she is working toward opening a new restaurant and hotel. With big dreams for Spa City, it is clear the Arkansas native is making an incredible impact on her home state, just as she did in cinema.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO BUILD A HOTEL AND RESTAURANT IN HOT SPRINGS?

We’re restoring two historic buildings. The one we’re working on now will be a restaurant. Once that’s up and running, we’ll start next door on the hotel.

WHICH OF YOUR FILMS DID YOU ENJOY WORKING ON THE MOST AND WHY?

Probably Dazed and Confused. It was my first film, and Rick Linklater is such a talented and calm director. He definitely showed all of us how a film set should and could be. I made lifelong friends, along with some amazing memories hanging out in Austin, [Texas], in the early ‘90s — it was such a cool city. Also, it’s exactly how I grew up in NLR.

IF JAY AND SILENT BOB CAME TO HOT SPRINGS, WHERE WOULD THEY HANG OUT?

At the Alon Kwik Stop on Albert Pike.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN HOT SPRINGS?

Mainly the people. They’re laid back and witty and a little weird — but most importantly, it seems like the town as a whole doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s a humor that permeates. I’m going to like it even more when Heights Corner Market opens.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM ROLE?

I’d like to be in a Western — but not the “hooker with a heart of gold” character. I’ve been doing that since I was 8 and played Mary Magdalene in the church play.

The monthly “Diamonds” feature shares the lives and views of a diverse roster of proud Arkansans who are doing amazing things and are outstanding representatives of the Natural State. To nominate someone, email dwain@aymag.com.

we changing lives

Twenty-year-old Grace Glasbrenner has a rare seizure disorder and suffered from debilitating seizures for most of her life – at times as many as 100 a day. She and her family sought a wide variety of treatments, including deep brain stimulation at the Mayo Clinic. Nothing worked until UAMS Health neurologist and epilepsy specialist Dr. Sisira Yadala admitted Grace to the hospital in June of 2024 and used advanced artificial intelligence software to track and analyze her brainwaves, allowing Dr. Yadala to finetune the stimulator settings and eliminate the seizures. Grace has now been seizure-free for a year and a half.

“It’s a miracle. My life is better now that I don’t have to worry about seizures. I can do the things I like.” – Grace Glasbrenner, Little Rock

Not mass-produced health care. Curated care.

Conway Regional is central Arkansas' trusted provider of bariatric surgery, o ering the rst DaVinci robotic-assisted bariatric program in Arkansas that combines advanced technology and specialized expertise to support lasting weight loss. With a new law requiring private health insurance plans in Arkansas to cover bariatric surgery, more patients now have access to care designed for long-term success through our nationally accredited program. See what curated care looks like for you.