Updating the Scott Family Amazeum
The Scott Family Amazeum announced last Thursday they’ve received a $2 million grant from Walmart. Over half of that grant will go to build an outdoor space with flexible rooms that can be used for events. The remainder of the money will go toward updating the Market exhibit within the museum that mimics a grocery store. The updates will reflect existing initiatives and store experiences of Walmart and Sam’s Club.
Increased Northwest Arkansas Community College enrollment
There’s been an uptick in enrollment at Northwest Arkansas Community College. The school announced that based on preliminary numbers, enrollment has risen more than 7% from the fall semester of last year. The unofficial count of more than 8,400 is also the largest enrollment since 2019. NWACC also counts the highest enrollment of concurrent high school students with more than 2,500.
Gov. Sanders appoints new secretary of Transformation and Shared Services
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has appointed another new member to her cabinet. Leslie Fisken will be the new secretary of Transformation and Shared Services. Fisken will be replacing Joseph Wood, who recently became the chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas.
Rogers Bike Fest this weekend
The Rogers-Lowell Chamber is teaming up with the City of Rogers to host Rogers Bike Fest this Saturday. At this family-friendly event, riders can traverse paved trails on the 15+ mile Railyard Loop or go off-roading on mountain bikes across the 12+ miles of biking trails surrounding Lake Atalanta. After a day of riding, attendees can chill out and shop for merchandise at Rider Village, located at Frisco Plaza in Downtown Rogers. Registration starts at $10, and more information is available on their website.
A proposed monument to unborn fetuses
Last Friday, Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston announced their office is seeking submissions for a “monument commemorating unborn children aborted during the era of Roe v. Wade.” The act passed earlier this year and authorizes the Secretary of State to permit and arrange placement on the State Capitol grounds a suitable monument remembering thousands of unborn fetuses aborted in Arkansas.
The Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission will oversee the selection of the artist and design of the monument with input from pro-life groups in Arkansas. The Secretary of State shall have final approval of the selection of the artist and design of the monument selected by the commission prior to construction. Funding for this monument will come entirely from private gifts. The secretary of state’s office says so far, no gifts have been made to this fund. The deadline for submissions for the monument is Sept. 30.
Beaver Lake Tailwater Race at the White River
This weekend the Riverview Resort and Inspiration Point Fire Association are hosting the Beaver Lake Tailwater Race on the White River. Paddlers are invited to register to race their kayaks and canoes from Dam Site Park to the Little Golden Gate Bridge. Tim Solomson owns Riverview Resort, and he said the public can view the race from various vantage points.
“There are several access points the first one be at Beaver Dam where we'll be putting the boats in," Solomson said. "The second will be at Parker Bottom or any of the campgrounds that have access points along the river there's coming down from the dam. And then also Bertrand is an access point that you could view the racers. Of course, here at the Riverview, we have a large shoreline where people can line up and watch the people race, and then there's another access point that Houseman Access about three miles downstream, and then the final and probably best will be down at Beaver town at the finish line by the Golden Gate Bridge.”
Novice racers will put in at 9 a.m. Saturday with expert racers to follow. A Float of Floats parade will soon follow.
“And anybody can participate in that, they'll have to sign up a course go to paddleguru.com and look for the link for the BLT race on Sept. 9 and they'll be able to sign up there for the for the parade, and they can show up you know at nine in the morning to get signed up and registered you know just check in as you will, and they will be going out after we put out the racers,” Solomson said.
The event will benefit three different fire departments in the area. The public is invited to watch the race as well as to participate in the float parade.
