Spring Festivals

Music

There’s lots of good music happening this week in NWA, but the FFW’s pick of the litter is David Olney. The singer songwriter will play Nashville’s famed Bluebird Café on Tuesday, but if you can’t make that, hear the guy the Houston Press says “stands out like a jalapeno in a bowl of vanilla pudding,” May 7 at GoodFolk. Joining Olney, will be another fabulous Nashville singer songwriter Sergio Webb. Absolutely not to miss. Call 521-1812 for tickets.

Festivals

Three spring festivals are happening this weekend, Terra Studio’s Apring Art & Music Festival, Springfest on Dickson Street and Books in Bloom. And, they’re all free!

There’s magic in NWA and it can be found at Terra Studios east of Fayetteville. Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this magical place will be filled with music and art for Terra Studios Spring Art & Music Festival. More than 40 regional artists will display their work, there will be glassblowing and pottery demonstrations and music by Hosta, 3 Penny Acre, Jori Costello, Victims of Comfort, Darlene and Strange Heroes. There’s no place in NWA better than Terra to take the kids and if you’ve never been there, you won’t believe it until you go. The outdoor sculptures and acres of open space with lots of elves and places to hide are a delight for all ages. Us big kids, too. Go to terrastudios.com or call 643-3185 for a schedule and directions.

What are you eating? Do you know how it was grown?  Are you eating a processed, packaged snack, and now that you look, none of the ingredients sound like something that came  out of the ground?  What exactly is it? 

Would you like to know more about local food? Would you like to grow some of your own food? Come find out how at OMNI’s Farm to Table: A Sustainable Food Celebration, at Springfest from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday in the Walton Arts Center Rose Garden. 

Interest in safe, local food has been growing as rapidly as pumpkin vines in August. Farmer’s Markets are flourishing, and the idea of knowing who grew dinner has resurfaced after almost a century of corporate farming squeezed the family farm out of existence. Recent films such as “Fast Food Nation” and “Supersize Me” have popularized conscious eating. Michael Pollan’s book, “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto,” has sparked interesting comments on the Fayetteville Public Library’s 2009 community read blog. The ever-increasing rate of illness and obesity suggests that our current food habits do not serve our best interest.  

Perhaps you’ve begun to realize that our prevalent cycle of food production destroys both our bodies and our earth, and you would like some help changing your habits. Or perhaps you’ve been a long-time fan of local food, but need help finding the suppliers. Farm to Table will offer solutions. Farmers, retailers, and non-profit organizations will offer information on gardening, raising chickens, farmer’s market internship opportunities, community-supported agriculture and retail businesses and restaurants that carry local food.

The Omni Folk Stage will feature music by Shout Lulu, the Old 78’s and the New Clichés. There will be a Kid’s Tent and a live chicken display. A movie tent will feature short fun films such as the “Meatrix” and the “True Cost of Food.” The event will be powered by the Rocky Grove Sun Company from Kingston. 

Books in Bloom, a garden party celebration for writers and readers, will be from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday in the conservatory and gardens of the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs. There will be author talks and readings by several fiction and nonfiction authors, including Jennifer Chiaverini, whose latest release just appeared on the New York Time’s Bestseller List and award winning writer Jack Riggs. The festival will move to the hotel veranda if rain. Go to www.BooksInBloom.org for a schedule.

Art

April may bring spring showers, but May brings art. This weekend don’t miss the Boston Mountain Potters spring sale on Mount Sequoyah, 150 NW Loop Drive-atop the big mountain in Fayetteville. The sale is from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. Next Thursday night, May 7, downtown Fayetteville galleries will open their doors from 5 to 7:30 for the First Thursday Art Walk. It’s a good time to see the latest at the new Fayetteville Underground art space, the ddp gallery and the Four Square Gallery and do some socializing outside your network. And, May is Fine Arts Month in Eureka Springs and art and activities abound. Go to eurekasprings.org for a schedule.