First Thursday in Fayetteville is tomorrow, and there’s lots of fun in store from 5:30-9p!

• Represent local: The theme for the First Thursday in July is “Ozark Oasis.” There will be a splash zone for the kids, free yoga on the Town Center terrace, over 40 art vendors, and a pop-up woven waterfall, and a slow roll community bike ride. The afternoon will be filled with live music from local artists as well.
• Food & drink: As always, food trucks and the bars and restaurants downtown will be ready to serve with the Outdoor Refreshment Area allowing patrons to carry and consume adult beverages in designated cups within the downtown district. Food Loops will also be present to keep First Thursday a zero-waste event.

Click HERE for more info. 

How did a rare, original print of the US Constitution get to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art at the new exhibition We the People: The Radical Notion of Democracy? Find out with DWTN NOW.

• Hear the story: Watch the full episode of DWTN NOW: ART FOR ALL on Saturday, July 9 at 5p on KNWA, or check it out now on YouTube. In the episode, you’ll get to explore a home base for music called House of Songs, merge the business of art and the art of business at The Improv Lab, and tour several downtown galleries on the show.
• Community first: DWTN NOW is a storytelling platform produced by the non-profit Downtown Bentonville Incorporated. Its mission is to ensure a sense of excitement, belonging, and understanding for all in Bentonville and the NWA region.

Visit DWTN NOW to learn more, HERE.

Heartland Forward released a report presenting data, insights, and strategies for creating a strong and resilient healthcare workforce in the heartland. 

• A region’s role: Heartland Forward resolves that the pandemic created a universal healthcare crisis that needs to be addressed, and “fast-growing cities present unique opportunities to contribute to community vitality while seeking new and promising ways to grow its healthcare ranks.”
• Challenges & Solutions: The researchers focused on ten specific occupations that characterize the challenges regions like NWA are facing and solutions they are trying. The report mentions four challenges: Awareness, Education, Incentive, and Pipeline. Based upon the report, NWA employees about 90% of healthcare workers available locally but the demand is expected to rise.

Read the full report HERE. 

Due to a new planning grant, the University of Arkansas' vision of becoming the preeminent university in smart mobility is becoming more real. 

• A better way: Smart mobility is a mode of autonomous, electrified, interconnected, and shared transportation that will alter how we move goods to people. The U of A is looking at how to engage in smart mobility innovation to transform traditional supply chains and change how we travel, shop, work, and build. 
• Backed efforts: The University's targeted smart mobility innovation areas include next-generation vehicles, unmanned aerial mobility, and artificial intelligence for smart mobility. The U of A has all the critical components to become the epicenter of smart mobility for education. The planning grant will elevate the University's existing capacity and promote its success. 

Read the full story HERE.