Fayetteville has been named as one of the top 100 sports cities in the US. Razorbacks, are we surprised? 

• Weighing cities: A recent report compares nearly 400 cities across America’s 5 largest sports. Fayetteville came in overall at No. 95 and No. 38 when compared to smaller, similar markets. 6 other Arkansas towns made the list starting with Conway at No. 169 and Jonesboro at No. 182.
• Methodology: 5 sports per city were weighed based on over 50 categories using The Global Sports Media Consumption Report, which then determined a city’s ranking. 

See the comprehensive report HERE. 

Happy Friday! Here are some things going on in NWA this weekend:

• Evergreen: Stop by and see the Christmas tree destined for the US Capitol.
• Culture: Spend an afternoon visiting the Dia de Muertos Exhibition is at the Shiloh Museum.
• Series: The first of four bike races is on Saturday in Fayetteville, and you could join in the fun!
• Roll: Do you have a skateboard? There will be a Skateboard Jam at the Shiloh Square on Sunday.
• Fiddles: It is the 74th annual Original Ozark Folk Festival in Eureka Springs.
• Celebration: Crystal Bridges will be busy this weekend celebrating its 10 year anniversary.
• Picture show: Fayetteville Film Festival in Fayetteville today and tomorrow in person and virtual.
• Tunes: Find yourself a nice place to dine, relax, and listen to live music.

We'll see you Monday, friends. Bye for now!

A Springdale native won the Musician of the Year at the 55th Annual Country Music Association Awards. 

• Icon: This was not the first time Jenee Fleenor had the most votes for the title, in fact she has won Musician of the Year for the three consecutive years. In 2019, she was the first woman to win the award as well as the first fiddler to have received it in 2 decades. 
• Talent: Fleenor was born and raised in Springdale and graduated from Springdale High School. For the last 8 years she has been Blake Shelton’s go to fiddle player, and has shared the stage with Over Fleenor’s icons like Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton. 

Read more about the local legend HERE. 

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture awarded grants to 3 Arkansas entities for farm and ranch stress.

• Local farms: One of the three Arkansas entities that will receive money is the Division of Agriculture at the University of Arkansas. The Division will receive a total of $99,840 to put towards support.
• For health: The grant will be used to train 16 Mental Health First Aid workers to begin establishing a resource for those in the field of Agriculture. The U of A Division will also create a website for the agriculture industry to engage with mental health experts virtually.

Read the full article HERE.