This summer, Arkansas Children's will begin an enormous clinical expansion project, investing nearly $318m into construction projects across Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock and Arkansas Children's Northwest in Springdale.

• Building out: The system-wide expansion plan includes recruiting over 100 new providers and 400 new team members, building and remodeling facilities, increasing bed capacity, adding an ambulatory surgery center, redesigning clinical spaces to promote multidisciplinary care, and creating an inviting and accessible campus experience.
• Forward-thinking: Further schematic details will be released this fall, and the expansion is projected to take over eight years to roll out as the hospital prepares to enter its next chapter with greater accessibility, resources, and deepened commitment to providing Arkansas with cutting-edge pediatric care.

Learn more about the expansion project HERE.

The Benton County Sheriff's Cup Cocktail Event and Golf Tournament are back for the 3rd year, organized by L.E.A.P. NWA, which provides protective equipment for local law enforcement and offers financial & medical assistance for officers and their families during times of need.

• Thanks to our sponsors: Sponsors and tournament players are invited to a Cocktail Event on Sunday, Jun 11, from 6-9p, including hors d'oeuvres from Carmelita's Modern Mexican Cuisine, auctions and raffles, live music from Bullet Proof Band, and fun with Ozark Axe Throwing.
• On the green: The Charity Golf Event at Pinnacle Country Club on Monday, Jun 12, will be a 4-man scramble format with 8a and 1p flight times, lunch provided by Whole Hog Cafe, and prizes will be awarded for 1st and 2nd place in each flight, hole-in-ones, closest to pins, longest drives, and more.

Purchase sponsorship packages and register for the Golf Tournament HERE.

The Walton Family Foundation has offered a $34m grant to Opera in the Ozarks to design and construct a new theater in Eureka Springs, intended to continue attracting the best of a new generation of aspiring singers and musicians.

• Music mecca: Opera in the Ozarks started as a summer camp in 1950, offering students from a variety of backgrounds access to music education, and has evolved into one of the nation's foremost opera training programs with notable alums like Latonia Moore, Leona Mitchell, and Mark Delavan – all of whom have performed at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera House.
• Rising up: Besides a new 300-seat theater, the facility will feature a lobby for guests, an expanded costume shop, and faculty housing with multi-unit cabins. Construction begins this month and is set for completion in mid-2025.

Learn more about Opera in the Ozarks HERE.

Two-day bluegrass festival FreshGrass | Bentonville is coming to The Momentary in Bentonville, May 19-20, featuring a knockout lineup of bluegrass and roots favorites like Caamp, four-time Grammy Award-nominated Elle King, three-time Grammy Award-winner Mavis Staples, and many more.

• Music and more: The Momentary's multiple outdoor stages, courtyards, and galleries will host performances, art exhibits, and FreshScores, films set to original live music. Local callers will lead square dances in the Tulip Barn each night.
• Pickin' circle: Family-friendly activities will be available throughout the festival, as well as lively workshops for learning instruments and bluegrass techniques, so bring your banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandoline, or spoon and washboard and be ready to join a jam session.

Get your folk on during FreshGrass | Bentonville. Reserve tickets HERE.

Indie Films Artosphere, a collaboration by Fayetteville Film Fest and Walton Arts Center inspired by nature and sustainability, will show this Friday, May 12, at 8p as part of Walton Arts Center's annual Artosphere: Arts & Nature Festival.

• At the movies: Featuring ten films by independent filmmakers, Indie Films Artosphere will enrich your understanding of our planet and spark conversations about nature, art, and sustainability. 
• Ready to learn: The short films span multiple genres, from animation to narrative and documentary styles, and were created by students and professionals exploring how different cultures interact with the environment and the impact of nature on our psychology.

Find tickets to Indie Films Artosphere HERE.