The Walton Arts Center is celebrating its 29th anniversary with its “My Walton Arts Center” campaign and wants you to submit a favorite memory or experience to commemorate three incredible decades in the NWA area.

Worth 1,000 words: The year-long campaign aims to collect memories from patrons, volunteers, staff, artists, and partners over the past 30 years. “We have been part of the cultural fabric of Northwest Arkansas for nearly three decades,” said Peter B. Lane, president and CEO of Walton Arts Center.

All memories welcome: The event center asks people to call 479-571-2702 and leave their name, the city they are calling from, and a Walton Arts Center memory or experience.

Find more information HERE.

Arvest Bank will be joining forces with a Federal Reserve Bank program designed to equip financial institutions with instant payment services 24/7.

Say more: This new pilot program, FedNow, was created to give banks and financial institutions, both big and small, access to safe, real-time payment processing infrastructure. This means customers will be able to send instant payments and recipients can have full access to funds within seconds.

Quote: “Instant payments have vast benefits for both consumer and business customers. That includes convenience, more control of funds in the form of quicker access to earned pay, improved cash flow and predictability for businesses," said Tristan Thompson, Payments Strategy Director for Arvest Bank

The program is expected to launch in 2023 and be deployed in phases. For more on how this works, visit HERE.

Artists 360, a program that aims to provide artists from the NWA area with a "platform to succeed and grow", has been renewed and approved for two new rounds of artists!

What is it? Artists 360 was founded in 2018, and over the last three years regional artists from all disciplines have been selected to receive professional development training and have been awarded grants totaling $342,000.

Doubling Down: With the support of the Walton Family Foundation, the next phase of Artists 360 will include $600,000 worth of grants awarded directly to artists, including both professional artists and student artists. 

Read the official statement HERE.

Mother's May - Walmart stores across the state (and country) are planning to host ‘Mother’s May Markets’ in select NWA cities from May 6 to May 9 to celebrate mothers not only for a day, but the entire month!

Mother, may I: Select stores will transform their outdoor atmospheres into a “free, outdoor market where families can gather, explore and create handmade crafty gifts like egg carton flowers, fingerprint magnets, popsicle stick photo frames and more.” Families will also receive a complimentary family photo.

The specifics: The event will run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day, groups will be limited to six people, and some of the markets will be first-come, first-served. Others will require a free reservation.

Participating stores in NWA include multiple locations in Fayetteville and Rogers. More info can be found HERE.

Today, Rogers City Council will be proposing a new entertainment district for the downtown area - the “Railyard Entertainment District”.  

Quote: “We’ve been working on the Railyard Park for several years now, and as soon as the Arkansas legislature allowed for entertainment districts to be formed in Arkansas. It just makes sense that people can have a drink and then walk over to a concert,” said Raymond Burns, CEO of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce.

None shall pass: The proposed boundaries for the district are set to run from Chestnut street to Cherry street. Within the boundaries, you’ll be able to carry drinks from participating bars, breweries, or restaurants so you won't have to do the awkward chug-and-exit when it's time to go.

Local brewery, Ozark Beer Co is pumped - we're "super excited it’s a big piece of the overall transformation that’s taken place since we’ve been here." You can read the full article HERE.