Northwest Arkansas’s Wright’s Barbecue is expanding and opening a new location in Rogers!

• The new spot: It will be in the former McClard’s in the Pinnacle Hills area and is scheduled to open in the fall with the goal of being fully open by September. The joint has a seating capacity of over 100, making it the largest of the three NWA locations. The large, outdoor covered patio will house the restaurant’s smokers. 
• Smokin' good: Wright’s has garnered national recognition specializing in Texas-style brisket, ribs, sausage, pulled pork, and smoked chicken all smoked in-house. The other two locations are on Main Dr in Johnson and NE 3rd St in Bentonville. 

To learn more, read the Talk Business & Politics story HERE. 

The Tontitown Grape Festival is coming up in August for its 123rd year!

• Festivities: The festival is free to attend and will take place August 2-6. Nightly entertainment, including grape stomping, arts and crafts, bingo, and more, will be free for all who attend. Admission to carnival rides will cost $25 on Tuesday-Thursday and $30 on Friday and Saturday. 
• Dinner tradition: In addition to fun activities, the festival is known for its spaghetti dinners made from scratch by volunteers. According to the website, dinner comes with rolls and fried chicken and costs $12 per adult and $6 per child. 

Click HERE for more details. 

As a part of CACHE's Year of Learning and Outreach, CACHE is hosting Communications Week this week! 

• Art of communication: Artists, arts and culture nonprofits, and creative businesses are invited to participate in a week-long series of free virtual workshops focused on deepening communications skills. There will be 15 sessions led by artists, community leaders, and communications professionals from Crystal Bridges, Pink House Alchemy, the University of Arkansas, and more!
• Sessions: Communications Week began yesterday and will go through Friday with at least two virtual workshops each day. Today, there is a session at 9:30a, 11a, 1p, and 3:30p. 

Take a look at the speakers and register for sessions HERE! 

Based on activity in the first six months of this year home prices have continued to rise compared to the same period last year. 

• Houses sold: According to data from a software platform used by the NWA Board of Realtors, real estate agents in Washington and Benton counties combined to sell 5,610 residential properties through June. The number of houses sold has only grown 0.3% from last year, but prices have risen more than 25% compared to the first six months in 2021. 
• Value and demand: In the first six months of 2022, the average home selling price in Washington and Benton counties was $384,718. The combined value of homes sold in the two-county area through June this year was $2.15 billion. Though home sales slumped in June, demand is still at an all-time high in NWA. 

Read the Talk Business & Politics story HERE. 

Football season is right around the corner, and Razorback fans are full of anticipation after a great 9-4 season. 

• Schedule: The season opener will be Saturday, September 3, in Fayetteville against Cincinnati. The Hogs will then open SEC play with South Carolina on September 10 at home, host Missouri State on the 17th, play Texas A&M in Dallas on the 24th, host Alabama October 1, then hit the road.
• Coach: Head coach Sam Pittman was one of 20 coaches named to the 2022 preseason watch list for the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award and is entering his third season on the Hill. Last season he led the Razorbacks into a strong finish with the program’s first New Year’s Day bowl win in 11 years. So hopes are high for the fall.

Read the Arkansas Money & Politics story HERE.