Strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry picking season is upon us. Traditionally beginning around the end of April or mid-May in Northwest Arkansas and running through July.

• Off the bush: Local “u-pick”, or Pick Your Own (PYO) farms are open and ready for pickin’! Strawberries are ripe at McGarrah Farms in Pea Ridge, and blackberries will be ready soon at the patch in Lowell. The Reagan Family Farm in Fayetteville grows strawberries and blueberries for picking, and The Berry Farm in Bentonville will have blueberries come June.
• Pre-picked: Want the taste with no hassle? Several locations offer pre-picked berries in addition to PYO. Your local farmers' markets will have pre-picked berries from around the region as well.

You can view a full list of Northwest Arkansas PYO and pre-picked berry farms HERE

Tomorrow, May 18, you can learn about how farmland has gained traction as an investment during a live recording of the Stacking Benjamins podcast at the Fayetteville Library. 

• Talk about it: The show’s host will interview the founder and CEO of AcreTrader, a Northwest Arkansas-based farmland investment platform that is making land markets more transparent and accessible nationwide. 
• Be there: The event is free and open to the public, but there is limited capacity available. Reserve your spot ahead of time and arrive at 5:30p, 15 minutes before recording starts at 5:45p. There will be opportunity for the audience to ask questions starting at 6:30p. 

For more information and to register for the event, click HERE. 

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art just announced its latest exhibition We the People: The Radical Notion of Democracy where a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will present itself this summer. 

• Living history: One of the original prints of the U.S. Constitution will be in the free exhibition at Crystal Bridges and will go on view July 2-January 2, 2023. As the world’s longest-surviving written charter of government, it’s so much more than words on paper, “it is a living, breathing document that affects millions of lives every day.”
• Conversation: In addition to the U.S. Constitution, several new acquisitions will be present for viewing such as original prints of the Declaration of Independence, the proposed Bill of Rights, and the Articles of Confederation. The documents will be displayed alongside works of art that provide diverse American perspectives on the nations founding principles.

Learn more about the exhibit HERE. 

Plans were recently announced for a new, independent hotel in Downtown Bentonville to serve as a “basecamp for adventure” in the Mountain Biking Capital of the World. 

• The project: The hotel is tentatively scheduled to begin operations in the summer of 2024. It’s going to be a 116,000 square-foot project that includes an event space, restaurant, bar, cafe, two retail spaces, and 142 total rooms. It will act as a further catalyst for the economic activity in Bentonville’s bustling downtown district famous for marquee events like First Friday and the Bentonville Farmers Market. 
• Built for all: The event space will have a 300-person occupancy and offer a new option for both meetings and social events in Bentonville. For the cyclers, there will be amenities such as a bike valet, secure storage, and a bike wash. 

For more information, click HERE. 

Tickets for the 2022 Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship and BITE NWA Event Series are on sale now and at their best prices. 

• Food festival: The BITE NWA food festival is returning this year as an expanded three-event series throughout the region kicking off with a one-night event in downtown Rogers on Friday, July 29. The second event will be Sept. 1 in Springdale, and the series will conclude with the return of the BITE Experience @ the LPGA Sept. 23-25.
• Tickets: There are $35 tickets available for the July 29 and September 1 BITE NWA events and $45 daily tickets for the BITE Experience @ the LGPA, which include food and drink samples from local restaurants along with general tournament access.

Click HERE for BITE NWA tickets and HERE for NWA Championship tickets.