Happy weekend all! Here are some events we think you might enjoy:

• Festival: The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks is hosting this year's Firefly Fling Festival tomorrow with activities for the whole family to enjoy.
• Tires: Round Three of the Arkansas Enduro Series bike race will kick off in Centennial Park on Saturday. Go cheer on the competitors and enjoy the day!
• Birthday party: The Amazeum is celebrating its 7th birthday today with wool-themed events and activities for all ages. Join the wooly fun starting at 10a!
• Music: Head over to Railyard Live in Downtown Rogers for some great free tunes this weekend. 
• Celebrate: Crystal Bridges is hosting a celebration of The Dirty South this weekend. Expect live performances, artistic insights, and more.
• Bull riding: Professional riders will be in Springdale this weekend for Buckin' in the Ozarks. 
• Running: The second annual Red, White, & Shoe Bash is tomorrow at the Rogers Activity Center. 
• Pups and pools: Get cool in the pool and meet some adoptable dogs tomorrow during an adoption event and pool party. 

Have fun, be safe, and we'll see you next week!

Have you heard of the one-stop wood shop in Downtown Rogers? 

• The wood: Timberwolf Sawmill is a small, family-owned business that primarily turns trees into lumber, locally sourcing, milling, kiln-drying, and surfacing wood from salvaged logs to supply woodworkers with quality material.
• The shop: In addition to perfect slabs of wood, the Timberwolf retail space offers quality tools to help woodworkers improve their trade or hobby, one-of-a-kind wood gifts, and custom services like joining slabs, fabricating mantles and tabletops, cutting live edge shelving, and more. 

Learn more HERE. 

We’ve made another guide for you, perfect for these hot summer months! 

• Summer swims: Whether you’re looking to swim laps indoors, do tricks off a diving board outside with your friends, or bring your kids to a splash pad in a park, there’s a spot in Northwest Arkansas. 
• Take your pick: We’ve compiled a list of 15 locations to get wet and cool off and have some fun. The public pools average a $3 entry fee, but all the splash parks are free to use! Try out the fun slides at the Rogers Aquatics Center, hang out amidst trees at the Wilson Park Pool, or watch your kids make friends under water buckets and fountains. 

Check out NWA Daily’s guide HERE. 

The Northwest Arkansas Council had its annual meeting yesterday and released a new report titled Northwest Arkansas Regional Strategy: 2022-2026 providing recommendations for strengthening the region. 

• Challenge: The report says NWA is being tested by its successes in population growth, job growth, wage growth, and quality of life investments. The report says the primary challenge is housing un-affordability and economic inequality, and the time is now for stakeholders and policymakers to act boldly and preserve the quality of life and affordable cost.
• Goals: The council’s five-year strategy and recommendations consist of developing and retaining diverse talent, bolstering the innovation economy, providing affordable housing, building the NWA inclusive brand, and expanding the civic capacity of organizations to address new challenges and needs. 

For more details, read the full Talk Business & Politics story HERE.