If you've visited Dickson street recently, you might have noticed some work taking place at the old Dickson Street Theater. Demo work is underway to make room for a new outdoor arts project called ‘Art Court.’

• Theater turned court: The goal is to create an art-themed basketball court and public, community space on the site. The site would be managed by Experience Fayetteville and funded by a $236k Tyson Family Foundation grant.
• The project is expected to be completed sometime this fall. The courts won’t be full-sized, but they will be fully functional for pick-up basketball. Local creative agency BLKBOX is working with artists to design the space.

Read more about the Experience Fayetteville and Tyson Family Foundation community collaboration HERE.

This Friday, downtown Bentonville is giving a big thank you to members of local law enforcement. First Friday is bringing the community together with food, music, and even an airplane to celebrate American Heroes in NWA.

• What to expect: Friday evening will be full of fun events. With everything from a patriotic plane to live music, the Bentonville Square will be the place to be on Friday from 3-9p.
• USA! USA! The event also invites active military, veterans, law enforcement, and first responders to a special dinner recognizing their courage and dedication in ensuring a safer tomorrow.

From activities on the square to a VIP dinner, downtown Bentonville is pulling out all the stops. You can find out more about First Friday HERE.

Allegiant Air announced yet another new route out of XNA - a twice a week option to Houston.

• For your convenience: Starting on Nov 19, Allegiant will begin flying passengers to and from Houston for one-way prices as low as $39. Flights will operate twice a week, offering a convenient, nonstop route for one of NWA's most popular travel destinations.
• Quote: “This new route further demonstrates Allegiant’s continued support to the Northwest Arkansas market. Thank you Allegiant, and we wish you great success with this route!"

Allegiant is the 3rd airline over the past month to announce route additions - the others include Breeze and Frontier. Find out more about Allegiant's new route between XNA and Houston HERE.

The Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville is creating new ways for kids in Northwest Arkansas to take an experiential approach to science and exploration.

• Learning space: The Amazeum is built to foster curiosity, creativity, and an interest in science. With a Market, a climbable tree canopy, and a Hershey's Lab there's fun for kids and families.
• One of the many: There are a lot of fun places to take kids in NWA, but the Amazeum might take the cake. From economy to chemistry, the museum is aimed at helping young people experience the adventure of science.

ICYMI, the Amazeum was honored with the 2020 Traveler's Choice Award. Find out more about the fun waiting at the Scott Family Amazeum HERE.

Reducing trash AND costs sounds like a win-win. The Benton County and Boston Mountain Solid Waste District are offering free waste audits to businesses around NWA.

• Reduce, reuse, recycle: For partnering businesses, Boston Mountain will record what kinds of materials the businesses dispose of and provide solutions for reducing that waste and converting it to recycling. The audits are part of a larger goal to grow NWA's recycling systems and in turn decrease trash bills for local businesses.
• Quote: “Providing waste audits to businesses in our area is a crucial step in reducing waste, finding cost savings, and connecting businesses to more sustainable disposal options that suit their needs."

Find out more about this large scale initiative to make the northwest quadrant of the Natural State even more natural HERE.