It's like test driving a car, kinda... The NWA Council and Airbnb are partnering to encourage interested, nonresidents to come discover what it would be like to live in Northwest Arkansas.

• Through the Try Before You Buy program, Airbnb is tagging along with remote work initiatives across the US to help remote workers discover everything life in a new town could offer.
• How it works: In efforts to further the Life Works Here campaign, Airbnb will provide members with coupons to visit Northwest Arkansas and collaborate on Airbnb Experiences to showcase the region to anyone considering relocating.

Trying to recruit your out-of-town friends to NWA? This could be your gambit. You can find the full article HERE.

Early voting for school board elections begins today in multiple districts across Northwest Arkansas. There are several seats up for grabs but few contested races.

• Washington County: Your only contested race will be in Fayetteville this year where four candidates are wrestling over two seats. You can learn more about this particular battle here.
• Benton County: Gravette and Rogers School Districts have contested races this year in Benton County. Who's competing for those seats and where to vote can be found here.

Early voting begins today (May 11), and runs until May 17. Election day will be on May 18.

Springdale based fintech company, Teslar Solutions, was selected by FinXTech Awards as the “Best Solution for Lending,” bolstered by its unique ability to “integrate with key systems to provide a single platform for loan portfolio and operations management.”

• Did you say Tesla? No. Teslar Software provides portfolio management tools for financial institutions that aggregate and automate lending and deposit operations. 
• The FinXTech Awards are designed to highlight financial technology companies that can help financial institutions grow revenues, reduce risks, and increase efficiency.
• Back in early April, Teslar was named Best Fintechs to work for in 2021.

You can find the full story HERE.

Another park to add to your NWA rolodex. On Monday, the City of Fayetteville announced its newest community park - Underwood Park - is now open for access.

• The 58 acre park is located on the former Razorback Golf Course and is a result of a public-private partnership between the City of Fayetteville and the Underwood family of Fayetteville. As the city expands south, additional land will be added, bringing the total green space in West Fayetteville to ~65 acres.
• No master plan has been developed for the land yet, but city officials do plan to host public meetings in the future to determine what amenities should be included at the park.

Before visiting please read up on the current condition and how to access - no parking is on site - and know it is definitely a soft opening. You can find the press release HERE with additional details HERE.

While it's not the official start of summer, Memorial Day weekend usually marks the start of summer in our minds, and the city pool openings indicate the same.

• The Springdale Aquatic Center, which was closed for the 2020 season, is set to reopen starting May 29. Located at 1100 Watson Drive, it will be open daily from 12 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
• The Rogers Aquatics Center will reopen June 1 for the 2021 season, the City of Rogers announced on Friday.
• Fayetteville’s Wilson Park Pool is set to reopen in time for the holiday weekend for the first time since before the beginning of the pandemic, and Walker Park will be opening the splash pad on May 15 at 5 p.m.