News

Eureka Springs residents are proud of their diversity, and they showed it at the Northwest Arkansas Pride Parade on Saturday, June 24, in Fayetteville. Local artist Zeek Taylor said this is the third year Eurekans have represented the city at the parade. The parade is huge, Taylor said, and gives Eureka Springs a great platform to show the pride that comes with accepting those in the LGBTQ community...

All hands are on deck for the renovations at Eureka Springs Hospital. On Wednesday, June 21, Eureka Springs Hospital Commission chairman Michael Merry addressed the Historic District Commission about the proposed renovations at the hospital. Merry handed the commissioners a document from Allegiance Health Management, the company that leases the hospital, listing possible renovations...

According to a Eureka Springs couple, the city could be in hot water over its recent water and sewer rate increases. Joyce and Eric Knowles reported that they are threatening to sue the city over the new rates, saying their lawyer Kent Crow delivered a letter to Mayor Butch Berry describing the potential lawsuit on June 12. In the letter, Crow says there’s pending action against the city for the alleged illegal exaction of the infrastructure and improvement fee...

David Bell / Lovely County Citizen Tyson Foods Relay for Life team member Tammy Collins takes a sledgehammer to Melanoma on the Smash Cancer car at the Carroll County Relay for Life on Saturday in Eureka Springs. Her teammates gathered around to encourage her...

Eureka Springs is celebrating its birthday in style this year. Parks director Justin Huss said the parks and recreation commission is working with the city to host a Fourth of July celebration at Lake Leatherwood City Park on Sunday, July 2. Huss said he initially wanted to shoot off the fireworks at the lake, but that has been moved to the Leatherwood Ballfields. Everyone will move from the park to the ballfields, he said, around 7:30 p.m. or so...

The Carroll County Senior Activity and Wellness Center is located at 202 W. Madison Ave. in Berryville. Lunch is served weekdays at noon. Monday, July 3 Glazed ham, sweet potatoes, peas and carrots, watermelon slice and dinner roll Tuesday, July 4 Senior center closed...

Two local residences will be rezoned soon. On Monday night, the Eureka Springs City Council agreed to rezone 38 Prospect and 40 Prospect from R-1 Residential to C-3 Commercial. Planning commission chairwoman Melissa Greene spoke on behalf of Byron McKimmey, who owns the property at 38 Prospect, on June 12, asking the council to rezone the property and saying McKimmey’s neighbors at 40 Prospect didn’t want their property to be rezoned...

The Holiday Island Garden Club named the Holiday Island Community Garden its 2017 Garden of the Year award recipient. B.J. Dennis, administrator of the garden, received the certificate and honor on behalf of the community garden group. ‘It was a group project which should be celebrated by all involved in funding, donating, building, growing and harvesting the benefits of creating a wonderful space for its community to grow,’ Dennis said...

The Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce has a new, speedy reservation system. At the chamber’s mid-year meeting Monday, vice chair John Speed presented the system, called Jackrabbit. Speed said the system allows visitors to search for vacation availability in a much more efficient way, saying he hopes the community is as excited about the system as the chamber is...

The Arkansas Attorney General’s office will have several events in Carroll County on Tuesday, July 11. A mobile office will be set up from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Carroll County Senior Activity & Wellness Center, where the mobile offices will help constituents with consumer-related issues in filing consumer complaints and providing information about scams, identity theft, fraud and other protections...

Good Shepherd Humane Society will have a Lean-To Donor Appreciation Party from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 29, at the shelter. If you donated to this project, you’re welcome to join in.

Lovely County Citizen will host the Citizen Summer Social from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 13, at the Citizen office at 3022 E. Van Buren #H in Eureka Springs. The event will feature performers from Opera in the Ozarks and a silent art auction benefitting the Eureka Springs High School art program. It’s a chance to get to see what goes on behind the scenes at the newspaper, and it’s for a good cause...

The Eureka Springs Historical Museum will host the second annual Eureka Springs 4th of July Birthday Stroll, starting at the former high school, now the Eureka Springs Community Center site, on Kingshighway and ending at Vestal Cottage at 12 Summit St...

Harts Family Center will have a fundraiser to supplement the school meals program throughout July. The fundraiser helps pay for students and families who are unable to pay for breakfast or lunch and who may not qualify for assistance with meals. Harts will provide barcoded scans at the checkout point for amounts of $1, $3 or $5, which you can request they add to your purchase total. The full amount of the funds will go to the Eureka Springs School District...

The Eureka Springs Cemetery Commission voted at its Wednesday meeting to appoint Susan Tharp as the new superintendent and commission chairwoman. Tharp was previously serving as the vice chairwoman for the commission. She said she will take over the duties of the superintendent until the commission elects new officers in January 2018...

HOLIDAY ISLAND — The idea of closing the Holiday Island Swimming Pool for the rest of the season was considered before the Board of Commissioners rallied themselves in support of the amenity during a regular meeting on Monday, June 26. Attendance at the pool and at the pool party has been down in the last two years, according to Recreation Center department head Janice Murphy. ...

The Eastern Carroll County County Ambulance District commission has hired Fayetteville attorney Curtis Hogue to provide legal assistance in the process of pursuing a long-term contract with an ambulance service. Hogue met with the commission during an evening session on Thursday, June 22, that lasted for almost two hours...

Assistance dogs aren’t just born. They’re raised. Berryville native Micaela Motzko said that is one of many lessons she has learned after becoming a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a nonprofit organization that provides assistance dogs free of charge to those who need them...

The Carroll County Historical and Genealogical Society observed the centennial anniversary of the United States’ involvement in World War I on Thursday in the Community Room on the Public Square. Glenna Booth, city historic preservation officer for Eureka Springs, spoke at the historical society’s quarterly meeting, sharing the history of both the creation and restoration of the Doughboy War Memorial Sculpture in Basin Spring Park...

 Main Street Eureka Springs has been designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach...

Photo courtesy of Eureka Springs Historical Museum One building in Eureka Springs that looks very much the same as the day it was built is the McLaughlin Building or McLaughlin Block, which is now, and has been for many years, Crystal Gardens Antiques owned by Mary Ellen Sheard...

Frank Wicks asks everyone to join Holiday Island Community Church in a Bible study on the book of Jeremiah at 10 a.m. on Fridays in the lower level of the Fellowship Hall. The study will run for approximately one hour each week. Everyone is welcome to join...

The Holiday Island Art Guild is planning its 29th annual Art Show and Silent Auction, scheduled from Aug. 18-20. If you’d like to enter the show, check out the guild’s Facebook page for more information. All entry forms must be submitted by July 25. If you are not an artist but love art, visit the show...

Low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to Arkansas businesses and residents as a result of President Trump’s June 15 major disaster declaration, U.S. Small Business Administration administrator Linda McMahon announced. The declaration covers the counties of Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clay, Faulkner, Fulton, Jackson, Lawrence, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Washington and Yell as a result of the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that occurred April 26-May 19...

Finding Hope in Uncertain Times, a Bible seminar for Christians and non-Christians, will start at 7 p.m. Monday, July 17, at the Cornerstone Bank Meeting Room at 907 W. Trimble Ave. in Berryville. Beth Kaffenberger will help everyone receive a clear understanding of the books of Daniel and Revelation, as well as the message on the plan of salvation found in the entire Bible. She has been a missionary in Kenya and has done mission work in Romania...

Eureka Springs School of the Arts will have its eighth summer session from July 24-28, offering two workshops during that time. Dan Morris will teach “Paper mache sculpture,” where students will learn the basic construction techniques from traditional piñata makers to produce a useful vessel or a fanciful creature...

Ton Dees, president of the Holiday Island Development Corporation, announced on Tuesday that the Wolf Wellness and 24/7 Fitness Center is under construction. The wellness center’s owner and operator recently purchased an acre of land in a prime location along an Arkansas Scenic Highway at the Holiday Island Shopping Center. ...

Relay for Life of Carroll County has moved the starting line to Eureka Springs this year. The annual Relay for Life will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at the Old Victoria Inn in Eureka Springs. Community manager Skylar Pannell said the event will feature many activities for both adults and kids...

The Eureka Springs School Board voted at its Tuesday meeting to approve the memorandum of understanding for the Connect 4 program. The program is designed to provide career and technical training to local students through a partnership between the Berryville, Eureka Springs and Green Forest school districts. The courses will be taught in the former Berryville Readiness Center, known as the old armory...

The Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission has a new commissioner On Wednesday, June 14, the commission agreed to appoint Carol Wright to Position 7. The position expires on June 30, 2018. The commission voted to re-appoint Susan Harman to Position 1. That position expires on June 30, 2021...

When it comes to the idea of building a new parking garage in downtown Eureka Springs, the City Advertising and Promotion Commission is taking it slow. Former commissioner James DeVito presented the proposal to the commission on Wednesday, June 14, saying the lack of parking has been the biggest complaint the city has received over the years. DeVito said the city has been fielding these complaints since 1972, when a discussion began about building a parking garage in town...

The Eureka Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission could be sponsoring a new mobile application in the next year. On Wednesday, June 14, local app developer Chip Ford addressed putting together a contract allowing the commission to offer the application for free citywide. Ford said he wanted to have a sponsorship agreement with the commission...

The Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce  is partnering with JackRabbit Systems, which offers a new booking solution that allows visitors of EurekaSpringsChamber.com to search for lodging by travel dates, immediately view the lowest available rates and availability, refine the lodging list using easy-to-use sorting and filtering mechanisms and book directly with an online reservation system...

HOLIDAY ISLAND—The Holiday Island Board of Commissioners spent most of the day Monday debating the pros and cons of purchasing 40 pressure reduction valves at a cost of about $3,000 each. They would be used to replace the original PRVs that were installed when water lines were laid in the Suburban Improvement District in the early 1970s. ...

The Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce is working with a local photographer to host a national photography contest and exhibition next year. Chamber board member Eli Vega said The Ozarks Photography Project, an arts extension of the chamber, is sponsoring the contest. Vega said the photo symposium will take place during May Festival of the Arts in 2018, tying into the city’s annual arts festival...

Carroll House Apartments will look a little different in the near future. On Tuesday, June 13, the Eureka Springs Planning Commission approved new construction at the apartments, located at 71 Pivot Rock Road. The construction includes an addition to the clubhouse, a new gazebo and a playground...

Eureka Springs Fire & EMS is here to stay, and there’s a contract to prove it. On Tuesday afternoon, the Western Carroll County Ambulance District Commission approved its contract with ESFD to provide ambulance service for the Western District. ESFD received the bid to provide the service in April, promising to supply two ambulances with crews on a 24-hour basis. ...

The Carroll County Quorum Court passed several ordinances in quick order without a single dissenting vote Monday night, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some lively moments during the panel’s regular monthly meeting. During the portion of the meeting set aside for public comments, Berryville resident Lisa Price-Backs asked the court to call a special session after the regular meeting to consider a proposed resolution regarding the definition of “navigable waters.”...

Eureka Springs School of the Arts will have its sixth and seventh summer sessions from July 10-19, offering six workshops during that time. Alice McKee will teach “Build Your Own Birkenstocks,” introducing students to the art of shoemaking. Students will design their own sandals based on the popular Birkenstocks footbed...

Submitted photo Boy Scouts from Troop 67 from Eureka Springs cleaned up the Kings River from Trigger Gap to the Highway 62 bridge. A total of about 12 miles was cleaned, which had the scouts and leaders getting out along the river and walking and searching the gravel bars for trash. Fifteen tires were pulled from that stretch of river, along with other assorted debris. A scout mom cleaned up the take-out site at the Highway 62 bridge...

The renovations to Eureka Springs Hospital won’t be built in a day. On Monday afternoon, the Eureka Springs Hospital Commission met to discuss the process of getting the renovation started. The commission agreed to work with Allegiance Health Management, the company that runs the hospital, at a meeting in March...

A free showing of Hometown Habitat - Stories of Bringing Nature Home will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, June 23, at the Eureka Springs Carnegie Library Annex. The film is being presented as part of the City of Eureka Springs’ celebration of National Pollinator Week...

The Eureka Springs Historical Museum will host the second annual Eureka Springs 4th of July Birthday Stroll, starting at the former high school, now the Eureka Springs Community Center site, on Kingshighway and ending at Vestal Cottage at 12 Summit St...

Photo courtesy of Eureka Springs Historical Museum When entering the city limits of Eureka Springs on North Main Street, have you ever wondered what the skeleton of the old abandoned building, right past the Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway, once was?...

The Beaver Watershed Alliance (BWA) and Hobbs State Park are seeking volunteers for the Lakes Appreciation Month Cleanup July 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. hosted at Hobbs State Park Conservation Area.  Volunteer check-in begins at 9 a.m. at Hobbs State Park Visitor Center located at 20201 AR-12 in Rogers...

Good Shepherd Humane Society will have a Lean-To Donor Appreciation Party from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 29, at the shelter. If you donated to this project, you’re welcome to join in.

ECHO Stores are offering music and movement story time at 10 a.m. every Tuesday during the summer from June 20 to Aug. 2 in the book department and children's section. The event is free and is intended for children from babies through elementery age. Store manager Danyelle Harris will be leading the story time...

A special screening of the 2017 Arkansas Governor’s Arts Awards will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at Brews. It is sponsored by the Eureka Springs Arts Council, Arkansas Arts Council and AETN. The late Max Elbo was a 2017 recipient along with others at the awards ceremony...

The Carroll County Senior Activity and Wellness Center is located at 202 W. Madison Ave. in Berryville. Lunch is served weekdays at noon. Monday, June 26 Chicken salad on lettuce, fruit medley, wheat bread and cookie Tuesday, June 27 Beef pepper steak, garlic mashed potatoes, capri vegetables, fresh fruit and wheat roll...

The Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library will continue its summer reading program, called Build a Better World, with Tommy Terrific’s Very Funny Wacky Magic Show at 3 p.m. Monday, June 26. Preschool Craft and Story Hour will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 28, with Opera in the Ozarks performing Jack and the Beanstalk at 3 p.m. later that day. On Thursday, June 29, at 3 p.m., the Lego Club will meet for a new building challenge...