Eureka Gras!

With a five day extravaganza filled with marching kings, queens and dukes, wild parade floats and masks, to beads, beads, beads, o’plenty flying at you from all angles – Mardi Gras Eureka Springs is alive and wild.  Starting with the Hookers and Jokers Ball on Thursday, leading into the Coronation Ball on Friday, the Eureka Gras Parade (right through the middle of town), the Beax Arts Ball at the Basin Park Hotel, and onto the Jazz Brunch at the 1886 Crescent Hotel – this wild and wacky and FUN celebration is a great way to prepare for Fat Tuesday and the fast the follows.

Along with the Mardi Gras festivities there are the many interesting lounges, eateries, shops, live music venues, and people watching that completes gives a traveler a constant flow of entertainment and new adventures to find.

My explorations started with my stay at the Eureka Inn – Best Western (at the top of the hill) where the staff are unbelievably friendly, the rooms clean and nice and a great mix of classic with new.  Plus the location is great for the “walker” types who can work off the great food and beverages before they get to the hotel for the next gathering.

It’s a pleasant walk down the hill and you are first greeted by some of the lounges and restaurants.  First stop was the Cathouse Lounge.  It was packed, busy, and loud . . . and it was noon.  Costumed revellers, bikers, hikers, and all in between bellied up for pints and great bar food. The service was fantastic and very friendly.

Next was the Local Fare restaurant – but only for a moment.  Very busy, very popular – it was a recommendation from the hotel – and the aromas were out of this world.  But, no time, the parade was about to stop.

I approached the main street area, Springs street and soon the crowd started coming into view.  Crowded on both sides of the street, singing, clapping, and smiling they were waiting for the show to start.  I planted myself outside the Basin Park Hotel, essentially the center of it all. Soon a line up of convertible cars crawled through carrying the Kings Court – waving, laughing and throwing beaded necklaces by the thousands.  Next the incredibly decorated floats came through – all very different and colorful.  Some were filled with dancers, others with high school bands (playing ’80s tunes – I think I heard Men without Hats’ “Safety Dance” – cool), others with the waving court or bead throwing, masked partiers.

Diner that evening was at the Rogue’s Manner restaurant.  A nice calming, incredible restaurant and Inn just around a couple corners on the main street.  Seafood, usso bucco style pork shank, oysters, wines, etc.  in a darkly lit, intimate venue with a lot of character. Did i mention service?  Top notch!

After dinner was the Beaux Arts Ball at the Basin Park.  AS we approached the hotel you can see the liveliness of the ninth floor from the street.  Pumping sounds and flashing lights making it a disco ball in the middle of town.  Inside were tables filled with partying revelers, a great live band, and great ood and drink.  Then the Kings Court came in and soon the dancing and conga line started.  It continued on into the late hours.

For  change of pace the Voulez Vous Lounge is an incredible live music/ burlesque venue (adults only please) that has the high class atmosphere of a time gone way by.  The decor and old style (Vegas style) lounge is impeccable and the place was packed with a happy, smiling, and hospitable crowd that just loved having fun.

As a final, eloquent finish to the weekend, we experienced the Jazz Brunch in the Crystal Ballroom at the 1886 Crescent Hotel. Like a step through a time machine we enter this incredible hotel and ballroom.  Wood floors, chandeliers, huge windows, and art deco atmosphere . . . I felt like I needed my top hat and tux.  But today, jeans and Mardi Gras beads will do just fine.  The food (French Toast from Heaven, melt in your mouth prime rib, etc. etc.) is fantastic.  Top it off with a glass of champagne and A1 service from Dolly and the brunch becomes an unforgettable experience.

To find out more about the location listed see below:

http://www.crescent-hotel.com/

http://www.eurekabw.com/

http://www.basinpark.com/

http://www.roguesmanor.com/

http://www.voulezvouslounge.com/

www.eurekaspringschamber.com

Our website is www.walkmsarkansas.org

Get a Trail of Holiday Lights brochure here, or at any Bank of America, Best Western, Shell Superstop or Arkansas Welcome Center. For more information, visit Arkansas.com/TrailofHolidayLights and check out the official Arkansas Trail of Holiday Lights Facebook fan page.

Co-sponsored by the DHS Division of Volunteerism, the Arkansas Municipal League and the Office of the Governor, the award is designed to congratulate and thank communities for their collective effort(s) to serve their neighbors. Communities chosen for the award will receive signs from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department designating their city as a “Volunteer Community of the Year”. The signs will be placed at the City’s borders. The Division of Volunteerism and the Arkansas Municipal League will present the awards to the winners at a luncheon on January 12, 2012, during the League’s Winter Conference.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Volunteerism, promotes and supports volunteerism in the private, nonprofit and governmental sectors as a means of enhancing the quality of life for all Arkansans. The City of Bentonville, with the help of 36 organizations, reported 11,535 individuals gave 221,462 hours of service to our community. These hours are valued at more than $4.6 million and represent a generous gift to our community.

Opening Day Festivities will begin at noon when The Rink opens for the season. Visitors will be able to skate throughout the day until 4:30 p.m. when The Rink will close to allow visitors to attend the Lighting of the Downtown Square. Following the Lighting of the Square at 6:00pm, spectators are invited to walk to Lawrence Plaza for the Lighting of the Community Christmas Tree and a very exciting figure skating show by the Arkansas Figure Skating Association. Following the show, the Rink will reopen to the public. At 7:45 p.m., the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be featured on Parks and Recreation’s 25 foot movie screen.

This year’s skating season features many extras other than just ice skating. Children have the opportunity to bring letters that will be delivered by Parks and Recreation staff to Santa Claus. Any child who delivers a letter to the Santa House prior to December 15 and includes a return address will receive a letter from Santa prior to Christmas. On December 3, Santa Claus will be at Lawrence Plaza and available for photos from 12pm – 5pm. The cost is $5 per photo.

On Friday nights, Parks and Recreation will feature Rock N Skate from 8 – 9:15 p.m. Free movies will be shown on Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m. through December 17. Ice skating lessons are available twice a week. Advance registration through Bentonville Parks & Recreation Dept. is required for these lessons.

Cost for skating is $5 per session or $3 per session if you have your own skates. For operating hours and schedule of events, please visit us online at www.bentonvillear.com or call the Parks and Recreation office at 464-7275 (PARK).

The story can be found online at www.thunderroadsoklahoma.com, as well as in the print edition.

The magazine notified the City Advertising and Promotion Commission by letter that the city was named a Round One finalist, but now needed votes from the public to win the ultimate competition and be named Number One in the category.

Votes will be accepted at www.417mag.com/bestof until Oct 12.

Along with Editors’ Picks, the Readers’ Choice Award winners will be announced in the Feb. 2012 issue of 417 Magazine.

City publicist, Carrie Groves, urged everyone to vote, pointing out that winning an award in Springfield and Southwest Missouri will encourage tourists from that area to come to Eureka Springs.

More than 60 springs flowed freely in the area, reputed to have healing waters. As stories of miracle cures spread, the quiet mountain wilderness suddenly opened to throngs of suffering humanity, and the encampment at Basin Spring became the center of a new community. It was officially named Eureka Springs after the Greek word for “I have found it!”

With foresight far beyond that of their era, the first ordinances of the city government were to set aside the springs and spring reservations as public land that would be protected and open to all forever.

As you visit Eureka Springs, you will still find these spring reservations maintained as pocket parks filled with lovely seasonal gardens nestled into dramatic limestone bluffs.  More than 800,000 annual visitors join the 2,000 year-round residents in appreciating these lovely spots of solace.

The spring reservations are overseen by the small staff of the Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission, which has more than 1,800 acres of land, making it one of the largest park systems in the U.S.

In addition to the stunning springs gardens, many other public and private gardens make the best of our unusual terrain, and the fact that the town’s landscape changes dramatically with four distinct, yet usually mild, seasons.

Of additional interest to Growing a Greener World is our active farmers’ market and the organic Foundation Farm, www.foundationfarm.com. Eureka Springs is also a nationally known artists’ community. Several local artists, such as Patricia Levine www.patricialevine.com, transform the yield from their gardens into beautiful photographs, paintings, candles and dried floral art. Steven Foster, internationally known author/photographer and medicinal plants expert, is also a long-time resident of Eureka Springs www.stevenfoster.com. And for another twist, there is Quigley Castle — known as the “Ozarks Strangest Dwelling” — an intriguing folk design built in the 1940s which literally brings the outside inside www.quigleyscastle.com

Eureka Springs’ involvement with America in Bloom includes winning our population category in 2006 and awards for Heritage, urban Forestry and community Involvement from 2004-2006.  The community has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970 and re-listed as Nationally Significant in 2005. We are the oldest Tree City USA in Arkansas, and just celebrated our 28th year.

Wild Weekend

The Naturals began their title defense on Thursday, Apr. 7, hosting the Missions and Corpus Christi Hooks in a six-game homestand. The opener did not end in the home team’s favor, as the Naturals fell by a 3-2 score. But the team avenged that early loss over the next three days, notching three consecutive walk-off wins against the Missions and Hooks. Included in that stretch was a pair of extra-inning victories as well as Mario Lisson‘s walk-off homer on Apr. 9 – the first Naturals home game to end in that fashion since 2009. The Naturals played five consecutive one-run games for the first time in team history and finished the homestand with a 5-1 record.

Season of Streaks

That early-season five-game winning streak proved to be a sign of things to come for the 2011 Naturals, who compiled their 73-64 overall record in a roundabout manner. This season, the Naturals put together eight different winning streaks of at least four games and endured four streaks of at least that length. Two end-of-season streaks stand out. As play began on Aug. 25, the Naturals rested six games ahead of the Tulsa Drillers in the second half standings, only to see that lead reduced to a single game following five straight losses. The two clubs were then tied at the end of August before the Naturals bounced back to rip off four straight wins to clinch the division and secure a playoff spot.

Lights Out Relief

The Naturals began the 2011 season with a pair of Texas League veterans on their roster. Mario Santiago spent 2010 in the team’s starting rotation, while Blake Johnson had appeared for the club in each of the team’s first three seasons in Springdale. The two players opened the year in the Naturals’ pen and dominated the circuit over the season’s first month. In his first eight appearances of the season – including a spot start – Santiago posted a 1.46 ERA and held his opponents to a .167 batting average. Incredibly, Johnson was even better. The right-hander did not allow an earned run until May 6 – his final appearance before a promotion to Triple-A. Johnson allowed just 14 hits in 21 innings, recording a miniscule 0.43 ERA in the process.

Later in the season, 21-year-old right-hander Kelvin Herrera joined the club following a promotion from Advanced-A Wilmington. In his first full season as a reliever, Herrera featured an upper-90s fastball as well as an impressive arsenal of secondary pitches. After issuing an intentional walk in his first outing in Northwest Arkansas, Herrera did not walk a batter in 14 consecutive appearances. He walked just six batters – two intentionally – while striking out 40 before a call-up to Omaha, where he continued his dominance with the Storm Chasers.

Over the season’s final two months, Blaine Hardy emerged as one of the club’s go-to relievers. Joining the team from Omaha in early July, Hardy posted a 1.59 ERA in 19 games with the Naturals, recording nine saves in 10 regular-season chances. Perhaps most impressive was Hardy’s ability to work extended outings. The southpaw pitched at least two innings in 12 of his Double-A appearances, recording six three-inning saves.

The Workhorses

Left-hander Will Smith was a fixture in the starting rotation from beginning to end, one of two Naturals to make a team-high 27 starts in 2011. Smith led all Texas League hurlers with 161 1/3 innings pitched and 13 wins. In particular, Smith excelled during the second half of the season, posting an 8-2 individual record after Jul. 1. He strengthened as the season went on, saving his best work for August, a month in which he allowed just nine earned runs in 42 1/3 innings pitched, good for a miniscule 1.91 ERA. That performance earned him Texas League Pitcher of the Month honors.

Like Smith, Chris Dwyer made 27 starts and saved his best baseball for the latter part of the season. From Jul. 21 to Aug. 17, Dwyer won five times in a span of six starts, firing a quality start in each of those wins. He struck out eight or more batters in five separate games, tying a franchise record with 10 punch-outs on Aug. 5. Overall, Dwyer fanned 126 batters in 2011, third-most among all Texas League pitchers.

Salvador Slams His Way to KC

Catcher Salvador Perez began the season as one of the youngest players in the league, a 20-year-old with no experience above A-ball. After experiencing the ups and downs of any player challenged with a new level, Perez had a series to remember against the Springfield Cardinals in late July. Playing in three of the four games, Perez went 9-for-12 with two homers – including a grand slam – and 11 RBI. Just for good measure, he cranked another grand slam on Jul. 26 against Tulsa and earned a promotion to Triple-A one day after that. Perez spent roughly two weeks in Omaha before a call-up to Kansas City, where he has served as the Royals’ primary catcher ever since.

Summer Sluggers

The middle of the season brought with it two of the Naturals’ most productive individual months, as Tim Smith slugged his way through June and Jamie Romak did the same in July. Smith hit safely in all but five games during June, collecting a 12-game hitting streak en route to a .337 batting average and 26 RBI for the month. The left-hand-hitting outfielder hit for power as well, slugging six doubles, a triple and five homers in June. Not to be outdone, Romak hit .330 during July and cranked 10 home runs in that month alone, easily the most by any one Natural player in a month this season.

On the Basepaths

From the beginning of the season, the Naturals showed a tendency to be aggressive with runners on base. That lasted for the entire year, as the team led the Texas League with 205 stolen bases – at least 49 more than any other team. The club featured two of the top three stolen base men in the circuit, as Anthony Seratelli swiped 35 and Derrick Robinson nabbed 55 to lead the league by 19. Robinson broke his own team record of 50, which he had set during the 2010 season. In addition, it marked the fourth consecutive season in which the outfielder has led his league in stolen bases. Playing with Wilmington, Robinson stole 62 bases in 2008 and 69 in 2009 to the Carolina League on both occasions.

Mr. Everything

Stolen bases were just one of many of Seratelli’s contributions to the Naturals this season. In his second season with the team, the ever-versatile Seratelli appeared in all nine spots in the batting order at some point, played 70 games at first base, 25 at second base and 31 in the outfield (both in left and right field). In his team-high 129 games, Seratelli hit .282 with a team-high total of 75 walks, leading to a .392 on-base percentage that also led the squad. Seratelli notched a five-hit game and a four-walk game, and was named a mid-season Texas League All-Star, a body of work that led to his much-deserved selection as Naturals Player of the Year.

Wilmington’s Finest

In the second half of the season, the Naturals got a boost from a pair of 21-year-old players who excelled at Advanced-A Wilmington in the season’s first few months. Versatile infielder Rey Navarro hit .285 with 17 doubles, seven triples and eight homers in 72 games with the Blue Rocks while serving as the team’s primary second baseman. Upon his promotion to Northwest Arkansas, Navarro spent a significant amount of time at third base, a position at which he had only played five games during his entire professional career. Working through the adjustment, Navarro hit .271 in his first taste of Double-A.

Navarro made his Natural debut on June 30. Three days later, right-hander Jake Odorizzi joined the Naturals from Wilmington as well. This season was Odorizzi’s first in the Royals organization following his acquisition as part of the trade that sent Zack Greinke to Milwaukee. Odorizzi dominated the Carolina League, racking up 103 strikeouts in just 78 1/3 innings pitched. The 21-year-old experienced ups and downs in the Texas League – holding opponents to a .254 batting average but yielding 13 homers in 12 starts – but put it all together in his last two starts. On Sep. 2, with the Naturals’ playoff position in flux, Odorizzi took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a shutout performance against the Arkansas Travelers. Odorizzi took the mound again in game two of the Division Series against those same Travelers and tossed six scoreless innings in a game the Naturals eventually lost, 1-0.

Appreciating the Alums

2011 will be remembered as the first season that Naturals fans could turn on their television sets and be guaranteed to see a smattering of Naturals suited up for Kansas City on a night-to-night basis. Former first baseman Eric Hosmer blistered pitching at Triple-A Omaha for about six weeks, earning the call to the Royals as their everyday first baseman. The Naturals’ penultimate playoff hero a season ago, Hosmer never looked back once he reached Kauffman Stadium, swinging his way into the heart of the Royals’ order and mounting a campaign that will likely net him more than a handful of votes for the American League’s Rookie of the Year award. His fellow former Naturals Mike Moustakas and Johnny Giavotella soon followed and entered the lineup, as did Perez and several pitchers from last season’s club as fans in Kansas City finally saw the first wave of talent that exists in a farm system ranked as the top in all of baseball entering this season.

There were also a bountiful stable of ex-Naturals at Triple-A Omaha, who helped that club, newly rebranded as the Storm Chasers, post their best season record in years, make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Once there, they won both their playoff series including a three-game sweep of Sacramento, a club which featured many ex-foes of the Naturals who had competed with the Midland RockHounds against the Naturals in the past two seasons. Down the stretch, it was key contributions from Naturals representing all four seasons in Northwest Arkansas as Kila Ka’aihue, Irving Falu, Cody Clark, David Lough, Herrera, and Mike Montgomery formed part of the nucleus for Omaha’s title team.

A Night to Remember

Of all that happened in the Naturals’ 2011 journey, the events of July 19 almost certainly produced the most lasting memories for those involved. Taking the mound against the Travelers in North Little Rock, Will Smith opened the game with five perfect innings. After issuing back-to-back walks to open the sixth, the Naturals backed Smith up by turning the first triple play in the team’s four-year history. Out of that jam, Smith spun another hitless inning before handing the ball over to Kelvin Herrera, who fired two perfect frames to complete the Naturals’ first-ever no-hitter. In turning a triple play and pitching a no-hitter in the same game, the Naturals accomplished a feat that, to the best of our knowledge, had never been done in the 100-plus-year history of the Texas League.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.