Arkansas Times | April 2023

BLACK TRANS ACTIVIST MISS MAJOR GRIFFIN-GRACY REFLECTS ON OPPRESSION AND DEFIANCE

BY DANIEL GREAR

SUNDAYTRYOURNEWROOFTOPBRUNCH10AM–4PM

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• Group and corporate rates available

• Pet friendly

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FEATURES

27 MISS MAJOR SPEAKS

A profile on Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, the luminous transgender activist and elder who has made Little Rock her home.

By Daniel Grear

31 GROWING GREEN

Weed across state borders, the results of our Arkansas Times Cannabis Awards poll, a Q&A with Robert deBin of Natural State Medicinals and more.

9 THE FRONT

From the Farm: Heat and hydroponics.

Q&A: With Alison Guthrie, repro rights advocate.

Big Pic: A guide to tackling the munchies on 4/20.

17 THE TO-DO LIST

The inaugural lineup at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Nick Shoulders and Emily Fenton at White Water Tavern, "Little Fugitive" at the Arkansas Times Film Series, The Roots at the Momentary and more.

23 NEWS & POLITICS

How the governor and her foot soldiers rejiggered the state's education system to benefit the rich.

By Austin Bailey

51 SAVVY KIDS

Dr. Angela Scott talks autism and access.

By Dwain Hebda

58 CULTURE

Forrest City novelist Eli Cranor is not resting on his laurels.

By Lindsey Millar

60 CULTURE

everyone is clamoring for the pie Michael

is dishing up at Pizzeria Ruby (page 66).

The long, weird history of the Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival.

By Daniel Grear

66 FOOD & DRINK

Northwest Arkansas is in love with the pie at Pizzeria Ruby, and for good reason.

By Brian Sorensen

74 THE OBSERVER

Who said it: Gov. Sarah Sanders or an infamous autocrat?

RUBY RED: Why

Robertshaw

ON THE COVER: Miss Major Griffin-Gracy by Brian Chilson.

use

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artists on

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special thanks to festival friends plaza partners

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food trucks family friendly fun a celebration of arts and more! ArkansasHospice.org/plaza2023 the

Lagniappe

Shannon Boshears Band Silas

THE PAIN HAT

BY ALAN LEVERITT

Itake all winter to spread tons of turkey litter on about 60 outdoor, 120-foot raised bed rows. It is a winter spent stirring in the compost, repairing chewed up irrigation drip tape and finally unrolling big rolls of hay onto the rows creating a deep hay mulch over all of the fields.

Now is planting time. Due to a deadly manifestation of bacterial wilt in my 96x30foot hoop house, I have built a hydroponic system this year where I planted 285 heirloom tomatoes on March 23 in blue 5-gallon buckets full of pearlite. The hoop house will protect the plants from light frosts and I will have a head start on the season. I never really liked the idea of hydroponics. I thought it was kind of cheating, but now I am intrigued. The hydroponic house barely resembles a garden, with 20 small water pumps in 27-gallon totes supplying nutrient-infused water to 285 tomatoes via a series of tubes and pipes. With all the tubing, my tomatoes look like they are in an intensive care ward rather than a garden.

Hydroponic vegetables get a bad rap for flavor for the same reason "hothouse" tomatoes do. The varieties one usually

finds under plastic are bred for fungal and disease resistance to withstand that humid environment. Flavor is an afterthought. In my case I am growing Carbon, Goldie, Cherokee Purple, Ananas Noire and Creole heirlooms in the buckets. These varieties are all flavor and little disease resistance, but I’m betting that I can control fungus and other diseases with Neem Oil spray and a sterile planting medium replacing soil. Life is an experiment but I believe if I plant great varieties and keep them healthy, the flavor will take care of itself. After all this time, I am learning something totally new and that is what has occupied much of my time since November.

Toward the end of this month we will plant about 2,000 heirloom tomatoes outside through the hay mulch along with Ambrosia cantaloupes, cucumbers, Moon and Stars watermelons, climbing zucchini, Kentucky Wonder green beans, peanuts, purple Peruvian potatoes and cut flowers. Asparagus beds, blackberries and elephant garlic are already up and my small vineyard of table grapes is leafing out underneath a plastic canopy that keeps the rain and fungus off the leaves.

ON HYDROPONICS, HEAT AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SATISFACTION AND PLEASURE.

TOMATO FARMER'S BLUES: Bacterial wilt in Leveritt's hoop house landed his annual crop of heirloom tomatoes in blue 5-gallon buckets full of pearlite.

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I try to cover all my rows and aisles with a deep hay mulch before the end of December. The hay mulch creates a petri dish of beneficial soil microorganisms and fungi, and the sooner I can start that process, the better it is for the plants. With the exception of a light stir to mix the compost in with the soil, I have nearly stopped tilling in order to prevent weed seeds from coming to the surface and germinating. The hay smothers whatever does come up and weeding takes up little of my time during the growing season. My aisles used to look like Pig Weed prairies but now hardly any get through the hay mulch. Hardwood tomato sticks are driven into the ground every 6 feet in January and baling twine for plant support is strung in between them in what we call a Florida Weave. By the time spring arrives, all we have to do is plant.

Almost all of my outside heirloom tomato plants are grafted onto a wild rootstock that is very resistant to a host of tomato diseases. The only exceptions are Caspian Pink, a Russian heirloom sent this year by Tomatoman (a commenter on this column) and Creole, an heirloom I found in the Mercado San Juan in Mexico City and saved the seed from. My grafter would not accept them because they were not "inspected" so they will be going into some virgin ground. I try to rotate my crops as much as possible but I still get disease and the grafted tomatoes help.

I have what I call my "pain hat." It is an old, sweat stained slouch canvas hat that I keep by the door and put on as I head to the fields in the 100-degree heat of summer. I know that in a few minutes I am going to be bent over, covered in sweat and — if I stay out long enough — fire ants. I think there is a difference between satisfaction and pleasure. Now in the cool of spring it is all pleasure but by July, the pleasure will be gone and replaced by satisfaction, as I sort through hundreds of pounds of beautiful, fragrant, multicolored heirloom tomatoes.

The BridgeWay is more than a hospital-it’s a place of hope and recovery from substance use disorders and mental illness. With the belief that each person can change and heal, we offer a program and treatment plan unique to each patient. Our outpatient treatment represents our least restrictive and most flexible care options. Our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) offer either day or evening schedules. These options allow patients to receive recovery-focused treatment that addresses a full range of psychiatric and addictive issues while attending to daily family and work obligations. In addition, our outpatient programs provide specialized group therapy for adults 18 and older with specific mental health or substance use disorder needs.

The film explores the remarkable fifty-year relationship between two literary legends, writer Robert Caro and his longtime editor Robert Gottlieb. The documentary will screen at 6PM, followed by the discussion at 8PM. Doors open at

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ON TAKING TUBES OUT (AS REPRO RIGHTS GO DOWN THE TUBES) A Q&A WITH ALISON GUTHRIE.

The Republican obsession with your bits has so far shaped much, if not most, of Arkansas’s 2023 legislative session. Lawmakers scuttled an attempt to loosen draconian abortion restrictions, tried (and failed!) to censor irrepressible drag queens and nosed their way into school bathroom stalls to make sure kids’ genitals match the signs on the doors.

But here’s a paradox: In the face of evangelical politicians’ quiverful crusade to promote procreativity, one young Arkansan decided the safest choice was to shut it all down. Alison Guthrie, 33, is scheduled to get her tubes removed in May. A busy and outspoken advocate for human rights across the board, Guthrie said freeing herself of the fear of an unwanted pregnancy she’d be forced to carry to term has been a revelation, and she wants to spread the good news.

You’re a young, single woman who’s scheduled to go under the knife soon to get your tubes removed. How did this all come about?

I was talking to [OB-GYN] Chad Taylor when the abortion as a homicide bill came out, and I called to see if he would testify. (Editor’s note: House Bill 1174 to classify abortion as homicide has since been tabled, and it’s unlikely to come up for a vote this session.)

FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT: Taziki’s. I worked there for my first job, so I’ve been eating there for 15 years.

PET: Sookie the cat. She’s quite needy and occasionally passive aggressive, but she’s sweet.

I was telling him I think I’m going to get my tubes taken out, this is too stressful, I can’t handle this.

I had thought about it before pretty strongly after Roe was overturned. When the Supreme Court decision was leaked, I was just fearing for my future and thinking, “They can’t do this.”

Surgery seems like a big deal. Why are you going this route?

I’ve known for a while that kids were not a good idea for me. One, I don’t want them, and two, I have a rare genetic disorder. There’s a 50/50 chance I would pass it on. They could be severely disabled, or not.

So I knew I didn't want that, but I never thought I would have to resort to surgery to ensure that that wouldn’t happen. But seeing medication abortion, mifepristone, the chance that it might have FDA approval withdrawn, made this seem more urgent.

Do you think other young women might opt for surgery to stave off pregnancy in post-Roe America?

I think women need to know this is an option. What I didn’t anticipate at all about this whole process was how free and liberated I felt after the appointment with my OB-GYN. The feeling was this sense that no government or law or man would have any say over my body. And it just feels like this ultimate freedom. I didn’t realize how truly oppressed I felt by these laws. And there are other benefits, too. Removing your tubes decreases your ovarian cancer risks by a lot.

Had Arkansas not instituted a near-total abortion ban, would your choices be different?

I 100% would not be getting this surgery if there were not restrictions in place to prevent me from getting the health care I might need.

Have you gotten any pushback about your decision?

There have been no questions or pressure from the doctors, no “Are you sure?” No coercion, not the slightest bit of pressure to not do it. My decision was 100% respected.

Beyond reproductive rights, what other issues are you interested in?

Human rights are under attack. Whether it’s the LGBTQ community, affirmative action or abortion, the legislature is targeting groups of people and I really think that’s unfair and unjust. I’ve testified four times at the Capitol this year against three different anti-trans bills.

What message do you hope lawmakers took from your testimony?

I hope at the very least they saw that there are people who are fighting back and don’t want the laws that they’re introducing. When you’re going in to testify, you know their minds are made up before you walk in the door. You know how they're going to vote. So you're testifying more for the community, to let them know there are people fighting back and who aren't going to stand for what's happening.

So there’s value to testifying even if you know you’re going to lose? I think it just shows people that there are others who care. And if you don’t use your voice, you become an active participant in your own oppression and the oppression of others. The antidote to the anger I feel has always been action.

—Austin Bailey

TV SHOW RECOMMENDATION: “The Watchmen” on HBO, which is based on a real story. I don’t remember covering this in school. How do people not know about this?

BRIAN CHILSON

METHOD TO THE MUNCHIES

FACING 4/20 WITH FORK IN HAND.

BY RHETT BRINKLEY, STEPHANIE SMITTLE AND MANDY KEENER

Look, if the marketing think tankers are going to have us believe there’s such a thing as National Egg McMuffin Day, the least we can do as a collective is to throw the stoners a bone, yeah? While the holiday’s origin story is a hazy one, the once-counterculture annual commemoration of all things cannabis on April 20 has been mainstreamed for the masses, becoming not only a day for 9-to-5 weed smokers to skip out on work early in favor of rolling a joint, but a day for companies to trot out new products — CBD-infused beer, monthly subscription boxes and deep discounts on weed gear. As for us, we’re ringing in the festivities by strategizing around our munchies game. Here are a few local editors’ picks for feasting during high times.

TOASTED SUBS AND CHILL VIBES: CHEBA

HUT

10825 Kanis Road

Have you ever been promised whatever strain you’re about to smoke or ingest is going to be super chill, but it turns out it’s not chill at all, and you’re left with the kind of high where you suddenly feel like … everyone knows? On top of all that, you’re trapped in West Little Rock? Just pop on over to Cheba Hut and get a toasted sub. It’s like Cheers but for stoners. You won’t get any funny looks, and you might be able to convince yourself that you’ve teleported from West Little Rock to Denver. Polish off your White Widow sub with a Fruity Krispy treat — a Rice Krispy treat that substitutes Fruit Loops for Rice Krispies and seems like it triples the marshmallow ratio. You’ll feel as sticky as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but no one will judge you. RB

IT’S 3 A.M. AND I’M FAMISHED: MIDTOWN BILLIARDS

1316 S. Main St.

I remember sitting at the Midtown bar alone one night watching the grill master in the corner skillfully cooking burger after burger, seasoning each patty with Cavender’s, timing the flip just right, topping each with American cheese and building the perfect sandwich to satiate the bar crowd’s deepest 2:30 a.m. hunger desires. I remember wondering why people weren’t asking for his autograph on their way out the door. The Midtown burger might be Little Rock’s most storied burger. For decades people have been seeking it out to enhance their late-night euphoria or to save them from the most crushing of hangovers. It’s reliable, it always slaps, it’s stoner/drunk food at its best. RB

OFF-MENU STONER'S DELIGHT: WHITE WATER TAVERN

2500 W. Seventh St.

Sometimes the effects of THC make us think of creative, if not ridiculous, ways to gorge. Sometimes we add popcorn to our ice cream or mix together Honey Nut Cheerios with Honey Comb and add peanut butter. Sometimes we go to White Water and hope they don’t get mad when we awkwardly place an order for a “grilled cheese sandwich add turkey and bacon and — fuck it, we’ve already gone this far — let’s swap out the American cheese for pimento cheese.” It’s messy, but it’s undeniably fire. Ask for extra napkins. You’re gonna need them. Pairs well with an old episode of "Dateline" and a nap. MK

NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S MEATLOAF: FOUR QUARTER BAR

415 Main St., North Little Rock

Ever gotten stoned while driving to Granny’s house for the holidays? Four Quarter Bar’s Smoked Cheddar Meatloaf scratches the same stoner itch. For $12.50, you can leave the bar with a generous hunk of comfort food worth pairing with an equally generous bong rip: classic no-frills meatloaf stuffed with loads of cheddar then house-smoked with the bar’s own BBQ sauce and slathered with even more cheese, resting on top of a sphere of (also cheesy, duh) mashed potatoes. And if you plan to stop in Argenta for your 4/20 celebration, the Argenta bar will be serving up some themed specials and tapping the Lagunitas Waldos' Special Ale — which Four Quarter pre-ordered months in advance of its release — a super high (11.7!) ABV beast that the brewery calls "a 420-Inspired Triple IPA brewed with some of Yakima’s dankest Citra and Mosaic hops." Get an Uber, y’all! SS

EMBRACE YOUR INNER CHILD CRAVINGS: KALUAS SNACK BAR

4550 JFK Blvd., North Little Rock

Kaluas’ simple picture book menu full of fun, creative, sweet and savory Mexican snack treats like mangonadas, sundaes, milkshakes and aguas frescas is the perfect family spot for an after-school snack. It’s also a place where you’ll find you can indulge your weirdest cravings. You want some Mexican street corn rolled in Flaming Hot Cheetos dust and drizzled with nacho cheese? Kaluas. What about a pickle slice wrapped with a chamoydipped Fruit Roll-Up served alongside Flaming Hot Cheetos, Fuego Takis, gummy bears and mango chamoy gummy swinkles? Kaluas. RB

HIKING WHILE HIGH: STRATTON’S MARKET

405 E. Third St.

If you like to hike on edibles, better get on it. April in Arkansas means the clock is ticking ominously toward The Big Swelter, but there’s plenty of time to celebrate Arkansas-cultivated greenery under the spring sun before it torches everything to a crisp with its ultraviolet terror. Our picks for a last-minute hike spread from this downtown specialty grocery that hits all the sweet and salty notes you and your hiking buddy’s weed-buzzed palates pine for: a hunk of Boar’s Head salami; a sleeve of Anna’s Swedish Thins (orange pictured here, though the ginger-flavored ones are fantastic, too); some fancy chocolate of your choosing; savory dried okra from Snack Affair (dried wasabi peas are an acceptable substitute); a can of Diamond Bear Brewing Company’s Root Beer; pretty much anything on the shelf from Sable & Rosenfeld (though the Tipsy Tapas cheesestuffed sweet peppers pictured here are topnotch); and, if you can get your hands on it, a bag of ever-delectable Wicked Mix, made right here in Little Rock. SS

BY DANIEL GREAR, OMAYA JONES AND STEPHANIE SMITTLE

SHARON OLDS

THURSDAY 4/13. STAPLES AUDITORIUM, HENDRIX COLLEGE, CONWAY. 7:30 P.M. FREE.

It only takes a handful of keystrokes and clicks to locate a YouTube video of Sharon Olds — an 80-year-old woman with small, thin-rimmed glasses and long gray hair — reading her poem “Ode to the Clitoris.” As she stands behind a wooden podium and talks about the notoriously evasive body part, the audience chiming with laughter, she keeps a straight face. Perhaps this incongruity — the tension between the brazenness of her content and the assumptions we make about her based on age and appearance — is interesting enough on its own, but there’s much more here. Olds may use humor and provocativeness to hook readers, but you don’t become a Pulitzer Prize winner and a National Book Award finalist for just being unexpectedly saucy. Olds, one of America’s greatest living poets and the author of 13 celebrated volumes of verse, uses “aggressive intimacy” — as The New York Times Magazine calls it — not for cheap gimmicks, but in pursuit of truth. When she describes the clitoris as a “flower-girl basket of soft thorn/ and petal,” she’s not joking around. DG

THE ROOTS

SATURDAY 4/29. THE MOMENTARY, BENTONVILLE. 8 P.M. $25-$55.

The Roots — superstar hip-hop collective led by Questlove and Black Thought that eschews beats and samples for jazzy, progressive live instrumentation — have served as Jimmy Fallon’s house band for almost 15 years. Regardless of whether that makes you like them more or less, their nightly submission to an international audience of millions serves as a guarantee that they’re one of the tightest and most comfortable groups performing right now. If you’re the type to bristle at mainstream approval, just glance at their credentials, which include starting on the streets of Philadelphia and ending up in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time for 1999’s “Things Fall Apart.” KOKOKO!

— an electronic group from the Democratic Republic of Congo who’s known for fashioning their instruments out of literal junk — will kick off this outdoor gig. DG

HILLERY STONE

LAURA JANE GRACE

FRIDAY 4/7. WHITE WATER TAVERN. 8:30 P.M. $25.

The narrative swarming around “Stay Alive” — the 2020 solo album from trans punk rock icon Laura Jane Grace — is that it was originally supposed to be recorded by her band, Against Me!, until the pandemic came along and separated the members from each other. Why not just hang tight until things resolved? Grace claims that “waiting was going to kill the record and kill the songs.” Typically, I’m a little wary of borderline mystic statements like this that make it seem like art has control over its creator rather than the other way around, but when I heard these songs, their urgency immediately quieted my skepticism. In the opening track, “The Swimming Pool Song,” Grace sings the following words: “I don't know the source of my faith/ But I know I will be full again/ Come on in and take a swim.” Hearing her scratchy voice over nothing but a clean acoustic guitar doesn’t feel like a last-ditch effort to save this song from an otherwise inevitable death. It’s not “a pale shadow of the real thing,” as Pitchfork suggested in their review. Instead, these lyrics sound like they were meant to be presented this way, more high-strung and hard-hitting because of how exposed they are. Weakened Friends will open for her show at the White Water Tavern. DG

‘LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS’

WEDNESDAY 4/5-SUNDAY 4/30. ARKANSAS REPERTORY THEATRE.

ARKANSAS TIMES FILM SERIES: ‘LITTLE FUGITIVE’

TUESDAY 4/18. RIVERDALE 10 CINEMA. 7 P.M.

Produced in a period where the advent of affordable, portable cameras made it possible for anyone with an interest in film to produce one (not unlike the cellphone revolution of today), “Little Fugitive” (1953) — a black-and-white movie about a 7-year-old boy who goes on the run to Coney Island after mistakenly thinking he’s killed his older brother — was so influential that Francois Truffaut claimed in a New Yorker interview that “our [French] New Wave would never have come into being” if directors Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin and Raymond Abrashkin hadn’t brought it into existence. The Film Foundation describes the filming process as one that relied heavily on a 35mm camera that Engel “strapped on his body so he could follow the child around in an unobtrusive way, capturing the real rhythms of his Brooklyn neighborhood and residents, as well as the Coney Island summer crowds, all unwitting extras,” solidifying how “Little Fugitive” fits into the Arkansas Times Film Series’ recent interest in the blurring of lines between documentary and narrative techniques.

Despite being something of a comedy musical mainstay, “Little Shop of Horrors” has a gruesomely cynical premise. In a struggling Skid Row flower shop, an abnormally large Venus flytrap appears out of nowhere. Due to its size and continuous growth, the plant — nicknamed Audrey II — becomes a popular spectacle that keeps the business alive. What the public doesn’t know is that in order for the demanding and swaggery flytrap to stay satisfied and maintain its aggressive ascent toward humongousness, it must feed on human flesh and blood. This leaves the main character, a lowly shop employee named Seymour, madly scrabbling as he attempts to maintain his rising fame while sacrificing as little as possible. Directed by Stephanie Klemons, the associate choreographer for “Hamilton,” the production will break the mold of how “Little Shop of Horrors” is typically produced. Though most renditions portray Audrey II as a puppet, Klemons’ version transforms the character into a human role halfway through the show, pushing the already strangely anthropomorphic nature of Venus flytraps to new heights. DG

CHRIS BAUER

IMDB

NICK SHOULDERS, EMILY FENTON

SUNDAY 4/9. WHITE WATER TAVERN. 7 P.M. $20.

Nick Shoulders and Emily Fenton are some of the finest vocalists in the Arkansas folk scene. The best way I can describe Shoulders’ zippy voice is by comparing it to a bottle rocket, minus the connotation that it’s ever out of control. Fenton, on the other hand, can often be found letting her voice unspool, surrendering to the glorious unpredictability of her vibrato. The two singers and their respective bands are joining forces to raise money for the Central Arkansas Harm Reduction Project, a judgment-free organization that treats drug users with dignity and works “to prevent HIV, hepatitis and overdose deaths in our community by meeting people where they’re at, and offering [their] services with no strings attached.” DG

BUILT TO SPILL

TUESDAY 4/11. THE HALL. 8 P.M. $30-$50.

A little more tuneful and a little less abrasive than Modest Mouse, a little more edgy and a little less painfully sincere than Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill emerged out of Idaho in the early ’90s as a precursor to so many quintessential PNW indie rock bands who aren’t afraid to thoughtfully share their feelings, to be emo but with a brain. They’ve released albums as recently as 2022, but their first three records in particular, filled with messy but never chaotic tunes, have been cemented into the history books by publications like Pitchfork that traffic in music for the cool kids with acquired tastes who aren’t turned off by a little disorder. They’ll be joined by two experimental rock groups from abroad, Switzerland’s Disco Doom and Brazil’s Oruã. DG

‘BATBOY: THE MUSICAL’

FRIDAY 4/21-SUNDAY 5/7.

THE WEEKEND THEATER. $18-$20.

If you’re looking for faithful, impressively professional renditions of big-name theater productions, your first stop in Little Rock might be The Rep. However, if what calls your name is something more strange and scrappy, The Weekend Theater is where it’s at. Their upcoming show, “Batboy: The Musical,” which The Guardian compares to the gothic oddness of both “Rocky Horror” and “Edward Scissorhands,” perhaps best encapsulates what they’re all about. Inspired by a satirical tabloid headline, “Batboy” tells of a town and family who must decide whether they’re more disgusted or enthralled by Edgar, a half-teenager, half-black-winged-beast discovered in a nearby cave. By its resolution, this musical finds a way to brush up against blood-sucking, interspecies romance, incest and sexual abuse, all while maintaining what The Guardian calls a “campy B-movie-style” tone. DG

CONNOR REEVER

AARON RODRIGUEZ

DAVID SEDARIS

MONDAY 4/24. ROBINSON CENTER. 7 P.M. $29-$64.

Even for someone like me who thinks of himself as both a serious book lover and at least an amateur writer, author readings can sometimes be slightly — how do you say? — underwhelming, especially in the case of speakers who don’t really write with the intention of reading their work aloud or who aren’t particularly gifted at the art of recitation. Fortunately, David Sedaris, a hilarious essayist and longtime New Yorker contributor, is the opposite of boring on stage. Through years of experience telling stories on “This American Life,” Sedaris has crafted a persona with a magnificently chatty cadence. Despite being a fairly ordinary person, Sedaris’s primary subject is himself and those closest to him which, in the wrong hands, could be insularly existential or just plain mind-numbing, but he circumvents all of that with ease, casually wringing side-splitting truths out of everyday life without ever shedding his literary chops. DG

ARKANSAS TIMES MARGARITA FESTIVAL

THURSDAY 4/20. ARGENTA PLAZA. 6-9 P.M. $30-$100.

There comes a time every spring when our taste buds, having long grown weary of wintry soups and roasts and casseroles, pine for the breezy and tropical. Nothing sounds so gratifying during a mid-March freezing rain than a limeand-pineapple concoction with crushed ice and a tiny umbrella, right? And for those of us stuck in landlocked Arkansas salivating over friends’ Mai Tai-soaked beachside Instagram dispatches, there’s the Arkansas Times Margarita Festival. Join us at Argenta Plaza from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at Sixth and Main streets in North Little Rock, where you'll hear music from Club 27 and sample margs from the likes of El Sur, Agasi 7 Rooftop Bar + Kitchen, Dogtown Tavern and more. Presented by Milagro Tequila and sponsored by Charlotte Potts of State Farm Insurance, Power 92 Jams KIPR-FM 92.3, B98.5 KURB-FM, KOKYFM 102.1 and Alice 107.7 KLAL-FM, general admission is $30, which includes margarita samples from all competitors vying for our coveted margarita trophy. Food for purchase will be available from local food trucks, and VIP tickets ($100) include a separate entrance and social area with Milagro Premium Select Barrel tequila cocktails and catered food. Get tickets at centralarkansastickets. com. SS

THIRD EYE BLIND

WEDNESDAY 4/5. JJ’S LIVE, FAYETTEVILLE. 7:30 P.M. $39.50-$79.50.

Whether your memory of Third Eye Blind is rooted in slick, falsetto-laden hits like “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Never Let You Go” or more explicitly serious but still a bit schmaltzy songs like “Jumper” and “How’s It Going To Be,” they probably exist in that part of your brain that’s reserved for nostalgically pleasant bands from the past. Maybe nostalgia alone is enough of a reason to go see them play at JJ’s Live in Fayetteville, but I’m convinced that they’re a band with sneaky substance. Try cranking “Graduate” — a heavier-than-usual deep cut — on a moody Thursday night and I swear you’ll be yelling “knock it all down!” and banging your head in no time. DG

HARALD KRICHEL

BRIAN CHILSON

ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS GRAND OPENING

SATURDAY 4/22. AMFA. FREE. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, the massive, long-shrinking digital countdown on the outside of the new, 133,000-square-foot Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts — a building so impressive as to be lauded by Architecture Digest — will finally hit zero. Following the requisite cutting of ribbon, the museum’s doors will open to the public, releasing anyone who’s reserved a free timed ticket to explore the Performing Arts Theater, the Windgate Art School, the Cultural Living Room, the revamped permanent collection — stretching back to the 14th century and boasting work from critical artistic forebears such as Rembrandt, Rivera, Monet and Wyeth — and, perhaps most excitingly, four brand-new exhibitions.

“Together,” on display until Sept. 10, gathers the work of over 30 homegrown, national and international artists to capture AMFA’s “institutional commitment to openness and inclusivity.” Organized around themes of “family, friends, community and our connection to the natural world,” the exhibit takes a kaleidoscopic meander through a diversity of forms, tones and perspectives. Highlights include an immense, stoic photograph by Osage Nation member Ryan RedCorn; a felt, chalk and paint collaged triptych by Oliver Lee Jackson; a massive, meticulous woodcut of sacred domesticity by LaToya M. Hobbs; a colorful, perforated curtain made of silk flowers and thread by Jim Hodges; and an abstract piece fashioned from electrical wires and computer keys by Ethiopian artist Elias Sime.

Gracing the AMFA until Dec. 21, “Drawn to Paper” is a curation of 20thcentury charcoal, watercolor, crayon and pencil sketches from Paul Signac, John Marin, John Woodrow Wilson, Edward Hopper, Elizabeth Catlett, Arthur Dove, Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Demuth, Inez H. Whitfield and more. By focusing on drawings — some of which were done as studies or practice in preparation for later, more polished work — the exhibit has a heightened feeling of spontaneity and intimacy, allowing viewers to better understand the inspiration and process behind great artistry.

Featured in the New Media Gallery — an inaugural space designed to house immersive and interactive audio-visual works — will be “Tears of Chiwen” by Sun Xun, a Chinese artist based in Beijing. The project, played on a loop until Aug. 13, blends an assortment of hand-crafted mediums to create a 9-minute, 7,500-frame stop-motion film that’s content interrogates the ways in which Western culture has been “accommodated, sometimes resisted, and eventually absorbed in different ways throughout East Asia.”

The last exhibit, “Intentional Risks,” available until Dec. 3, centers on the work of Chakaia Booker, best known for devising huge, almost menacing sculptures out of rubber tires and steel. In addition to one of those pieces entitled “The Fatality of Hope,” the show spotlights a body of experimental printmaking work that Booker has received less credit for. Two longer-lasting installations, site-specific commissions by Natasha Bowdoin and Anne Lindberg, will also debut at the AMFA’s opening.

If you’re more enticed by festivities than art, you’re invited to stroll through MacArthur Park from noon to 8 p.m. on opening day, where there will be “performances, music, food vendors, and other exciting events.”

After a week of supplementary, somewhat exclusive events such as Design and Construction Appreciation Day (available only to those involved in the physical making of the building) on April 23, School Day at the Museum on April 24 (visits from school districts across Central Arkansas), Member Weekend on April 29-30 (another opportunity to view the museum in advance if you pay for an annual membership) and A Toast Together (an invitation-only reception for larger donors) on April 29, the AMFA will officially begin to observe regular museum hours (10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays) starting Tuesday, May 2. DG

“Tightrope” by Elias Sime

“In the Night Garden” by Natasha Bowdoin

“Portrait of Chantelle Keshaye Pahtayken & Shay Pahtayken, Plains Cree” by Ryan RedCorn

“Triptych (3.20.15, 5.21.15, 6.8.15)” by Oliver Lee Jackson

OUR VISION IS OUR FOUNDATION

Because the next generation starts today — we keep philanthropy in motion.

Learn how you can make an impact at arcf.org.

A HARD LESSON TO LEARN

GOV. SARAH SANDERS BANKS HER POLITICAL FUTURE ON A MASSIVE SCHOOL PRIVATIZATION BILL. ARKANSAS STUDENTS WILL PAY THE PRICE.

BY AUSTIN BAILEY

The most telling line from February’s whirlwind hearings on the massive school privatization bill zooming through the Arkansas Capitol was a throw-away one, an aside by Rep. Brit McKenzie (R-Rogers) that laid the whole ruse bare.

Searcy science teacher Trevor McGarrah had worn his snazziest red suspenders to deliver tearful testimony about the tyranny of standardized tests and the cruelty of using them to determine the fates of children, schools and entire communities. When test scores reflect a community’s poverty level but little else, using those scores to label schools as failures and to give up on them feels just mean.

“I appreciate your passion,” McKenzie told McGarrah. “I don’t think anyone on this committee would doubt your passion and your love for your students. But you’re in a room with 20 people who are going to decide the future of education.”

It’s the truth. Those 20 members of the House Education Committee would vote the next day on Arkansas LEARNS, the public school takeover and privatization bill

that erases the teacher pay scale, funnels public money to private schools and forces struggling public schools to hand over the keys to unaccountable privately run charters.

Now signed into law, the LEARNS Act will cost the state hundreds of millions in new spending. Little of that will go to strategies and interventions proven to boost student learning. LEARNS doesn’t expand pre-K or early childhood education. There’s nothing in it to encourage or pay for after-school or summer programs. But those programs mainly benefit poor kids, while LEARNS is crafted for a different audience.

Included instead is a massive entitlement program that repurposes tax dollars as vouchers for private, parochial and home schools. Similar programs in other states have shaped up to be welfare for the rich, since the vast majority of families claiming vouchers were sending their kids to private schools already. With vouchers, though, they can do it on the taxpayers’ dime.

The “school choice” agenda does have proven results in one area. Resegregation is virtually a done deal, as private and

charter schools will ramp up advertising campaigns to attract new students and the taxpayer dollars they’ll bring. Families with the transportation, time and know-how to navigate the system are apt to try on these shiny new options, leaving families with greater needs and fewer resources behind in increasingly neglected traditional public schools. Large-scale voucher and school choice programs in other countries (Chile, the Netherlands, Sweden) and within the United States (Indiana, Arizona) churn out the same now-predictable results: white flight and wealthy flight from public schools.

D.C.-style omnibus bills like LEARNS are a rarity in Arkansas, where we usually pass laws a handful of pages at a time. But the 144-page behemoth zipped through the entire process in just over two weeks, faster than most bills a fraction of the size.

Downplayed as an “education overhaul,” this multipronged attack on Arkansas public schools is more of an “onslaught” or an “offensive.” An overhaul of this sort on a car engine would mean sending it to a junkyard to rust. Instead, we’re all co-

COLLAGE BY GENNIE DIAZ

signing on a car payment we may or may not be able to afford, for a stylish but unreliable new ride that doesn’t have nearly enough seats.

Who are the 20 people McKenzie referenced who would be deciding the future of education in Arkansas? Not educators, for the most part. Only three members of the House committee — former high school teacher Sonia Barker (R-Smackover), digital learning coordinator Steven Walker (R-Horseshoe Bend) and former school counselor Charlene Fite (R-Van Buren) — brought schoolhouse experience to the debate.

They might not all be educators, but all 20 members of the House Education Committee had at least a sneaking suspicion that day that Arkansas LEARNS is not a bill designed to help students who need help the most. The parade of teachers who showed up to testify against a bill that would give them significant raises at the expense of their students surely at least planted the seed.

Another hint that not all was on the up and up: Robert Brech, the Department of Finance and Administration budget director, who assured House members the budget numbers work (and maybe he’ll show them how later), was once the lead attorney for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, the Walton-funded nonprofit that promotes charter schools. Brech didn’t mention that as he defended the financial feasibility of throwing hundreds of millions of dollars in new public spending at privatized “school choice.”

Jessica Saum, the Arkansas 2022 teacher of the year, was one of the few public educators testifying in favor of the bill. She sang the praises of pre-K and lauded the bill for what she said was an emphasis on delivering services to the youngest learners. Yikes!

“I’m excited to hear you say how interested you are and that the governor is also interested in early childhood, that’s my passion,” said Rep. Denise Garner of Fayetteville, a Democrat. “Does this bill in any way add funding or classrooms to early childhood?” Garner asked her.

“I can’t speak to that directly. I’ve looked through the bill, it’s a lot of pages,” Saum answered. If Saum has finished reading it by now, she’ll know that Arkansas LEARNS designates not a single new cent for early childhood education.

Legislators on both sides of the Capitol, and from both parties, criticized the extraordinary speed and acute political

pressure pushing Arkansas LEARNS through. While Democrats stood firm against privatizing public education, nearly all Republicans bent the knee. Rep. DeAnn Vaught (R-Horatio), a cheerleader for rural public schools and established opponent of vouchers, cried as she voted for the very thing she’d long fought. Of the 111 Republican lawmakers at the Arkansas Capitol, only six voted against Arkansas LEARNS. Rep. Jim Wooten (R-Beebe), former football coach and dogged champ for public school students, is among the six who disobeyed Sanders’ marching orders. Half of his Republican colleagues want to get on the governor’s good side, Wooten famously told KARK-TV, Channel 4, and the other half are scared of her.

That fear and/or self-interest will pay off nicely for the state’s most comfortable. Within three years, middle-class taxpayers’ money will flow to upper-middle-class families to subsidize the private educations those well-to-do parents are paying for without our help already. And elite private school educations will remain off limits for everyone else. A $7,000 voucher doesn’t cover the almost $10,000 tuition at the school the governor sends her own children to, not to mention the transportation and food costs not included therein.

The public school advocates who trekked to the Capitol and invested full days waiting for their five minutes to testify likely won’t see dividends for a good while. But as Harmony Grove Superintendent Heath Bennett and Little Rock School District Board member and advocate Ali Noland prophesied, these lawmakers will own their votes. They will wear them around their necks and can never take them off, even when rural lifeblood schools close their doors and regular people start getting resentful about paying private school tuition for fancy folks.

Steamrolling a universal school voucher plan into law solidifies Sanders’ status as a rightwing darling. It may even heft her up to the next rung on her political ascent, undoubtedly beyond Arkansas state lines.

But when charter schools continue to deliver socioeconomic segregation with no improvements on test scores, and when kids needing a pre-K spot are still not able to find one because this bill sends hundreds of millions of dollars to private, church and home schools but zero dollars to early childhood expansion, the people who camped out for 12 hours will remember why. The rest of us should make a note of it, too.

We are GRATEFUL to be nestled in one of the most productive trout fisheries in the world...

What’s in your attic?

Get ready for “Arkansas Treasures,” a new program showcasing the wonderful, weird and wild collectibles and antiques to be found throughout Arkansas.

This is your chance to meet with a professional evaluator on the set of our upcoming show, “Arkansas Treasures.”

We’re inviting supporters from across the state to bring their unique, antique and collectible treasures to a two-day taping at the Arkansas PBS studios in Conway Aug. 5-6.

Whether you collect Pokémon or Picassos, our team of highly experienced evaluators will be on site to hear your stories, share their expertise and provide an evaluation (for entertainment purposes) of your prized possessions.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Registration is required to attend the event. Due to occupancy restrictions, walkins cannot be accommodated.

PAID REGISTRATION ($120): Admission for two people and evaluation of up to two items (in total, not per person).

FREE LOTTERY: A limited number of free lottery tickets will be made available closer to the August taping dates.

For more info, visit myarpbs.org/arkansastreasures

THE FIRST. THE BEST. THE ORIGINAL. THE ONE THAT REALLY MATTERS.

TIRELESS: From Chicago to New York to San Diego to San Francisco to Little Rock, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy has carried a message of radical defiance against what she calls "The Powers That Be."

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS

A BLACK TRANS TRAILBLAZER’S UNLIKELY PATH TO LITTLE ROCK.

Before I met Miss Major GriffinGracy — the luminous transgender activist and elder who now lives in Little Rock, of all places — I felt like I already knew her. This familiarity came by way of her forthcoming book, “Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary,” releasing on May 16 via Verso Books, which privileges her sage, truth-spitting and raucous voice. Written in collaboration with Toshio Meronek, a San Francisco-based journalist and Miss Major’s longtime personal secretary and friend, the book is uncommonly intimate, distilled from “a thousand hours of our conversations in airports and cabs and greenrooms before speeches,” according to Meronek’s introduction.

When Meronek (who uses they/them pronouns) first started recording these impassioned backstage discussions about eight years ago, they weren't sure to what

BY DANIEL GREAR

end. “Major had always kind of batted away the idea of doing a book,” Meronek said when I talked with them by phone. “She’s not ready to stop. She has endless energy. I think the idea of doing a book felt really final and like, ‘Now I’m looking back and there’s nothing ahead of me.’” Once their friendship deepened, Miss Major conceded. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no one in a better position than Meronek to have successfully curated this beautifully shapeshifting document, which is a biography, memoir and sacred text brimming with radical wisdom all at once.

The facts of Miss Major’s life — largely unrecognized until the 2010s — are frankly unreal, a careening history lesson in oppression and defiance. The lengthy intro to “Miss Major Speaks” provides a brazen, mostly third-person outline of her story that the subsequent dialogue

enriches and fills out. Born sometime in the 1940s (her driver’s license says 1946; when I asked, she said, “I’m not 21”), Miss Major has been kicking ever since. After being expelled from college at 16 for hiding a wardrobe of feminine clothing in her all-boys dormitory, a tumultuous return to her hometown of Chicago where her parents did what they could to “smack the queen out of her,” and a half-year in jail for stealing a car so she could ditch town, Miss Major finally made it to New York City. She tried the straight and narrow for a second, working briefly in a hospital morgue, until her abiding love for drag won out. Plus, what other opportunities were there for an out Black trans woman to make money? Six months after moving to NYC, she began dancing and lip-syncing in the Jewel Box Revue at the Apollo Theater, where she soon discovered that many of the poverty-stricken performers

dancing and lip-syncing in the Jewel Box Revue at the Apollo Theater, where she soon discovered that many of the povertystricken performers had to rely on sex work to pay the bulk of their bills. Miss Major followed suit.

had to rely on sex work to pay the bulk of their bills. Miss Major followed suit.

Though the sex work was more lucrative, it was also riskier, subjecting Miss Major to even more police abuse than she’d already experienced for merely existing. The consequences of “hooking,” as she calls it, often included short stints in jails and psychiatric asylums, but sometimes those could be avoided when she was willing to turn policemen into clients. “The energy it took to get a cop off was usually preferable to the alternative: time inside some kind of cage,” Meronek writes. To be honest, I expected harrowing memories like these to be recounted more mournfully in the part of the book that focuses on Miss Major’s own words, but she’s just as matter-of-fact: “As a sex worker you knew most of the cops would let you off as long as you gave them a blow job. So, it’s like, do I want to spend a night in jail, or spend twenty minutes and get out of these damn handcuffs?”

Though the sex work was more lucrative, it was also riskier, subjecting Miss Major to even more police abuse than she’d already experienced for merely existing. The consequences of “hooking,” as she calls it, often included short stints in jails and psychiatric asylums, but sometimes those could be avoided when she was willing to turn policemen into clients. “The energy it took to get a cop off was usually preferable to the alternative: time inside some kind of cage,” Meronek writes. To be honest, I expected harrowing memories like these to be recounted more mournfully in the part of the book that focuses on Miss Major’s own words, but she’s just as matter-of-fact: “As a sex worker you knew most of the cops would let you off as long as you gave them a blow job. So, it’s like, do I want to spend a night in jail, or spend twenty minutes and get out of these damn handcuffs?”

Stonewall as this symbol. And at the time we just thought, ‘Oh, I guess it’s just that time of the month when cops raid the bar.’”

Her next major escapade — described by Meronek as a “Bonnie-and-Clyde style trip through the tiny towns that dot upstate New York” with a boyfriend who was good at cracking safes — landed her in the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, for five years. There, she was radicalized through the mentorship of Frank “Big Black” Smith, one of the leaders of the 1971 Attica Prison riot, a four-day uprising of over a thousand prisoners seeking more humane living conditions and rights for the incarcerated. Through Smith, she gained a robust education on the prison industrial complex, systemic oppression and how to lead. “It was mindaltering,” Miss Major recalls in the book. “It was like that epiphany that rings a bell in your brain. Bong! That’s what it did. And so I’ve spent the next forty years trying to find out what bell I can set off to wake up my community.”

Her next major escapade — described by Meronek as a “Bonnie-and-Clyde style trip through the tiny towns that dot upstate New York” with a boyfriend who was good at cracking safes — landed her in the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, for five years. There, she was radicalized through the mentorship of Frank “Big Black” Smith, one of the leaders of the 1971 Attica Prison riot, a four-day uprising of over a thousand prisoners seeking more humane living conditions and rights for the incarcerated. Through Smith, she gained a robust education on the prison industrial complex, systemic oppression and how to lead. “It was mindaltering,” Miss Major recalls in the book. “It was like that epiphany that rings a bell in your brain. Bong! That’s what it did. And so I’ve spent the next forty years trying to find out what bell I can set off to wake up my community.”

San Francisco, where she — despite serious pushback from her boss — converted the neighboring vacant apartment into a refuge drop-in center for trans people called GiGi’s Place, a makeshift safe haven with recycled sofas. In 2003, she joined forces with Alex Lee at the Transgender Gender-variant and Intersex Justice Project, designed to help gender-nonconforming people entangled in the prison system.

Miss Major got so used to altercations with the police that she views the infamous raid at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 — which she was present for and about which she is often asked to speak — as just like any other night: “People put so much into seeing

Miss Major got so used to altercations with the police that she views the infamous raid at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 — which she was present for and about which she is often asked to speak — as just like any other night: “People put so much into seeing Stonewall as this symbol. And at the time we just thought, ‘Oh, I guess it’s just that time of the month when cops raid the bar.’”

And, following her release from prison, that’s what she did. In response to the rising HIV/AIDS crisis, Miss Major organized the Angels of Care, a group of trans folks who served as nurses, therapists and companions to people suffering from the virus. Once she moved to California, she did similarly urgent work, including driving a needle exchange van. This led her to the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center in

And, following her release from prison, that’s what she did. In response to the rising HIV/AIDS crisis, Miss Major organized the Angels of Care, a group of trans folks who served as nurses, therapists and companions to people suffering from the virus. Once she moved to California, she did similarly urgent work, including

TGIJP — where Miss Major soon became executive director — took an explicitly less policy-focused approach to aiding trans people than other nonprofits: “Alex was looking to help them in a way that would be meaningful, instead of going to lobby the state for legislation, because we all know how rarely that actually alters power relationships between police and people on the day to day.” It didn’t take long before Miss Major became a full-fledged abolitionist. “Right now there’s a lot of focus on building new ‘transgender’ wings of prisons,” Miss Major says. “How about a little money to pay a gurl’s rent, or buy her a damn meal?”

Fueled by the fairly recent trendiness of trans visibility campaigns, the next chapter of Miss Major’s journey was mostly devoted to speaking engagements, which she found somewhat discouraging and complicated. She’s endured enough bullshit to know

Being transgender, the first person you wind up fighting is yourself. You’re questioning everything that you’ve been taught from the time you were taking a breath until now, and you’re changing it.

QUINN DOMBROWSKI

SERVING JUSTICE: As executive director of the Transgender Gendervariant and Intersex Justice Project, Miss Major advocated on behalf of gender-nonconforming people entangled in the prison system.

that not everyone who wants a Black trans woman to appear at their event is doing it for the right reasons, and she wonders to what extent her inclusion is all an ephemeral fad. Her participation in Stonewall made her a hot item during 50th anniversary celebrations in 2019, though, in Meronek’s words, Miss Major’s “descriptions of the years following Stonewall contrast sharply with mainstream accounts of the event’s aftermath.” Additionally, after being burned a few too many times by the prioritization of whiteness, corporate sponsorships and gawking, she now refuses to go to Pride. When Meronek jokingly asks if Miss Major would consider speaking at a fundraiser for the Human Rights Campaign, a popular LGBTQ+ organization notorious for neglecting the issues of trans and Black people, she erupts into a riotously compelling rant: “Oh, they need to put their body in full reverse, back that bitch up about ten thousand feet from the rest of us, and don’t come down this road. Erase my road from your motherfucking map,” she says. “They want money by using us, because right now being trans is ‘the thing to do.’ That’s really cute, but what happens when they’ve had enough of us?”

When I initially reached out to Miss Major’s team about doing an interview, I assumed that it would happen over the phone. Maybe Zoom, if I was lucky. Even though she calls Little Rock home just like the rest of us, her towering legacy intimidated me, made me certain that she’d be too busy to meet in person, or justifiably doubtful about my intentions given that I’m a straight, white, cisgender man. Instead, I was warmly invited to spend a Tuesday morning at the House of GG, two adjacent houses in a nondescript West Little Rock neighborhood where she runs a casual retreat center for transgender people.

Before I was introduced to Miss Major, her assistant, Muriel, met me at my car so she could give me a tour of the grounds. The two houses appear unrelated from the driveway, but once escorted through a gate, I learned that the backyards have been surreptitiously conjoined to make room for a porch with tables and hammocks, a pool, a hot tub, ample conversation-friendly seating, oak trees, a winding walkway that will soon be painted to look like the yellow brick road and a merry-go-round, modeled after one of the few places she and her trans friends could go to find peace when she lived in New York. Inside the guest house, I found a stocked fridge, enough beds to sleep five and walls covered with

INDELIBLE: Miss Major's profound wisdom and accomplishments are lovingly documented in her forthcoming book, "Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary," out May 16 via Verso Books, written in collaboration with Toshio Meronek.

photos and memorabilia from Miss Major’s most active years. It’s luxurious, but never over the top.

A few minutes later, I was in the living room of the other house where Miss Major lives, sitting 2 feet away from the legend herself. Wearing a simple black dress and black stockings, Miss Major was unexpectedly quiet, waiting for me to pose my questions. We began by talking about the House of GG, which is an expansion of what she dreamed up with GiGi’s Place back in the Bay Area. The model is simple and generous: to create the most relaxing environment possible and make it available at zero cost to the trans and gender-nonconforming people who most pressingly need it. There’s no strict agenda, no set training curriculum, just time and space to recharge and make conversation with one of the world’s wisest warriors for justice. “It’s a chance to get away, get yourself together and then go back and give ‘em hell,” Miss Major told me. “It’s for Black trans people, male or female. On occasion, white people get to come out. But primarily it’s for Black people because we don’t have a lot of places to go, especially ones that have a relaxing atmosphere. It’s rush, rush, rush.”

Why Little Rock? I was curious about that, too. While visiting the city for a screening of “MAJOR!,” the 2015 documentary about her life, Miss Major just had an instinctually warm feeling about the place. “They showed the movie downtown. I left there and was just walking around the area and I noticed how wide the streets were. I remember thinking, ‘Well, my Cadillac would really be fine on these roads,' so I came here,” she said, laughing a bit as she explained her impulsive reasoning. “[Living in the South is] a little strange. But the thing about it is: The people here give me the respect that I’m due for who I am.”

Because I found myself enamored by the guidance she received from Frank “Big Black” Smith while in prison, I asked if she felt like she still would have become the person she is today if they’d never met. “Being transgender, the first person you wind up fighting is yourself,” she replied. “You’re questioning everything that you’ve been taught from the time you were taking a breath until now, and you’re changing it. You’re making it suit you, fit you, not your neighbor next door. You. And when you do that, you fight everybody. So you have no choice but to be an activist.”

Hints of Miss Major’s trademark fierceness showed through in our chat (like when I asked her who might take over the House of GG once she dies, to which she replied, “What makes you think I’m going to pass?”). On the whole, though, she was more reserved and less fiery than I imagined she’d be, especially when it came to digging deeper into specific questions about the abysmal legislative situation for trans people in Arkansas: “You gotta do what you can do to fight it, to stand up to it, to not take it for granted that that’s the way it’s going to be,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be that way. Hopefully we can stop it.”

I suspect there’s a whole host of intertwined reasons as to why she seems different than the version of her I’d encountered in the book, why she seems so calm. Maybe it’s because I’m the one interviewing her, not her beloved friend, Toshio. Maybe it’s because she’s getting older and her health is declining, the years softening her. Maybe it’s because she’s a new mother (she and her partner, Beck, have a 2-year-old boy named Asiah). Or maybe it’s because she’s in a new era: one that centers nurturing for the sake of the next generation. She’s always been a nurturer, but now it feels like her specialty. Even I became a blessed recipient of her caretaking. As I left the House of GG, Miss Major told me, “You must come back. … My home is open to you.”

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STRAIN REVIEWS, WEED REGULATIONS ACROSS STATE BORDERS, THE RESULTS OF OUR ARKANSAS TIMES CANNABIS AWARDS POLL AND MORE.

Even as Arkansas grapples with questions of cannabis legalization and regulation, the state medical marijuana industry is becoming more complex and more lucrative. Here, we put a spotlight on crowd favorites in the first-ever Arkansas Times Cannabis Awards, talk with Robert deBin of Natural State Medicinals, examine the ways cannabis industries in neighboring states impact Arkansas and review some innovative products — including a weed-infused local honey and a THC-infused lubricant designed for use in the bedroom.

NEW COMPETITION FOR ARKANSAS CANNABIS LIES JUST ACROSS THE BORDER.

BY GRIFFIN COOP

When Missouri voters legalized recreational marijuana in November (and Arkansas voters rejected a similar measure), it was only a matter of time until the results began to impact dispensaries in North Arkansas.

An executive with one dispensary near the border said he has noticed a decrease in business and thinks it could be related to changes across the border. “We have seen a downward trend in terms of just our overall sales, our overall foot traffic,” said Matt Shansky, chief operating officer at the ReLeaf Center Dispensary and Farm in Bentonville.

Shansky said he attributed a portion of the decrease to Missouri’s legalization of recreational marijuana — not just because Arkansas consumers are crossing the border for Show-Me State weed, but also because Missouri consumers are trying the recreational dispensaries at home rather than using visitor patient cards to shop in Arkansas.

In February, Missouri saw its first legal recreational cannabis sales and today boasts 213 dispensaries and 67 cultivators, according to the latest data from the state. Nearly all of the fa-

cilities are approved to serve both medical and recreational consumers.

The first month of recreational sales in Missouri was enormous. The state reported $102.9 million in overall marijuana sales with $71.7 million coming from recreational sales and another $31.2 million coming from medical sales in February. In the same month last year, the state reported $26.66 million in medical sales, according to Lisa Cox, communications director for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Thanks to lots of favorable votes in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas, Missouri passed recreational marijuana by a vote of 53.1% to 46.9%. The ballot measure included provisions for forgiving some past marijuana-related offenses and for home-grown cannabis.

An Arkansas measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana for adults failed by a vote of 56.25% to 43.75%. The measure would have legalized new, small cultivators and increased the number of dispensaries but it did not include provisions related to past convictions, did not allow for home grows and was criticized for being too favorable to the existing

marijuana industry.

A legal recreational marijuana program in a neighboring state, especially one that raked in more than $100 million in its first month, is bound to have an impact on Arkansas, but it might be too soon to tell exactly how much.

Bill Paschall, executive director of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association, said the magnitude of the impact is “to be determined.” Paschall said he has spoken with dispensaries in northern Arkansas and said they have been “holding their own,” crediting their success to lower prices in Arkansas compared to the prices in the early stages of Missouri’s recreational program. As the Missouri market matures, though, prices could fall there, which could result in more impact on Arkansas dispensaries, he said.

“It’s too early to really know,” he said.

We reviewed the sales numbers from Arkansas dispensaries near the border, comparing the sales of February through mid-March with the same period last year. Sales were mostly even, although there were notable dips at the ReLeaf Center in Bentonville and NEA Full Spectrum in Brookland, near the Missouri bootheel.

Pounds sold at the ReLeaf Center fell from

BORDER STATES: Dozens of dispensaries dot the landscape along the Arkansas border in Oklahoma and Missouri.

YOUR VOTE FOR THE BEST

464 to 370 and at NEA Full Spectrum from 220 to 162. Pounds were also down slightly among Fayetteville dispensaries over the same period.

OKLAHOMA

Out-of-state cannabis competition in Northwest Arkansas is not new. Neighboring Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program has been a frequent talking point in Arkansas cannabis circles for a while. The Oklahoma program takes a less-regulated approach to medical marijuana that insiders regularly refer to as the “Wild West” and say it’s practically a recreational market rather than a medical one.

Take the number of dispensaries and cultivators, for instance. Arkansas’s constitution limits the state to eight cultivators and 40 dispensaries. Oklahoma, on the other hand, has 2,884 dispensaries and 6,872 growers. (That’s not a typo.)

Oklahoma does not limit the number of cultivators or dispensaries, although its state legislature passed a bill placing a moratorium on the issuance of new licenses.

“Within the United States, I really don’t think you could have two programs that differ any more than Oklahoma’s and Arkansas’s,” said Scott Hardin, spokesman for the state Medical Marijuana Commission. “Arkansas’s is arguably as strictly regulated a medical marijuana program as there is in the country.”

The differences are also clear on the patient side. Oklahoma does not have qualifying conditions for medical marijuana, instead allowing doctors to certify for the program any resident they feel would benefit from marijuana. Arkansas, by contrast, requires applicants to have at least one of 17 qualifying conditions, such as cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder or intractable pain.

Oklahoma’s model brought more access to consumers, lower prices early on, more product variety and, according to some, less certainty about the products.

David Lawson of The Source dispensary in Rogers said he hasn’t noticed an impact from Missouri yet, but said Oklahoma has “felt like a factor for some time.” Lawson said he’s noticed the sales of some product categories, particularly concentrates, are not in line with other sales and believes it might be from Arkansas patients

shopping in Oklahoma dispensaries.

Lawson said he’s visited dispensaries in Oklahoma and said it was hard to determine which products were of high quality because there are so many products in that market.

“I feel a little better about coming to the shelf in Arkansas knowing we have a dependable, clean, safe product for patients,” Lawson said. Arkansas patients are beginning to appreciate what Arkansas’s regulatory structure provides to the consumer, though, Shansky said. In the early phases after Oklahoma’s legalization of medical marijuana, consumers “just saw cheaper stuff and more options and that was all that really mattered in those early phases,” Shansky said. “Over time, I think people have realized, it does matter. The quality standards are a big factor.”

In March, Oklahoma voters rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana 61.7% to 38.3%.

OTHER STATES

Mississippi and Louisiana have small, fairly new medical marijuana markets. Mississippi voters legalized medical marijuana at the polls in 2020 but the results were thrown out by the state Supreme Court due to some outdated language regarding ballot petitions. The Mississippi legislature approved a medical marijuana bill last year and the first sale took place earlier this year but the program is off to a slow start.

Mississippi has issued “very few” patient cards, according to Paschall of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association. One industry source said Mississippi has more people waiting to get approved for patient cards than they have cardholders.

Paschall said Mississippi requires patients to obtain authorization from two doctors in order to be approved for the program, making it more difficult for patients to get a card.

“I don’t anticipate Mississippi is going to be much of a competitor for the near future,” Paschall said.

Louisiana’s medical marijuana began in 2020 with restrictions that did not allow sales of cannabis flower, but has since allowed flower and other products to be sold. The state requires the products to be sold in pharmacies and there are only 10 approved pharmacies.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, I REALLY DON’T THINK YOU COULD HAVE TWO PROGRAMS THAT DIFFER ANY MORE THAN OKLAHOMA’S AND ARKANSAS’S.

Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

FLOWER POWER

A Q&A WITH ROBERT DEBIN OF NATURAL STATE MEDICINALS.

BY GRIFFIN COOP

Arkansas Times readers have selected strains from Natural State Medicinals as the best in every category — indica, sativa and hybrid — in our inaugural Arkansas Times Cannabis Awards poll. Our readers favored a few particular strains: Blackwater, End Game and the distinctively named Matanuska Thunderfuck. We caught up with Robert deBin, the chief executive officer at the White Hall-based cultivator, to find out how his facility is putting out the strains that Times readers love the most — and how that last strain got its saucy name.

Readers named your Blackwater strain as the best indica. Leafly says it has notes of grape, pine and lemon and offers an effect that begins mellow before spreading across the entire body. What can you tell us about it? Our goal with Blackwater was to target that deep indica feeling of relaxation and pain relief. To do that, we set out to find something new and potent for our Arkansas patients. Our team finally came across a blend of San Fernando Valley OG Kush and Mendo Purps known as Blackwater. This California strain has a strong reputation on the West Coast. We were immediately attracted to this specific strain for

its Cannabis Cup awards, high THC percentage, relaxing terpene profile, and punchy floral smell. Blackwater is great for those times when you need to wind down and get some relaxation or just a good night’s sleep.

The best hybrid strain was your End Game strain. Weedmaps says patients use it to treat a wide variety of ailments. Do you think that contributes to its popularity? We’re a proud grower of End Game from Ethos Genetics. Ethos has been a phenomenal strategic partner of ours since early on in our operations, enabling us to bring innovative quality genetics to the state. When it comes to End Game, you’re 100% correct in calling out the broad application with this strain. Whether it’s midday or midnight, End Game brings a happy balance and a fruity aromatic smell from its parents Cherry Punch and Ethos Cookies.

Matanuska Thunderfuck was named the top sativa strain. Why do you think it is so popular? Well, the name is certainly part of its popularity, but its popularity would have faded fast if it weren’t also a heavy hitter. People love MTF because it gives an almost immediate euphoric effect that helps to alleviate symptoms of stress and depression, while giving a sociable, “heady” high. At the same time, it’s a very accessible strain. A new patient can be confident that MTF will deliver relief without discomfort. It’s safe to say that we’ve tamed Matanuska’s wild growing requirements to bring Arkansans a unique, premium buzzy sativa.

How do the strains get their names? My mom couldn’t believe I was selling something with that name. We get that question quite a bit, especially with a name like MTF. Strains are named by their creators. If you make a new strain, you get to name it. A strain is "made" when two or more strains are interbred. Growers usually like to name the baby strain something that lets people know who its parents are. A good example is NSM's Sour Tangie which is a cross between East Coast Sour Diesel and Tangie.

So in the case of Matanuska Thunderfuck, you're seeing the homegrown roots of a classic strain. The growers in Matanuska Valley, Alaska, wanted to name a strain after their home and probably had no idea it would become so well-known. Natural State Medicinals honors this tradition when we name our strains. For example, our Dogtown strain, a cross of Skywalker OG and Rare Dankness #1, is named for Argenta, a rare and dank neighborhood, if you ask me.

Matanuska Thunderfuck

End Game

Blackwater

Robert deBin

2 0 23 ARKANSAS T iMES CANNABiS AWARDS

Introducing the dopest awards in The Natural State, in which our readers weighed in on their favorite picks from the medical cannabis industry. Read on for the results, from Best Badder to Best Shatter and everything in between.

BEST EDIBLE

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, BOLD, Body & Mind, Carpenter Farms

BEST PACKAGING

Winner: Natural State Medicinals

Finalists: River Valley Relief, Good Day Farm, BOLD, Revolution

BEST EDIBLE

Winner: Good Day Farm

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, River Valley Relief, BOLD, Revolution

BEST SHATTER

Winner: Good Day Farm

Finalists: BOLD, Osage Creek, River Valley

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, River

Winner: Good Day Farm

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, River Valley Relief, BOLD, Revolution

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, Good Day Farm, River Valley Relief, Body & Mind

BEST TINCTURE

Winner: Natural State Medicinals Tinctures

Finalists: Sleep Drops by Shake Extractions, ArkanRaw by River Valley Relief, BOLD, Good Day Farm

BEST TOPICAL

Winner: Natural State Medicinals

3:1 Anti-inflammatory

Finalists: Body Balm by Shake Extractions, High Bank Topical, BOLD, Buffalo Co

BEST VAPE CARTRIDGE

Winner: Good Day Farm

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, Osage Creek, Revolution, BOLD

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, River

BEST SUGAR MARY JANE SAYS ...

BEST INDICA STRAIN

Winner: Natural State MedicinalsBlackwater

Finalists: BOLD — LA Kush Cake, Revolution — Grandaddy Purple, Revolution — Blueberry Clementine, Good Day Farm — Berkle

BEST SATIVA STRAIN

Winner: Natural State MedicinalsMatanuska Thunderfuck

Finalists: BOLD — Super Lemon Haze, BOLD — Green Crack, BOLD — Blue Dream, Natural State Medicinals — Super Lemon Haze

DISPENSARIES

BEST DISPENSARY AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Natural Relief Dispensary, Sherwood

Finalists: Suite 443, Hot Springs; The Treatment, Pine Bluff; Harvest Cannabis, Conway; Body & Mind, West Memphis

BEST DISPENSARY IN LITTLE ROCK/ NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Berner’s by Good Day Farm

Finalists: Greenlight Dispensary and Native Green Wellness

INFUSED LUBE FOR COUPLES

Available at The Source (Rogers)

Cultivator: Shake Extractions

$61.95/100 mg bottle

When I was first approached to review this THC lubricant, I was a bit wary. I knew I’d have to get my husband, Mr. Not-So-Sure-About-It, on board. I thought it would be easy to convince him seeing as this product would prompt us to hop in the sack. Plus, it was his birthday and I had a free hour in between rehearsals for a fancy event I was performing at the following weekend. I came home to spend enough time with him for us to have a quickie. We were a bit messy with our measurements — we just kind of lathered it on and went to town. The recommended dosage is 5mg and I had some anxiety that I was going to be stoned out of my head for a music rehearsal with a bunch of people I didn’t know. Sight singing three harmonies under fluorescent lights? Stoner nightmare. When I started expressing this fear, I realized that I didn’t even know exactly how this product was supposed to work. Mr. Not-So-Sure explained to me something about fluids and membranes and how they intake the lubricant, but it sounded like the adults from “Peanuts” were talking. After I relinquished the worry of being too stoney bologna, I felt super zen and wasn’t in my head anymore. Maybe the weed was kickin’ in or maybe I just had sex. I’m sure it must have been a combination. The lubricant resulted in a high about as mild as one of those Lark drinks that have appeared all over town. We’ve used it several times since. It’s not too shabby of a sexual lubricant; however, the biggest drawback for us is the smell; it has a sort of pungent odor that I haven’t wanted to necessarily taste despite the fact that the product is edible. Other than that, this coconut oil THC lube has been a fun way to experiment with our physical intimacy. I was 10 minutes late to the rehearsal.

Mary Jane Doe is a local stoner-socialite here to provide you with hot gossip on fresh bud, best strains and how to make the most of your high.

Winner: BOLD Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, River Valley Relief, Good Day Farm, Osage

Chris Butts, Dr. Thomas Tvedten, Natalie Tvedten

BEST DISPENSARY AROUND ARKANSAS MARY JANE SAYS ...

Winner: Natural Relief Dispensary, Sherwood

Finalists: Suite 443, Hot Springs; The Treatment, Pine Bluff; Harvest Cannabis, Conway; Body & Mind, West Memphis

THE SPICE

Balanced Hybrid (50% Sativa/50% Indica)

Genetics: Hawaiian Sativa x Hawaiian Indica)

Cultivator: GOLDEN

BEST DELIVERY AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Arkansas Natural Products, Clinton

Finalists: Greenlight, West Memphis; Natural Relief, Sherwood; Body & Mind, West Memphis; Purspirit, Fayetteville

BEST DELIVERY IN LITTLE ROCK/ NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Greenlight

Finalists: Berner’s By Good Day Farm, Native Green

BEST BUDTENDER AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Christey Noble (The Treatment, Pine Bluff)

Finalists: Darius White (Natural Relief, Sherwood), Krystal Moseley (High Bank, Pine Bluff), Jennifer Burr (Natural Relief, Sherwood), April (The Treatment, Pine Bluff)

BEST BUDTENDER IN LITTLE ROCK/ NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Jocelin Fuller-Brooks (Greenlight)

Finalists: Rose (Berner’s by Good Day Farm), Jared Curtis (Berner’s by Good Day Farm), Morgan (Greenlight), Aimee (Greenlight)

THC: 22.6%

Price: $31.50 per 1⁄8 ounce

Top Three Terpenes: Humulene, Myrcene, Caryophyllene

When I arrived home from a pleasant walk to my local voting site earlier this week, I promptly celebrated the exercise of my civil liberty by rolling up a joint of The Spice, a strain from dispensary Native Green Wellness’ in-house grow operation, known as GOLDEN. Toking up on my front porch with a ginger-lemon tea and some freshly cut strawberries was picturesque. Upon my first whiff, I knew that this bud would pair perfectly with my afternoon snack as soon as its earthy, citrus aroma fragranced the air. Its taste is a bit woodier than its fruity smell, but the herbal flavor helped The Spice live up to its name. The coast up was smooth and easy, like the beginning of a road trip with no traffic. The bolt of energy and surge of creativity led me to hit my studio where inspiration promptly struck. As an artist, I often use marijuana to provoke new ideas while soothing my anxiety. This even hybrid did the trick. I was nervous that the indica blend might couch-lock me and dampen my motivation. However, it was a pleasant surprise to experience the grounded feeling in my body without sacrificing my energy level.The coast down was comparative in ease. My thoughts remained at a manageable pace and my mood continued to be uplifted, in contrast to come-downs that have led to irritability and sleepiness. I would recommend this strain to a friend who wants the mental or creative stimulation of sativa while maintaining the meditative and calming effects of indica.

Mary Jane Doe is a local stoner-socialite here to provide you with hot gossip on fresh bud, best strains and how to make the most of your high.

BEST VAPE CARTRIDGE

We know the laboratory industry & are equipped to provide quality testing that will protect the people of Arkansas.

Winner: Good Day Farm

Finalists: Natural State Medicinals, Osage Creek, Revolution, BOLD

BEST DISPENSARY GROWN FLOWER AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Suite 443, Hot Springs

Finalists: Harvest Cannabis, Conway; Body & Mind, West Memphis; High Bank, Pine Bluff; Greenlight, West Memphis

BEST DISPENSARY GROWN FLOWER IN LITTLE ROCK/ NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Berner’s by Good Day Farm

Finalists: Native Green Wellness

BEST REWARDS/LOYALTY PROGRAM AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Harvest Dispensary, Conway;

Finalists: Good Day Farm, Van Buren; Natural Relief Dispensary, Sherwood; Suite 443, Hot Springs; Greenlight, West Memphis/Helena

BEST REWARDS/LOYALTY PROGRAM

LITTLE ROCK/NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Berner’s by Good Day Farm

Finalists: Greenlight, Native Green Wellness

Winner: Best CBD Product (Edible)

Winner: Best CBD Product (Topical)

Winner: Best HEMP product

Winner: Suite 443, Hot Springs

Finalists: Harvest Cannabis, Conway; Body & Mind, West Memphis; High Bank, Pine Bluff; Greenlight, West Memphis

BEST SERVICE AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Natural Relief Dispensary, Sherwood

Finalists: Suite 443, Hot Springs; Harvest Cannabis, Conway; The Treatment, Pine Bluff; High Bank, Pine Bluff

BEST SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK/ NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Berner’s by Good Day Farm

Finalists: Greenlight, Native Green Wellness

BEST VIBE/OVERALL EXPERIENCE AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Suite 443, Hot Springs

Finalists: Harvest Cannabis, Conway; Natural Relief Dispensary, Sherwood; The Treatment, Pine Bluff; High Bank, Pine Bluff

BEST HEMP PRODUCT

Winner: CBD & Me

Vaginal Suppository

Finalists: Spa City Cannabis, Sunmed Your CBD Store, Jades Elevation, Buffalo Co

BEST VIBE/OVERALL EXPERIENCE IN LITTLE ROCK/NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Berner’s by Good Day Farm

Finalists: Greenlight, Native Green Wellness

BEST OF THE REST

BEST CBD PRODUCT (EDIBLE)

Winner: CBD & Me

Finalists: Buffalo Co, Healing Hemp, Spa City Cannabis, Sunmed Your CBD Store

BEST CBD PRODUCT (TOPICAL)

Winner: CBD & Me

Finalists: Buffalo Co, Sunmed Your CBD Store, Spa City Cannabis, Healing Hemp

BEST CBD SHOP AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Spa City Cannabis

Finalists: Sunmed Your CBD Store, Buffalo Co, CBD & Me, Ouachita Farms

BEST CBD SHOP IN LITTLE ROCK/ NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Healing Hemp of Arkansas

Finalists: Heights Apothecary, Green

Corner Store, Sunmed Your CBD Store

BEST DELTA 8 OR DELTA 9 PRODUCT

Winner: Spa City Cannabis

Finalists: Sunmed Your CBD Store, Buffalo Co Happy, Body & Mind, 3CHI

MARY JANE SAYS ...

BEST PROCESSOR

Winner: Shake Extractions

Finalists: Dark Horse Medicinals, Mink & Kimball

WEED-INFUSED HONEY

Good Day Farm

BEST HEAD/VAPE/SMOKE SHOP

AROUND ARKANSAS

Winner: Wonderland

Finalists: Abby Road, Spa City Cannabis, Glass Smoke Boutique, Crazy J’s

BEST HEAD/VAPE/SMOKE SHOP IN LITTLE ROCK/NORTH LITTLE ROCK

Winner: Abby Road

Finalists: Smitty’s Smoke Shop, Mr. Smoke, The Parthenon, Smoker Friendly Maumelle

BEST HEMP PRODUCT

Winner: CBD & Me Vaginal

Suppository

Finalists: Spa City Cannabis, Sunmed Your CBD Store, Jades Elevation, Buffalo Co

BEST PROCESSOR

Winner: Shake Extractions

Finalists: Dark Horse Medicinals, Mink & Kimball

BEST ACCOUNTING FIRM

Winner: Frost

Finalist: Safe Harbor Financial

152.62 mg THC per jar

Honey harvested from K-Bee Honey out of Sherwood

As a night owl who often has trouble winding down after working nights (I’m a dive bartender), this honey has allowed me to put down the Benadryl for a more organic alternative. Good Day Farm sells this delicious THC-infused honey that was developed from K-Bee Honey’s farm in Sherwood. It includes a seemingly overwhelming 152.62 mg per jar; however, the product comes with a complimentary teaspoon that divvies out 9 mg servings, with 17 servings per jar. I must admit that I myself have a heavy pour.

I brew up a Sleepytime tea, cut a lemon wedge and deck that shit out with a little fresh citrus and some weed honey. While it has a little bit of that funky taste all of us stoners have come to love in an edible, the taste of the honey shines through, plus you know you’re getting all the allergy-combating enzymes and otherworldly healing properties that honey provides. By the time I’m about three-quarters finished with my mug, my eyelids start getting heavy and it becomes increasingly difficult for me to finish the episode of “The Sopranos” I started on HBO. As I drift off into a peaceful slumber, I hear Tony bickering with his wife while my own husband disappointingly asks me if I’m falling asleep. Fortunately for me, I am. I have only tried this product as a sleep agent, both in tea and drizzled on top of one of my favorite midnight snacks, some peanut butter-banana toast. I’ve had no issues getting to sleep using this tea.

I’m not sure how practical it would be if I had to be a girl-on-the-go while sipping on this treat, but, for now, I’m opting to use it to unwind after my frenzied nights. I sure am enjoying the rest.

Mary Jane Doe is a local stoner-socialite here to provide you with hot gossip on fresh bud, best strains and how to make the most of your high.

BEST LAW FIRM

Winner: Erika Gee (WLJ)

Finalists: Rose Law Firm, Barbar Law Firm, Central Arkansas Legal Services, Zach White

1:1 CBN:THC GUMMY SOUR JAMBERRY SMOKIEZ FRUIT CHEWS

Smokiez fruit chews are made with high-clarity distillate. Smokiez uses distillate because its cannabis taste is easily masked with Smokiez delicious flavor profiles, and makes for a consistent and replicable effect.

Smokiez fruit chews are homogenized to ensure each fruit chew provides consistency you can rely on. CBN has sedative properties that can relieve conditions like insomnia. Pairing CBN with THC in these delicious Jamberry fruit chews is a great way to relieve pain and help you sleep at night.

Helps with: insomnia, muscle inflammation, and chronic pain

$30 (with tax included)

NATURAL RELIEF DISPENSARY

3107 E. Kiehl Ave. Sherwood naturalreliefdispensary.com

CHEMMY JONES

At The Source, we are proud to launch our first harvest of our terptastic, house-grown boutique flower strain, Chemmy Jones, which hails from the legendary Chemdawg D and Casey Jones strains and boasts fired-up tropical aromas drenched in diesel. This sativa-dominant flower delivers an uplifting and functional high with creative outbursts making it an excellent choice for a daytime smoke sesh and beneficial in treating conditions such as depression, chronic pain and stress.

Sativa-dominant Aromas/Flavors: diesel, tropical Physical and Mental Effects: uplifting, creativity-inducing, pain relieving

Note: functional buzz

THC: 26.7%

3.1% terpenes

THE SOURCE

4505 W. Poplar St. Rogers thesource-mj.com

BEST ADVERTISING FIRM

Winner: Bud Agency

Finalists: Natural State Cannamoms, Shake Collaboration

BEST BANK

Winner: Safe Harbor Financial

Finalist: Grand Savings Bank

BEST DOCTOR

Winner: Dr. Thomas Tvedten (The Healing Clinic)

Finalists: Dr. Brian Nichol, Dr. Daniel Whitelocke, Dr. Kyle Roper, Dr. Archie Hearne

BEST LAW FIRM

Winner: Erika Gee (WLJ)

Finalists: Rose Law Firm, Barbar Law Firm, Central Arkansas Legal Services, Zach White

BEST SECURITY FIRM

Winner: Liberty Defense Group

Finalists: Cache River Security

BEST TESTING LAB

Winner: Steep Hill

Finalists: F.A.S.T. Labs, Marigold Labs, AA Analytics, Arcanna Analytics

SHAKE EXTRACTIONS: COLD BREW | 2:1 INFUSED MOOD DROPS

Harness the synergistic properties of CBD & THC with Infused Mood Drops Cold-Brew, an on-demand daily supplement designed for ritual self-care! Give yourself the head change you need to slay your day with these delicious coffee drops. Pro tip: Try taking Shake's Sleep Drops to unwind at night. It's a great combo for a.m. and p.m.

This product is designed to: elevate mood, boost energy levels, combat situational anxiety.

500 MG THC and 250 CBD

$75

BERNER'S BY GOOD DAY FARM

11600 Chenal Parkway

Little Rock

gooddayfarmdispensary.com

HEALING HEMP RELIEF BALM

This warming and cooling relief balm delivers 1250 mg of Full Spectrum CBD right where you need it so you can recover quickly and get back to what you do best. 2.5 oz / 75 mL no-mess twist-up container.

1250mg

$49

HEALING HEMP OF ARKANSAS

8210 Cantrell Road

Little Rock

healinghempofarkansas.com

Marijuana is for use by qualified patients only. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Marijuana is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not operate a vechicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

Stay in the best location in Eureka Springs for relaxation and adventure! Located at the entrance to downtown with an on-site dispensary, Osage Creek Lodge is the premier lodge for exploring and enjoying everything Eureka Springs has to offer.

Book online at osagecreeklodge.com

We are the premier dispensary offering the highest quality medical products for discerning patients seeking to optimize their health and improve their quality of life.

Osage Creek Dispensary is conveniently located in Eureka Springs.

We offer the widest selection of cannabis flower, tinctures, topical, and edible products. Online ordering and loyalty programs are available as well!

Home delivery coming soon.

2023

101 E. Van Buren, Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632 479-253-9551

For decades, the Artrageous Parade in Eureka Springs has been the traditional kickoff for the May Festival of the Arts in Eureka Springs. Eureka really knows how to take it up a notch when it comes to parades, and the Artrageous parade is a perfect example. Held annually on the first Saturday in May, this outrageously creative parade features music, performers, art, costumes and lots of surprises.

The Eureka Springs School of the Arts organizes and leads the parade after taking on this fan favorite as part of their annual free public programming in 2022. The parade runs through the heart of Eureka Springs, rolling down Spring Street beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6. Art fans will be excited to catch special parade throws this year; ESSA has coordinated with local artists to create hundreds of tiny original works of art to be tossed to paradegoers. Come to the Artrageous Parade and catch a piece of real Eurekan art!

Want to be a part of the show? ESSA is accepting parade applications until April 28, 2023, or until all the participant slots are filled. Participants will be eligible for cash prizes and ESSA gift certificates that they can use for an art workshop of their choice.

To find out more about how to watch or be a part of the parade, visit the ESSA web site at www.essa-art.org or follow ESSA on social media for updates. Free and appropriate for all ages, this art-filled affair is not to be missed! Contact: Kelly McDonough, Executive Director, Eureka Springs School of the Arts, 479-253-5384, director@essa-art.org.

Disclaimer: For use by qualified patients only. This product is not approved by the FDA to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Marijuana use during pregnancy or breastfeeding poses potential harms. Keep out of reach of children. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana.

THE 36TH ANNUAL MAY FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS LINEUP 2023

Eureka Springs Plein Air Festival

Melissa Etheridge at The Aud

ArtRageous Parade

The Aud Art Reveal Event

White Street Art Walk & Jeep Fest

Gallery Stroll & Jeep Parade

Just So Kids Art Fest & Jeep Fest

The Aud Art Reveal Event

Just So Kids Art Fest

www.pcssd.org

We're Hiring!

The Pulaski County Special School District is committed to providing a quality and equitable education to all students, and this includes finding highly qualified and committed staff. In addition to teachers and substitutes, PCSSD is always hiring for support staff positions, including bus drivers, student nutrition staff, para professionals, office staff, and more.

“PCSSD is unique,” said Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Shawn Burgess. “Because of our geographic location, we must meet the needs of four district communities: Maumelle, Mills, Robinson, and Sylvan Hills. And I think we do a good job of meeting everyone, students and staff alike, where they are in an effort to serve them for the needs that they have.”

There are current job openings in all feeder patterns for teachers, custodians, para professionals, secretaries, bus drivers, lunch duty supervisors, and more. All job openings and the application can be found at www.pcssd.org under the Careers section.

Applications are reviewed by hiring managers before setting up interviews with an interview committee. If a person rises to the top, then they are recommended to the School Board for approval.

“PCSSD is a student-focused district,” said Burgess. “We put students first in every decision we make. Our ideal candidate, no matter the position, must love kids. I have learned that we can teach someone the professional skills of a job, but we can’t teach them to have a passion for kids.”

For new teachers, PCSSD also offers a mentoring program by pairing them with a veteran teacher and hosting regular check-in sessions.

“Novice teachers get a mentor in their first three years,” said Burgess. “These mentors help support them during the learning curve of having your own classroom. We pair them at the new teacher orientation and have regular touchpoints during the year to make sure the new teachers are being supported as they settle in.”

PCSSD is also working with current support staff in our schools who are interested in becoming teachers.

ABOUT PCSSD

Pulaski County Special School District spans more than 600 square miles in central Arkansas and requires highly skilled and passionate personnel to adapt educational policies and personalization to 26 schools. Every school is accredited by the Arkansas State Board of Education. PCSSD has served schools across Pulaski County since July 1927.

PCSSD is committed to creating a nationally recognized school district that assures that all students achieve at their maximum potential through collaborative, supportive and continuous efforts of all stakeholders.

STRETCHED RESOURCES: Access to autism services continues to be an issue for many families, according to Dr. Angela Scott.

CONNECTING THE DOTS

EXPERTS ON AUTISM TALK ADVOCACY, ACCESS AND THERAPY.

BY DWAIN HEBDA

Once shrouded in stigma, the autism spectrum has steadily become better understood over the past couple of decades, and with that has come wider acceptance. But for those families dealing with the condition, the struggle is as intensely personal as it’s ever been.

“I think it’s true that the stigma is not what it used to be, but when it’s your kid, stigma or no, I think this is something that’s still hard for some families to accept,” said Dr. Angela Scott, associate professor of pediatrics at UAMS. “You get pregnant, you have this baby, and you can’t help but imagine what kind of person they’re going to be in the future. When the path deviates from what you’d imagined, it can be hard to kind of readjust.”

According to the National Autism Association, the condition now affects one in 44 children with more than half classified as having an intellectual disability or borderline intellectual disability. Diagnoses of autism have grown rapidly in recent years, although many experts suggest awareness and better diagnostic protocols have merely brought to light what was always there, either misdiagnosed or hidden by families entirely.

Whatever the explanation, the surge in numbers has put a strain on diagnostic, educational and therapeutic resources, especially in smaller, predominantly rural states like Arkansas. Scott said that not unlike health care in general, access to services related to autism continues to be a thorny issue for many families.

BRIAN CHILSON

Rhea Drug Store

SET OF PEOPLE WHO CAN

“There’s a lot of data now about health disparities and diagnosis, and the reality is [that] it’s a relatively privileged set of people who can navigate the path to diagnosis — unfortunately, people who can take the time, who can pester their primary care physicians, drive up to Little Rock and afford to stay in a hotel overnight,” she said.

UAMS has an outreach program that conducts diagnostic assessments on a quarterly basis in rural areas of Arkansas, Scott said. “But there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.”

Once a diagnosis is made, too, challenges arise, like where to access the kind of specialized educational and therapeutic services needed to help a child reach his or her individual potential.

“I’ve done testing and evaluation and diagnosed autism for well over 20 years now, and I find a big part is not only educating my families on what autism looks like, but also how to serve in the advocacy role for their child,” said Kim-

ACH After-Hours Clinic

Partners with community primary care clinics to offer sick visits seven days a week.

ACH Southwest Little Rock Clinic

Our staff cares for the diverse needs of patients, from well-child visits to acute illness treatments.

Arkansas Children’s is here for the everyday medical needs of your children. Whether it’s treating a fever or giving an immunization, our primary care clinics provide diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care for illnesses or injuries. We are committed to preventative care, including immunizations, physical examinations, positive newborn screens and child health maintenance.

We are shining a spotlight on a few:

ACH Pine Bluff Clinic

Southeast Arkansas families can receive care close to home with physicals, vaccines and screenings.

ACH Primary Care in Little Rock

Pediatric care includes well-child visits, immunizations, diagnosis and treatments.

berly Newton, a licensed psychological examiner who’s evaluation and resource center director for Access in Little Rock.

“Their child’s disabilities are protected by law, and I encourage them to be aware of that, especially for my families who are coming from a public school setting. Some families need more help to understand they are truly their child’s advocate now.”

As for specialized schools such as Access, the field of therapy for children on the autism spectrum continues to evolve. Access serves clients both through its full-time academy and as supplemental education for kids attending regular school, as well as a bevy of therapies to meet individual needs.

“I think we’re moving towards more of an individual-centered focus, which is not to say that hasn’t always been the case, it just means we’re more open to and mindful of aspects of autism coming from a positive standpoint,” she said.

“Let’s focus on the strengths and not the weaknesses or negatives. We really make a very concerted effort to not talk about what is ‘wrong’ with someone’s child, but their abilities and what they are able to do. I think that shift in presentation and focus helps not just our professionals working with students, it really helps our families so that the diagnosis doesn’t feel as heavy, enabling them to go forward.”

As the mother of a child with autism, Scott knows what families today go through from diagnosis to education to worrying about their child’s ability to function in adulthood. She said the outlook of parents, family members and other people within a child’s support group is the most critical success factor in navigating the challenges of the condition.

“This is your kiddo, and it may not be what you expected but what your kiddo needs right now is for you to get moving, get going with it,” she said. “[Autism] is a way of being in the world; it’s not necessarily viewed as something terribly wrong, it’s just a particular pattern of strengths and weaknesses with some people having more severe trouble and medical problems associated with it.

“Sometimes the pattern of strength is just as remarkable as the pattern of weakness. Yes, your kid may have trouble communicating initially and it may not come naturally to them to understand body language and small talk, but they’re smart in other ways. Where other kids are going to need good teachers to teach them calculus, these kids need good teachers to teach them social skills and communication. Our job as parents is to support these kiddos in the areas where they need help so that they can shine in the areas that they’re really good at.”

Contact Kaytee Wright for more info: Kaytee.wright@gmail.com

Bandit is looking for his forever home. He loves to cuddle, enjoys children, is terrific with other dogs, is neutered, and is about a year old.

Shots are getting done, just cover the cost.

ELI’S COMING

'OZARK DOGS': If you like crime novels, or fiction that thoroughly inhabits places you know (like Arkansas Nuclear One, pictured), Cranor is your man.

BY LINDSEY MILLAR

Eli Cranor is not resting on his laurels. Just a little more than a year after he published his acclaimed debut novel, “Don’t Know Tough,” the Forrest City native has a follow-up in bookstores April 4. It’s called “Ozark Dogs,” and like his first book, it’s a propulsive, gritty thriller that’s all Arkansas. If you like crime novels, or fiction that thoroughly inhabits places you know, Cranor is your man.

But he’s not just a local sensation. “Don’t Know Tough” was nominated for an Edgar Award, the crime genre’s Pulitzers, for Best First Novel and was included among The New York Times Book Review’s best crime novels of 2022. “Ozark Dogs” has gotten early positive notice from Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus. Thriller star author Megan Abbott called it “superb,” “thrillingly told, deeply wrenching, not to be missed.”

It took Cranor, 35, about five years to break into publishing. “Don’t Know Tough” was rejected by more than 200 literary agents before it won Soho Press’ Peter Lovesey First Crime Novel Contest. Now that Cranor has a foothold in the industry, he’s not letting up.

“I don’t idle well, and I like to write,” he said. “My path to success, I hope, is always having a book ready. Whenever they ask for another, I’m going to have one or two for them to pick from.”

“Don’t Know Tough” is about Billy Lowe, a volatile high school running back who’s terrorized by his stepfather, and his head coach, Trent Powers, a born-again Christian who’s recently moved to small-town Arkansas from California and who thinks he can save Billy.

Cranor followed the “write what you know” adage. He began drafting “Don’t Know Tough” during his lunch breaks when he was an assistant football coach at Morrilton High School. Football was a focus for much of his young life. He was a standout quarterback for Russellville High, which took him to Florida Atlantic University for a season before he transferred to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, where he set single-season passing and total offense records.

He was an English literature major in college and figured he’d follow some literary-minded buddies to Ole Miss to get a master of fine arts. But out of the blue, the Carlstad Crusaders, a

WITH TWO NOVELS IN TWO YEARS, POPE COUNTY’S ELI CRANOR APPEARS POISED TO BREAK OUT BIG.

BRIAN CHILSON

professional football team in Sweden, asked him to come serve as a sort of player-coach, installing an offense and playing quarterback.

“It made me love football again,” Cranor said of the experience. “All the bullshit was gone. It was like pick-up games.” He got to travel all around Europe for nine months, and his team won the 2011 Swedish National Championship. That led to other offers from European clubs, and he planned to play the following year for the Cannes (France) Iron Masks.

But then he met the woman who would become his wife, and he broke his contract. “The only damn job I could get was coaching football,” he said. Stints in Arkadelphia, Clarksville and Morrilton followed. “A story like ‘Don’t Know Tough,’ it would’ve never happened without those five years of being a coach,” Cranor said. “I call them ‘dog years.’ I got educated in way more things in life than any writing degree could teach.”

Sports had been a passion since childhood, but Cranor’s parents, both teachers, emphasized reading and writing. Somewhere around fourth grade, Cranor’s dad began to force him to read at least 20 pages of a book and write at least one handwritten page in a journal. “I hated it,” Cranor said. “Every day, the journal would start off with ‘I hate this journal.’ ” He read widely as a youth, but a favorite from that era, the “Goosebumps” series, particularly inspired him during the pandemic to self-publish a middle-grade book called “Books Make Brains Taste Bad.” It’s about a school run by zombie teachers who are using screens to fry students’ brains.

After he stopped coaching, Cranor, who lives with his wife and two small children on the banks of Lake Dardanelle in Pope County, spent time teaching at-risk kids at the alternative learning environment in the Russellville School District. This school year, he took a job with Virtual Arkansas, teaching 11th- and 12th-grade English to incarcerated youth. When he surveyed middle-grade kids during events for “Books Make Brains Taste Bad” around Arkansas, he found that most of them said they took tablets or phones to bed with them, that a screen was the last thing they saw before they fell asleep. The incarcerated youth don’t have access to the same technology, and they’re all voracious readers. “They can talk to me for hours about what series they’re reading or books they’ve read,” Cranor said.

All of Cranor’s 9-to-5 experience bleeds into his fiction. “Ozark Dogs,” like “Don’t Know Tough,” is set in a world of generational trauma. “The heart of those books is the cycle of poverty,” Cranor said.

“Ozark Dogs” is about a Vietnam veteran

ex-sniper who owns a junkyard, replete with an armory, and tries to keep his high schoolaged granddaughter safe. He’s raised her since she was little after his son got sent to prison for capital murder. But then a family of white su premacists, eager to settle an old blood debt, come calling and things spiral from there. It’s a white-knuckle thrill ride filled with all sorts of evocative detail.

One of my favorite moments is when Cranor describes the Christ Zone, the nondenomina tional church the protagonist occasionally at tends. It’s in an old Walmart that smells like pancake syrup and there’s a band featuring a boy on electric guitar who sings like he’s doing karaoke at the VFW. It’s one of many moments in Cranor’s fiction where I found myself nodding along in acknowledgement of places and people I recognized.

“Barry Hannah [the late novelist] told one of my writing buddies, ‘I’ll read and write anything as long as it’s true.’ I’ve always remembered that. He didn’t say it had to be pretty. He didn’t say it had to be nice. I’m trying to paint a picture that’s true of these people.”

“Dogs” is set in the fictional town of Taggard, which resembles an alternative version of Russellville. “The Mother,” the famed rapid on Big Piney Creek, and Nuclear One both feature prominently in the plot. “Don’t Know Tough” happens in the nearby fictional town of Denton, which could be Dardanelle or Dover. “It helps to make it real,” Cranor said of including Arkansas-specific details. “You start with the real and you extrapolate and you bend and you enhance.”

Since 2021, Cranor has written a monthly “Shop Talk” column for crimereads.com, where he interviews authors about their process. “It’s been a golden damn ticket,” Cranor said. “I get to meet all my heroes.” Among the advice that stands out to him, Megan Abbott said it was important to make weird choices. Perhaps it doesn’t qualify as a weird move, but Cranor plans to make a swerve with his next book. It’s tentatively called “Memphis Blue 42,” which he describes as a “true whodunit” about college football recruiting that’s like “The Blind Side” meets “Knives Out.”

Whatever direction Cranor turns, he knows his mom will always be his biggest fan. Part of his writing process is calling her every night and reading her what he’s written that day.

“It provides me with this beautiful momentum,” he said. “At the end of every night, when I finish reading to her, she’s like, ‘Oh my God, Eli, that’s the next best thing.’ So I go to bed like, ‘Hell, yeah, I’m the man,’ and I carry that juice with me over to the next morning.”

DEVOTION, DECENCY AND THE DIY SPIRIT

A HISTORY OF THE VALLEY OF THE VAPORS INDEPENDENT MUSIC FESTIVAL.

BY DANIEL GREAR

GET OUTSIDE: Both this year and last, Begonia (pictured at left) headlined Valley of the Vapors, which permanently moved to Cedar Glades Park in 2021.

In 2003, Bill Solleder and Shea Childs, while expecting their second daughter, moved from Chicago to Childs’ hometown of Hot Springs to put down roots in a city where they could actually afford a house. Childs’ father offered Solleder a job as a construction project manager, but it wasn’t long before he started longing for the world he’d recently thrived in: the DIY art scene, where he sang in a band called Blue Meanies and worked for Thick Records, a small independent label. Instead of complaining about how much he missed the “cool, underground, experimental” music that was much easier to come by in Chicago, Solleder decided to bring some of it to Hot Springs.

What began as an effort to throw some shows for a few friends who would be in the area to play at South by Southwest led to the accidental formation of a festival. “Word got out that I was booking shows,” Solleder said. “Without even trying, I had booked a couple dozen — maybe three dozen bands — in no time because everybody was looking for a gig on the way to and from Austin.” The multi-night series of all-age performances, hosted in March 2005 by an earlier version of Maxine’s in downtown Hot Springs, was so spontaneously formidable that it demanded a name: the Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival.

Solleder was quick to remind me that the first VOV was almost two decades ago and therefore looms foggily, but if his memory serves him correctly, performers at the original fest included New Black from Chicago, Viva Voce from Portland, Oregon, Drove from Hot Springs, Soophie Nun Squad from North Little Rock and many more. The inaugural event was met with so much unexpected enthusiasm by both the performers and the locals that they held two more fests in 2005 — one in the summer and one in the fall — but by the close of the October affair, it became clear that the connection to SXSW artist traffic was an essential part of making the festival work, so from that point forward, VOV would happen once a year in March.

That first year, the location of VOV was constantly in flux. Movement from venue to venue across town left Solleder and Childs exhausted and led them to seek out a permanent space that could house the festival for good. They settled on a warehouse at 118 Arbor St. that had once

functioned as a laundromat for the Velda Rose, a now-defunct hotel. When Solleder and Childs discovered the property, the electricity was still on, but it was mostly being used for hotel storage and had drifted into disrepair. Solleder described the building as “dilapidated” and “a breath away from being condemned,” but Childs — coming from a construction-minded family — could tell that the concrete and steel foundation meant that “its bones were good even though the roof had fallen in.”

The time crunch between purchasing the Arbor Street location — which was owner-financed — and the 2006 VOV in March was extremely tight. “The day the festival started, we had all the inspectors there to give the final occupational permit,” Childs said. “We really raced it down to the clock.” Mere hours before music started, an electrician installed a kill switch that would allow them to shut off the PA in the event of a fire. The first band to take the stage was Peelander-Z, a Japanese-American punk rock outfit. Lucero, fronted by Little Rock’s Ben Nichols, headlined a sold-out show on the second night.

While they made the transition to Arbor Street, Childs finalized the legal formation of Low Key Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under which Valley of the Vapors would exist. Solleder was named executive director. In the years since its inception, Low Key Arts has expanded its programming to also encompass the Hot Water Hills Music & Arts Festival, Arkansas Shorts Short Film Festival, Inception to Projection filmmaking workshops, and KUHS-LP 102.5 FM, the only solar-powered community radio station in Arkansas, all of which are artistically rich enough to warrant their own histories.

***

For the next 14 years, VOV thrived, surviving largely by way of countless unpaid volunteers. Averaging over 100 guests per night, the limits of the Arbor Street 175-person capacity were joyfully pushed. That said, it wasn’t always easy to convince musicians to pitstop in an Arkansan town they'd never heard of. “All the stereotypes that ran through their heads,” Solleder said. “They probably had the worst scenario in mind.” In order to counter these less-than-flattering expectations from traveling bands who

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were accustomed to playing in far hipper cities, VOV made it its mission to become known for exceptionally generous hospitality.

The heart of that welcoming spirit was the Adopt A Band program, which asked eager locals to sign up for a specific artist to take care of during their time in Hot Springs. “When bands would roll up, someone would be there waiting for them with a gift bag or a present,” said Solleder. “The present might contain something to drink or maybe some clean socks or a book or a piece of art or food or all of the above.” After that benevolent exchange, the adopter would become the point of contact for anything the musicians might need, including but not limited to a place to crash, rides to the drugstore, recommendations for vegetarian restaurants and cultural guidance regarding the spas and gangster history of Hot Springs. “Sometimes those relationships would extend way beyond just that one night,” Solleder said. “I know people that have friends from 15 years ago that they’re still in contact with.”

Additionally, bands grew fond of the upstairs green room area at Arbor Street that VIP ticket holders were encouraged to mingle in. Outfitted with a pool table, old furniture and, briefly, a halfpipe for skateboarding, it was a spacious and grungy oasis that facilitated meaningful interactions between musicians and fans over shared drinks and eats.

Another way VOV stood out from other festivals was in its commitment to doing secret shows. While the majority of the concerts took place at the Arbor Street building or Maxine’s, it quickly became a tradition to announce last-minute, one-off performances in notoriously cramped and nontraditional spaces. Some of the most memorable locations for these spontaneous gigs include the top of the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, a moving school bus, the steps of the Ozark Bathhouse and a Waffle House.

As for what kind of music the festival has become known for, the question of genre is less important than you might think. Solleder initially did most of the booking on his own, and

his guiding metric was authenticity. “I think I have a pretty good radar for what feels sincere,” he said. “Agents used to ask me what I was looking for, and I would just say ‘anything with heart.’” When Bobby Missile — who became the artistic director at Low Key Arts in 2016 and was previously acting as VOV’s pro bono talent buyer since moving to Hot Springs in 2006 — designs each year’s bill, he’s looking for “unique, original” and “cutting edge” groups that “people wouldn't hear on the regular,” regardless of their stylistic leanings. “We’ve had country, rockabilly, indie, hip hop, folk. Last year, we had a duo from New York that was just double bass and violin. It was operatic,” Missile said. “We do not limit ourselves to anything.”

Per the Low Key Arts website, VOV “has hosted nearly 3,000 musicians and artists from such faraway places as Japan, South Korea, China, Norway, England, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico and Canada,” but some of Solleder and Missile’s favorite acts to come through over the years include Fenster, Jamaican Queens, Juicebox, Lost in the Trees, Andrew Anderson,

Grandchildren, Weaves, A Place to Bury Strangers, Guerilla Toss and Joan of Arc.

***

In 2016, Solleder stepped down as the executive director of Low Key Arts to take a job at Visit Hot Springs and relinquish the role to someone with a younger spirit. His job was split in two and filled by Missile as artistic director and David Hill, author of “The Vapors,” as interim executive director. The next year, Sonny Kay — a DIY veteran, visual artist and the founder of indie record label Gold Standard Laboratories — was recruited to be the organization’s permanent leader.

Like so many scrappy entities, the pandemic hit Low Key Arts hard. With the halting of in-person programming, paying rent on the Arbor Street building was unsustainable, leading its owners — Solleder and Childs — to sell it in 2020, the only year in which VOV was canceled. When the festival returned on a year-and-sixmonths-late weekend in October 2021, social distancing was still being widely practiced and

SCRAPPY & PROUD: In 2006, Bill Solleder and Shea Childs (pictured at left), the co-founders of Valley of the Vapors, purchased 118 Arbor Street — a dilapidated warehouse that once functioned as a hotel laundromat — where the first 14 years of Low Key Arts programming took place.

AARON BREWER

AARON BREWER

ROBBIE BRINDLEY

the idea of gathering hundreds of people indoors felt irresponsible. Beyond concerns about coronavirus outbreaks, Kay viewed the moment as an “opportunity to examine the model that we had established” and made the decision to indefinitely move the festival outside.

Growing up in Los Angeles, Kay had some of his first concert experiences in outdoor venues like the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theatre, both of which are “theatrically lit” with “dramatic backdrops.” “For my money, it’s the most compelling, exciting and enchanting way to see live music,” he said. After Kay discovered that Cedar Glades Park — just a few miles away from the former location — had an already existing and underused band shell, everything clicked into place. The humble, triangular stage, which Kay described as “something you might imagine in a country jamboree,” needed a bit of electrical work, but it wasn’t something that a few hundred dollars worth of rewiring couldn’t solve.

Since relocating, VOV volunteers — which make up about 90% of those involved in the fest — have worked tirelessly to turn Cedar Glades Park into a spectacle. Through an experimental combination of lighting, lasers, digital projections, analog televisions and creative backdrops, the breathtaking natural beauty of the Ouachita Mountains is tastefully accented. Additionally, the new location has allowed the fest to grow in size, with a new average of 400 to 500 people per day.

Another advantage of moving to Cedar Glades Park is that VOV is now a camping-friendly festival. On top of providing attendees with more of a chance to immerse themselves in the foliage of Arkansas, it also makes overnight stays more accessible to out-of-towners who might otherwise struggle to pay for a hotel in Hot Springs on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, one of the busiest times of the year. The number of campers so far is modest, but it’s growing.

When I spoke with Solleder and Childs about the direction the festival has taken since their departure, I expected at least a hint of resentment around the loss of their charmingly disjointed home base on Arbor Street, but that wasn’t the case. “Arkansas is The Natural State,” Solleder said. “For those bands who are coming to play and for the people who are coming to visit the festival, being outside with that grove of pine trees behind you is just magical.” “Bill and I are like, ‘Why didn’t we ever think of bringing it out here?’” Childs said. “It’s just gorgeous. The hillside and that little valley is beautiful.” ***

On Saturday, March 18, I drove down to Hot Springs for day two of the 19th Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival, my first time in attendance since the transition to Cedar Glades Park. On the gravel pathway guiding me to the music — which had already been rumbling for a

couple of hours before I arrived — were dozens of vendors, almost exclusively of the crystals, jewelry, tye-die and tapestry persuasion. Incense burned generously, chafing interestingly with the indie rock pulling me in. With the stage finally in sight, which had been decorated to look like a giant, toothy mouth, I immediately ran into both Sonny Kay and Bobby Missile, proving just how intimate and inviting — how the opposite of faceless — this festival really is.

About 15 feet from the stage was a little creek area fenced off for safety, creating a seemingly unintentional divide between those who like to get up close and personal with their live music and those who prefer to listen from several sets of steel bleachers up on a hill a little further from the blaring speakers. I hopped up to the front and bobbed my head to the final 30 seconds of Truth Club, the only band on the day’s bill who I’d even really heard of. I wasn’t disappointed, though, because the VOV experience is supposed to be one of discovery.

In the time between bands, I wandered, admiring the tall trees that swayed above us due to a frigid breeze. Near a pavilion equipped with

crafting supplies, I found an exact replica of the iconic red door that once led into the old Arbor Street building, erected by Leslie Blackstone, a longtime volunteer who’s leant her construction expertise to over a decade of VOVs. Looking around, I recognized the diversity of ages by which the festival distinguishes itself. Retirees, middle agers, young parents, teenagers and small children were represented in almost equal measure. It was much colder than ideal, which understandably kept some folks at home, but there were still about 100 people in attendance. Most were bundled in some kind of blanket or heavy coat, except for the fearless kids, who roamed blissfully, enamored by the sudsy theatrics of an entertainer by the name of Big Poppa Bubble, who dipped specialty wands into a deep bucket of soap to create bubbles both grand in size and number.

Eyeing the merch tables on the vendor strip, I chatted with Gil Carroll, the guitarist from Living Hour, a Winnipeg-based band whose performance I missed. I followed the VOV vibe and bought a vinyl record from him because the cover caught my eye, despite never having listened

to their music. Like most performers at VOV, Carroll was on his way back from SXSW, where he made some good connections but was also drained by the cruel churn of bands ushered on and off stage by burnt-out sound engineers struggling to stay sane. Here in Hot Springs, he was more at peace, charmed by the slower pace and the “hippies” scattered around. His mention of the bohemian got me further examining the demographics, which were sort of hilarious and sweetly dissonant when you notice how different the dressed-mostly-in-all-black performers are from the rest of the crowd. Clearly, no one was even slightly bothered by this contradiction, and it was beautiful.

The first full set I saw was from The Foreign Resort, a trio from Denmark that makes dark, new wavy songs. Think: the Killers at their absolute heaviest and angstiest. The electric guitar, warped by effects pedals, soared and cut through desperate and driving music, but no one rushed to shield their children. Everyone seemed like they were here for the right reasons: to be exposed to something challenging and novel.

The next band was CDSM, a strange and campy collective from Atlanta with multiple synth players and a snarky saxophone. Anchored by dancy drums and spooky vocals more forcefully spoken than sung by a man with a hood and sunglasses, it was another example of a group that might turn off a mainstream listener, and yet the audience was having a blast. Even if the music wasn’t for everyone, the visuals were hard to look away from. As the sun drifted downward, VOV’s complete arsenal of aesthetic playfulness took hold of the stage. Through the work of a concealed camera and anachronistic filters, the band’s likeness was projected behind them in distorted, VHS-tinged glory, overlaid with footage from old films. I was too cold to stay for another band, but I’m fairly certain things got even weirder and more awesome as the night wore on.

NEW LEADERSHIP: In 2017, Sonny Kay (pictured at right) — a DIY veteran, visual artist and the founder of indie record label Gold Standard Laboratories — was recruited to take over as executive director of Low Key Arts, after Bill Solleder stepped down.

CHAD LOUCKS

AARON BREWER

AARON BREWER

See who wins the Competition for the Best Taco in Central Arkansas!

Early Bird Tickets $35 Limited Time Only

THURSDAY, MAY 18th

Under the Stars at The Argenta Plaza from 6 to 9 pm

You’ll be in tortilla heaven tasting great tacos from many local taquerias and restaurants.

VIP tickets $100

Includes catered buffet in private dining area, premium tequilas, special parking, and 5:30 early entrance.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT .COM

Must be 21 or older to enter; no exceptions.

Presented by Hornitos

PARAGON PIE

BY BRIAN SORENSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOVO STUDIO

Dining at Pizzeria Ruby requires enough patience to reckon with a mighty crowd. Chef Michael Robertshaw and Meredith Butler, his business partner and significant other, are responsible for one of the hottest spots in Northwest Arkansas. And that’s saying something, given the sizzling streak the region’s culinary scene has been on lately.

Pizzeria Ruby’s pies are served in one standard size — 18-inch — and they’re straightforward and delicious. The pasta is impeccable. The ingredients sing the siren song of superiority. And all of it can be enjoyed in a miniscule municipality few take notice of: Johnson, a Washington County community tucked between Fayetteville and Springdale.

It was a long and arduous journey to Northwest Arkansas for the self-described skinny hippie New Englander, who started out “corporate,” bootstrapped a couple of successful food trucks,

and eventually launched what some consider to be the best pizza shop in the region.

Robertshaw and Butler have been together for nearly 16 years. They met in Seattle by chance while he was there staking his claim as one of the city’s best chefs. She — a Kansas native — was there looking for something to do after graduating from college.

“We met at an Irish pub,” Butler said. “We were sitting at the bar and started exchanging Ron Burgundy quotes.”

The pair has a wicked awesome sense of humor, and they come by that “wicked” part honestly; Robertshaw claims deep allegiance to the Boston area. Born and raised in Portland, Maine, with his heart in Beantown, the pizzeria’s ovens sit below a sign that declares it 1,535 miles to Fenway Park.

Robertshaw’s origin story begins with a job washing dishes at the seafood restaurant where his brother worked. The itch that developed

PIZZERIA RUBY IS WICKED GOOD.

SUPERIOR PIE: The Margheritainspired Ruby's pie is straightforward and delicious.

after seeing his sibling stab a live lobster, and subsequently stuff and bake the then-dead crustacean, would lead him to a series of cooking jobs in Portland, Boston, Seattle and, ultimately, Northwest Arkansas.

His interest in cooking comes naturally.

“My father was Greek Orthodox and my mom was Catholic, so we would always have two Easters,” Robertshaw said. “We would have Italian food on Catholic Easter and then we’d go to Boston and have leg of lamb with chestnut and rice stuffing for Orthodox Easter.”

After the stint at the seafood restaurant, Robertshaw worked a breakfast buffet for a 70-yearold woman named Phyllis, then a sojourn at The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and then landed back in Portland where he received tutelage from two chefs: Sam Hayward, who The New York Times calls the “father of Portland cooking,” and the James Beard Award-winning chef Rob Evans.

“Working for them started my journey of hunting down dickhead chefs who could teach me something,” Robertshaw said.

Before long wanderlust started to set in for Robertshaw, and he set his sights on the Pacific Northwest — based on the reputation of the region’s chefs — even though he didn’t have a job lined up beforehand.

“I went up there and started handing my resume out,” he said. “I took a real shit job and was hanging out at Mistral, which was Will Belickis’s restaurant, who I had read about before. He hired an amazing chef from a restaurant with three Michelin stars, and I started tagging along, going to markets to scout ingredients.”

Robertshaw ended up working for Chef Scott Staples at his first place, Restaurant Zoë. He went on to become Staples’ executive sous chef at Quinn’s Pub when it opened in 2007. Robertshaw’s list of bonafides also includes a stop at Union, a concept from Chef Ethan Stowell. Some consider it to be one of the top 10 restaurants of its kind in the United States.

Robertshaw was working at Union when he and Butler first met. She would visit him at the restaurant near closing time, and then hang out for the revelry after the doors were locked for the night. “It was pretty debaucherous,” Butler said. “I remember the staff had its own keg, and they went through cases of Jägermeister as well.”

Robertshaw recalls those days as being full of hard work, little pay and endless memories. Some of the most famous chefs came through the doors of Union to dine, including José Andrés, Anthony Bourdain and Marco Pierre White.

He recalled one memorable night that involved the author of “Kitchen Confidential.”

“At the end of the night, after drinking copious amounts of whatever we could get our hands on, there was Ethan Stolle and Anthony Bourdain walking around giving whippets to people who were still there.”

Robertshaw made a name for himself in Seattle. Food writers were smitten with the smack-talking New Englander’s prowess in the kitchen, and his

1,535 MILES FROM FENWAY: Born and raised in Portland, Maine, with his heart in Beantown, Chef Robertshaw made a name for himself in Seattle's food scene before moving to Northwest Arkansas.

reputation as an opener was strong. Need to launch a new restaurant? Robertshaw was your guy. The total number of restaurants he has helped open — including Pizzeria Ruby — is 11.

But Robertshaw said he needed to find a new place to practice his trade. The rents in the Pacific Northwest were exorbitant. If he and Butler were to settle down and open a place of their own, it needed to be somewhere more affordable.

Bentonville-based Ropeswing — a hospitality company with ties to the Walton family — recruited him to open a new version of Pressroom. Butler went to Arkansas to scout for a place to live while Robertshaw wrapped up his commitment to Restaurant Roux, a cajun-creole concept that would be his last job in Seattle.

Although the Pressroom experience didn’t last long, he did get a chance to work with Chef Matthew Cooper, who now owns and operates Conifer in downtown Bentonville. And it was there that he had a chance encounter with someone he deeply admires, chef and food writer Ruth Reichl.

“I got to cook for my fucking culinary journalist hero, which is a highlight of my career,” Robertshaw said. “She came in one night and I prepared crispy pigtail with sumac yogurt and grilled peaches. She wrote about it and put the dish I served her on the front page of her website. I will always keep that with me.”

After two-and-a-half years with Ropeswing, working in a corporate environment grew stale. Robertshaw struck out on his own with a food truck called Persephonē on Wheels.

“It was a weird time in my life,” he said. “My mom had just passed, and I had a revelation about what was fucking important. I’m a momma’s boy, so I named it in her honor.”

Robertshaw and Butler invested $8,000 in a food truck and started dishing out what might be best described as Mediterranean street food. Think gyros, shawarma and falafel. Butler was enlisted to help in the kitchen because Robertshaw developed a consulting gig on the side. “He gave me a one-day training on how to cook in the food truck,” she said. “I’m a cook but I had never cooked for the public before. I seriously almost had a panic attack every day.”

Persephonē on Wheels was a hit, which led to a second food truck — Three Cents an Acre. It featured some of life’s guilty pleasures, such as fried chicken, fried catfish and shrimp po’boys. The response was off the charts. Three Cents an Acre was pulling between $4,000 and $5,000 a day at its peak, with the two trucks consuming a combined 1,000 pounds of potatoes each week.

After flirting with a location in Rogers, a local developer suggested that he locate in a new development in Johnson. What was Robertshaw’s response?

“Dude, I’m not going to Johnson,” he said. “What the fuck is Johnson?”

Situated between Fayetteville and Springdale and just a mile east of Interstate

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49, the development was easily reachable from anywhere in Northwest Arkansas. Plus, Onyx Coffee’s new concept — Hail Fellow Well Met — was going in right next door. Robertshaw and Butler were in.

Work started to turn the 2,400-square-feet of unfinished space into a cozy pizzeria. Butler said Robertshaw was obsessive-compulsive in his quest to craft the perfect pizza. The pair traveled extensively conducting sensory tests of pizzas they felt were superior. Crusts, tomatoes and cheeses — everything was scrutinized ruthlessly. Robertshaw made the Ruby’s Pie exclusively for a year-and-a-half. “I felt that once it was perfect, everything else would be fucking fine,” he said of his version of the classic pizza Margherita.

For Robertshaw, a great pizza starts with a solid foundation.

“Everyone overlooks the most important part of pizza, which is the dough,” he said. “But everything else matters, too. You don’t ferment your dough for five days and then buy the best tomatoes money can buy, and then put plastic cheese on it.”

The pies sport artisan pepperoni and Soppressata, anchovies and truffle dust. “It’s hard for me to articulate what makes our pizza better,” Robertshaw said. “I think it comes down to the fact that we just care more.”

He’s also proud of the shop’s “Nice Bread,” which is named after the “nice bread” his mom used to have him pick up at the store on the way to Sunday dinner.

It takes more than great food to make a great restaurant. Robertshaw is quick to call his 39 staff members “amazing.”

“It was a bit of a revolving door when we opened. It takes some time to stick, but we’re pretty fortunate to have the staff we have now.”

Robertshaw learned a long time ago that kitchen cohesiveness makes or breaks a restaurant. Robertshaw may talk a tough game in the kitchen, but he hosts family meals with staff, and when something is wrong he jumps in to see if he can help make things better — whether at work or in an employee’s personal life.

“We’re all spending so much time here that it’s essential that we care for each other,” he said. “For me it makes sense to develop a culture and take care of the people who take care of me.”

Even with all those accolades and meticulous planning in the rearview mirror, Robertshaw still seems surprised that the place was an immediate hit. “If I’m being completely honest, as much of an egomaniacal asshole as I am, I was very modest in my approach to this because I didn’t think anyone would get it,” he said. But people seem downright giddy to wait up to two hours for a table, even on a weeknight.

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“It’s our house-made ciabatta bread,” he said. “The dough starts at 86% hydration, and it’s a two-day process to make. Because of the hydration level it has to be worked all day long. It gets slapped and pulled four different times.”

His mother’s influence is felt throughout the menu, though he ventures that his meatballs — made from beef and pork with tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and basil — are better. “No offense to her,” Robertshaw said.

As for the future, Robertshaw is pretty happy right now. He’s not willing to say that he’s going to be in Northwest Arkansas forever, but he does see Pizzeria Ruby as a legacy institution, like the old school pizzerias Italian fathers jumpstarted to support their families, meant to be passed down to the next generation. Even if he moves away one day, he hopes to see Pizzeria Ruby carry on.

“I’m having fun,” he said. “The best days of my life are when I come home and tell Meredith that we had great service tonight. Food looked good, everything tasted good. Just completely fucking happy.”

And pizza lovers in Northwest Arkansas are happy, too.

THROWING DOUGH: Every part of the pie matters, but the dough is the most important part, Robertshaw said. "You don't ferment your dough for five days then buy the best tomatoes money can buy and then put plastic cheese on it."

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WHO SAID IT?

SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS OR HISTORICAL SUPERVILLAIN?

The Observer loves a good brain game. I’m talking Sudoku, Scrabble, a crossword or that game where you unscramble the letters to form the correct word. You know the one. Current events and history trivia are a different story. The stakes feel higher, and sometimes that sucks all the fun right out. Speaking of sucking, Gov. Sarah Sanders says some pretty notable stuff. It’s notable because it brings to mind other autocrats we have known. So The Observer thought it might be fun(ish?) to play a little guessing game. Sanders is responsible for some of the quotes below, but not all. Can you guess who said it? (Answer key follows.)

1. “A student seeking an education in another school, either private or public, because of a situation such as exists here now, will have the benefit of all funds to be expended for his education. The funds follow him to the school of his choice anywhere within the state.”

2. “With new education freedom accounts, parents will be able to send their kids to whatever school works best: Whether it is public, private, parochial or homeschool.”

3. "As your governor, I shall resist any illegal federal court order, even to the point of standing at the schoolhouse door in person, if necessary."

4. “As long as I am your governor, the meddling hand of big government creeping down from Washington, D.C., will be stopped cold at the Mississippi River.”

5. “We will get the over-regulating, micromanaging, bureaucratic tyrants off of your backs, out of your wallets and out of your lives.”

6. "We haven’t been against people. We’ve been against big government trying to take over and write a guideline for you and tell you how to cross the street, what to do with your union and your business when you know how to do it yourself."

7. “All we ask is to be let alone.”

8. “We are limiting the growth of government before government limits the growth of individual liberty.”

9. “Nothing is more precious than independence and liberty.”

10. “The people are never to be servants of the government.”

11. “The press is the enemy.”

12. “I'm looking for the teacher who is simple enough to be great, and great enough to be simple.”

1. Former Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus. 2. Sanders. 3. Former Alabama Governor George Wallace. 4. Sanders. 5. Sanders. 6. Wallace. 7. Confederate President Jefferson Davis. 8. Sanders. 9. Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh. 10. Sanders. 11. Former President Richard Nixon. 12. Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

BRIAN CHILSON