Events Draw More Than 100,000 To City

— Downtown Bentonville Inc., just four years since its inception, drew more than 100,000 visitors to events this year ranging from weekend farmers markets to monthly First Friday festivals.

Attendance at programs is up from 12,000 when the nonprofit group was founded in 2008 and 85,000 last year, said Daniel Hintz, executive director of Downtown Bentonville.

The organization is part of a long line of private and public investments into Bentonville that added a new arts and culture dynamic to the city’s identity as a business hub. The city planned renovations to its downtown square as early as 1996 with a study by the University of Arkansas. A downtown master plan in 2005 was followed up by the announcement of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art the next year.

Bentonville residents approved a bond measure to finance redevelopment in 2007, and a renovated square opened in 2008. A key piece of the downtown puzzle was added in November 2011 with the opening of Crystal Bridges.

“It’s here,” Hintz said. “All of this, and it’s here. Now the question is ‘Now what? How do we keep building on all this?’”

In its first full year since the museum’s opening, Downtown Bentonville Inc. spent 2012 watching the responses of downtown residents, guests and businesses to the museum and downtown programs. The museum quickly exceeded attendance expectations — netting nearly double what was anticipated — and downtown became an attractive spot to entrepreneurs.

Art galleries, clothiers, restaurants and flower shops joined the few retail outlets and the reimagined Walton’s 5&10 in downtown Bentonville. Parking filled up on the First Friday of each month as residents and visitors flocked to themed festivals with culinary, musical and visual art components.

One standout for 2012 on the Downtown Bentonville lineup was the farmers market, Hintz said. The market did $451,875 in sales in its season from late April through October. That’s up from $91,000 in sales when Downtown Bentonville took over the market in 2008.

Larry Hern has sold all-natural beef from L&B Farms at the market for the last seven years. He said the market has helped him build up a client base.

“It’s just gotten better every since we started at the market,” Hern said. “I look for this next year to be even better.”

He said it’s important for residents to come out and support their local farmers and farmers markets.

“If the American people don’t take care of the American farmer, one day those same people are going to be hungry,” Hern said.

While more people at the market allow farmers more consistent customers, Downtown Bentonville has worked to create consistency of product at the market. Hintz said Nicki McNelly, market director, makes site visits to farms to get to know the farmers and how they raise their products.

The market expanded this year to include a variety of food types ranging from grains to protein to produce. Services and crafts also were represented at the market. Local chefs provide cooking demonstrations, while gardeners share tips, according to Downtown Bentonville’s website.

“We have more community involvement and ownership of the market,” Hintz said.

New programs started last year include the Notes at Night jazz series and an expanded summer Arts Festival. Both of those events are planned to continue in 2013, along with a new program called Downtown Discoveries. In the discovery program, residents will visit with local experts on particular subjects in a social atmosphere.

At A Glance

Downtown Bentonville

Programs offered by Downtown Bentonville Inc. include:

• Farmers Market: April through October

• First Friday: March through November

• ArtsFest: Monthlong arts event in the summer

• Backstage Downtown: Culinary and live music events, year round

• Christmas Parade: December

Source: www.downtownbentonville.org

For example, one planned Downtown Discovery event will take place at Tusk &Trotter, where members will drink coffee from local brewer Mountain Bird Coffee and learn about coffees. Hintz said nine of these events are planned.

Downtown Bentonville plans to “reconstruct” its First Friday events next year to keep the monthly festivals fresh. Hintz plans to partner with local businesses to create indoor and outdoor experiences with First Friday.

The organization will continue in 2013 to work with the James Beard Foundation, a new partner this year. The culinary group based in New York offers prestigious professional membership for chefs, and Downtown Bentonville will facilitate coordination between the New York foundation and local restaurants.

Hintz said the transformation of the downtown experience in Bentonville in culinary, arts and public sectors has a unique “authenticity” to it.

“First Friday and Downtown Bentonville would be nothing if the community didn’t show up and participate,” Hintz said. “The community owns it and cares about. It’s a wonderful environment to play in.”

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