ROGERS — There we sat, westbound on Arkansas 340, not moving. I had an epiphany.

Yes, two blown-out knees did stop me from going to arts and crafts shows for the last five years. There was something else at play, too. It was this: traffic congestion.

Last weekend was perfect to get back out on the arts and crafts circuit. It didn’t take much talking to convince my friend Debbie to make the trek with me.

I suggested the Bella Vista show because it is outside and because, I theorized, it isn’t quite as large as War Eagle. It shouldn’t be quite the strain on someone nine months post knee replacement. If we waited until 11 a.m. or so to arrive, most folks would be there already; some would even be leaving.

Not so much.

I chose the 340 route because it was closest from where we started. Traffic was heavy on the interstate, but that’s nothing new.

It wasn’t until we got about a mile from the Arkansas 279 intersection, however, that we came to a standstill. We crept along, but finally I had to make a decision: go or turn around.

Traffic was stopped in the intersection of the two highways, a bad sign, so I asked Debbie her opinion.

“You’re the driver,” she said.

The driver decided it wasn’t worth the wait, whipped into Highland Crossing’s parking lot and headed back to Rogers to John Q. Hammons Convention Center, which was full, too, but we were able to park.

I didn’t buy much — soup mix and a purse. I appeared to be in the minority. Lots of people leaving lots of cash in our corner of the world.

They were eating, drinking, buying gasoline and putting their heads on pillows at local hotels. This should make most residents smile, even if traffic is nightmare.

And it should make residents seriously consider voting for the highway tax, or Issue 1 on the ballot.

No one is excited about a tax increase, but this half-percent sales tax means the folks who were here for arts and crafts weekends, BBBBQ and other events would help foot the bill for much needed highway improvements.

Also, not all the money will go to the state. The city will get some, as will the county. The state’s part is to be used for improvements to four-lane highways.

We all know we need street-road-highway improvements. Letting the people who are adding to the wear and tear support repair makes sense.

••••

We celebrated Terry Woodside’s life last week.

A Marine and 20-year veteran of the Rogers Police Department, Terry left us much too young.

Terry’s favorite role was the one he took on full-time after retiring from the police department: dad to Cayden. Cayden told me he wants to follow in Terry’s footsteps. Terry wasn’t too sure about the Marine part, not because he wasn’t still a Marine to his very core. He just didn’t want his son facing what today’s Marines face in a world gone awry.

Terry was never one to shy away from a camera — or a reporter looking for a story. One of us thought it would be a great idea if I did a story about his undercover experience. He suggested I go with him, see where he was staying and the places he was haunting.

My boss liked the idea. Terry’s boss? Not so much.

I gather Mike Jones chewed on Terry pretty good. I got some of the fallout:

Jones: “What were you thinking?”

Me: “I was thinking it was a good story that would explain the difficulty of being an undercover cop!”

Jones: “You could have gotten hurt!”

Me: “Terry would have never let me get hurt!”

And that was a key thing about Terry: He would do his darndest never to let anyone get hurt.

Terry was brave, and he proved that when the police department was taken over by an armed man.

Frankie Parker killed his in-laws, kidnapped his estranged wife and went to the department where he shot Ray Feyen, then held officers at bay for hours.

Ray was laying in a file room bleeding. Terry volunteered to get him. Remember, Parker was in the building with a gun. Nonetheless, an officer was down, and Terry wasn’t going to leave him.

Ray has often told the story of how Terry jumped through the window — and landed smack dab in the middle of his chest. Still, he was glad to see him.

The world could do with more Terry Woodsides.

Leeanna Walker is local editor of the Rogers Morning News and Springdale Morning News. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NWALeeanna.