Some things that are great on their own become even more fabulous when they’re mixed together, like chocolate and peanut butter. At Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Pops on the River, two of its biggest components are going to be mashed together for the first time to create something organizers hope will be magical.

“This year we’re really working with the symphony and our new firework company to perform together,” event director Tabitha Cunningham says.

Last year they tried to coordinate on just one song, but this year they’re aiming for a much more substantial collaboration with the pops and flashes of the fireworks and the pomp and circumstance of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra working in tandem.

Read more in Thursday's Weekend section of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.