Walmart Visitors Return

It happens every spring, or to be more specific, every early summer. And we're not talking about a young man's fancy turning to love or the start of baseball season, though both those things happen just as regularly as the annual Walmart Shareholders' meeting.

That's right. They're back -- Walmart associates, stockholders and vendor employees from across the world are flooding into the area as you read this. The 2014 shareholders' meeting is Friday morning at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. But the associated tours, exhibitions, concerts and other events taking place across the region are already getting started.

What’s The Point?

For several days every summer, Northwest Arkansas gets a view of the world according to Walmart leading up the the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting.

If you are a full-time resident of Northwest Arkansas, you know what to expect in the coming five days. More traffic; celebrity sightings (both real and imagined); product branding, from the Goodyear blimp to Oscar Mayer's Wiener Mobile; vests with pins; flags, both foreign and domestic; concerts; tour buses; "squigglies"; the occasional protests by the company's detractors; and did we mention more traffic?

(Actually, we're not so sure about the squigglies now that the company has dropped the hyphen between the "Wal" and the "Mart" in its official store branding. If you don't know what we're talking about, check this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QniTf1DdYxk)

But, back to this week's activities. There will be lots of visitors here doing lots of driving or riding back and forth between Bentonville and Fayetteville. If this sounds scary, you can at least be grateful that the visitors aren't all riding motorcycles. That's not until September, and the vests worn during that annual event are decidedly more leathery.

OK, enough joking around. Despite the distractions and the occasional and temporary inconveniences, the annual gathering of Walmart shareholders and associates from around the world is a fun, joyful and (for those in the restaurant, hotel and entertainment businesses) lucrative event. We locals may complain about it, but in the end, we also appreciate the chance to welcome visitors to our little slice of heaven and show it off. A visit to Northwest Arkansas is the best antidote against the inaccurate stereotypes portrayed by those ignorant about the many benefits of living in this corner of the state. Putting our best foot forward this week spreads lots of goodwill.

For those who may be visiting us for the first time, welcome. And we hope you'll take a little of the free advice we'll offer here. Relax and look around. Find the roads less taken and do some exploring off the direct routes between the home office and Walton Arena.

Try some hiking, fishing or swimming at Beaver Lake. Eat at a restaurant that doesn't look just like one in your home town. Check out the locally owned shops and stores. We're pretty sure you'll be making time for a trip through Crystal Bridges' breathtaking collection of art, but don't forget our other cultural offerings at local museums. And speaking of culture, you might want to try out the live music scene on Dickson Street. Who knows? You may want to come back and visit on your own sometime.

Meanwhile, we'll deal with the traffic and changes in routine and long lines at restaurants. It's only for a few days. Until next year.

Commentary on 06/02/2014

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