SILOAM SPRINGS -- City directors will hear an update on one of the 2021-2022 board goals at the city board meeting today.
The goal to be discussed will focus on providing a broad range of artistic, multi-cultural and multi-generational activities and events, according to a staff report prepared by Communications Manager Holland Hayden on Wednesday.
City staff reviewed and categorized all existing, regularly scheduled, ongoing, city-sponsored and non-city-sponsored events and based on the categorization identified areas of need for more artistic multi-cultural and multi-generational events, the report states.
Based on the totals there are eight multi-cultural events, and 14 multi-generational events held in the city, according to a list of events provided by the city. The list also states there are eight artistic events and nine senior programming events. Among the 15 categories compared, the city's strongest outreach is through its community, outdoor and multi-generational programming the report states.
Many of the events listed reach multiple categories, such as movies at the park event meets the artistic and multi-generational categories, the report states.
The city also collaborates with other agencies like the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce; Main Street Siloam Springs; the Siloam Springs Museum, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars as well as specialty sports interest groups to reach a wider audience and interests like parades, festivals, the Farmers Market, bicycle and running races and special events, the report states.
The city succeeds in categories of outdoor, community, live music, multi-generational and accessible events, the report states.In 2019 there were a minimum of 66 live music events throughout the city, the report states.
Improvements the city can make relate to senior programming and multi-cultural special events, the report states. Due to funding restrictions, the Senior Circle program at Siloam Springs Regional Hospital was cut in 2017 leaving a gap in community outreach and there are very few nonprofit/volunteer groups that focus on multi-cultural events, the report states.
Additionally there are several multi-cultural events throughout the region including a Hispanic Heritage Festival held in Fayetteville in the fall, according to nwahispanicheritagefestival.com. Also, the organization Diversity NWAR places a priority on cultural events for all Northwest Arkansas, the report states.