We’ve all heard of speed dating, but how about speed friending? Ozark Beer Company is not only making great craft beer, but also making opportunities to connect people within the community to make new friends. This "speed friending" event works like speed dating, but with the objective of making new friends. As we age, it may feel more and more difficult to create real, genuine friendships. And having friends is important to us both physically and mentally. According to William Chopik, a professor of psychology at Michigan State University, “friendships become even more important as we age. Keeping a few really good friends around can make a world of difference for our health and well-being.”

Music Moves and the Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society are partnering with Crowne Group and the City of Rogers office of Arts and Culture to host the inaugural Railyard Jazz & Blues Block Party Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30, 2022. This is part of the Railyard Live Concert Series presented by iHeartRadio at Butterfield Stage in Downtown Rogers. The two day event is designed to bring the community together in a celebration of Jazz, Blues, R&B, and Soul music.

Pedal It Forward invites the community to join them in Downtown Rogers on July 23, 2022 for a celebration of the world’s best bike films with a screening at Arkansas Public Theatre. This event will feature short film selections from the Filmed By Bike festival, raffle prizes from local sponsors, pre and post-event gatherings for ticket holders, food, beverage, and opportunities to connect with people and organizations from within Northwest AR bike culture. All proceeds from the evening will benefit Pedal It Forward’s mission. Pre and post screening networking is also scheduled. 

The craft beer community in NW Arkansas just got a little more worldly. Ozark Beer Co. is collaborating with BlackMan Brewing, coming to us from South of the border. The new collaborative craft beer offering will be featured during BITE LITE, a component of the 2022 Bite NW Arkansas Event Series which kicks off at Railyard Park in Downtown Rogers on Friday, July 29. Ozark Beer has been working with Bite NWA from the beginning. This year they have the opportunity to bring to the party, nomadic brewer and founder of BlackMan Brewing, Barrett Tillman. Together they are creating a new taste of Northwest Arkansas. 

Each year, the Daisy Airgun Museum creates a custom engraving for the annual Downtown Rogers, Arkansas, Limited Edition Model 25 BB gun. This is a fully functional Model 25 Daisy BB gun with laser engraving on the stock.  This year, Daisy chose to highlight the Opera Block, located at the Southwest corner of Walnut and First Streets in our Historic Downtown.  The annual issue of this and gun will be closed when 500 guns have been produced or on the last business day of 2022, whichever comes first. The gun includes an insert card about the image and building.

David and Holly King decided to pursue an adventure in jewelry design and repair in NW Arkansas in late 2019.  As a self-taught jeweler with a background in mechanics and metalsmithing, David began to build a business model to help solve the perception that owning custom jewelry is only for the affluent. “Custom jewelry should be available for anyone wanting to express their personality or style without an inflated price tag,” explained Holly. The couple designs each individual piece with the customer in mind using their skills and talent to make each piece unique. With the help of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and international sourcing of gemstones and diamonds, the Kings strive to offer a relaxed, stress-free shopping experience where beautiful, custom jewelry is affordable.

Kayla Norris, owner of Marketing Main Street, recently moved her full-service marketing company to 112 S 2^nd Street, one door North of Arkansas Public Theatre. Norris graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2014 and she and her husband moved to Tulsa for five years before returning to Northwest Arkansas in 2019. Her niche is small business marketing, and she has a passion for mobilizing small businesses towards their fullest potential.

Brick & Mortar is hosting a new exhibition with an artist reception offered during the June 9 Art on the Bricks Art Walk. Found Unbounded, a Multisensory Art Exhibition, explores the relationship between art and our senses.

ANA Gallery Found a Home in Downtown Rogers

Northwest Arkansas is rich in artistic talent and the Artists of Northwest Arkansas (ANA) is proud of its mission to sponsor, encourage, assist, and promote enjoyment and understanding of the visual arts in the region. For over 30 years the ANA has offered a welcoming and inclusive place for artists of all kinds to showcase their work, learn new skills, and be part of the growing art scene in Northwest Arkansas and the surrounding area.

Downtown Rogers celebrated our dog friendly Northwest Arkansas community with “Barks on the Bricks” the theme for the May Art on the Bricks art walk.

Downtown Rogers has a contagious energy that continues to attract a fresh crop of businesses, residents, and visitors. The evolving landscape of downtown players created an unexpected synergy that arose during the collaboration among educators at Arkansas Arts Academy, a regional dance company and the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce. The result was to identify "Perpetual Motion" as the theme for the June Art on the Bricks Art Walk. We are honored to share two performances by Oklahoma City's only modern and aerial dance company, Perpetual Motion Dance. This non-profit arts organization is collaborating with Arkansas Arts Academy the week of June 6 and there are four opportunities for the public to experience  their dance including two performances at Turntable Plaza in Railyard Park, near the corner of S 1^st Street and W Elm Street. at 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on June 9 during Art on the Bricks Art Walk.

Woof & Wander has been the SECOND best friend to Northwest Arkansas's pet owners for almost five years. That's 35 dog years! So they are making plans to say "Thank you for being a friend" in a big way this Sunday. And what better way than to invite you to stop by for a little bit of fun with a party from Noon - 3:00 p.m. on June 5.

Pig Gig Arkansas is back, and this time it is bigger than ever. Reserve your tickets before they sell out. The event is set for Sunday, June 5, 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at 101 E Cherry Street in Downtown Rogers. Pig Gig is a family friendly event complete with food, beer, and live music. This popular event is presented by Jay Alexander Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the City of Rogers and will take place at Butterfield Stage. Highlights include: delicious food including a pig roast, and beverages plus a great line up of music including LaRue/Alexander - L.A.X.; Blue Americana, and Eric Miller. 

Presented by Jay Alexander Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the City of Rogers at the newly renovated Downtown Rogers Butterfield Stage.

"The first quarter of 2022 went by like a blink of the eye—no different than the previous year, in fact." That was the response of artist and gallery owner, Kinya Christian, when asked about the one-year anniversary of Into+View Gallery and Studio. The journey began in December, 2020, when she was featured in episode 9-season two of HGTV’s “Fixer to Fabulous." As her art made it to the small screen, confidence in her craft grew, and she realized she could accomplish a significant goal that had been brewing for quite some time.

May is National Pet Month and we are celebrating our dog friendly downtown with help from our friends at Best Friends Animal Society NWA and travel-with-your-pet-blogger at TravelTails.com. Our pet-loving community is invited to bring your fur babies to "Barks on the Bricks," our most dog friendly version of the monthly Art on the Bricks Art Walk. Meet the pet portrait artists and photographers, visual artists, plus pop-up booths by non-profit organizations and businesses that serve the animal community. Join us at Turntable Plaza in Railyard Park where Dancers from Ballet Westside Dance Studio will be putting their best foot forward with a dance performance from 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Then Dance Your Tail Off at the CoolWag Disco Party from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Plus, take your doggo for a walk to meet pet related vendors set up along N 2nd Street and on the plaza of Railyard Park. 

Nicole’s House is a faith-based nonprofit, dedicated to helping women transition back into their community while they recover from drug and alcohol addiction. Located on N 3rd Street in Downtown Rogers, the organization provides mentoring, instructions for daily living, and career counseling. Nicole’s house is a place where women can recover from the torment and destruction of addiction, and return to their community as successful contributing members of their city.

Event organizers announced the BITE NW Arkansas food festival will return this summer and fall as a three-part event series in conjunction with the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. The series will feature events in Downtown Rogers (July 29), Springdale (September 1) and onsite at Pinnacle Country Club (September 23-25) during #NWAChampionship Week.

Since the event’s inception in 2015, the festival has celebrated the region’s best cuisines, restaurants and chefs, giving attendees an elevated culinary experience in their own backyard. Traditionally, held in one location during #NWAChampionship Week, the expanded series will move to various locations throughout the region with both daytime and evening culinary experiences for the community to enjoy.

The 2022 #BITENWA Event Series will kickoff in Downtown Rogers on Friday, July 29 with a one-night event at Frisco Plaza. In addition to the culinary opportunity, the community may experience the first of a two evenings of jazz and blues music. Railyard Live, presented by iHeartRadio, is serving up the Railyard Live Jazz & Blues Block Party on Butterfield Stage. Artists performing include: Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal with Grady Nichols Jazz, The Sons of Brasil, and the Austin Farnam Trio.

May is National Pet Month and the May Day festivities are an appropriate kick off to the month promoting the walkable and dog friendly community for which Downtown Rogers is known. First United Methodist Church is hosting a community wide celebration to include: a ribbon cutting for the new Little Free Pet Pantry, a blessing of the pets, and a Humane Society of Animals pop-up adoption center. The activities begin at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, May 1, in the 1^st UMC park at the corner of 4^th and Elm in Downtown Rogers.

2nd Street Outpost and Outfitters is making a whisper soft noise with an exciting new line of electric two and four-wheel vehicles. The addition of the boom!MOTO line of e-bikes caused the Downtown Rogers shop to expand from their retail location at 702 N 2nd Street into a showroom—a few steps West and located along the Railyard Loop—at 203 W Wood Street. 

Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce presented Gaby’s Bakery with the Outstanding Small Business of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2022. This locally owned bakery is committed to creating delicious treats and baked goods for customers from throughout Northwest Arkansas. From their freshly baked bread to birthday cakes, they make sure to use only the best ingredients to ensure delicious taste in every bite. They always do their best to ensure that even the smallest details are perfect.

Monica McCleary and Jessy Duque are bringing the newest addition to the Downtown Rogers creative community as they prepare to open Cirro Studio. As business partners and life heart-ners, they create fine wood furniture and housewares, keeping a high focus on detail with an emphasis on design. Using traditional furniture-making practices, they take pride constructing beautiful heirloom quality wood furniture that is inspired by the functionality of the Shakers and minimalism of the Danish modern design movement.

An important part of the Chamber’s mission-work is being the trusted source of information for growing business, activating leaders, and building community.

Joele Nataloni was born in Rome, Italy and grew up just outside the hustle and bustle of the city in a town called Aprilia.

In late 2019, David and Holly King decided to pursue an adventure in jewelry design and repair in NW Arkansas.

Woodridge Retail Group CEO, Jon Allen, is a problem-solver who is always looking for a better way to connect people and companies to better solutions. With more than 25 years in marketing and communications advising senior leaders, Allen took his own best advice by starting Woodridge Retail Group in 2020.

Meghan McDonald and Jeff Barnett are the folks behind Mavis Wine Co. in downtown Rogers.

A simple storefront at 105 W. Walnut St. provides little hint of the creativity and broad-reaching business activities that lie within. Like her commercial space on the bricks of downtown Rogers, Laura Coello, and her design business, LBC Studio, are difficult to encapsulate. She designs products and makes business deals that might surprise her neighbors in the historic district.

Calling all local foodies! Nola’s Pantry will be one of four businesses set to open at the corner of W Chestnut and N 1st Street in the former Bumper to Bumper building. They will offer products from small businesses across the United States and sometimes internationally.

More than three years ago, Beth Welborn began making plans to open a new business in Downtown Rogers.

Ozark Beer Co. first began production for commercial sales in 2013 in a warehouse a short distance south of Downtown Rogers.