Good morning.
If Thursday’s newsletter was about figuring out the weekend, this one is about getting a little ahead of the week before Monday shows up and starts making decisions for you.
The Sebastian County Fair opens Tuesday, Fort Smith Schools is voting on a $207 million budget, Van Buren could have a new City Council member by Monday night, and there’s a partial lunar eclipse Thursday that’ll be worth walking outside for if the clouds cooperate.
So grab your coffee. Here’s what’s coming.
WEEK AT A GLANCE
SUNDAY
🎵 Brantstock final night.
MONDAY
🏫 Fort Smith Schools votes on its $207 million budget.
🏛️ Van Buren could appoint a new council member.
TUESDAY
🎡 $1 admission night opens the Sebastian County Fair.
WEDNESDAY
🧊 Free OG&E weatherproofing kits in Fort Smith.
THURSDAY
🎨 CSA turns 10.
🌘 Partial lunar eclipse starts at 9:33 p.m.
Worth Your Attention This Week
Tuesday is the $1 night at the Sebastian County Fair
The Sebastian County Fair opens Tuesday in Greenwood and runs through Saturday.
There’s a carnival, livestock shows and an auction, youth rodeo events, live music, food trucks, vendors and free play inflatables for the kids. Rodeo events are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights.
But if you’ve got some flexibility on which night you go, Tuesday is the bargain. Admission is just $1.
Wednesday is Faith & Family Night at $5 for adults and $3 for kids. Thursday through Saturday, admission is $7 for adults, $4 for ages 6 to 12, and free for kids 5 and under.
Sebastian County Fairgrounds
530 E. Knoxville St., Greenwood
Tuesday through Saturday, Aug. 25 to 29
CIVIC THIS WEEK
There’s a lot happening in local government this week, but three meetings stand out.
Fort Smith Schools votes on a $207 million budget Monday
Monday, Aug. 24 at 5:30 p.m.
FSPS Service Center, Building B Auditorium
3205 Jenny Lind Road
The Fort Smith School Board is scheduled to vote on the district’s 2026-27 budget Monday night.
The proposal projects $202.49 million in revenue and $207.55 million in spending, plus $17.76 million in capital projects supported in part by $15.38 million in bond proceeds.
The board will also hear updates on athletics finances, English-learner achievement, employee retention and speech-language services.
Van Buren could have a new council member Monday night
Monday, Aug. 24 at 5:30 p.m.
Van Buren Municipal Complex
1003 Broadway St.
Van Buren’s council is scheduled to go into executive session over its vacant seat, then vote on appointing a new council member.
Also on the agenda: architectural services for a new community center, an engineering contract for the King Opera House, and a rezoning request on Rena Road.
Fort Smith takes a look under the hood Tuesday
Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 6 p.m.
The Blue Lion
101 N. 2nd St.
Tuesday’s Fort Smith Board meeting is a study session, with the city reviewing goals and performance across 22 departments.
A few things that jumped out of the packet:
The city plans to use an outside firm to recruit a new city administrator and is reviewing employee pay scales.
Police are planning for a second precinct or substation and training center.
Housing rehabilitation, homebuyer assistance and homelessness partnerships remain part of the city’s Community Development work.
Parks projects continue, including trails, accessibility work and the planned Tilles Park splash pad.
Water Resources reported 98.7% wastewater-treatment compliance.
This one is more about where the city is going than what it’s voting on Tuesday night.
Also meeting this week
Greenwood Water & Wastewater Commission
Monday at 6 p.m. at Greenwood City Hall.
Barling Board of Directors
Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The city’s current listing still does not specify a meeting location.
Fort Smith Advertising & Promotion Commission
Wednesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Discover Fort Smith, 524 Garrison Ave.
Local government works better when people know what’s happening before the meeting, not after it.
USEFUL THIS WEEK
Here’s something useful that isn’t really an “event” in the usual sense.
Arkansas Climate League is opening its Fort Smith Resource Center Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they’ll have free OG&E weatherproofing kits available while people stop in.
There’ll also be lemonade, water and ice pops, plus a raffle for a solar-powered fan and information on making your home more weather-efficient.
Arkansas Climate League Resource Center
521 N. 6th St., Fort Smith
Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
And yes, the cold drinks sound pretty well timed for late August.
If you’re awake Thursday night, look at the moon
You don’t have to drive anywhere for this one.
A deep partial lunar eclipse will be visible across the River Valley Thursday night into early Friday morning, assuming the clouds stay out of the way.
In Fort Smith, the partial eclipse begins at 9:33 p.m. The Moon reaches maximum eclipse at 11:12 p.m., then starts working its way back out of Earth’s shadow.
You don’t need eclipse glasses for a lunar eclipse. Just walk outside and look up.
If you’ve got kids who are usually supposed to be asleep by then, 9:33 might be late enough to feel like an adventure without committing everybody to the 11:12 maximum.
Partial eclipse begins: 9:33 p.m.
Maximum eclipse: 11:12 p.m.
Partial eclipse ends: 12:51 a.m.
Weather permitting, of course.
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A FEW MORE THINGS WORTH KNOWING
One for tonight: Brantstock wraps up in Huntington
If you read this Sunday morning and still don’t have a plan for tonight, Brantstock has one more night left.
The final show is at The Good Fight in Huntington, with On This Rock, Big Rev, Kobe J Ministry, Exoneration and Dojo Saints.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and music starts at 5. Admission is $5 at the door.
The money supports the Branton Ramsey Legacy Foundation and its work with young people around the River Valley.
Storytime gets a police officer Tuesday
If you’ve got a preschooler or elementary-age kid who has ever had 47 questions for a police officer, the Miller Branch has them covered Tuesday.
A Fort Smith Police Department officer is joining storytime, followed by a kid-friendly question-and-answer session about the job.
Tuesday, 4 to 4:30 p.m.
Miller Branch, Fort Smith Public Library
8701 S. 28th St.
Free
CSA is turning 10
Community School of the Arts is celebrating its 10th anniversary Thursday with a free open house at its Riverfront Drive campus.
You can tour the building, meet faculty and learn about the school’s programs. There’s also a ribbon cutting and treats.
If you’ve driven past that big building on the river and wondered what happens inside, this is a pretty easy chance to go look around.
Thursday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
1101 Riverfront Drive, Fort Smith
Free
And HTeaO is open
If you’ve been watching the HTeaO go up on Phoenix Avenue, you can stop wondering when it’s opening.
The Fort Smith location is now open at 7500 Phoenix Ave., near 74th Street.
They’ve got more than 20 iced-tea flavors, coffee and a drive-thru. Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
That feels like enough information to make your own decision about whether you need a gallon of tea.
PUT IT ON THE CALENDAR
NEXT WEEKEND, BEFORE IT SNEAKS UP ON YOU
Thursday’s Weekend Edition will have plenty more on Aug. 28 to 30, but there are a few things I wouldn’t wait until Thursday to mention.
Trey Kennedy is in Alma Saturday
Trey Kennedy built a huge online following with comedy videos before turning that audience into a stand-up career, and he’s bringing his clean comedy show to Skokos Performing Arts Center next Saturday.
If you recognize the name but couldn’t quite place him, there’s a good chance you’ve scrolled past one of his videos somewhere.
The show is Saturday, Aug. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are currently $45.78 to $85.02 including fees. Senior, military and student discounts are available through the Skokos box office.
Skokos Performing Arts Center
103 E. Main St., Alma
Book people get a head start Friday
The Friends of the Fort Smith Public Library are holding their annual Non-Fiction Used Book Sale next weekend.
The public sale is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Friends members get first crack at the books during a preview Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.
The sale continues Sunday, when the remaining books go half-price.
So if you’re a Friends member, Friday is the date that matters.
Fort Smith Public Library, Main Library
3201 Rogers Ave.
Merle Haggard’s sons are playing a free show in Roland
Ben and Noel Haggard grew up around their dad’s music and have both carried it onto the stage.
Their dad, of course, was Merle Haggard, whose songs helped define the Bakersfield sound and gave country music records like “Mama Tried” and “Okie from Muskogee.”
Ben and Noel are playing Lee Creek Tavern at Cherokee Casino Roland next Friday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.
The show is free, but it’s 21 and up.
If old-school country is more your speed, that’s a pretty easy drive from Fort Smith for a free Friday night show.
TICKET WATCH
Chris Lake tickets are getting thin
If Chris Lake is the one you’ve been thinking about for next Saturday, I wouldn’t assume you can wait until the Weekend Edition to decide.
The house DJ and producer plays The Momentary Green in Bentonville Aug. 29, and the venue is still explicitly warning that ticket quantities are limited. That warning was still on the official ticket page when I checked it Saturday morning.
The show starts at 8 p.m., with gates at 7.
General admission is $85, with $68 member tickets and $47 student tickets currently listed. Premium options are also available.
This one is standing-room only.
If this sounds like your kind of night, now is probably the time to stop thinking about it and check the tickets.
THE FULL CALENDAR
Looking for more?
We picked the highlights. The full Sweet Home River Valley calendar has everything we've found happening around Fort Smith and the River Valley.