Eureka Springs Independent

09/10/2026

Pictured is Antoine from Arkansas, with this beast 8.5 lb. rainbow, caught with Robert of Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service.



Beaver Tailwaters — Early September

Fishing on the Beaver tailwaters continues to produce a good mixed bag despite the ongoing challenges with trout stocking across Arkansas.

Rainbow trout are still being caught consistently, with recent trips producing roughly 10–20 trout. The bite has generally improved as the morning progresses. Fly fishing has been productive, particularly once the fish become more active, while traditional presentations with jigs and bait continue to put fish in the boat.

Pictured is Antoine from Arkansas, with this beast 8.5 lb. rainbow, caught with Robert of Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service.   Beaver Tailwaters — Early September Fishing on the Beaver tail…

09/10/2026

I watched the stars last night, a universe into which has been launched the biggest telescope ever. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, built at a cost of $43.5 billion, will travel one million miles from earth to study dark energy, dark matter, unknown planets, and light from a billion galaxies. This is the big picture, the macrocosm, where in these hottest days of summer we drown not in sweat but in the swirling sea of superlatives.

Biggest, millions, billions… mind boggling words acceptable for astronomy where for most of us, numbers have always exceeded imagination, acceptable for the cooler night skies visible beyond the calm and friendly moon that looks the same as it did decades ago. Millions, billions, trillions: superlatives have left the larger universe to both define and frame the political world that has evolved in the last decade.

I watched the stars last night, a universe into which has been launched the biggest telescope ever. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, built at a cost of $43.5 billion, will travel one million …

09/10/2026

Ethan Avanzino moved to Eureka Springs in 2020. He is co-owner with his husband, David, of the Wanderoo Lodge & Gravel Bar. He is also president of Safe to Be, a non-profit organization that provides safe and affordable housing for romantic and gender diverse people. safetobe.org

How did you arrive to Eureka Springs?
A best friend moved here and said we needed to come visit. We did and instantly fell in love with this town.

What is your most treasured possession?
I have photos of my great uncle who was gay. He traveled around the world during WWII with his boyfriend snapping pictures of the two of them together. It was so brave for the time, and I cherish these photographs.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Victimhood, pretentiousness and narcissism

How would you like to die?
At peace

Which talent would you most like to have?
To play the piano.

What six people dead or alive would you invite to your dinner party?
My great Uncle Bruce, Marsha P. Johnson, Harvey Milk, Albert Cashier, a trans man who served in the Civil War; Lou Sullivan, a gay and transgender historian and activist; and Dr. Alan Hart, a pioneering radiologist and public health researcher who was also trans.

Ethan Avanzino moved to Eureka Springs in 2020. He is co-owner with his husband, David, of the Wanderoo Lodge & Gravel Bar. He is also president of Safe to Be, a non-profit organization that pr…

09/10/2026

Head Lice and Hearing Aids

I was recently summoned for jury duty. I’m allowed to request an exemption because of my age, but I’m of sound mind, and have no family or work obstacles to interfere with my civic duty. It would be unpatriotic to wimp out. And would add to the mountain of misinformation implying the elderly are incompetent.

Seated in the jury room, I notice at least one person in each row ahead of me is reading an actual book. I take this as a good sign. We’re told to help ourselves to the coffee pot and a mini fridge of bottled water. We listen to the court clerk describe the terms of jury service, watch a brief film, and are given a bathroom break.

Then the mood turns solemn. We’re advised to turn off cell phones, and silently file into the courtroom, filling each bench, beginning with the front row. In other words—nobody’s allowed to slink to the back of the room.

Head Lice and Hearing Aids I was recently summoned for jury duty. I’m allowed to request an exemption because of my age, but I’m of sound mind, and have no family or work obstacles to interfere wit…

09/09/2026

Jeeps and Ducks!

From VWs, Folk Festival, and now we are heading straight to the next big event of this portion of the season: Jeep Jam! Jeep lovers and their duck-clad vehicles swarm the Passion Play Grounds and Eureka Springs this weekend running from Sept. 10 – 13. Saturday will have the main show starting at 9 a.m. with the parade at 2 p.m. If this has been like Jeep parades in the past, it’ll be packed and slow going through downtown for quite a bit after the parade. Those Jeepers surely do show! Also this week and just outside of town Eureka Springs School of the Arts will have its ESSA Studio Stroll on Saturday at 4 p.m. A perfect place to get in touch with creativity while rubber ducks spill out of your pocket. Until next week…. ~J

Visit the post for more.

09/09/2026

During the Aug. 26 regular meeting, Tourism Director Mike Maloney returned to the topic of the previous CAPC meeting; what options does the CAPC have if a collector does not remit taxes. The process currently is around a three-month timeframe with a collector considered late after a month of failure to report/remit taxes. The CAPC notifies them and if within three months they have continued to fail to remit, the CAPC can threaten legal action. Then that person can handle it out of court or the CAPC would be forced to take them to county court.

The question though, was whether the CAPC could take away the businesses license over failure to remit taxes. Maloney explained they could not. While the A&P can take away their A&P license, they do not have the power to revoke a business license.

During the Aug. 26 regular meeting, Tourism Director Mike Maloney returned to the topic of the previous CAPC meeting; what options does the CAPC have if a collector does not remit taxes. The proces…

09/09/2026

The Carroll County Senior Activity and Wellness Center is not your grandma’s senior center. On the other hand, it is exactly that, but different. Or perhaps it’s grandmas and grandpas that aren’t the same. In recent years, the 60-plus to 90s generation is traveling more, enjoying more activities, learning more new things and socializing outside the home more than did the grandparents many of us adults remember.

And the CC Senior Center in Berryville does its best to accommodate; offering a gym area, billiard tables, a dedicated card and table games room, book and puzzle libraries, periodic live music, quilting equipment, craft area, computer access, scheduled events and classes onsite, group shopping and entertainment trips off site, good company, and a modernized lunch menu served in a spacious dining area.

But change and growth don’t always pay their own way. Struggling to regain membership after COVID-19 devastated attendance numbers, the Center began to experience operational funding needs, and early in 2026 management shifted from Our Healthy Communities (OHC) to the Area Agency on Aging (AAA).

The Carroll County Senior Activity and Wellness Center is not your grandma’s senior center. On the other hand, it is exactly that, but different. Or perhaps it’s grandmas and grandpas that aren’t t…

09/09/2026

Quorum court committee meetings seldom draw a crowd, but more than 20 people showed up for the first meeting to address the effects of large projects moving into the county, a standing panel called the Large Industrial and High-impact Projects Committee.

The committee met Aug. 31, and elected Justice of the Peace Jack Deaton as chair. Other committee members include Bobby James, Gary Capcik, Matt Phillips, and Harrie Farrow.

Committee meetings do not typically hear public comments, but this meeting started with an extensive comments session. Dianna Baird started things off by commending the quorum court and saying the law calls for “a reasonable opportunity” to participate in public meetings. She suggested adding to the comments period at the start of quorum court meetings and called for an additional public comment period during deliberation of each agenda item, plus another comment period prior to adjournment. Baird also urged a town hall meeting on the most important issues.

Jim Wallace said the committee cannot proceed without clarifying its scope. He said the committee should set parameters for size, cost, and the number of employees for a project. Without establishing these criteria, the committee would not know whom to evaluate, he said.

Quorum court committee meetings seldom draw a crowd, but more than 20 people showed up for the first meeting to address the effects of large projects moving into the county, a standing panel called…

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

The HDC has had a series of recent meetings with very light agendas, but the Sept. 2 meeting included four applications, two of which involved contributing properties. During the meeting, commissioners also heard about potential challenges to local historic districts.

Current applications

At 3 Prospect Ave., Arlene Urquizu received approval to remove an air-conditioning unit and replace it with a window. Urquizu’s application included a picture of an adjacent window, and the new window will match the existing window in material and appearance. Commissioner Peter Graham thanked Urquizu for her efforts to maintain the contributing property, which dates to 1909. The application was approved unanimously.

Another contributing property, at 216 N. Main St., dates to 1890. Owner Brad Sauerbry asked approval for a variety of improvements, including replacing the roof, improving porch columns, replacing the front door with a wooden door, and adding a wrought iron fence. Each aspect of his application was accompanied by extensive photography, including pictures of comparable neighboring structures. Before approving the change from asphalt shingles to a metal roof, commissioners verified that Sauerbry planned to use a true standing-seam product.

Another item on the application called for replacing four-by-four porch posts on the ground level with larger posts, to match the posts on the second floor. Director of HDC/Planning Cassie Dishman said she had checked with state preservation authorities who said making the posts bigger or encasing them would not substantially change the building’s appearance. All approved the application.

Monte Mojica received approval to replace aluminum windows with vinyl at 22 Echols St. The property dates to 1975 and is considered non-contributing.

At 15 Linwood Ave., owner Kay Yandell’s application to replace a street-facing window with a door was approved without any discussion.

The HDC has had a series of recent meetings with very light agendas, but the Sept. 2 meeting included four applications, two of which involved contributing properties. During the meeting, commissio…