The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group will perform at the Eureka Springs Auditorium at 8 p.m. Sept. 10.

Do You Believe In Magic was the Spoonful’s first U.S. Top Ten hit in 1965, and the band followed that with a series of hit singles and albums. The group became known for such folk-flavored pop hits as You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice, and Daydream, which went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Their biggest hit, Summer in the City, reached #1 in the country in the summer of 1966. They also enjoyed chart success with Darling Be Home Soon, Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind, Younger Girl and others.

Only general admission tickets will be sold for the Spoonful concert. They are available by calling the Eureka Springs Auditorium at 888-855-7823.

The antique cars will be in Eureka Springs Sept. 10-12, parading through historic downtown and cruising the winding Ozark mountain roads.

Registration and judging take place at Pine Mountain Village Sept. 10 from 12-6 p.m. Saturday registration and judging will be in the Café Amore restaurant parking lot from 8-10 a.m. The antique autos leave Pine Mountain Village at 11 a.m. to begin their parade through historic downtown.

Actors dressed in costumes of the period will re-enact the 1922 bank robbery attempt on Spring Street immediately following the parade. There is no charge to attend.

The vintage cars will be on display both at Pine Mountain Village and throughout the historic district during the remainder of the weekend. The awards ceremony will be held at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks at 7 p.m. Sept. 11.

The Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce sponsors the 40th Annual Eureka Springs Antique Automobile Festival. For more information go to their website, www.eurekaspringschamber.com.

Representatives of The Lovin’ Spoonful neither denied nor confirmed rumors that the group will arrive in Eureka Springs driving antique autos.

It seems that my girlfriends and I talk about a girlfriend getaway but rarely follow through with our plans. So when a resort owner friend of mine suggested and planned an itinerary for a girls’ trip, I jumped at the idea.

Our group consisted of me, two of my friends from my hometown of Fayetteville, one of my friends from Little Rock, my boss also from the Rock, and her friend from Wyoming who flew in to join the fun.

Our activities were as diverse as our group, but melded us together as if we had all known each other for years even though half of us had just met. We wined and dined, enjoyed spa treatments, fished for trout and walleye, cruised like stars on a houseboat and even painted gourds. That’s right, gourds. I had my doubt about that activity, but the truth is that they turned out phenomenal and most of us have them proudly displayed as works of art in our homes. We have Master Artist Joyce Campbell who joined us at Hill Country Art Gallery in Mountain Home to thank.

But let’s get back to the wining and dining because if you’re a girl looking to take a trip with your friends you’re going to want to try this itinerary. Or, let one of these featured resort owners plan a getaway based on your interests.

We met at Blue Lady Resort on Norfork Lake in the town of Gamaliel (pronounced guh- mail-yuh), which is about 10 miles from Mountain Home in the north central Ozarks. The resort sits on a bluff with panoramic views of the lake and mountains. The terraced property is beautifully landscaped and leads down to the water and a private dock with attached swimming and fishing decks. Fishing is a year-round sport on Norfork Lake. While fishermen catch bass, walleye, crappie, bream, and catfish, Norfork Lake is best known for its stripers and hybrids. The resort also offers a pool, shuffleboard, volleyball, horseshoes, in-room spa service, and coin-operated laundry. Its small store sells drinks, snacks, bait, tackle, other sundries and gifts. Lodging consists of one to three bedrooms with full kitchens.

We stayed in a three bedroom house that was very roomy for the six of us. Blue Lady Resort is owned by Margie Roeland, who set up all of our activities, including lunch and breakfast catered from local venues including 101 Great America Restaurant, 101 Grocery and Bait, and Fred’s Fish House. She scheduled The Beaded Path to come to our house and we all made a pair of earrings. P.J. Swink, a licensed massage therapist, set up a massage chair in a spare room and we each took a turn getting the kinks worked out, the perfect way to start a vacation. Another afternoon, Divine Appointment Spa Service set up shop in our living room, walked us through a facial, and gave each of us a makeover. You know how those Mary Kay, Arbonne and Pampered Chef- type parties go. We acted 100 percent girlie and most of us bought something. A popular item was the Tight, Firm & Fill face crème, and those of us who purchased it spent weeks afterward laughing as we asked each other, “Are you TFFing?”

Our itinerary was not just filled with female frivolity. We also arose at a crazy morning hour to jump on board boats for a 5 a.m. guided walleye fishing trip. Not to brag or anything; but, yes I did catch the largest one. My boss and I even learned how to filet our own catches. While I’m not a morning person, it was well worth waking up early. The breakfast basket and coffee we took on board helped.

My favorite restaurant on the trip was PJ’s Lodge & Dining on the banks of the White River in Norfork. The setting is lush, almost to the point of tropical. We were pleasantly surprised to find fine dining in the middle of rural fishing country. You can dine inside or on the deck. PJ’s is simply not your typical fishing resort. Even its guest rooms are luxurious. In the lounge before dinner, we had a presentation by Karen Montgomery, author of Simple Packing, about how to dress well and travel light.

While PJs served as a classy night out, our evening of wine tasting with dinner on the houseboat was the most indulgent. Blue Lady Resort is Arkansas’s newest small farm winery, producing wines and operating a tasting room. The story of Raimondo Winery begins many generations ago with a family that traces its roots to Palermo, Sicily. The family began its winemaking heritage in the United States three generations ago when patriarch Marty Raimondo moved to California. Adding to the legacy of the family winery, Margie now produces wines from old world Italian varietals such as Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Viognier and Roussanne. She has a wide selection of dry and semi-dry wines made in the Ozarks from California grapes.

In her cozy tasting room, Margie laid out a spread of cheese, crackers, dips and fruit. She then took us through the tasting of several Raimondo labels. I fell in love with the Sangiovese. My friends fell in love with Margie, and you will too if you go – along with discovering your favorite vino.

We went straight from the wine tasting to a 60-foot houseboat equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, stove, gas grill, stereo, slide, patio furniture, and bed and bath linens. It slept at least 10 people. Margie booked it for us from 101 Boat Dock and it was waiting for us at her dock. Best of all was the upper deck where we lounged and drank wine before dinner like we were Hollywood VIPs. Margie had a photographer from LC Creative Productions on the trip to document the evening for us. Plus, several of us had cameras, so we posed for pictures as if we were paparazzi worthy.

Of course, we forgot to purchase fishing licenses, so we ran by 101 Boat Dock Marina to take care of that for our early morning walleye excursion. Who knew a bunch of girls could have so much fun in a marina store? We tried on hats, shoes, shirts, and sunglasses and bought a few of the items. But I’ll tell you now that you won’t see any of the hilarious pictures of us modeling skull caps and such. We made a pact about that.

The end of our trip was spent in Cotter, which brands itself “Trout Capital USA.” Shopping consumed our afternoon with a visit to Gift-Tiques, where we also had lunch, on our way to downtown Cotter. We perused White Mist, a gift shop, and made our own bath gels and salts at The Herb Market. Cotter’s shops are filled with furniture, jewelry, china, glass, lighting, art, collectibles, and antiques. Also featured are crafts by local artisans in pottery, rugs, jewelry, painting, photography, and more. Also, don’t miss the drive over the historic Rainbow Arch Bridge.

Our last adventure was a stay at His Place Resort. Owned by Julie Raines, a dedicated trout fishing diva, the resort offers trout fishing, lodging, private dock, fly and tackle shop, and boat, motor, canoe and kayak rentals on the White River. A two and a half mile nature walk starts at His Place and goes to Big Spring Park with its swimming hole, complete with rope swing. It makes you want to be a kid again.

Julie set us up with johnboats and guides. We paired up and went out in hopes of catching our own lunch. I love trout fishing, especially if I’m fly fishing with my husband. But having a guide drive us girls around, bait our line, and take off the fish we caught while we just enjoy the experience, ranks pretty high on my fun meter too. We found pockets up and down the river where we would cast and catch one trout after another. We kept enough to feed us, and Julie’s crew cooked up a fabulous shore lunch when we returned.

On our last night we hung out in our spacious lodge eating KT’s Barbeque. Three of us had computers and cameras. We downloaded photos of our trip allowing us to experience it all over again as we talked, laughed and bonded, which to me is what a girlfriend getaway is really all about.

The program was started in 2009 and this year has expanded to over 30 states, a Canadian province, and more than 150 Inns.

“We wanted to show our gratitude to the courageous men and women in our armed forces,” explained Richard Grinnell of 5 Ojo Bed and Breakfast Inn. He continued, “They have given so much of themselves that we wanted to give them a night away to relax without any worries.”

Each Bed and Breakfast is making at least one room available Nov. 10 to active and retired military personnel. Reservations need to be made directly with the lodgings. Availability is limited, and once the available rooms are booked, the B&B may not be able to provide another free room.

The Alliance of Better Bed and Breakfasts is a select group of Eureka Springs’ best B&Bs committed to providing the highest level of quality and value. Each inn is chosen carefully to ensure that it provides guests a unique and memorable experience filled with the utmost in hospitality. Current members of the Alliance are; 5 Ojo Inn Bed and Breakfast, Crescent Cottage Inn, Main Street Inn, Bridgeford House, Arsenic & Old Lace B&B Inn, Heartstone Inn & Cottages, Redbud Manor, and Ridgeway House.

For more information email Richard Grinnell at richard@5ojo.com or call
479-253-6734.

Last year Eureka Springs unveiled a major format change for this event with the introduction of free shows. The city’s yearly spotlight on bluegrass continues that newfound tradition this year, as 19 of the 21 shows scheduled for the festival will be free.

“Free is one of the most appreciated 4-letter words in the English language,” quipped festival organizer Joe McClung. “And making bluegrass weekend almost entirely free worked so well last year that we just had to do it again.”

This year’s festival kicks off with an event that’s a crowd-pleaser and popular with musicians as well, the Watermelon Social, at 7 p.m. Aug. 19. Circles of chairs will be set up in Basin Spring Park for people to play bluegrass in random groups. McClung, who is providing free watermelon and bottled water for the social, says many of the scheduled bluegrass weekend performers will attend, “And residents and tourists are invited to join in, too,” he added. “Bring your own fiddle, guitar, bass, banjo, or just your vocal chords. The watermelon social gets people stoked up for the rest of the weekend and it’s a great time for the whole family.”

The Hobnobbers continue the festivities the following morning with the first of 10 free shows that day in Basin Spring Park. The Hobnobbers are primarily Dave McClelland and Jay Bowyer, plus a growing cast of accomplished players from the Santa Cruz, CA area. They are an improvisational, string-based group with deep roots in bluegrass as well as jazz, swing, folk, old time country and blues.

The Cobb Family follows, featuring 4 performers under the age of 16. Also performing free shows Aug. 20 will be The Roving Gamblers, Josh Love Band, Common Tyme, The HillBenders, Mountain View Friends, The Dragonmasters (from Blue Eye, MO,) and The Williams Family. The latter group appears at 4 p.m. and has played every Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival since its inception.

Free shows at Basin Spring Park the following day include return performances by The Hobnobbers, The Cobb Family, The Roving Gamblers, Josh Love Band, Mountain View Friends, and The Dragonmasters. Also playing for free Aug. 21 will be The Buffalo City Ramblers from Blue Eye, MO at 3 p.m. and The Spring Street Band, of McAlester, OK, at 5 p.m.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for Saturday night’s show in the City Auditorium. Local favorites Mr. Big, Arkansas Red, and Tim Crouch take the stage at 7:30, followed by Retro and Smiling and the festival’s spotlighted performer, Melvin Goins.

Retro and Smiling consists of bluegrass veterans Buddy Griffin and Ashley Messenger. While specializing in fiddle and banjo, Griffin plays all bluegrass instruments. He is a professor in the first four-year program for bluegrass music in the country at Glenville State College in Glenville, WV. Messenger and Griffin’s mission, as Retro and Smiling, is to bring back the music of bluegrass legends Reno and Smiley, who were contemporaries of bluegrass icons Bill Monroe and Flat and Scruggs.

The brother of Rex Griffin, Buddy Griffin spent a good part of his career in the shadow of his older sibling. The younger Griffin originally began performing without any encouragement from his famous brother. Buddy later joined Rex in Dallas to appear on KRLD Radio’s Texas Round-Up, He also played many recording sessions in the Dallas area, and made his recording debut in the late ’40s on the Dude label with two songs, Misery and The Same Tear Twice, which showed the strong influence of his older brother.

During the mid-’50s, when Rex’s performing career was in eclipse, Buddy was still leading a band and performing regularly, and also began recording for the tiny Ekko label. When he wasn’t playing with his own band, much of Buddy’s musical activity centered on recording demos of his brother’s songs. In the wake of Rex’s death in 1958, Buddy Griffin became the principal guardian of his brother’s legacy.

After the shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Swiss Holiday Resort Rodeway Inn, near the intersections of US 62 and AR 23, hosts another free event for performers, residents and tourists. According to McClung, “the pickin’ party by the pool may last until sunrise!”

The 8th Annual Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival concludes Sunday with one more free show. The Williams Family performs gospel music from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Basin Spring Park.

The Bluegrass Festival Blog has daily news updates on this year’s festival, at http://www.eurekaspringsresort.com/resortes/Poolside/Poolside.html. Frequent updated videos relating to the festival are on the Swiss Holiday Resort YouTube Channel, at http://www.youtube.com/user/EurekaResort.

For tickets and further information call 888-582-2220, go online at http://eurekaspringsbluegrassfestival.com, or email eurekaresort@gmail.com.

Choosing to rent a bicycle and touring our many urban and rural trails or searching out a slow food dining establishment are just a few of the little things that will make a giant step to preserving our planet. The Natural State offers an abundance of green options to those visiting Arkansas. Now, there is a comprehensive website dedicated to green travel information.

This new website contains sections featuring Arkansas green lodging, dining, and attractions including a list of LEED certified buildings. Looking toward the individual traveler, a section offering ideas to help the tourist find wellness options such as yoga studios and running trails is also included. The Department has even added a tool to help you keep a little green in your wallet. Special promotions offering green discounts and packages are available by clicking on the Arkansas Green Deals and Packages tab.

“We added this to our website offerings because of the growing interest in eco-friendly travel. Consumers understand that protecting the Earth’s resources applies to everywhere they visit and not just in their home cities,” said Dena Woerner, communications manager for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

It’s not always easy to recycle and follow eco-friendly practices while on the road. This new website provides a quick reference for business travelers as well as vacationers and will make green travel through Arkansas easier. “It is a perfect fit for the Natural State to highlight green tourism options” continued Woerner. Eco-conscious travelers need only to browse through this website to select the perfect place to stay, eat, shop, and play.

Businesses interested in being listed on greentravelarkansas.com and in offering green deals and packages should contact the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism at 501-682-7602 or email the Department at info@arkansas.com.

Contact: Dena Woerner, Communications Manager, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

communications@arkansas.gov, 501-682-7602