Three Things

1) I went to the Art Walk last Monday, which was fantastic AGAIN. Lots of great art in different stores (or vendor offices) downtown, and Brenda Compton with Main Street said there were much more people at this one for sure, although I'm not sure how she counted them. I had the vision of her walking around with a clicker in her hand and counting people manually. I snapped some photos and I'll share 'em and tell a few stories about the Art Walk shortly.

2) I went to the Bentonville General Planning meeting on Tuesday, which was.....frustrating. Don't get me wrong, the meeting was fantastic, but mostly the meeting consisted of taking a giant map of the city, and placing down tiles that represent the future growth in businesses and residents on the map where you'd like the city to grow. I was at a table with the most clueless planning commissioner, and an older couple. The planning commissioner would probably rather have let the developers come in and put the tiles where THEY want them, since "it's really all about what the market wants", and the older guy just sat at the table with his arms crossed, leaving me and his wife to stick 4,000 tiles on the map.

Both of these items are going to be entire posts of their own, so I'll spare you from the time being. The General Plan meeting was great, I just wish I could have been at another table.

I did make an announcement to everyone the Bride and I knows in the planning office and the Mayor, which leads us to #3

3) We're moving.

I've taken a job in Washington, DC, that's going to give me the opportunity to participate in the conversation about planning and growth and city revitalization. I may start blogging with my real name once I get there, depending on what they think about me doing that. So stay tuned.

I'm going to keep at this for sure, but I guess I won't be an "Arkie" writing about Bentonville and NWA on a regular basis. You can be sure that I'll still be reading the paper and keeping my ear to the ground, staying informed on what's happening, but this blog with likely change a little bit in the next few months.

I'm going to DC next week to find a place to live. We've turned in our notice at work, and we're having a big going-away party this Friday. We'll likely be out of here by the second or third week in July, provided I can find a rentable closet in our price range next week.

I'll write a big farewell in the next few weeks, and say goodbye to everyone, as well as this city that I've grown to love. So stay tuned.

Until then....