
Ozarks At Large

The staff at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith Academy of the Arts is already noticing the end of summer. Dr. Rosilee Walker Russell says this semester offers more than any previous term.
Audition dates for upcoming ensembles at UAFS Academy include:
- Teen Theater, Scrooged, The Musical: August 14, 16, 21, 23 6-8pm.
- Teen Honor Choir and Teen Jazz Vocal: August 23, 5-8pm and August 25 9am-noon
- Instrumental music auditions for grades 4th and up: August 23 5-8pm and Augustr 25th 9am-noon.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the third annual “Community Block Party” at the First United Methodist Church campus in downtown Springdale this weekend.
For more information, visit the church's website here.
Meredith Martin-Moats has this report on how some Little Rock residents have found new ways to continue gardening in the midst of a drought. You can read more of Meredith's work at her blog: The Boiled Down Juice.

Becca Martin Brown reminds us that the Tontitown Grape Festival is almost here and there is a new book will debut at this year's festival.

Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Monday, February 10, 2014
Ahead on Ozarks, four legislators from northwest Arkansas discuss the fiscal session that begins today in Little Rock. They’ll examine the chances the private option is or isn’t funded by the time lawmakers adjourn. We’ll also get a small preview of some of the musicians heading to Fayetteville this summer for the fifth edition of the Fayetteville Roots Festival.
Jacob Kaufman from KUAR provides a recap of the state legislature's recently concluded special session.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is stepping up enforcement this weekend on the state's lakes and rivers in an effort to decrease incidents of boating while intoxicated. Plus, the Rogers Fire Department embraces new technology with a smartphone app that informs people in public of nearby incidents of cardiac arrest.
Earthquakes in Oklahoma have dramatically increased since last autumn, likely linked to gas and oil development the U.S. Geological Survey says. And as Jacqueline Froelich reports, larger quakes there could shake western Arkansas. We hear from both the director of the Oklahoma Geological Survey in Norman and an Arkansas seismologist.
The Legislature began discussing the items on the special session agenda yesterday in Little Rock.
The Beaver Watershed Alliance has been working on assessing ways to improve water quality of the West Fork of the White River. As part of the project, the group is holding public meetings to engage residents and landowners alike.