Two groups announce intentions to file suit to block a new law that they say would make it more difficult to circulate petitions to get initiatives on the general election ballot. Two area schools get recognized, one for ESL proficiency and the other for overall achievement. And the Joe Martin Stage Race gets underway, with cycling traffic set to peeve some motorists on certain area roads this weekend.
Ozarks At Large
Here is the key to our clips heard in this morning’s montage of famous cemeteries, graveyards and funerals in pop culture:
- Thriller by Michael Jackson. The most famous dance routine set in a graveyard.
- Opening moments from the original Night of the Living Dead.
- The original “graveyard smash”, "The Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett.
- A wonderful Lee Marvin stumbles into a funeral in the underrated comedy, Cat Ballou.
- Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman have a rough night in the cemetery in Young Frankenstein.
- Opening moments from a 1940 film version of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.
- Abe Vigoda and Al Pacino is a pivotal scene at Don Corleone’s funeral in The Godfather.
- Theme from the HBO series Six Feet Under.
- Reginald Owen as Scrooge in the 1938 film A Christmas Carol as he sees his own grave.
- The Crypt Keeper from an opening episode of the HBO series Tales From the Crypt.


We continue our series previewing this weekend's poetry festival at Nightbird Books. Katie Nichol grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota and says she started writing poetry when she was about 12 years old:
Artosphere is just around the corner, and as a result, a full slate of activities are on the schedule at Walton Arts Center.
The Fifth Annual Celebration of Heroes event benefiting the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the American Red Cross is next Saturday May 4. Today, we meet a local hero who saved the life of a three-year-old girl.
Emily Chase recently received a national honor for her thesis work at the University of Arkansas. She told us about the creation of her paper gowns.
Becca Martin Brown says that Fleetwood Mac, Little Big Town and Jewell are a few of the music acts to keep an eye out for in the coming days.
A Fort Smith homeless agency halts its plans to move to a homeless campus until certain criteria are met. Ozarks at Large’s Christina Thomas takes us on a tour of the organization and potential campus.

Latest Edition of Ozarks at Large
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Ahead on this edition of Weekend Ozarks, the area's first green cemetery, plus a conversation and silly questions with Frank Tavares, whose voice can be heard reading underwriting announcements on NPR.
An Ozark native who grew up exploring urban woodlands as a boy, left the Natural State for New York, where he now works as Principle Urban Designer for the City of New York Parks & Recreation. We amble with Charles McKinney, during a holiday visit, along the Fayetteville Trail to learn more about his big life in the Big Apple.
Opera Fayetteville is staging the ambitious, dark modern opera Dead Man Walking twice this weekend.
January is "Be Kind To Food Servers Month." Ozarks at Large's Christina Thomas speaks with local server David Jelinek to talk about the difficulty of the food service industry.
Here is the list of pop culture references included in today's montage honoring food service workers:
Billy Joel sings "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant."
Kermit, Miss Piggy and Steve Martin confer in The Muppet Movie.
Jennifer Aniston complains (understandably) about her flair in Office Space.
The very underrated band The Bus Boys and the song "Minimum Wage."
Meg Ryan defines high maintenance as a customer in When Harry Meets Sally.
The Austin-based Asleep at the Wheel sings "House of Blue Lights."
Judge Reinhold gets a raw deal in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Homer is disappointed with the slow service at Moe's Family Feedbag in a classic Simpsons episode.
Arlo Guthrie and the most famous restaurant song ever, "Alice's Restaurant."
Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback and Polly Holiday inside Mel's Diner on the situation comedy Alice.
Cab Calloway sings "Everybody Eats at My House." The best rhyme in the song: Want a pancake, Mandrake?
"Escape Velocity" by Art Lewy
A new collection of Charles Portis' works will be discussed at the Fayetteville Public Library this week.