The festivities start Friday, December 3 from 3:00-5:30PM when area residents dressed in period costumes become “living mannequins” and step into the local merchants windows.  It’s like looking at a living post card in every window.

 At dusk the lights begin to turn on and you get a true sense of real holiday spirit. It appears people are ready to celebrate the season as there are a lot of lights all over town this year.  

 At 6PM the annual Christmas Parade begins to make it’s way down Spring Street. Our guests leave The Peabody for the parade bundled up with hot chocolate to help keep them warm.  For a small town Eureka Springs certainly knows how to throw a parade.  Their are floats all lit up, lots of locals in Victorian costume, bands and thousands of lights making their way down the hill.

 The next day, Saturday, December 5 the Candlelight Tour of Homes opens from 3:00-8:00PM.  It’s an opportunity to tour some of Eureka Springs’ finest old homes dressed for the holiday season.  In fact The Peabody House is one of the homes on tour this year.  The lights are strung and the interior is very festive.  You step inside and are immediately taken back to what the holidays must have been like in this 1890’s Victorian home.   Admission for advance tickets is $15, day of tour $20.  The money collected from the tour goes to our Preservation Society that is refurbishing the fountain at Basin Park.

Join us.  We would love to see you and share the holiday cheer.

 Faryl & Zoie Kaye

Friday, August 20
Basin Spring Park (all shows are free)
11 a.m. The Hobnobbers
12 noon The Cobb Family
1 p.m. The Roving Gamblers
2 p.m. Josh Love Band
3 p.m. Common Tyme
4 p.m. The Williams Family
5 p.m. The HillBinders
6 p.m. Mountain View Friends
7 p.m. The Dragon Masters

Saturday, August 21
Basin Spring Park (all shows are free)
11 a.m. The Hobnobbers
12 noon The Cobb Family
1 p.m. Roving Gamblers
2 p.m. Josh Love Band
3 p.m. Buffalo City Ramblers
4 p.m. Mountain View Friends
5 p.m. Spring Street
6 p.m. Dragon Masters

Saturday, August 21
The Auditorium
Doors open at 6:30pm; General Admission Only: $10
7:30 p.m. Mr. Big, Arkansas Red, and Tim Crouch
8 p.m. Brief Intermission
8:15 p.m. Melvin Goins, with Retro and Smiling

Sunday August 22
Basin Spring Park (all shows are free)
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Williams Family Gospel Show
Check for show updates and times in Basin Park. Enjoy!

Faryl

But then, driving along highway 62, I spotted the scooters. Sparkling new, I had to grab a photo. And of course, get all the scoop for our guests.

Rented at Black Jack’s, next to the red caboose, these spanking new scooters can be rented by the 1/2 day for $55, full day of $85, and after 5pm for a 2 hour rate of $35. There are age restrictions, and a quick driving lesson in the parking lot. They provide the helmets. And off you go!

I have been getting the calls asking “Where did the scooters go?” for 8 years. And now I have the answer. Come to Eureka Springs and rent the red scooters. Contact Black Jack’s at 479-253-6999, 2059 E Van Buren.

Ciao!

Keel's Creek Cynthiana

We made time last night to stop by the open house at Keel’s Creek Winery. It has been our intention to visit our local winery for a long time. A confession: Mom and I are both Californians, and consequently have a biased view of wine. In other words, we might be considered wine snobs. Certainly not to the level depicted in the wine country movie Sideways (2004), but we like the good stuff. As you will see below, I do not describe “the good stuff” with much eloquence. My range of wine description ranges from “ooh, this is good” to “yuck, this is like grape juice.” I leave the poetry of description to the true experts. Early in our residency in Arkansas, we sampled Arkansas wines, but they just didn’t measure up. I’ve also been informed since then that I sampled the wrong kinds.

So, with an open mind, we stepped through into the Spanish-style building home to Keel’s Creek Winery, tasting room, retail wine sales, and art gallery. We learned that in 2006, they opened their doors with production of 1800 gallons all produced from local grape varieties. Their vineyards with 12 planted acres, located 3 miles south of  city limits, will begin producing next year, if the weather cooperates. “Co-owners Doug Hausler and Edwige Denyszyn estimate that the optimal production from the vineyard will be about 40 tons of grapes which will make about 5000 gallons of wine.” Currently, they continue to use all locally grown grapes for their Keel’s Creek labeled wines.

Jerry Weers Original Oil Paintings

The entry is large and welcoming with two huge stone fireplaces, and comfortable seating choices. The walls support paintings from a variety of regional artists. In the tasting room, Jerry Weers oils are particularly excellent – detailed and with an old world feel, which enhances the tasting experience.

Mom and I tried two wines – the Chardonel, a Chardonnay/Seyval hybrid “Clean crisp dry wine with undertones of green apples. Barrel aged for 6 month in American Oak.” It was delicious. Really rich and dry.

Next, we sampled a dry red, Chambourcin which “is a mellow yet bold red, rich with smokey and almost chocolate notes. The varietal is a French-American hybrid normally grown in the Atlantic side of the US, however it grows quite well in the Ozarks too.” Very nice.

Keel’s Creek sells both their wines and many other Arkansas wines. We were impressed with the pricing, too. The wine we tried was in the $14 range, which for any boutique wine is a great price. The taste room, retail wine sales and art gallery are open on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (12 – 5 pm) and Wednesday through Saturday (10-6 pm). http://www.keelscreek.com/

So, these two Californians will be back again, for another tasting, and another lovely experience.

Governor’s Conference | Arkansas Tourism Partners.