The parade lasts a total of 99 ft–the entire length of Bridge Street.   For a High School band, that means only 99 feet of the band can play at one time!

The gold at the end of the rainbow may be found in Hot Springs, Arkansas, along with celebrity Grand Marshal Bo Derek, green fireworks, Irish belly dancers, floats, Irish Order of Elvi (a group of Elvis look-alikes), marchers, Irish Wolfhounds, and the Pub-Crawl. 

  Previous grand marshals include Mike Rowe (of TV’s Dirtiest Jobs), Mario Lopez, and Norm from “Cheers”.   Come enjoy a good laugh, green fireworks, and perhaps a pint of green beer.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

From questions about marketing to design, breakfast menus to environmental issues, the students eagerly  soaked up the information.  One of the students, making a career change, actually worked on the construction of Lookout Point 8 years ago!  We love sharing our story of becoming innkeepers, and we heartily encourage the students to pursue their passion.

One of our favorite local artists is Richard Stephens, a nationally recognized and award-winning watercolorist.  He recently visited Lookout Point gardens, and captured the peaceful feel of our gardens and Lake Hamilton.  When you stay at Lookout Point, you’ll see several pieces of his original art.   Some of our favorite galleries include Blue Moon, Alison Parsons, Justus Fine Art, Gallery Central, and the Fine Arts Center.

Hot Springs, Arkansas was named the 4th best arts community in the United States (right behind Santa Fe).   Who knew?  Come on to Hot Springs for a lovely, almost springtime evening at Gallery Walk.

And then we tasted the creations…yum!  We’ll definintely be adding Deconstructed Eggs Benedict to the Lookout Point menus.  Ray conquered his hollandaise fears!  And Annette’s Candied Bacon tasted divine.

The purse for the race increased from $500,000 to $5 million when an agreement was reached for these two horse to race against the other for the first time. 

Travelers have been calling from around the world.  A racing fan from Saudi Arabia called the little Hot Springs airport asking what size plane was “too big” to land.  The airport director suggested this international traveler fly his 747 (!!!) into New York and rent a smaller plane there. 

Lookout Point still has a couple of rooms available for Thursday, April 8 if you can come enjoy the excitement!

Hundreds of thousands of daffodils stand in full glory at the Garvan Gardens Daffodil Days.  From February 15 through March 7th, bask in the glorious display of color as more than 175,000 daffodils are showcased. Take a walk to the Three Sisters of Amity Daffodil Hill and see Mother Nature at her best with this magnificent showcase of yellow and white daffodils! 

Of course, the Lookout Point gardens will be soon bursting forth with color also. We look forward to seeing you in the spring.

Kristie

Saturday’s event (2/27) features a six-hour endurance ride, while Sunday’s event is a duathlon called Du It In the Dirt.  A whirlpool tub may be needed by the end of these races!

Last year’s events attracted 220 competitors and more than 300 spectators attending from 14 states, with greater crowds expected this year.

Cedar Glades park is one of the finest mountain biking trails in the world, according to our recent guests from New Zealand and avid international cyclists.

Photo on left, a few days before the winter storm came through Arkansas.  The grass almost looks like a sandy beach!

Last night a lovely dusting of snow fell, yet the roads were in great condition around the inn and to the south.  The birds are hungry and crowding the many feeders, but the cardinals wouldn’t stay still for a photo op.    Winter provides great bird watching.  This morning during breakfast, our guests enjoyed cardinals, blue jays, juncos, mourning doves, mockingbird, woodpeckers, sparrows, and chickadees just outside the dining room.

Although we’ve never heard Pat sing in public, he is an accomplished artist in his own right.  Besides his talent in the gardens, he’s also an impressionistic painter.

Best of luck, Stephanie!  We’ll cheer you on to Hollywood.

Dr. McElvaney is a long time peace and justice advocate in both the local church and academy.  He served for years as a pastor of United Methodist congregations, president of St. Paul School of Theology, and professor of preaching and worship at Perkins School of Theology, SMU, Dallas.  In addition, he was one of my favorite professors when I was a ministry student years ago! 

All proceeds from his book benefit two charities.  If you want to struggle to make the connection between faith and social reality, get a copy of his book at Barnes & Noble.com or Amazon. com.  What an amazing man.

–Kristie