According to an e-mail news release, the WAC facilities committee has accepted a staff recommendation to pursue a purchase/partnership agreement with the AMP. Is this a sign the committee is leaning towards a Fayetteville site for expansion, or is it an attempt to strengthen its presence in the community in the event a site is chosen in another city?

The committee also recommended targeting 15 site proposals for more research and review, including ones in Fayetteville, Bentonville, Rogers and Springdale. Those proposals can be seen at http://www.waltonartscenter.org/new_expansion_plans/site_proposals.

Both recommendations will be presented to the WAC board on Sept. 14

“It’s certainly uncommon to have a sold out show on a night when the Razorbacks are playing across town,” said Martin Miller, T2 Managing Director. “One week in, and it’s on track to be the best-selling show in our history.”

Performances are now scheduled for Sept. 9-12, 16-19 and 23-26 in the Studio Theater at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets range from $22-$24 and can be purchased by visiting the website at theatre2.org or by calling the box office at 571-2728.

The live comedy thriller is adapted by Patrick Barlow from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 film and John Buchan’s spy novel. When a femme fatale is murdered in the home of a dashing Brit, he escapes being framed only to find a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps” hot on his trail. The play features an on-stage plane crash, a high-speed pursuit and a classic Hitchcock “strangers on a train” romance.

Othello is a male pitbull who is housebroken, good with other dogs and kids. He loves to play fetch and is OK on a leash, but needs some work. For more information on adopting Othello or another pet call the Fayetteville Animal Shelter at 479-444-3456.

How the heck did we miss that?

Filling out the overlooked in the NWArkie list

Well, duh.
It’s been a week of forehead-slapping, I-coulda-had-a-V8 revelations of obviousness. Each e-mail, tip, suggestion and wisecrack — hey, dumbass, what about ____ ? — has led to only one conclusion:
Forty just wasn’t enough.
So, in no particular order and knowing full well there are still other gems out there, here are more items that get you dug deep into the rich tradition of Northwest Arkansas life.

George’s Majestic Lounge: The slogan says it all — “King of Dickson Street since 1927.” Begun as a restaurant, bar and general store by George Pappas, the Majestic Lounge has been home to some great sounds and good memories over the decades.
The tradition of visiting George’s remains as vibrant as ever with its beer garden, interior stage and two outdoor patio areas for catching some fresh air or enjoying a smoke.
Tontitown Grape Festival: It’s only happened 112 times so far, so you can see how it would be easily overlooked. Doh!
What began as a way for farmers to celebrate their grape harvests now has more than a century of tradition behind it. Carnival rides, the Queen Concordia pageant, the stomping of the grapes, Run for the Grapes and, yes, the spaghetti dinners add up to a unique experience that reflects on the history of Tontitown.
The most recent Grape Festival in August saw the return of wine sales — provided by Post Winery of Arkansas — with the spaghetti dinners.
AQ Chicken House: In digging for the unique, sometimes you overlook the obvious. We nailed the off-the-path establishment — Monte Ne Chicken Inn — but missed the restaurant with two locations on 71 Business. Go figure.
Since 1947, AQ has been delighting visitors with its pan-fried chicken, though for the editor, nothing beats the lemon-pepper seasoning on the Chicken Over The Coals.
And if you can sing the AQ theme from their old TV and radio spots, we’ll give you 10 percent off the price of your next Freekly.
Old Main: Hey, we can’t be expected to keep track of every architectural icon that just happens to be the first building on the University of Arkansas campus. Yeah.
The UA is certainly one of the key factors in keeping that rich mix of flavors in funky Fayetteville. With its faculty and staff and the constant fresh influx of students, the university helps keep the city vital, diverse and evolving.
This edifice to education certainly deserves a shout out as one of the jewels of the region.
Hugo’s: A basement full of delightful food, drink and atmosphere await the visitors who take the trip downstairs, just off the Fayetteville square.
The eclectic menu spans a cornucopia of goodies from a fried catfish po-boy to fresh mushroom crepes to a cheese board served with French bread and fruit. The menu also includes Derek’s Special — a marinated chicken breast with Swiss cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce and honey mustard on a kaiser roll. The sandwich’s creator? None other than Derek Porter, son of Free Weekly founder and general manager Susan Porter.
Botanical Garden of the Ozarks: A newcomer to the NWA scene, but one it’s hard to imagine being without now with its natural beauty being a natural fit for this part of the Natural State.
Frisco Fest: Oh, yeah, Rogers has a festival too. It’s not as long lived as the Grape Festival, but with 26 events under its belt, it looks like the two-day Frisco Fest will be a permanent part of the NWA landscape.
Coming Soon: It’s day hasn’t fully arrived yet, but its impact is already being felt. There’s no doubt the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will be a huge component in the evolution of the region — even being a likely factor in the decision on the Walton Arts Center expansion.

What happens when the reviewer can't wait long enough to take a photo of the food? That's right, it's the aftermath of pulled pork, coleslaw and mashed potatoes at Pop's Old Time Bar-B-Que in Fayetteville.

Sauce, pies, coleslaw make barbecue joint a must-experience

By Rachel Birdsell

TFW Contributing Writer

Restaurant: Pop’s Old Time Bar-B-Que

Preamble Ramble

I’ve often driven past Pop’s and thought that I needed to try it — mostly because of my torrid love affair with dives and from the outside, the place definitely has a dive-like appearance. But since I’m not down on 15th Street all that much, it has a tendency to slip my mind, much like a lot of other things, including my own name on occasion. I finally made it down to Pop’s and I really wish I would have tried it a lot sooner.

Food for Thought

I had the chopped pork plate, which comes with your choice of two sides. I opted for the mashed potatoes and gravy and coleslaw because coleslaw with barbecue is one of those rules of life that must be obeyed lest the barbecue gods look down from their lofty smoker in the sky and strike you dead.

My plate came out piled with pork, slaw and potatoes. At first bite, the pork was good but not great. It was very tender and was more like pulled pork rather than chopped, but the sauce that came on it didn’t make me stand up and shout, “Hallelujah.”

Then I reached for the short bottle of sauce. It had writing on the lid, but I couldn’t make it out. I squirted a little on my plate, stuck my finger in and tasted it and WOW!  Not only did I stand up and shout “hallelujah,” but I also broke out into my own rendition of “The Impossible Dream.”
I may have exaggerated that last part.

The sauce was amazing — sweet and smoky with more than a hint of green pepper and just a bit of a bite. It was unlike any other barbecue sauce I’ve ever tasted, and I feel like I should be writing an ode to it instead of trying to describe it in a restaurant review.

It was so good, there was a fraction of a second in which I considered trading my first born for the recipe, but then I remembered that I really do love the kid. Besides, he’s an adult now and that makes him a lot harder to trade for sauce recipes.

The coleslaw was very good, and I’m extremely picky about my coleslaw, mostly because coleslaw tends to get screwed up a lot. I’ve even had coleslaw before that tasted fishy. I’m still not sure how you get coleslaw to taste like old fish, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know.

This was perfect. It was very creamy and sweet and tasted like my mother had made it, and Mom makes the best coleslaw in the entire world. The potatoes were made from real potatoes and even had a chunk or two in there to prove that point.

I don’t usually get dessert when I go out to eat, but I figured if everything else was that good, the pie couldn’t be passed up. It was tough deciding between the six different kinds of pies offered: chocolate chip pecan, peanut butter, strawberry rhubarb, apricot rhubarb, coconut cream and chocolate cream. I went with the peanut butter and wasn’t disappointed. It was smooth and rich, and I loved Pop’s even more after I finished it.

Pop's Old Time Bar-B-Que at 504 E. 15th St. in Fayetteville.

Bottoms Up

I had the sweet tea, and for you sweet tea snobs (you know who you are), the sweet tea here is great. Pop’s also offers pints of domestic for $2.75 and imports for $3.75, and that’s a pretty good non-happy-hour price. They also advertise draft beer for $1.75 a pint on the truck parked in the front parking lot.

The Sporkcast

(scale of 1-5 sporks)

Atmosphere: 4.2 vintage sporks with black and white checkered handles.
There are shelves overlooking the dining room that are filled with antiques and vintage toys, tins and trinkets. The mismatched tables and booths are strategically placed in order to fit the most diners in there, but I didn’t feel crowded.
The coolest part of the décor was the vintage dessert carousel that is now doing duty as a book exchange. Yep. A book exchange. The carousel is full of paperbacks and there’s a sign on the door that reads “Bring one, take one.”

Food: 4.85 Texas-sized sporks.
I was figuring on decent food, but I wasn’t prepared for how good everything was. It really did taste like home cooking, which seems to be more difficult to find at restaurants.
There’s so much more on the menu I want to try — especially the chicken fried steak.  The menu states to expect a 20 minute wait to get your chicken fried steak, but something tells me it’s totally worth it.
For those who want a light meal, you can get a bowl of soup for $2.75 and refills for a buck. That’s hard to beat.
You can also grab some pork ’n’ beans and cornbread for $3.75. Doesn’t that seem like something your very religious Aunt Willa, who collected plastic rain bonnets, would serve you for lunch when you went to visit on Saturday afternoon?
Maybe that’s just me.
If you don’t like really wet barbecue, you probably want to order yours dry.
Also, I would have loved to have had a piece of bread or a roll to go with my meal.

Staff: 5 sporks that could be related to you.
I felt extremely welcome at Pop’s. It was like eating at home only there was a lot less name calling, and Pop’s didn’t charge me as much as Mom used to.
Both of the owners came up and checked on me, and it was sincere. They are very genuine people. I’ve since heard a rumor that they’re from Texas, but I was so impressed with them and their establishment, that I’m not even going to hold the Texas thing against them.

Dollars spent: About $13.
They have lunch specials Monday to Friday that range from $4.75 to $9.75, and did I mention a great price on pints?

Chance of returning: I must return.
I don’t know if it’s something they put in the sauce, but I feel as though I have no control over whether to return or not. Is it possible to be brainwashed by barbecue sauce?
Not only is there the chicken fried steak, but there’s also at least five other flavors of pie that are just begging to be tasted. Pop’s may be off the beaten track, but it’s so worth it. Where else can you get barbecue, beer and a book?
Go! Go now!

Acme California Pale Ale  — 5 percent alcohol by volume — is a regular offering from North Coast Brewing Co. in Fort Bragg, Calif. Color is a hazy light amber with a thick white head that dissipates quickly leaving a thin layer of bubbles and negligible lacing.
Aroma has a meager citric hop presence. Taste is nutty and malty with a mellow bitterness that doesn’t linger. The feel in the mouth is thin and finishes dry, leaving a clean palette.
It has just enough hops to differentiate itself from an amber ale, but not enough to satisfy most pale ale fans. This is a nice, unobtrusive ale that would be fine on a hot day in the backyard.
Pair with catfish, hush puppies and horseshoes.

Rico’s Reaction

There’s nothing I like better than a pretty redhead to go along with my beer, and Acme California Pale Ale supplies one right on the label.
Apparently the Acme gal is performing some sort of jungle swing on the end of a rope while wearing ballet shoes and a very revealing dress — either that or it’s a washcloth. If I didn’t know better I’d think she was enjoying life in a zero gravity environment or diving sideways John Woo-style in a heroic effort to save her beer.
Luckily, what’s inside the bottle is just as intriguing as the exterior. The Acme brew is as crisp and refreshing a pale ale as I’ve encountered. In fact, the flavor reminds me more of the Harp lager brewed by Guinness than anything else. I’m considering making it my Official Beer of Summer 2011.
On the label, the ale bears the stamp “Highly Recommended” by the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago. I have no idea what that is or who those people are, but I’m applying for a job there tomorrow.

▲ Beer O’ The Week is a joint production of two beer enthusiasts — J.T. Wampler and Richard Davis. One man holds intimate knowledge in the history and art of crafting such beverages, while the other has only met two beers he couldn’t stomach.

Razorback football tailgating returned in fall fashion, but with a few changes. Now all signs and banners must be approved by the university. Tents cannot be staked into the ground. No smoking on campus, although a few fiendishly smoked butts were traced amongst the stadium steps.

Alcoholic beverages are to be drained into a plastic cup — not even a koozie cover-up will suffice. Because there is no alcohol sold in the stadium and no re-entry, many tailgaters try to get a good enough buzz to carry through the game. Not always a good solution. At the opening game of the season there were 13 public intoxication arrests.

Wild, Wild Life

Mayor Lioneld Jordan revealed the Fayetteville City Council is moving toward registering as a National Wildlife Federation Community and Wildlife Habitat. This would create a wealth of volunteer opportunities and put Fayetteville on the map as the first city in Arkansas to be registered.

Hammer Time

The Habitat for Humanity of Washington County broke ground on its 45th house on Sept. 10. Congratulations to Joseph Marquez, who will become the proud owner of the house being built at 814 S. College Ave. Volunteers of all skilled trades are needed, not only at the build site but at the store. Please visit 1421 E. 15th St. in Fayetteville to volunteer.

Doggone Good Discount

If creating shelter for humans isn’t your thing, maybe helping out four-legged friends is. The Fayetteville Animal Shelter is preparing for some renovations to its kennel building, the holding area for all strays for the first five days.
To make room, the $60 adoption fee for dogs has been cut to $30 through Oct. 9.
Your canine will be vaccinated, tagged with a microchip, neutered or spayed, treated for fleas and ticks and issued a city license. If you’ve been thinking of adopting, now is the time.
Visit  www.petfinder.com/shelters/AR47.html to pick out your new family member. Foster parents are also needed for these improvements to the facilities. The shelter claims need for 125 foster homes now though Nov. 17. To get involved, call 444-3456.

Get Ready To Rumble

Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 brings the bikers back in town, and we all know these events are only as successful as the volunteers who work them. Get on the inside of all the action and e-mail info@bikesbluesandbbq.org.
All the action won’t be on Dickson Street though. The AMP will host Bikes, Blues & Hot Rods Too. Volunteers will receive a raffle ticket for a guitar signed by the 2010 Blues Music Award recipients. Send e-mail to obswebmaster@yahoo.com to volunteer there. There will also be music every night at the AMP.
The Washington County Fairgrounds will host the Arkansas BBQ Cookoff. And as always the poker run will take place along the Pig Trail.
I can’t wait to grab a $7 lemonade and a $5 funnel cake at the annual event!

Bulky Waste

Here’s the Fall Fayetteville Bulky Waste Clean Up Schedule: Ward 4, Sept. 18, Owl Creek and Shaver Foods; Ward 3, Oct. 9, Elks Lodge and Vandergriff Elementary; Ward 1, Oct. 16, Root Elementary and Solid Waste Facility; Ward 2, Nov. 6, Woodland Junior High and Church of Christ. All occasions are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appliances or toxic waste. For a list of accepted items, visit www.accessfayetteville.org or call 575-8398.

The aging, out-of-shape Freekly editor/vampire looms over unsuspecting TFW volunteers at the AMP on Sept. 2. Consider this the anti-Twilight.

The Fayetteville City Council meeting on Tuesday reminded me why I hate going to such gatherings sometimes.

The long stretches of boredom.

No, I’m not suggesting the business of running local government is unimportant or uninteresting. Aspects of it can be downright festive. Watching the interplay of ideas and goals among elected officials, residents and, in this case, city staff is almost always worth the price of admission.

But the agonizing march through the unending mire of legalese, citing of statutes and cataloging of codes — that’s an endurance contest.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan is a good speaker, but no oratory skill in the world can make reading the city’s consent agenda — a cascade of words reduced to blah, blah, blah — interesting. I kept fantasizing about Jack Black leaping to the microphone, finding a way to make ordinances rhyme and laying down a wicked guitar riff behind them.

Dull, dull, dull. But necessary. Government and some drudgery go hand-in-hand. It’s about the business of providing order in society, not putting on a three-ring circus to entertain idiots such as myself.

It’s one of the things I admire about people who serve in local government for long periods of time. The idea of sitting through years of legislating sessions, committee meetings, confabs and summits … well, it’s an endurance race I’m OK sitting out. Kudos to those who can and do.

•••

The council meeting did provide one good flash of entertainment when Aaron Stahl exclaimed “Tyranny at its finest.”

Stahl spoke out against the city’s proposal requiring businesses to purchase a license to operate in Fayetteville. He was adamantly opposed to the idea and rattled off a list of ways in which he’d made his opinion known, including being quoted in newspaper articles and sending e-mail to aldermen.

One other person spoke against the proposal — Jeff Dickey, a candidate for Ward 4. Then Chung Tan with the Chamber of Commerce spoke in favor of business licenses. That concluded the public comment portion of the agenda, anen addressed aldermen’s questions.

As that was wrapping up, Stahl asked to speak before the council again. The mayor reminded him public comment had been closed and he could only speak if a council member called him forward. No one volunteered to do so, which is when Stahl uttered his “tyranny” phrase.

It was an interesting moment. I thought about the right and the need of the public to weigh in on the matters elected representatives are considering. Would it really have hurt to give Stahl another five or 10 minutes to speak about an issue he was so passionately opposed to?

But then I wondered, what if Mr. Dickey wants another 10 minutes? What if the chamber representative then wanted 20 minutes to respond to the opponents’ voices? Suddenly we’re back to the all-night council meetings Fayetteville used to be famous for, and no one wants that.

There is a reason such proposals have to go through three readings: It’s a built-in mechanism to give time for public reaction. By the third reading Tuesday, I doubt there was anything new Stahl could have said to change aldermen’s minds.

I had the momentary flare of “Freedom of speech!” when Stahl wasn’t allowed to speak again. But the flicker died quickly in the face of the logic it was time to move forward, one way or another.

Psych! Washington County justices of the peace won’t be getting a pay bump after all.
Apparently the county governing body received some erroneous information from the Association of Arkansas Counties that a pay increase for the officials was mandated by the state for 2011. This coincided with plans that would can raises for county employees next year.
Raise for elected officials + No cash for employees = AWKWARD.
Even if a raise for officials had been justified, such a move always results in bad mojo.
Luckily, the Association had no idea what it was talking about. After a search of attorney general opinions, County Attorney George Butler determined the mandate only applied to a full-time elected official, not justices of the peace.
Result: A modest win. It doesn’t help county employees hoping for a bigger paycheck, but it’s better when everyone feels they’re in the same boat. And kudos to justices of the peace for working hard to stave off any pay bump for themselves when they could have done the opposite.

Fie On Beer!

Apparently losing Sam’s Club to Fayetteville over an issue with booze just isn’t enough for some people in Springdale.
Rep. Jon Woods, R-Springdale, is opposing nine beer licenses at convenience stores in the city. To boot, he’s also throwing down against license requests in Johnson and Tontitown. Anyone remember how that worked out for Springdale when Sam’s Club applied for it’s liquor license. Yep, the city was left singing “Where Has All The Sales Tax Gone?”
Woods says residents don’t want Coors and Bud Light signs everywhere. Springdale council member Kathy Jaycox, who supports the licenses, said she’s trying to be pro-business. In other words, some people would like for residents to have jobs and let business owners conduct business legally as they see fit, a concept that sounds wickedly American.
One pastor who is specifically opposing a license to a Springdale Kum N Go cites the fact that the convenience store is about 400 fee from his church.
Result: Fail to the nay-sayers. Whatever happened to the idea of letting owners and the marketplace determine what gets sold at a business?
Woods says alcohol can ruin lives. Sure. So can guns, automobiles and fatty foods. The government’s nanny apron strings don’t need to be too long.
And 400 feet away? I supposes there’s some mind-bogglingly small chance a stray beer can might escape off a truck, successfully roll the full 400 feet and come to rest at the feet of an unsuspecting Sunday-schooler who mistakes it for a soda.
Personally, I’d put more effort into convincing the Kum N Go corporation to change its name. Yeesh!

Can Do

Michele Prater, 17, spent eight months of work to enter all 109 junior food preservation contents at the Washington County Fair.
Result: Win! Holy cow, it’s the Godzilla of canning! Kudos to Prater for her dedication.

Falling Down K2

Benton County made its first arrests under the hammer of the K2 ban last week.
The Sheriff’s Office arrested John Jason McColly, 31, and Luis Alexander Gomez, 20, in connection with violating the county’s rules regarding possession of the banned synthetic marijuana substitute. Violations can be punished with up to a year in jail and fines up to $1,000.
Result: Fail Sigh. Don’t we have better things to spend our tax dollars and efforts on?
You’d think we’d have learned by now, but Prohibition apparently taught us nothing. The market for marijuana will never go away. With even conservatives such as New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and weeping willow Glenn Beck actually coming out in support of legalization and regulation, it can only be a matter of time.