Fayetteville Public Library Director of Development Susan Foley (right) speaks to A&P Commissioner Hannah Mills about the library’s involvement with the upcoming Fayetteville documentary Up Among the Hills. Organizers requesting funds set up display booths on the Town Center Plaza Monday afternoon before the commission’s semiannual special funding meeting.
Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission awarded $159,200 to help fund 18 projects during its regular spring special funding discussion Monday afternoon.
Topping the list was the Fayetteville Art Alliance which received $55,000 to put towards a new home for the Fayetteville Underground.
The Underground artists plan to renovate and lease space inside the GCM Building at the corner of Mountain Street and Block Avenue on the downtown square. The group had hoped to move into the basement of the Old Post Office once the A&P Commission owned the building, but purchase negotiations ended after building owner Ron Bumpass declined to respond to the commission’s formal offer.
Other large awards went to organizers of the Fayetteville Roots Festival ($20,000) and the Fayetteville Public Library’s upcoming premiere of the Fayetteville documentary film Up Among the Hills ($20,000).
Other groups receiving special funds include the Artosphere Festival ($15,000), the Individual World Poetry Slam ($5,000) and The Little Craft Show ($1,500).
Below is a breakdown of what organizers asked for and how much they were awarded, followed by brief descriptions of each request.
Spring 2012 special funding awards
| Event date | Event | Request | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 5-May 14 | Earth Day Festival | $5,000 | $0* |
| May 3-June 24 | Artosphere Festival | $20,000 | $15,000 |
| June 2012 | All Out June | $6,000 | $2,000 |
| June 30 | Run for Veterans | $3,425 | $1,700 |
| Summer 2012 | Green Economy Group | $5,120 | $1,000 |
| Aug. 23-36 | Fayetteville Roots Festival | $30,000 | $20,000 |
| Oct. 3-6 | Individual World Poetry Slam | $15,800 | $5,000 |
| Oct. 4-7 | Offshoot Film Fest | $8,000 | $2,000 |
| Oct. 6 | Puppets in the Park | $6,500 | $1,000 |
| Oct. 19 | Up Among the Hills gala | $25,000 | $20,000 |
| Oct. 20-21 | Ozark/Urban Adventure Races | $10,000 | $2,500 |
| Oct. or Nov. | UA Regional Flag Football Tournament | $6,000 | $1,000 |
| Nov. 3-4 | Harvest Moon Ultimate Tournament | $5,000 | $500 |
| Nov. 10-11 | Renaissance and Fantasy Faire of the Ozarks | $5,000 | $2,000 |
| November-January | Lights of the Ozarks | $30,000 | $15,000 |
| Dec. 1 | The Little Craft Show | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Dec. 8-9 | Fayetteville Half Marathon | $20,000 | $4,000 |
| Portable Pitching Mounds | $12,000 | $0** | |
| Arkansas Air and Military Museum | $20,000 | $10,000 | |
| Fayetteville Underground expansion | $60,000 | $55,000 | Grand Total | $159,200 |
* The commission declined to award any funds to Earth Day Festival organizers since the group already received $2,600 for this year’s event during the fall 2011 special funding meeting.
** The commission decided that the city’s request for sports equipment was something the Parks & Recreation department should pay for out of its own budget.
Source: Flyer staff report
Spring 2012 request descriptions
- Earth Day Festival – $5,000
Organizers requested additional financial help for 2012 Earth Day events currently in progress in Fayetteville. The group already received $2,600 for these events during the Fall 2011 distribution cycle. - Artosphere Festival – $20,000
The Walton Arts Center requested $20,000 to help fund the third year of Artosphere: Arkansas’ Arts and Nature Festival. - All Out June – $6,000
The NWA Center for Equality requested $6,000 to help market the 2012 All Out June series of events celebrating the diversity of Arkansas’ lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. - Run for Veterans – $3,425
Organizers requested $3,425 to help fund the third annual Run for Veterans to benefit 7hills Homeless Center. The event is scheduled for June 30 at Veterans Memorial Park and the Lake Fayetteville trail system. - Green Economy Group tour guides – $5,120
The Fayetteville Forward Economic Accountability Council’s Green Economy Group requested $5,160 to create a set of self-guided, tour maps to promote and educate visitors about the environmentally-friendly community design, unique architectural features, and cultural hidden gems that make up the Fayetteville community. - Fayetteville Roots Festival – $30,000
Organizers requested $30,000 to help promote the 2012 Fayetteville Roots Festival, set to take place Aug. 23-36 in various locations around town including the Walton Arts Center and George’s Majestic Lounge. - Individual World Poetry Slam (IWPS) – $15,800
Ozark Poetry Slam officials requested $15,800 to help fund the Individual World Poetry Slam set for Oct. 3-6 at multiple venues around town. - Offshoot Film Fest – $8,000
The Seedling Film Association requested $8,000 to market and help fund the 2012 Offshoot Film Fest set for Oct. 4-7 at various locations around town. - Puppets in the Park – $6,500
The Art Experience Inc. requested $6,500 to promote and help fund the 2012 Puppets in the Park program set for Oct. 6 at Wilson Park. - Up Among the Hills premiere gala – $25,000
The Fayetteville Public Library requested $25,000 to help fund the Oct. 19 premiere event for Up Among the Hills, a 60-minute documentary film tracing the history of Fayetteville. - Ozark/Urban Adventure Races – $10,000
All Sports Productions requested $10,000 to help promote the 2012 Lewis & Clark Ozark/Urban Adventure Races, set for Oct. 20-21 at Lewis & Clark Outfitters in Springdale. - UA Regional Flag Football Tournament – $6,000
The University of Arkansas Department of University Recreation requested $6,000 to help pay for staff hotels and a staff social related to an October or November at-large Regional Flag Football Tournament for students. - Harvest Moon Ultimate Tournament – $5,000
The Fayetteville Disc Association requested $5,000 to reserve and line playing fields for the 73-team Harvest Moon Ultimate tournament, set for Nov. 3-4 in Fayetteville. - Renaissance and Fantasy Faire of the Ozarks – $5,000
Three Crones and a Pirate Productions Company requested $5,000 to cover costs associated with the November 2012 Renaissance and Fantasy Faire of the Ozarks, set to take place at the Washington County Fairgrounds. - Lights of the Ozarks – $30,000
Fayetteville Parks and Recreation requested $30,000 to go towards operation expenses for the Lights of the Ozarks holiday lights program on the downtown square. - The Little Craft Show – $1,500
Organizers requested $1,500 to rent the Fayetteville Town Center for the 2012 Little Craft Show, set to take place Dec. 1 on the downtown square. - Fayetteville Half Marathon – $20,000
All Sports Productions requested $20,000 to help promote the 2012 Fayetteville Half Marathon, set to take place Dec. 8-9 in Fayetteville. - Portable Pitching Mounds – $12,000
Fayetteville Parks and Recreation requested $12,000 to buy four portable pitching mounds to allow the city to host two-day, 32-team youth baseball tournaments. - Arkansas Air and Military Museum – $20,000
Museum officials requested $20,000 to develop and produce a brochure for the Arkansas Air and Military Museum and to fund costs associated with the merger of the Arkansas Air and Military Museum and the Ozark Military Museum. - Fayetteville Underground expansion – $60,000
The Fayetteville Art Alliance requested $60,000 be used for the expansion of the Fayetteville Underground to a new location near the downtown square.
This is very good news! The creation and continuation of both First Thursday and Artosphere Festival, along with the Offshoot Film Fest and the Fayetteville Roots Festival, are representative of the exciting new events that make Fayetteville a growing regional center for arts and entertainment. Besides that, they are fun for local residents. It is good to see the A&P Commission supporting these new programs.