It was a whirlwind of a year here in Fayetteville.
The winter turned out to be one of the snowiest we’d had in a long time, resulting in a record amount of snow days at Fayetteville schools (and quite a bit of frustration for working parents).
It was a beautiful spring, with locals packing the square for the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market, and the the summer was filled with street festivals, parades, and music.
It was a City Council election year which brought new four-year terms for incumbents Adella Gray and Mark Kinion, and a new face in Ward 4 with the election of John La Tour.
The fall was also filled with controversy over the city’s Civil Rights ordinance, a measure that the City Council passed in August but that was ultimately repealed by Fayetteville voters in January during a close 52-48 vote.
The Razorbacks had a decent football season, with fans rushing the field after snapping a 17-game conference losing streak with a shutout versus LSU in November, and culminating in a 31-7 crushing of old SWC rivals, the Texas Longhorns in December.
As always, the Flyer was around to capture most of it. Here’s a review of the news, events and happenings from 2014 in pictures.
January
2014 got off to a snowy start with an early January storm that dumped several inches on the city, closing schools and shutting things down for a few days.
Photo: Todd Gill
Hundreds of locals, including Fayetteville mayor Lioneld Jordan marched in Fayetteville to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Photo: Todd Gill
January was also the month that the Flyer learned that Whole Foods was scouting locations in Fayetteville.
Photo: Todd Gill
The Razorback Athletic department freaked everyone out when they filled the jumbotron at Razorback Stadium with a green image, which combined with low clouds in the area for the evening to cast an eerie green glow over most of Fayetteville.
Photo: Clayton Taylor
February
The snowy winter continued with another storm in early February.
Photo: Todd Gill
We toured the construction site of the new Arkansas Music Pavilion in January after it moved from Fayetteville to its permanent home in Rogers in 2014.
Photo: Todd Gill
Fayetteville resident Frank Sharp spoke before a packed house at the Fayetteville City Council meeting in February when the council decided to purchase to purchase over 300 acres on Mount Kessler for city park land
Photo: Todd Gill
March
Ian Beard, co-owner of Stone’s Throw Brewing, hands out samples of the Little Rock craft brewery’s stout beer during the first ever Arkansas Stout Brewing Championship held in March on the downtown Fayetteville’s square. The event was part of the St. Patrick’s Day on the Hill festivities.
Photo: Todd Gill
City officials in March celebrated the start of a $4.6 million road construction project on Van Asche Drive.
Photo: Todd Gill
April
Residents flocked to the square for opening day of the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market.
Photo: Todd Gill
The old Mountain Inn property at the gateway to Fayetteville’s downtown square was listed for sale before eventually finding a new owner last Spring.
Photo: Todd Gill
Springfest returned to Dickson Street, and the weather cooperated in 2014 with a beautiful day and a great turnout for the traditional bed races up the street.
Photo: Todd Gill
Locals packed the street for Springfest this year.
Photo: Todd Gill
A strongman pulls a truck up Dickson Street during Springfest
Photo: Todd Gill
May
A company registered to Mel Collier of Collier Drug Stores purchased the land at the southwest corner of Dickson Street and Block Avenue for $2.7 million on May 2.
Photo: Todd Gill
The waiter’s race during the annual Block Street Block Party street festival.
Photo: Dustin Bartholomew
Local band Ozarka Orkestra leaves the stage and takes to the streets before circling in the alley way behind Little Bread Co. during Block Street Block Party.
Photo: Dustin Bartholomew
Irish artist Maser unveiled his new installation Under the Stars as part of Walton Arts Center’s annual Artosphere Festival
Photo: Dustin Bartholomew
Local artist Tina Oppenheimer works to complete a storm drain mural at the southeast corner of School Avenue and Mountain Street across from the Fayetteville Public Library as part of the UpStream Art Project.
Photo: Todd Gill
June
Julianna Boskus, 17, competes during the U.S. Junior Water Ski Team trials held June 28-29 at Cedar Creek Water Ski Park in Elkins.
Photo: Clayton Taylor
Springdale-based Barnyard Buddies brought their petting zoo to the Fayetteville Public Library in June
Photo: Todd Gill
Participants in the 2014 NWA Pride Parade marched along Dickson Street in June.
Photo: Todd Gill
The Fayetteville Public Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously to move forward with the largest of several proposed expansion plans, including a plan to purchase the adjacent city hospital property.
Photo: Todd Gill
July
After 17 months of construction and years of discussion and planning, a long-awaited flyover bridge opened in north Fayetteville.
Photo: Todd Gill
The city celebrated the completion of the Mount Kessler trailhead project in July
Photo: Todd Gill
A 74-year-old landmark marquee returned to Dickson Street in July after it was removed for repairs in 2011. The family who owned the UARK Theatre building restored the marquee as a tribute to their late father.
Photo: Todd Gill
August
The Walton Arts Center closed briefly in August after problems with the trusses above the stage in Baum Walker Hall were found.
Photo: Todd Gill
Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan speaks alongside City Council members (from left) Rhonda Adams, Adella Gray, Mark Kinion and Justin Tennant during the ground breaking ceremony for a Whole Foods store coming to College Avenue.
Photo: Todd Gill
Locals lined up to speak for more than 10 hours before the City Council passed controversial anti-discrimination ordinance in August.
Photo: Todd Gill
September
Travis Story, a lawyer with the Story Law Firm in Fayetteville, talks with City Clerk Sondra Smith after petitioners turned in stacks of signatures in hopes of triggering a public vote to overturn the anti-disrcrimination law passed by the Fayetteville City Council.
Photo: Todd Gill
Legendary songwriter and Fayetteville favorite Lucinda Williams performed during the 2014 Fayetteville Roots Festival.
Photo: Clayton Taylor
October
Just Off Center, a building that for years served as the offices for the Walton Arts Center, was demolished in October to make way for a new municipal parking deck.
Photo: Todd Gill
Joe Fennel, owner of Bordinos and founder/co-owner of Jose’s Mexican Restaurant speaks while (from left) Peter Lane, Steve Clark and Mark Kinion listen during a ground breaking for a long-awaited municipal parking deck in the Dickson Street Entertainment District.
Photo: Todd Gill
Hundreds of local ghouls, goblins, and this little cowboy turned out for the annual Trick or Treat on the Square event on Halloween in Fayetteville.
Photo: Todd Gill
November
Peter Loris, chair of the Washington County Election Commission, watches as ballots were counted during the November election at the Washington County Courthouse.
Photo: Todd Gill
Bill Bradley (left), chair of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, speaks during press conference to announce the Chamber’s call for repeal of Fayetteville’s controversial civil rights ordinance
Photo: Todd Gill
Fayetteville artist Amy Eichler painted a new mural now on display adjacent to the Lake Fayetteville trail.
Photo: Todd Gill
Four protesters knelt in the crosswalk on College Avenue in front of the Washington County Courthouse in protest over the Ferguson, Missouri grand jury’s decision not to charge Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson in Michael Brown’s Aug. 9 death.
Photo: Todd Gill
December
Volunteers count ballots during a special election held in December to decide the fate of the city’s anti discrimination ordinance. The ordinance was repealed by a vote of 52-48%.
Photo: Todd Gill
Lights of the Ozarks returned to the Fayetteville square for the holiday season. Officials estimated this year’s display included more than 400,000 lights.
Photo: Todd Gill
