Some 125 Arkansas artisans will return to War Memorial Stadium this April for the second annual Arkansas Made-Arkansas Proud market, a festive day of discovery of handmade items, from food to furniture to fashion accessories. With vendors new and old, including the concessionaires, the event will celebrate the creative minds and hands of Arkansans.
The market runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 14, on the field. Keith Sykes at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. will perform on a stage on the field, and the food tent will sell grilled brats, pretzels and soft drinks. Lubricating sales will be bloody Marys and screwdrivers made with vodka by Arkansas distiller Rock Town Distillery and beer from Arkansas brewer Diamond Bear. The event is a partnership of the Arkansas Times and War Memorial Stadium; Ben E. Keith and Edwards Food Giant are also sponsors. Admission is $5; children 5 and under are admitted free.
Start early with a shot of caffeine from Fayetteville’s Onyx Coffee Lab and begin your investigation of what Arkansas’s creative class has to offer.Then check out the scene. Here is a sampling of what you’ll find:
ArkieStyle: Crafted in a laundry room on a
Bang-Up Betty: From necklaces stamped with “NOT TODAY SATAN” to stickers proclaiming “I Believe in Science” and “Frigid Bitch” can koozies, Stacy Bowers’ hand-stamped humorous objects and salty threads are crafted with care in North Little Rock. Bang-Up Betty
Crooked House Herbals: Based in Hot Springs, this business specializes in handmade, organically grown products for healthy living. With beauty products (like facial cleansers, body scrubs and serums), pet care products (natural de-wormers, pet immune boosters and gum and teeth care) and children’s products (nourishing baby oil, baby powder and lip balm), there will be something special for the whole family at this vendor’s booth. Crooked House Herbals also has subscription packages for monthly deliveries right to your home.
Evelyn & Osco: Now celebrating one year in the
Fresh Mountain Soaps: Formerly Lady Eureka Boutique, Fresh Mountain now takes its handmade soaps, bath and body products on the road to markets such as Arkansas Made-Arkansas Proud, so you don’t have to travel to Little Switzerland for soaps made with cherry almond and citrus cedar sage. Fresh Mountain Soaps’ towel turbans make you feel like you just stepped out of the spa.
Geri’s Jams & Jellies: Using local and organic produce, Geri’s features award-winning homemade jams, jellies and fruit
Honeysuckle Lane Cheese: This cheese-maker operates the only raw-milk cheese plant in all of Arkansas. Using Grade A raw milk produced by its Daley Dairy cows, the cheeses boast a creamy texture and rich
JK Woodworking: Crafting products mostly from the wood around Greers Ferry Lake — maple cut on Eden Isle, mulberry from the Little Red River and American elm from Ferndale — JK Woodworking gives new life to drought or storm-damaged and dead trees. All manner of woodworks
Kyya Chocolate: Using 24 different direct sources of cacao beans, Kyya Chocolate designs its own roasting, cracking and winnowing equipment and then uses
Pure Soy Candles: Using only slow-burning natural wax in its candles and lotion bars, this company supports American farmers. Pure Soy’s product line includes Victorian quad-shaped or silver tin candles in scents like amaretto, creme brulee and Georgia peach, and lotion bars in such scents as peppermint and lemongrass. Pure Soy Candles’ newest product: bath bombs.
Quilt Crazy: With a booth at Rust, Dust & Wanderlust Flea Market in Harrison, this purveyor of quilts and quilted items like potholders, bowls and wreaths offers a variety of quilt kits as well to help you make the perfect quilt.
Scripted Joy: For both stock pieces and custom orders, this calligraphy studio offers hand lettering and graphic design services for stationery and events. It also creates Arkansas-themed mugs,
Townsend Spice & Supply: After retiring in 1978 from the butcher supply business in the world-famous barbecue capital of Memphis, Richard and Catherine Townsend began manufacturing sausage seasoning and meat cures in Oxford (Izard County). Forty years later, Townsend Spice & Supply continues the tradition with an expanded offering of BBQ sauce, herbs and spices, jerk seasoning and much more, and provides the poultry and BBQ rubs for the Sonny’s Barbecue chain. In need of summer salami or a gift box or 12? Townsend Spice and Supply can provide.