‘The Good Life’

Rogers celebrates with a weekend of ‘experiences’

Rogers’ upcoming event, “The Good Life Experience,” will give participants a special peek into the wide variety of food, art and outdoor activities the city offers, says Brad Phillips, RogersLowell Chamber of Commerce’s senior vice president of marketing communications.

“The Chamber collaborated with the merchants downtown, Main Street Rogers and the city and came up with an idea for something that’s new — an experiential lifestyle event,” says Phillips. “The Chamber and merchants envision [creating] an experience for visitors and residents to come and make a connection with the downtown area, and we’re doing it in the framework of offering a unique cultural experience.”

The event will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14 with an outdoor dinner.

“What’s unique about this is that it’s fresh, farm-to-table ingredients that can be enjoyed by the community,” says Phillips. “We’ll have tables of friends and family, candles, festive music — and it will be the start of the weekend, as we celebrate the good life we have here.”

When the Walton Family Foundation’s “Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life” survey results were released in 2016, they claimed that 76 percent of respondents reported their quality of life as “excellent” or “very good.” Phillips says that survey gave the Chamber the idea to celebrate facets of the community that contribute to that high quality of life, as well as educate residents on some options they might not yet know exist.

“We have such a diverse community,” says Phillips. “We’re hoping to bring together that diversity and include everyone and make it affordable.”

Low cost or free workshops — including cooking, health, art and yoga instruction — will be offered on Sept. 14 and 15. A marketplace will also feature a variety of booths, including electric bike demonstrations and art stations for kids. Live music and art groups will be performing throughout the day in the downtown area.