Dinner touted for its nonpartisan political flavor

SPRINGDALE — Northwest Arkansas’ biggest nonpartisan political get-together topped last year’s attendance by at least 100 people, organizers said, increasing from 450 last year to about 550 Thursday night.

The Springdale Chamber of Commerce annual Chickin’, Peelin’ & Politickin’ dinner routinely draws state constitutional officers and lawmakers, along with members of Congress. Thursday’s event was no exception.

This year the chamber made a concentrated effort to invite more local and city officials, said chamber president Perry Webb. The number of nonpoliticians attending increased by even more this year, he said.

The chamber started holding the dinner in 2011 and hasn’t missed a year so far.

Attending this year was 3rd District U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, a Rogers Republican, who said he wished he had been able to have U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., at the event.

Kilmer joined Womack for a two-day whirlwind tour of Northwest Arkansas but had to leave Wednesday. The tour was organized by American Congressional Exchange of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Chicago. The tours are intended to encourage bipartisan cooperation and understanding. Kilmer’s visit was in return for a similar visit Womack made to Kilmer’s district in September of last year.

“This is exactly the type of event where people of different political stripes get together and cooperate,” Womack said of the dinner. “I wish he [Kilmer] could have seen this. It is what we are trying to encourage in Congress.”

Womack gave a shout-out to Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin. Griffin and Womack both won election to the U.S. House in 2010. Griffin, a Republican, returned to the state and ran successfully for lieutenant governor in 2014. Griffin’s trip to the event required a threehour drive.

“This event proves you can have a good time even when elected officials are around,” Griffin said.

The event was held in the legislative district of a Democrat, state Rep. Megan Godfrey of Springdale. Godfrey said she appreciated the chamber holding the event in downtown Springdale.

“This is a great crowd and a great chance for people to meet,” she said. “It really shows off the Shiloh Square and the rest of the downtown. I’m very excited they [the chamber] keep coming back.”

The event was held at Arvest Ballpark until 2017. That year, the chamber and sponsors such as Sam’s Furniture and Tyson Foods wanted guests to see progress in Springdale downtown revitalization, Webb said that year.

“We wanted to support the downtown, have people see our park,” Webb said in 2017. “The size was right, and the location was better.”

State Treasurer Dennis Milligan also made the trip from the state capital to attend Thursday. He called the event one of the best of its kind for the private sector and the public to meet in a relaxed, conversational setting. “This region of the state is dynamic, and this is an example of why,” he said.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Rogers, joked that he had been to political events all over Arkansas and what he appreciated most about the Springdale event is the cuisine of chicken and shrimp, especially compared with the annual Gillett Coon Supper in Arkansas County.

“This is a place where the movers and shakers work together,” Boozman said.