A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas

Bentonville’s food scene didn’t get great by accident. We’re joined by Marshall Shafkowitz, Executive Director of Brightwater, to explain how Northwest Arkansas is building culinary and hospitality careers that actually meet the moment.

We talk about why Brightwater is intentionally called a Center for the Study of Food rather than a traditional culinary school. The mission is bigger than teaching someone t...

You’ve walked a thousand grocery aisles, but you’ve never walked one like this. We sit down with artist Lucy Sparrow, creator of The Beginning of Convenience at the Momentary in Bentonville, Arkansas, an immersive felt art installation where every shelf, freezer door, and product is handmade fabric sculpture. It’s a full supermarket world built from softness, color, and obsessive detail, and it hits that rare swee...

Before Gordon Harrison was Sport Development Director for USA Cycling, he was building grassroots programs across a handful of different sports, from the Learn to Skate program with USA Figure Skating to development at the Florida Panthers' practice facility, plus stints in soccer and baseball. That cross-sport background shapes everything he does now: get the fundamentals right early, and everything that follows, from the Olympics...

Bentonville has world-class trails, but the hardest part of the trip can be bike rentals. It can take hours to sift through what local shops have to offer. We sit down with Jeff Ireland, founder of BikeWhip, to unpack how a simple favor for a visiting brother exposed a bigger problem in planning for a cycling trip. BikeWhip brings local bike rental inventory into one place, using filters to narrow by bike type, size, budget, and e-...

You don’t usually walk into an art museum wondering what you’ll eat but once you’ve spent a full day at Crystal Bridges, food becomes part of the adventure. We’re joined by Lauren Eck, Regional Vice President of Sales for Wolfgang Puck Catering, to talk about the new partnership at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and what it means for museum dining in Bentonville, Arkansas as the campus grows and visi...

In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Nolan from Downtown Bentonville Inc to explore how the Bentonville Farmers Market has grown into something much bigger than a place to shop. From local chefs shopping that day's produce, to grabbing a coffee and pastry, it’s a space where local flavor and community connection meet.

Aaron shares how the market draws both residents and visitors, why investing in third spaces matters, and w...

We sit down with Josh and Sean from The Hub to talk about Hub 2.0. It’s designed for everything that happens around the ride, from a good cup of coffee to start the day to swapping stories after a bike ride. The goal is a space that feels easy and welcoming, where visitors start to feel like regulars pretty quickly. They’ve recently expanded both their menu and their space, and partnered with Santa Cruz Bikes to offer r...

In this episode, Scott Fitzgerald shares the story behind Pedal Kids USA and his mission to get more kids off screens and onto bikes. From running bike shops in Jackson Hole to building a national model for youth cycling education, Scott has been helping kids become confident and connected for years.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of community, coaching, and why the experience of riding a bike goes beyond skill-building ...

Loneliness doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like a town full of people who never quite talk to each other. That’s why I loved sitting down with Joe Petrillo and Clint Misamore, co-founders of WUF World, to unpack a surprisingly effective community-building tool: pets. They call animals “Chief Icebreaking Officers,” and once you hear their stories, it’s hard to unsee how a simple “...

We catch up with Wendy Guerrero to break down what makes Bentonville Film Festival 2026 feel big, buzzy, and still welcoming. We share the biggest premieres, the new experiences beyond screenings, and the simplest way to plan your first trip to Festival Village at the Momentary. 
• how Bentonville Film Festival stands out through programming, conversations, networking, and community events 
• how the festival missio...

A chairlift bike park in the Ozarks sounds like a wild idea until you hear how Oz Trails Bike Park was actually built: carefully, deliberately, and for everyone. We’re joined by Brandon Kelly, director of Bella Vista, and Gary Vernon, who runs the bike park day to day, to share the story behind the park’s long path from rumor to ribbon cutting, with the grand opening set for June 12.

We get practical about what a...

Bentonville Bikefest didn’t get big by only talking to bike people. We’re joined by Kenny Belaey, world champion trials athlete, Red Bull athlete, and the founder of Bentonville Bikefest, to explain how a week of riding in Northwest Arkansas turns into something closer to a true festival: races, exhibits, demos, kids zones, and a constant nudge to stop spectating and start participating.

We dig into what Kenny sa...

A museum can add square footage without changing how people feel inside it. Crystal Bridges is doing the opposite. We talk with Moira Anderson, Director of Public Programs for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary, about the June 6-7 opening that doubles gallery space and introduces a major new Learning and Engagement Hub built for rest, play, and hands-on creativity. If you have ever thought, “Museums aren...

We sit down with Lawson Craddock, former Olympian and longtime pro road cyclist, right after he visited Bentonville with his wife, two kids, and his parents. Without the pressure of racing or training, Lawson gets to experience the town the way most of us do, looking for great rides, great food, and a simple way to spend the day together. What he finds is a place that’s shockingly easy to navigate, packed with trails, and bui...

Meet Tamara Keefe, founder of Clementine's Ice Cream, as she breaks down what separates truly great ice cream from the rest — think small-batch production, all-natural ingredients, and a butterfat percentage that actually changes how flavor lingers. Tamara shares why Bentonville's walkable dining scene and the Walmart Home Office campus made the perfect home for her Midwest-born brand, and what she wants every guest to feel w...

Beth Bobbitt records her final conversation as host and hands The New American Town to Graham Cobb, a strategist who’s worn plenty of Bentonville hats and still talks about the city with fresh-eyed wonder. Graham shares the story of his first real Bentonville visit in 2017, which started with a bike and gets more interesting from there... We dig into his consulting work at Paceline Strategies and pull back the curtain on the ...

A 134-acre campus where you can wander from museum galleries to forest trails, step into Heartland Whole Health Institute, and end up on a rooftop garden at a medical school sounds in Bentonville, Arkansas. We sit down with Jennifer Dunham, Senior Director of Communications at Art and Wellness Enterprises, to share an insider’s guide to the Crystal Bridges Campus for art and wellness and how to experience it even if you&rsquo...

We sit down with paracyclist Jason Macomb as he readies himself for the 2026 USA Paracycling Road National Championships in Bentonville, where the time trial and road race decide who gets to wear the stars and stripes all year, including on the international stage. We get specific about preparation. Jason walks me through a training week, from long zone 2 endurance rides to full-gas time trial efforts, plus the less-visible work li...

Join us with John Sage founder and CEO of Sage Traveling and Accessible Travel Solutions to explore how inclusive design, empathetic training, and honest information transform guest experience and the bottom line. We dig into the three pillars of accessible travel—facilities, customer service, and information—and show how aligning all three removes risk, builds confidence, and drives bookings. You’ll hear why the ...