Detour Ahead

I have shared what our MBA students do over the summer and I thought I should tell you what summer in Fayetteville means to me. So, I am veering off the GSB path and taking a detour today. Come along for the ride.

I LOVE spring, it's my favorite time of the year. I used to LOVE summer but the older I get, the less I like the really hot weather. However, I do still like summer a whole lot. For me, spring is when everything wakes back up again. The weather is wonderful, the sun is shining, and even though I am not in school myself anymore, I still get that feeling that summer is right around the corner and classes are almost over. I guess it's because I work on a college campus. There is just something in the air in the spring here in Fayetteville.

Once summer really begins, I find that my attitude changes. I am more likely to sit on a patio with a cold drink in the evening, enjoying friends and family. Fayetteville is an amazing live music venue. It is very easy to stroll along Dickson Street on a balmy evening and hear music pouring out from many different directions. Patios are also commonplace. The bikes (the motorized and the non-motorized) come out of storage and you see people walking and riding bikes everywhere.

The Farmers' Market is a local tradition. My kids love going to the Fayetteville Square on Saturday mornings during the summer. If you don't get there early, you miss all the good stuff. Local farmers and artisans sell their wares on the Square on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings during the summer. It is a very popular destination on a Saturday morning. Kids, dogs, and grownups go and have a wonderful time.

I can't talk about the summer without mentioning Rick's Bakery. I have talked about Rick's before. It's where I took my son on his birthday and let him have a cupcake for breakfast. Hey, you only turn 5 once. It's a real treat for both of my kids to go to Rick's on a Saturday morning. It is a treat for many others too because Rick's on a Saturday morning is a happening place. They have the most amazing baked goods, including: donuts, muffins, cookies, petite fours, brownies, and they are very well known for their cakes.

Summer in this area means water. The lakes and rivers are popular hang outs. For those of us with kids, there are also some great pools nearby. I like to take my kids to the water park in Prairie Grove. It's only a few minutes away and if I take them during the week (which means I take an afternoon off), it's not crowded. This little park has 2 water slides, a pool, and a kiddie pool.

So, what does summer in Fayetteville mean to me. It means sitting on a patio listening to music, hanging out at the lake or river, taking my kids to the Farmer's Market and Rick's Bakery on Saturdays and to the pool as much as possible.

I would be remiss if I didn't also say that we have wonderful shopping and food, too. Believe me, when I am sitting on that patio, I am definitely eating.

If this sounds like a good time to you, you need to come visit us. The Walton College offers 6 master's degrees and 6 PhDs and we are located in a wonderful community.