It's nuts! Squirrel Cook Off this Saturday in Bentonville

I’m a city girl, having grown up in New Orleans. When I moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in the fifth grade we lived on the outskirts of the city in a quaint suburb called Middletown. My best friend, Valerie Brown, introduced me to many things — and I won’t admit most of them here — but one was her father hunting squirrel. I’ll never forget visiting her home one afternoon with a delicious aroma emanating from the kitchen and what looked like a plate piled high with fried chicken on the kitchen table. My mouth watered at the sight and smell — until I found out what it was.

 

Squirrel.

Now that I’m a food and travel writer I regret never sampling her father’s fried squirrel, but I was a shy pre-teen entering the culinary world. I have since sampled some pretty unusual things traveling the world but squirrel has never been one of them.

Don’t you be shy this weekend. The World Champion Squirrel Cook Off takes place in Bentonville, Ark., and includes more than tree rodents being fried up and served (I couldn’t help myself because yes, technically, that’s what they are.) There will be all kinds of dishes prepared with squirrel, including gumbo, tamales, pizza, sushi, empanadas, tacos and burgers. Take about creativity!

The fun happens from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, at the new 8th Street Market south of the square. It’s free and, according to event organizers, offers other food items, live music and Habit Outdoors apparel selling samples starting at 8 a.m. 

Here’s the 4-1-1: Joe Wilson founded the event in 2012, a strong supporter of natural, sustainable food such as squirrel, as well as hunting traditions. According to organizers, “although it’s built for fun and squirrel humor runs rampant, the event has a few simple rules.” They require two- and three-person teams to prepare their squirrel and a side dish — everything cooked on-site— for the judges, with all entries containing 80 percent squirrel. Presentation, taste, tenderness and texture are important aspects of judging.

As organizers say, “That’s it in a nutshell.”

Chere Coen is a travel and food writer who loves unusual places to visit and all kinds of great things to eat — even squirrel.

Solar Eclipse Part V: Arkansas and Columbia, Missouri

Buffalo River, Arkansas

For the first time in 38 years, the moon will be impertinent enough to block out the sun on Aug. 21, causing a total solar eclipse to occur across the United States. Parts of the South will be in the “path of totality,” or the place where folks will observe a complete eclipse, as opposed to those on the periphery who will only view a partial eclipse. Everyone in Arkansas will be able to view this historic event, but only those close to the path of totality, in the north and northeast sections of Arkansas, will see 95-97 percent of the complete eclipse.

“According to a chart from the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society, the eclipse will begin at approximately 11:43 a.m. in the northwest corner of the state and be over by approximately 2:50 p.m. in the southeast, with peak totality occurring between 1:13 and 1:22 p.m.,” wrote travel writer Katherine Stewart with the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. “The cities of Piggott and Corning, which lie closest to the path of totality, will see the fullest eclipse, at 97 percent totality; El Dorado and Lake Village will see 83 percent and 85 percent, respectively.”

 

Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs

In Missouri, the eclipse follows a diagonal line across the northwest to the southeast part of the state, so naturally that state is expecting thousands of visitors. One hot spot to consider is Columbia in Central Missouri, which is directly in the path of totality, so those in Columbia on the day of the eclipse will witness more than two minutes and thirty seconds of totality beginning at 1:12 p.m. This viewing is one of the longest spans of totality in the country. 

Places to visit in Arkansas

• Watch parties are planned at Arkansas state parks including Petit Jean, Lake Catherine, Mississippi River and Mount Magazine.
• The Arkansas-Oklahoma Astronomical Society will host a watch party at the Lake Fort Smith State Park marina.
• The Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs will present eclipse-themed educational programming and hands-on activities in the hours before and after the eclipse.
• The Museum of Discovery in Little Rock will host an “eclipnic”— bring a sack lunch, learn about eclipse science, then watch with provided eclipse glasses.

St. Louis Sprockets Stunt Bike Club will
perform at Cosmo Park. Photo by Kevin Dingman

Columbia, Missouri, events

The city of Columbia will host a free music festival, viewing parties, a 5k/10k race, a guided bicycle trail ride and other activities. There will be two separate viewing parties, one at the city's Cosmopolitan (Cosmo) Park, 1615 Business Loop 70, and the second at Gans Creek Recreation Area, 3360 E. Gans Creek Road.  

For continually updated details on the Show Me Totality events, location of events, pricing of rides, runs and other activities, check back often at www.CoMoEclipse.com.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is expecting heavy traffic on the day of the eclipse and suggests travelers plan to leave early for their viewing destination, stay put once they get there and leave late to avoid heavy congestion on the roadways after the eclipse. For more recommendations from MoDOT, visit www.modot.org/eclipse/.

This story was written with the assistance of tourism officials in Arkansas and Columbia, Missouri.

Cheré Coen is a food and travel writer who loves weird and unusual things, and simply cannot wait until the total solar eclipse.

Visit Arkansas for a ‘Billgrimage’

Clinton House Museum

If you watched the Democratic Convention this summer, you might remember former Pres. Bill Clinton talking about his early days in Arkansas and meeting and marrying Hillary in Fayetteville. In fact, the couple was married in the living room of that bungalow near the University of Arkansas, where both taught law. 
The former Clinton residence is now open as the Clinton House Museum and includes photos, campaign materials and other memorabilia from when the Clintons resided there. The home, which is listed on the National Historic Registry, is located at 930 W. Clinton Drive in Fayetteville.

But that’s only one of the many sites throughout Arkansas that honor the Clintons. Here are the others for what tourism folks call a “Billgrimage,” since most have to do with Bill Clinton, the 42nd U.S. president and former governor of Arkansas (except for the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock).

Hot Springs, Arkansas

The two-story white frame house at 117 S. Hervey in the small town of Hope in Southwest Arkansas was the birthplace of William Jefferson Clinton, now a National Historic Site. The house belonged to Clinton's grandparents and is where he lived the first four years of his life. Near the home is the Hope Visitor Center and Museum, located in the former Union Pacific Railroad Depot at South Main and Division streets. Exhibits and videos on the history of the town and Clinton's connection to Hope can be seen here. A hand-carved wooden sign honoring Clinton is located in a park adjacent to the visitor center.

Clinton's childhood home on Park Avenue in Hot Springs is close to schools he attended and his favorite hangouts. A hand-carved sign honoring him is located in the Hill Wheatley Plaza on Central Avenue downtown. Be sure to stop by McClard's Bar-B-Q Restaurant, a favorite of Bill’s and a host of others; the barbecue is to die for!

            After Bill and Hillary were married in Fayetteville, Bill became governor and the couple lived in various residences in Little Rock, including the Arkansas Governor's Mansion at 18th and Center streets. A bronze bust of Bill Clinton can be seen on the grounds of the mansion. Also in Little Rock, Bill Clinton announced his bid for the presidency in 1991 at the Old State House Museum at 300 W. Markham St., which once served as the first state capitol and is now a museum of Arkansas history.

Oval Office replica at William J. Clinton Presidential Library

             The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, located at 1200 E. President Clinton Ave. in Little Rock, houses the largest collection of presidential papers and artifacts in the U.S. Visitors may learn of Bill Clinton and his years in the White House, plus his family life and post-presidential work. There is a replica of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room (left) that’s a favorite among visitors (check out the goofy photo below of me enjoying the presidential moment).

The Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, which is part of the Arkansas River Trail, is a ramped pedestrian pathway located next to the presidential center. Also adjacent to the center is the Presidential Park Wetlands that contains 13 acres of wetlands along the Arkansas River that’s perfect for a stroll after a visit to the presidential library. Next door is the historic Choctaw Station, which was built in 1899 and is now the home of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

            For more information about Clinton sites in Arkansas, visit www.Arkansas.com/things-to-do/arts/clinton-library.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is a food and travel writer living in South Louisiana. She is also the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire and the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.