On a recent drive to the office, I noticed a glimpse of early spring. Jonquils and hyacinth emerging from the ground to bathe in the warm sunlight. Tulips aren’t far behind along with azaleas and green grass. March in Arkansas, though it can have a nip of chill in the air, provides a colorful landscape. Spring is a fantastic time to explore. That’s why in this issue, I give you a look-see into two travel destinations perfect for spring. One is Hot Springs, a real treasure for our state, and the other — Springfield, Missouri, our neighbor to the north. Both cities know how to entertain us out-of-towners!

 

AY magazine gets its street cred from local storytellers and writers. This month is no exception. Lisa Fischer, our editor-at-large, wrote a compelling story on a young man’s journey to find his birth parents and describes how his entire family (both adoptive and biological) came together. The article demonstrates how strong DNA really is (Read it here).

Our editor, Dustin Jayroe, penned an impressive feature on several of Arkansas’ young acting stars. Perfectly precocious might be the best way to describe these children, as each of them is incredibly talented at such young ages. (Read it here.)

 

Arkansas’ food truck boom has exploded. Join us behind the food truck wheel as writer Dwain Hebda stops in at the best lunch wagons around with the state (Read it here.). In addition to “food from a truck,” we threw in a couple of recipes of “favorite foods on a stick.” Kabobs, anyone? Rounding out our yummy selection of food are the results of this year’s Readers’ Restaurant Poll. 

 

For history and sports buffs, Kenneth Heard recounts the story of how Hot Springs shaped the legacy of Babe Ruth (Read it here.). And for literal sports “buffs,” Jeremy Peppas tracked down homegrown, sculpted, athlete Brooke Wells, to share her journey and rise to international stardom in the sport of CrossFit. 

As publishers of Arkansas Mental Health Guide, the topic of behavioral health is an important issue. Throughout the year, we feature related stories in AY. This month, we focus on the opioid crisis and the new strategies the state is instituting to help solve the epidemic. 

 

Thanks for being loyal to our magazine and our mission. As you can see, we love telling the stories of Arkansans who are making a difference in so many unique areas. Let me know if there’s a particular story you’d like to read or let me know who’s making a difference near you. 

Until next month,

Heather Baker, Publisher
Click here to follow Heather on Instagram.
hbaker@aymag.com

 

Love food? Check out AY’s Bucket List each month.