It’s amazing, the impact people can have when they rally together for a common cause. And, on the evening of May 21, that cause was downtown Springdale, Arkansas.

Almost 200 people from across the community gathered around a group of tables full of great food, under open skies, in the middle of Emma Avenue. This Outdoor Street Dinner was more than the first ticketed event in our Downtown Revival Series. It represented a magical moment – where everyone could feel the history, see the new investment and buzz, and collectively tap into the energy of where downtown Springdale is heading.

I truly believe that when the Razorback Regional Greenway – a bike and pedestrian trail system connecting communities across Northwest Arkansas from Bella Vista to Fayetteville – opened last year, it created a renewed sense of hope for downtown Springdale. Passing through the heart of this community, the trail has served as a gateway for others to rediscover the history, potential and sense of place we have to offer. It’s been a major catalyst for the investments happening with the uncapping of Spring Creek, the creation of Walter Turnbow Park and the upcoming redesign of Shiloh Square.

The Downtown Springdale Alliance has been working to build on that momentum, alongside the City of Springdale and others, to create opportunities to engage through exciting events and provide public input that will shape the future. A city can have the most gorgeous infrastructure possible, but the bottom line is the vibrancy of a community begins with its people. With support from organizations like Tyson Foods, the Walton Family Foundation and more, we’re seeing this community rally in inspiring ways.

That support has helped make events like the Outdoor Street Dinner possible. And it has fed a variety of free events being woven into the fabric of downtown Springdale. Over a recent six-week span, events like our outdoor movie nights, live music for families, Barn Party After Dark series, Little Craft Show, guided bike tours, and a Marshallese festival have brought more than 12,000 people downtown.

When you step back and really look at it, the potential has always been here. Downtown Springdale covers 675 acres. Within that, there’s a great hospital, an airport, a high school and elementary school, a railway corridor, the Jones Center and some great parks. So it's exciting to see the community coming together to re-engage in downtown through these events. That’s going to continue to attract even more businesses and infrastructure investment. The people are taking ownership – and that’s the driving force behind true downtown redevelopment.

Photos courtesy of Anna Hutchinson and Downtown Springdale Alliance.