grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Shop Locally in Wilson (plus exciting news!)

By

Shop Locally in Wilson Arkansas

(This post is sponsored by Designsensory, Inc. Opinions are my own.)

I’m a big believer in shopping locally and spending my money in small towns. I’m also a believer in making the best use of my time. I have better things to do than fight traffic for a parking spot in a crowded mall lot. Don’t you?

Sit back, grab your favorite beverage, and let me show you how fun it can be to shop locally in Wilson, Arkansas. Even with only a population of 903, I think you’ll be surprised at the unique shopping opportunities available.Continue Reading

Almost Glamping at the Jonquil Festival!

By

Glamping at the Jonquil Festival

Jonquil Festival!

A couple of weeks ago I shared a booth at the Jonquil Festival with fellow Delta author, Rhonda G. Williams. This was the first time either of us had sold our books at a craft fair. In fact, it was the first time I’d had a vendor booth at any fair. (I’ve been to book fairs with my publisher, but I wasn’t in charge. Totally different.) I wasn’t sure how this event would turn out. Local books and local crafts? Why not?

Truth: sitting under a canopy for three days subject to wind, cold, heat, humidity, rain—all the crazy Arkansas weather—life begins to feel like camping. And I prefer my camping with a touch of comfort. As in glamping.

Almost Glamping?

glamping at Jonquil Fest

So what’s glamping? It’s inspired camping. Camping with glamour. Glamping is about having fun, being adventurous, stringing up a paper chain and not worrying about making things perfect.

Almost glamping is what Rhonda and I did with our Jonquil Festival booth. While technically we “camped” in town at local hotels, we glamped up our booth.

Are you an author?

I have a theory. While nothing will replace engaging writing, an interesting title, and a compelling cover, a creative vendor booth will bring folks over and allow you to visit with them. Books don’t sell themselves. I’d like to believe someone walking by might glance over to our booth and think, “My, my, aren’t those ladies creative. Their books must be magical!”

See how it works? It makes perfect sense in my mind.Continue Reading

Wilson, Arkansas: How Geography Shapes a Place

By

Wilson, Arkansas: How Geography Shapes a Place—downtown square

(This post is sponsored by Designsensory, Inc. Opinions are my own.)

I’ve been thinking about how geography shapes a place. Not only the physical landscape, which often determines the direction a town grows (nestled within a valley or spread across the flat prairie), but also the way geography shapes the culture of a place. Over time, geographic location has certainly played a significant role in the culture of Wilson, Arkansas. From Mississippi River swampland to cotton empire to Delta town of the present, Wilson is distinctive in part because of the very landscape surrounding it.

Wilson, Arkansas —McFadden grave in cotton field

Consider the Music.

If a highway can affect culture, Highway 61 has certainly played a role in the small towns scattered throughout the Delta. Also known as the Great River Road, this American byway passes through downtown Wilson, paving the area in blues history. Many of our country’s greatest musicians played juke joints all throughout northeast Arkansas including a few miles north in Osceola and south to Twist.

B. B. King christened his guitar Lucille in Twist after a fight over a woman and a fire that left its mark in Delta history.

There’s no denying the Delta has long been a hotbed of passion and inspiration. My theory? The rural, pancake-flat landscape of northeast Arkansas lends itself to creativity. When one lives in a setting pulled straight from the pages of a Flannery O’Conner novel, the mind is free to wander and dream with no boundaries.

That’s a mighty far distance.

Wilson, Arkansas - Highway 61 / Great River Road
Continue Reading

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!