If you haven’t had a chance to make yourself a Fayetteville bucket list just yet, your procrastination may have finally paid off. A longtime local resident and author has already done the work for you.
Author Jill Rohrbach this week will celebrate the release of her new book 100 Things to do in Fayetteville Before You Die with a launch party event set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21 at Pearl’s Books.
Rohrbach, who has lived in Fayetteville for more than 30 years, said she was approached to do the book by Reedy Press, a St. Louis-based publisher that has published a series of ‘100 things’ books on a host of cities around the country.
And though she had extensive experience writing about her home city and state as a staff writer for Arkansas tourism, she’d never taken on a book project before.
“I thought, ‘I don’t know anything about the book process, but this has to be me,'” she said. “I knew I’d be sorry if I passed up this opportunity.”
The book includes sections of a host of must-do experiences in and around the city, including some obvious choices like Hugo’s, or the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market, she said, but also highlights plenty of lesser-known options around town.
“There are also places in there like the Greedy Goats, who we’ll have at an event coming up at Crisis,” she said. “One of my favorites (from the book) is Flying Q farms. They’re just 5 miles from downtown Fayetteville, and they offer guided trail rides on horseback through the woods and trails.
“I think people, whether they are new to Fayetteville or if they have lived here their whole life, will find all kinds of things to do in the book,” she said.
Rohrbach will celebrate the release of the new book with a series of events, starting with a launch party set for 6:30 p.m. this Thursday, Sept. 21 at Pearl’s Books. The event will include beer, wine, light hors d’oeuvres, and representatives from several local businesses that are featured in the book will be on hand for a meet and greet.
Several additional appearances are also scheduled, including a book signing and Fayetteville-themed trivia night event with prizes from businesses featured in the book and a Greedy Goats kissing booth at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at Crisis Brewing Company.
A full list of appearances and opportunities to have the book signed are available on Rohrbach’s website.
The book is available locally at Pearl’s Books, Alumni Hall, and the Experience Fayetteville Visitors Center, and online via reedypress.com.
This article is sponsored by First Security Bank. For more great stories of Arkansas food, travel, sports, music and more, visit onlyinark.com.
