Editor’s Note - Feb 15, 2026
Good morning, River Valley!
This past week has been a worldwind on our end with emergency surgery and hospitalization leaving no time to prepare a full newsletter for you all. Big thank you to Baptist Health for the excellent care and service from both the Van Buren Hospital and Fort Smith Hospital.
Be assured we will be back next week with a full issue
In the meantime, we fortouisouly set up links on our directory and events site the previous week to give you ongoing calendars if networking events and weekend events, which you can get to at the below links.
And of course, always take a look at rivervalleylocal.com/events when you are looking for sonething new to do.
Enjoy the week!
Local Business
🤝 Business Networking Events This Week
Looking to meet other local business owners or stay connected to what’s happening across the River Valley? We’ve started keeping a running list of business networking events, meetups, and professional gatherings happening around Fort Smith, Van Buren, Greenwood, and the surrounding area.
Whether you’re new to the area or just looking to reconnect with the local business community, you can see upcoming events here:
Events
📅 Upcoming Events Around the River Valley
There’s always something happening across the River Valley, and we continue adding new events each week to the calendar.
If you’re planning ahead, we now also break out just the upcoming weekend’s events in one place so it’s easier to see what’s happening Friday through Sunday.
Food & Dining
🌮 Food & Drink: Save the Date!
Mark your calendars for Feb 22–28 for Fort Smith’s "Dine Local Week." Over 30 of our favorite local spots are prepping exclusive menus and special pricing. We’ll be releasing the full list of "Grid-Approved" participating restaurants next week so you can plan your feast!
Pet Corner
🐶 Pet Spotlight: Meet Ford
Ford
Ford, the classic model with a shiny smile and a heart built for adventure. Once found abandoned at the city park and a little rough around the edges, Ford has already proven that nothing can dim his happy grin. He’s a people’s pup, ready to be your buddy at first handshake (or belly rub).
Favorite features: tug ropes, bully tug poles, a good game of fetch, and long walks that may or may not end with splashing in a creek.
Best fit: Ford might prefer cruising solo as the only dog, but with some training and thoughtful introductions, he could be open to making new four-legged friends.
Local Coverage Areas
Follow coverage from across the River Valley:
Quick Links
Add your Business to the River Valley Local Directory
Submit an Event to our Events calendar
Meet more Adoptable Dogs at Almost Home Shelter or Fort Smith Animal Haven
Thanks for reading River Valley Local. We’re continuing to build River Valley Local into a single place for events, local answers, and practical information.
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Community note
River Valley Local grows through word of mouth. If you find this newsletter useful, sharing it with a friend or neighbor helps strengthen local coverage across the River Valley.
We’re also working toward our next community milestone — 1,000 subscribers — and when we get there, we plan to celebrate with a local giveaway. More details soon.
River Valley Local is typically sent Sunday mornings. Occasionally, we’ll send a special mid-week update if something important affects a specific area.