Best of Arkansas 2021 – Arkansas Times
Bitching and moaning is what we do best at the Arkansas Times lately, but sometimes you have to don rose-colored sunglasses and cheer yourself up with a trip to the snow cone shack. Even the most entrenched misanthropes among us can admit there are some fine people doing delightful things around here (shout out to Arkansas’s 2021 best budtender, Buffy Montgomery!), and that perhaps that’s cause enough to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Arkansas’s pathetic vaccination rates could suck anyone into the doldrums, but the annual Best of Arkansas edition is a well-timed shot in the arm.
The readers have voted, and you have pretty good taste. Sen. Joyce Elliott is indeed the best Arkansan. The Van, which supported the dignity of our homeless population even through the pandemic by helping them secure essentials like clothes, food and toothpaste, deserves accolades and support. Discovery’s reign as the best gay bar should not and has not been challenged.
We peppered some of the winners with lightning round Q&As, and were happy we did. Actress Jamee McAdoo shared what it’s like to dip a toe into the pageant scene and wind up winning the tiara. Designer Kelley Kolletis tipped us off to the color of the year and even told us how to not mess it up. TV meteorologist Todd Yakoubian offered up a dad joke tragic and endearing enough to make the whole state groan.
The editors here have favorites, too, and we took the liberty