The Junction Bridge, part of the Six Bridges Plan, is scheduled to open with a ceremony at the middle of the bridge on Saturday, May 17 at 10 a.m.

The Junction Bridge is the bridge that spans the Arkansas River between the Riverfest Amphitheater at the River Market in Little Rock to the Alltel Arena in North Little Rock. It will be the nation’s only pedestrian bridge with a lift span. The Big Dam Bridge is another special bridge, being the longest bridge in the United States that was built for pedestrian traffic.

The ribbon cutting is Saturday. Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays will be there along with a few other politicians and over 2,000 feet of ribbon to symbolically tie the two sides of the river together.

Big Dam Bridge Photo copyright Brian Cormack

What's a locavore? A locavore is a person eats food that has been grown locally as much as possible. This provides the freshest seasonal foods for the person eating and supports local farmers. Little Rock seems to be getting on the local food bandwagon lately. We have the new certified farmer's market in North Little Rock, the CSA Basket A Month program and now we have a celebration of local farmers.

To celebrate local farmers, The Arkansas Sustainability Network is joining Arkansas Heartland Slow Foods and Boulevard Bread to hold a regional food event. Tickets are $50 and the event, called "Roots and Shoots," will take place on May 31, from 4-8 p.m. in the Heights Boulevard Bread parking lot, 1920 North Grant. To purchase tickets, call Scott McGehee 663-5951 or Penny Rudder 944-0225.

The Greek Food Fest is this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Little Rock. There is always lots of food including gyros, baklava, falafel and lots of things that most people can not pronounce.

Something that a lot of people don't realize about the Greek Food Fest is that there is also a lot of entertainment. The stage is filled with multi-cultural dancers including, of course, Greek dancers but the lineup also includes Irish dancers, Indian dancers, guitar ensembles and more.

It's one small festival I always enjoy attending. Mostly because I do love to eat.

Photo copyright George Doyle / Getty Images

I wasn't aware that the Duggar family was expecting again, but I thought Mother's Day was the perfect time to point it out. This baby will be born into a world with seven sisters and 10 brothers, including two sets of twins. The family lives in a 7,000-square-foot house in Tontitown, AR.

The Duggars team up their older children to help raise the younger ones, according to a Discovery Channel series I saw on them a while back. According to the same special, they also live debt free.

I think that when the Discovery Channel makes a series out of your family, it might be time to consider closing the baby factory. I kid. The Duggars and their 17.5 kids are ok in my book, but you'd think Michelle Duggar would be totally exhausted by now.

May 4 – 10 is Argenta Restaurant Week. The idea behind restaurant week is to give you a reasonably priced way to sample the restaurants in Argenta. Restaurants are offering relatively cheap fixed price menus for patrons that feature three appetizers, three entrees and three desserts.

Participating restaurants include: Argenta Seafood Company, Benihana Japanese Steakhouse, Cornerstone Deli & Pub, Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Margo’s Catfish Diner, Reno’s Argenta Café, Ristoranté Capeo, Riverfront Steakhouse, Salty Parrot, Valentine’s Ballpark Italian Restaurant, and Argenta’s newest restaurant, The Circle.

More on Argenta restaurants.

Photo copyright Amanda Galiano

I recently got to spend the night at the Queen Wilhelmina State Park lodge. The lodge was top notch and the view can't be beat. It was a bit chilly when I went, but a good hike down one of the trails warmed me up considerably. They have a lover's leap trail if you plan to bring someone to snuggle with, which would also keep you warm.

Queen Wilhelmina offers camping for those who are too adventurous to stay in a lodge. The cheapest campsites are only $10 which makes them a frugal way to have a fun weekend vacation with your family.

Don't forget that Memphis in May is this weekend. It is May 2-4. Sunday acts include Fergie and Aretha Franklin. Today is Santana, Seether and more.

Memphis in May is always worth the short drive to our sister city. You can't beat hanging out on Beale Street surrounded by good food, great music and big crowds. There is enough music and variety for almost any one. Check out their schedule and plan your day.

Consider it the prequel to Riverfest.

I checked out the North Little Rock Certified Arkansas Farmers' Market today. There wasn't much going on. There were just a handful of vendors. Selection on the other side of the river was much better. This is their first day. I'm sure it will get better. The wind was really messing with the vendors that did turn out, because the area being used (Main and 3rd) isn't covered.

I learned about one neat program: The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) B.A.M. (Basket -A- Month) Program. You sign up to buy 3 baskets of food for $60 each ($180 total), and you pick up a "basket" of great Arkansas raised produce and goods every month. There are several locations for pick-up (including some in Little Rock), and there will probably be something different each month. They have a vegetarian option and a meat option, and it seems the baskets sometimes include eggs, cheeses and butter. Supposedly, it's at least $60 worth of food and you're supporting Arkansas farmers.

It sounds pretty cool to me. I went home and read about the program some more and signed up (you can register on their website). I'll take photos of my "basket" when I get it and post them here.

Photo copyright Amanda Galiano

I just got an email and I think I could use some of you guy's feedback. A visitor asks:

I am moving to Little Rock from Nashville and I'll be attending UALR. I am looking for places to rent in the area. I've only been to Little Rock once, and we stayed downtown.

Can you give me some advice on places to rent near UALR and places to avoid while I'm in Little Rock?"

While I hate to bash the city, I normally tell my guests that the areas north of I-630 and west of I-30 are generally safe. That's not to say the other areas aren't safe, but that's about as specific as I can get. Even some "bad areas" wouldn't seem so bad to someone from another big city.

The area that UALR is located in is a bit run down. Most of the apartments there are also run down. Most people consider the University and Asher/Colonel Glenn area to be an "area to avoid," but the area is really just suffering from urban sprawl. I have never felt "fear" in the area.

When I was in school at UALR, most people got apartments in the Chenal area and commuted to UALR. That's the great thing about UALR. It's fairly easy to access from almost anywhere in town and even from Bryant and Benton.

If anyone else has any suggestions or wants to get more specific, feel free. I want everyone to be honest, but it's hard to for me to think any area of the city is "bad." If you're smart and don't go wandering around in the middle of the night alone, I think you're safe pretty much any place. However, I will admit that I am a bit biased.

They may be back, but they seem a little different than last year. This year, they're sponsored by the Little Rock Kickball Association. Instead of a band, they're going to be playing games. According to OutOnTheRock, the games include Solo Dodge Ball, Four Square and the all new game NEOS.

In place of music, they're going to be playing the game "Rock Band."

As always, plenty of people, food and drinks will be available. As always, free admission but not free food or drinks. Big downtown Thursdays are located in the East Pavilion from 5 to 8 p.m.