Downtown Bentonville Inc. is the organizer of First Friday, the Bentonville Farmers Market, and the annual Christmas Parade.
In addition to those large events, it has started hosting several new ones this year that are smaller in scale.
It all began with Chess Club, a delightfully simple event that launched in May. It’s hosted on Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. A few folding tables with chess boards are set up on the A Street Promenade in front of the courthouse, and anyone who wants to play can join.
On the most recent night, two 16-year-olds — Hudson and Jupiter — were playing against each other.
Chess Club has become a weekly tradition for them, and they attend before their youth group meets at a nearby church. Neither had a particular interest in chess, but they stumbled across the event one night by chance.
“One day we just noticed there were a bunch of chess boards and thought we’d start playing,” Hudson said.
A few tables down, a group of more experienced players had gathered.
Among them was Xander Saravia, who’s been playing since he was six years old and was previously a competitive chess coach. He brings his own board, along with timers that are used to speed up the game by limiting each turn. He gets plenty of practice at home, but says Chess Club offers something different.
“This does not fill the chess need, it fills the social need,” he said. “I’m being able to be out here, find people on the street, spread the love for chess, spread the love for Bentonville.”
The creation of Chess Club was inspired by a few people who had been playing chess at Downtown Bentonville Inc's larger events, according to communications director Aaron Nolan. It will pause at the end of October due to colder weather, but will be back next year.
The event’s success encouraged the organization to add more small-scale event series, including exercise classes, monthly bike events, and the revival of Pickin’ on the Square.
