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The Double-Bye Weekend

(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

It’s finally that week, the one that rolls around once a season in college and professional football: the bye week. Coming off a 49-7 beat down of Kentucky, the Arkansas Razorbacks have a free week to get healthy and prepare for a critical stretch of games. (If the Hogs want to salvage 2012, they have to win their next two games against Ole Miss and Tulsa. Assuming they win those games, the Hogs would have to beat one of three top-12 ranked teams remaining on the schedule—at #7 South Carolina, at #12 Mississippi State, and home against #6 LSU—to be bowl eligible.) Usually during bye weeks I pay special attention to my secondary team, Arkansas State. This year, however, provides Arkansans with a special twist: the dreaded double-bye weekend.

A quick thought: Maybe ASU should schedule a game at War Memorial during Arkansas’s bye week each year. I’m not trying to be facetious; I actually think this is a good idea. There are a lot of football fans in Little Rock looking for something to do this weekend, I bet.

Anyway, that leaves me with the third team I have ties to in the state (where I attended graduate school): the Henderson State University Reddies, who are actually 7-0, ranked #11 in the AFCA poll, and averaging 56.9 points and 524 yards per game. Not too bad.

However, what if you don’t have a second or third team that you cheer for? What is there to do on an Arkansas weekend without football? I’m here to help you plan a football-free start to your weekend—unless you plan on cheating and watching parts of South Carolina at Florida or LSU at Texas A&M like me.

Without further ado, here are some suggestions for your football-free Friday and Saturday nights (I guess there’s high school football on Friday if you insist on watching some football in person):

Arkansas State Fair — The festivities end on Sunday, so there isn’t much time if you plan on making it to Little Rock. Check out “The Tie Dye Travels with Kat Robinson” for some great information on fair food.  Click here. Since most of you won't click the link, the DO-RE-OHs (Oreos wrapped in cookie dough and deep fried) and Funny Bones (deep-fried Twinkies filled with chocolate and peanut butter) combine the best elements of any food, in my opinion.

You can check out the fair specials for the weekend here.

Krispy Kreme — No, I’m not talking about more sweets here; I’m talking about the short white rapper. If you haven’t heard Krispy Kreme yet, you’re missing out. I’ll post a link of his latest video, which is even seasonally appropriate. I also suggest you listen to “The Baddest” if you like “Halloween.”



Shop — I’m assuming some females read Dribbling Ink. Girls, if you have a man, tell him you need some new fall and winter clothes. He wants you to look pretty and feel confident, right? Or, if any of you guys are like me, you’ll be the one convincing your girlfriend or wife to go shopping. A man can never have enough polos, button-ups, jeans, or boots.

Pumpkin Hollow — Quickly becoming a rite of passage for younger children and teens in Northeast Arkansas, Pumpkin Hollow (located in Piggott, Arkansas) has a little bit of everything to offer families: corn maze, farm animals, hay rides, pony rides, and haunted attractions. No, don’t say it; you’re never too old to go to Pumpkin Hollow. There’s always someone who has never been that you have to take at least once, then your nieces or nephews, and eventually you have to take your own children or grandchildren.

Check out Pumpkin Hollow and Horror in the Hollow: here and here.

Hunt — If you’re anything like my extended family, you’ll be spending all weekend in the deer woods. For a few zones, this will be the opening weekend of modern gun and muzzleloader season. I wish all hunters the best of luck, especially first-time youth hunters, but more importantly remember to enjoy the time you get to spend with your friends and family while camping and hunting.

The Cardinals — Game 5 starts tonight in St. Louis at 7 p.m. Zito versus Lynn. With a win, the St. Louis Cardinals will be headed back to the World Series. I’ve seen some of you posting pictures on Facebook of your travels to the NCLS. I hope some more of you get to go tonight. However, if you’re poor like me, you’ll enjoy watching the game on TV.
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