Fort Smith Paints Downtown Pink

Fort Smith is painting downtown pink Saturday in an effort to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research.

The day kicked off Saturday morning around 8 with a 5K Run by the riverfront.

“Oh, we just had such a wonderful time,” said Teresa Jones with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. “About 125 people came out, even in the rain, decked in their pink outfits, and ready to run.”

After that was the Fall Festival, where people could enjoy live music, shop and get their faces painted by artist Rachel Beam with Rae Mae Designs. 

But, because of the rain, and cold weather, the Fall Festival wrapped up earlier than scheduled.

The fun resumed Saturday night, as bars and restaurants along Garrison Avenue opened their doors to raise money for Breast Cancer awareness and research.

R Landry’s New Orleans Cafe cooked up some of it’s favorites for people on the fall crawl.

“We’ve got blackened shrimp cooking right now on the stove, blackened chicken, seafood gumbo, even fried alligator,” owner Dori Colston said. “But the best…you have to try the bread pudding. The bread pudding’s the best.”

Dozens of people out on the fall crawl stopped at Landry’s where they enjoyed dinner, and live music Saturday night.

They also picked up pink cups.

“People can get pink cups and fill them for $2 with drafts,” explained Colston. “At our place we’re doing Red Hoptober, Shiner Bock and Octoberfest.”

Different venues offered different drafts throughout the night. But all of the proceeds raised benefited one cause: Breast Cancer research at the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

“It’s for a good cause,” Jones said. “And there’s many people who have gone through much, much worse than those of us standing out here on a cold wet day.”

“I think all of us have had someone affected by cancer, and so why not? Let’s do something about it,” Colston said.

The Fall Crawl was held Saturday night through midnight. Several bars and restaurants along Garrison Avenue participated. Proceeds were donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation at the end of the night.