At Main and Second streets there is a fountain, a view of the mountains and a set of public restrooms. That is Eagle Bank Park, and this weekend it is where Heber Springs' holiday shopping season comes together. The 101.9 The Lake tent will be set up there on Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8. Shoppers bring receipts to it from all 47 participating locations for a shot at a grand prize valued at over $1,000.
The tent is downtown, but the event isn't limited to downtown. The City of Heber Springs says the participating locations are spread "throughout Heber Springs." Its announcement also says to "SHOP, DINE & CELEBRATE LOCAL," so a lunch receipt counts the same as a gift receipt. Think of Christmas Open House as a weekend-long loop around town. The shopping bags are part of it, and so is everywhere you stop along the way.
The Dates Are Saturday and Sunday
If your calendar shows Friday, check it again. Some listings posted earlier in the year give November 6 and 7. The City of Heber Springs announcement from October 20 says November 7 and 8. So do the Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce calendar and the event listing from 101.9 The Lake, the station hosting the tent.
| What the listings say | |
|---|---|
| Days | Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 8, 2026 |
| Saturday start | 10 a.m. |
| Sunday close | Chamber calendar lists 4 p.m.; 101.9 The Lake's listing shows 5 p.m. |
| Where receipts go | 101.9 The Lake tent, Eagle Bank Park |
| Participating locations | 47 |
The two Sunday closing times are an hour apart, and last year's listing had Sunday running from 1 to 5 p.m. If your Sunday plans depend on a particular store, call that store on Saturday and ask when it closes.
How the Receipt Drawing Works
The city has posted simple rules, and they reward running errands you'd probably run anyway:
- Shop or eat at any of the 47 participating businesses during the Open House weekend.
- Keep your receipts. They have to be from that weekend, so a receipt from Friday or the weekend before won't count.
- Take them to the 101.9 The Lake tent at Eagle Bank Park to enter the grand prize drawing.
The announcement doesn't say what's in the prize package, when the drawing happens or what hours the tent keeps. It only says the prize is valued at over $1,000, and 101.9 The Lake's listing says more details are coming. Watch the station and the city's page this week. Until then, the safest plan is to keep every receipt from the weekend in one envelope in the car.
Because restaurant receipts count, the times between shops count too. Saturday's coffee, a sit-down lunch between stops and Sunday afternoon's takeout can all go in the envelope, along with whatever you buy as gifts.
Why the Tent Sits at Main and Second
When Eagle Bank Park opened in 2015, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that the park was built on an old shale pit. Eagle Bank & Trust had donated the land to the city. The paper quoted Jeff Lynch, then the bank's president, saying the corner of Main and Second had the highest traffic count of any intersection in Cleburne County. The same article said the town now had "a reason to stop and relax at the busiest intersection in town."
A decade later, a holiday promotion running across town uses that corner as its drop-off point. Wherever in town your weekend starts, the receipts end up at Main and Second. The Chamber notes the park has public restrooms, which is handy when you're in the middle of a long shopping loop.
A Few Blocks of West Main Worth Walking
From the park, a short walk down West Main takes you past a long row of local storefronts. The city hasn't published a full list of the 47 participants, so look for Open House signs in shop windows. The street itself is easy to picture. The Chamber's member directory lists these shops along it:
- Allen Furniture, 101 W. Main Street
- Brooks & Co., 203 W. Main
- Ourtime Memories LLC, 316 West Main Street, which held a ribbon-cutting as Ourtime Promenade on June 20, 2026, and is listed under retail and specialty, bakery and massage therapy
- Seven Springs Soap Shoppe, 507 West Main, Suite B
The 316 West Main storefront only had its ribbon-cutting this June. A bakery, a furniture store and a soap shop within a few blocks of each other make for a varied stack of receipts before you even get into the car.
The Open House Starts the Season
The city calls Christmas Open House the weekend to "kick off the holiday shopping season," and the calendar after it fills up quickly. Here are the next two dates on the Chamber's list:
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, November 12, 6 to 9:30 p.m. | Chamber Casino Night | $50 ticket covers admission, small bites and refreshments, and $100 in playing chips for blackjack, roulette and craps. Chips can be traded for chances at prizes. Event Center at Fawn Hollow, behind the Barn, 2075 Goff Road, Quitman. |
| Saturday, December 5, 6 p.m. | Christmas Parade | Downtown Heber Springs. Visit Heber Springs lists it as the Christmas Parade & Lighting Ceremony. |
Casino Night has a registration page on the Chamber site. According to the listing, the price is the same whether or not you're a Chamber member.
The December 5 parade brings everyone back to the same downtown blocks after dark. If you spend November weekends on the lake and the trails, as we described in our look at Heber Springs' fall calendar, the parade is the next date to mark in town. Between now and then, the Open House is the weekend when a stop for lunch on Main Street can also earn you a prize entry. More about the town is on our Heber Springs neighborhood page.
Our team at Howell Realty Pros loves a weekend that keeps holiday spending in Heber Springs, and we hope to see you downtown on November 7 and 8. If the weekend gets you wondering what your own place in Heber Springs is worth, ask us for a free home valuation. You'll be talking with a local expert who knows these blocks well.
