Decades before reality TV, Facebook and YouTube, Pop Art icon Andy Warhol predicted that someday everyone would be famous for 15 minutes.

We can't claim that people in every corner of the world have read one of the more than 3 million copies of Entertainment Fort Smith published since August 2000. But we do have photographic evidence of the magazine being read in Australia, China, Canada, Brazil and Colombia, on cruise ships in the Caribbean and in just about every state.

Some of the hundreds of interesting people we've written about have been relatively unknown at the time. Carrie Underwood was still a beautiful little songstress from Checotah, Okla., whose local singing events we published before she became an "American Idol" and country music superstar.

But even some who were already famous, like Ken Boen, the profile subject in our first issue, have noted the way more than "15 minutes" of local fame they experienced after appearing in our pages.

Ken earned decades of reknown as a professional rodeo cowboy,National Cowboy Hall of Fame member, horse trainer, bull rider and World Champion steer wrestler. For months after I wrote about him, Ken was asked to autograph that magazine nearly every place he went, we learned from his good friend Jim Peoples.

After Ken's death in 2003, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum requested permission to reprint our story.

Jim Bolin was already pretty well known about town for his activities at his church, local civic groups, area auctions and for being a former Scoutmaster and the Dean of Business Affairs at what is now the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith.

But then I learned something about him that few others knew at the time, and just had to write about it. At the advice of his doctor to get more exercise, Jim decided instead of taking routine, boring walks he would walk the entire length of every street in Fort Smith. He completed the amazing feat near our North 7th Street office. We teased him that our story about him would make him famous.

Ever the bean-counter, Jim decided to test our claim by keeping a log of comments he received after his story ran in August last year. "The Walking Man," as he is now known far and wide, was immediately flooded with congratulatory remarks, e-mails and phone calls – one from a TV station that immediately featured his accomplishment.

When Jim showed us his log a few weeks later, we noted that his commentators hailed from several other states. They ranged from his heart doctor to Walmart greeters to fellow auction-goers, his entire Sunday school class and total strangers who recognized him from his photo in the magazine.

Robert Winters, a professional motorcycle racer whose family for years owned and operated Fort Smith's foremost bicycle and motorcycle shops enjoyed similar attention – plus several free lunches and autograph requests – after he was our August 2006 cover story.

A year after Reba Mize was pictured on our cover in her colorful garden, a stranger recognized and congratulated her, and then remarked that Reba happened to be wearing the same plaid shirt she had worn on our cover. Reba was amazed when she looked down at her blouse and realized the lady was right!

I could go on and on with stories like these, but I share these few as a small example of why we love writing about so many of our 75,000 readers in the two-state, four-county area we cover in and around Arkansas' second-largest city.

We love writing about you, and your pets, your homes and gardens and your favorite hobbies, sports, music, foods, fashions and entertainment. It has been our passion and privilege to keep you informed about the many, many, interesting people, places, businesses, events and changes we have witnessed all around us during our first decade of publishing Entertainment Fort Smith.

We love filling our pages and covers each month with photos and stories about YOU, and hearing from you about what you like us to write about. Some of our best story ideas have come from you.

So, here's hoping you enjoy our unique, photo-rich 10th anniversary issue featuring literally thousands of photos and names of people who have appeared in this magazine so far. Look for yourself, your family and friends in our "yearbook" photo pages, or among the nearly 200 people on our cover.

My personal thanks go out to all our readers, advertisers, supporters, friends and stalwart, superhuman staff members (especially you, Donna Payne!) for 10 great years and 110 issues – long may we all continue to thrive.

Linda Seubold, editor of Entertainment Fort Smith Magazine, can be reached at lindaseubold@efortsmith.com. Read her archived columns and articles online.

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