PAPER TRAILS: Ex-UA athletic director's home for sale; hours-long waits for Build-A-Bear; '80s return to Park Plaza

LONG GONE: There's a piece of Razorbacks history for sale. Asking price: $700,000.

It's the residence of former University of Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long. It was announced on July 5 that Long, who was fired by Arkansas in November, accepted the athletic director position at the University of Kansas. On July 6, his 4,412-square-foot home in Fayetteville's Summersby subdivision was listed for sale. (And for a good amount less than the $1.82 million that fired football coach Bret Bielema's 6,309-square-foot Fayetteville estate sold for in June.)

The house listed by Lindsey & Associates is described online as "Sophisticated elegance. ... This beautifully manicured home features 5 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms, 1 half bath/powder room. ... This home is pure quality, and a must see." See it by scrolling through photos at tinyurl.com/housejefflong.

The traditionally decorated home, purchased in 2016 for $615,000, features a space Long used as a media/fitness room; on walls are multiple screens, as well as a framed version of his High Profile story this newspaper ran in 2011.

We imagine for the right price, Long would be more than willing to leave behind the patio hog head wall decoration and the University of Arkansas standing beverage cooler.

BEAR SHARE: Thousands turned out for Build-a-Bear Workshop's roaringly popular Pay Your Age Day promotion at the chain's three Arkansas locations. We wanted to talk to the largest family waiting at Little Rock's Park Plaza mall store and the one to grin and bear the longest Build-a-Bear wait; we think we found two in one.

Tricia Goyer of Bryant, who has three adult children and seven adopted children, was with a total of nine children ages 4 to 16 ("two bio grandkids, two adopted grandkids, four adopted kids and a friend who is staying with us from the Czech Republic").

They expected to wait two hours. But they waited 10.5. And even then, they received incomplete toys that they'll have to return to get stuffed.

Goyer says, "My kids were at first upset, but I told them ... our character really shows if we can truly be thankful even after we're exhausted and disappointed. Their attitudes turned around, and we started joking and calling it the Best Day Ever, because it's a day we won't forget. ... I think what could have been a really hard day ended up being a bonding time."

Beary sweet.

TOTALLY TIFFANY: And speaking of Park Plaza -- dude! -- the mall announced it will celebrate its 30th birthday Aug. 10 with a performance by rad, righteous, tubular '80s pop princess Tiffany (details at tinyurl.com/tiffanyplaza).

Really, 1988 was 30 years ago?! To adjust a Tiffany song: "I Think We're All Old Now."

Email: jchristman@arkansasonline.com

SundayMonday on 07/15/2018

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