After three visits to Eureka Springs from their home in Dallas, John-Michael Scurio and his husband, Jeff, loved Eureka Springs so much that they bought a house and moved here in June 2018. Soon after, John-Michael started a blog at iloveureka.com, designed to curate positive aesthetics of joy, or moments of online joy. This non-commercial blog that gets thousands of views and avoids politics and negativity while celebrating many of the activities, people and places that make Eureka Springs special.
John-Michael said what really captured their interest in moving here was a feeling of “radical inclusion.”
“The piece we loved that captured us the most is the combination of being outdoors and camping, the natural feel of it, and the strength of the community,” John-Michael said. “There was a massive tug the moment we arrived. People would just come up and be very gregarious, outgoing and extremely welcoming. We had an overwhelming rush of positive, loving, caring emotion that was bestowed upon us. Instantly, we felt included here.”
As nature lovers, they were delighted by the great scenery and recreational opportunities. Their second visit they “found” Beaver Lake and started learning the history of the area.
“The more we kept visiting, the more it kept tugging at us,” John-Michael said. “We would come back and visit and run into the same locals. The late Jim Holt was one of the folks who made us feel so welcome.”
The I Love Eureka blog has five core values: cultivating community, making memories, curating culture, spreading joy and love, and living well. Each posting falls into one or more categories. It promotes upcoming events and gives visitors advice such as making hotel reservations early for the popular upcoming activities.
“This ‘side hustle’ is a passion of mine and I love blogging about joy and other things that are important to me and to this chapter of life in Eureka Springs,” John-Michael wrote on his blog. “On this blog, you will come across stories about people, art, music, kindness, theatre, culture, businesses, wellness, eating, memories, community, seasons, nature, and a whole lot more – all under the overarching subject that guides us all – and that is love!”
He doesn’t always know why certain blogs are the most popular. One he posted, “Why is the Episcopal Church door red?” and got 3,213 reads.
Another blog point that was very popular was, “Eureka Springs is ruined!” with 2,154 views. In that blog, he counters social media comments that tourism has ruined Eureka Springs and instead talks about Eureka Springs often making lists as being one of the best small towns in America to visit. He touts the economic and social benefits of tourism.
The blog doesn’t get into the politics of the Eureka Springs such as the controversies frequently surrounding city council and the City Advertising and Promotion Committee.
“I skirt those issues and try to do things like ‘inspired living well’ posts, such as talking about all the great places to get a massage,” he said.
Another post turned a negative comment from bikers visiting during Bikes, Blues, and BBQ about what John-Michael (a bodybuilder who works out with a personal trainer three times a week) was wearing, a muscle shirt and shorts. One of the bikers said, “Get a load of this dude’s drag.”
The post, “It is all drag,” quoted drag queen performer RuPaul as saying, “We are born naked and everything else we put on our bodies is drag,” and included John-Michael’s thoughts about the acceptance of diversity in Eureka Springs.
Another popular post with 1,070 reads posted March 29, 2020, was about heart symbolism… all the different places where hearts pop up in your life and what it means.
“The other big thing I do a lot is stay on the pulse of what is happening in Eureka Springs,” he said. “For example, I tell people to get prepared and get ready early for the Zombie Crawl in October because the hotels will fill up quickly. I promote the Hillberry Music Festival out at The Farm. Communicating what is happening locally is the ‘cultivating community’ aspect of the core values. I tell people about our culture and town. It comes from a personal, fun perspective. I talk about what is fun and why.”
He markets the blog through Facebook and Instagram and his posts get shared on Facebook pages such as Heart of Eureka and Growing Eureka Springs. He puts iloveureka.com business cards at coffee shops around town, and gets a lot of exposure through word of mouth.
John-Michael has worked in human resources for 20 years, most of that time in hotels, resorts, life enrichment resorts, and cruise ships. He has traveled the world. He is currently Corporate HR Director at George’s Inc., in Springdale.