RECOLLECTIONS
50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 2 No. 12 Thursday, March 23, 1967
Bids were opened March 22 for the construction of a composite I-beam span bridge on Arkansas Highway 340 north of Bella Vista. Arkansas 340, which runs, roughly speaking, from Hiwasse across to U.S. Hwy. 71 and then on to within seven miles of Pea Ridge, is a new roadway. The highway is hard-surfaced, except for sections where bridges are to be constructed. The new highway provides a refreshing tour for Sunday afternoon motorists, who find the scenery along the new roadway unsurpassed in this area and the highway sparsely travelled.
Roland David of Pea Ridge captured both prizes at Bill’s Citgo Station last week by bringing in a 15¾inch black bass and a 14inch white bass, the longest fish measured at the station during the week. David was awarded 10 gallons of regular for the first prize, and five gallons of regular for the runner-up award. This week and the next are the final weeks of the contest.
The Pea Ridge Jaycees and Jaycettes will sponsor an Easter Egg hunt for area children Saturday, March 25, at 2:30 p.m. The hunt will be held at the grounds at the high school. Children will be divided into groups according to age.
40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 12 No. 12 Wednesday, March 23, 1977
Construction of a new building to provide office space for a medical doctor and a dental laboratory is expected to begin sometime in April. The new office building is to be built on the lot on the south side of Harps Pharmacy on North Curtis Avenue. Preliminary plans for the new facility were announced Thursday by Chamber of Commerce president Sammy Spivey and John Easley, vice president of the Bank of Pea Ridge, who have headed the effort to develop plans for the project.
Pea Ridge Little League Park will soon echo with the crack of baseball against bat and the shouts of players and spectators as the 1977 season gets underway. There are 319 boys and girls in a total of 16 different teams. The ball park saw a number of improvements last season, including the installation of new lights, bleachers, fences, a concession stand and a press box.
The Pea Ridge schools had an unusually high number of absentees last week as what was apparently an infectious virus swept through the campus. Last Monday, 76 elementary students were reported absent and another six to 10 were sent home during the day, according to elementary secretary Nancy Holmes. High School principal Royce Loveless said absences averaged about 10 more a day than usual last week.
30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 22 No. 12 Wednesday, March 25, 1987
Pea Ridge Elementary School Gifted and Talented program students exhibited projects they had done since January when PTA met Monday night. The gifted and talented teacher, Michelle Michael, invited inspection of their work, which included such diverse topics as orangutans, athletics, space travel, fairy tales and creative writing, among the 19 exhibits. The Pea Ridge Scholarship Fund last year raised over $7,000 for local scholarships.
Wes Wilkerson and Melissa Gibbens have been selected to represent Pea Ridge in the annual Benton and Madison County AllAtars vs. the Washington County All-Stars basketball game.
Ten PRHS students are available to tutor younger children, especially in math, according to principal Bruce Norwood. They are Wendy Ausmus, Darcy McKinney, Amy Troy, Susan Sauer, Tiffany Block, Mechele Morrison, Kelly Light, Cindy David, Scott Alvarez and Robbie Bray.
20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 32 No. 12 Thursday, March 27, 1997
Workers on Monday completed the year’s schedule of paving streets in Pea Ridge. David Guyll, street superintendent, said that the current project included paving Carden, Coler, Pace, Jenks, Conrad and McIntosh. He said that the paving project totaled about one mile of streets. Guyll said that more streets may be paved this year if the funding becomes available.
Katrina Turner, 17, of Gateway, daughter of Richard Turner and Starr Turner, will graduate from Pea Ridge High this spring as valedictorian of her class. She has earned a 3.936 grade point average. Katrina plans to enter the University Arkansas this fall but has not yet decided on a major.
All horseback riding trails and hiking trails at Pea Ridge National Military Park have been reopened. Trails were closed on Feb. 21 after severe winds the previous night toppled trees and other debris, making some trails impassable.
10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 42 No. 12 Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Recycling just got easier for residents here. The town of Pea Ridge and the Benton County Solid Waste district are partnering to provide a permanent recycling drop-off in the parking lot in the Emergency Services building at 293 S. Curtis Ave. in Pea Ridge. The drop-off site is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Jesse Harness, a member of the Pea Ridge High School Band, recently shared his talent with second-grade pupils at Pea Ridge Elementary School. Teacher Marcia Moore said the students had been reading a book about a little boy who found sticks and began drumming with them. He experimented with drumming on different surfaces. Harness enacted the scenario and shared more information about percussion instruments. “He had their attention,” Mrs. Moore said. “They were captivated.”