BELLA VISTA HISTORICAL MUSEUM NEWS
History Club meeting Jan. 11
The Bella Vista History Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11 — free admission, no officers, no dues, just a fun time and open to the public.
S & H green stamps were popular in the U.S. from the 1930s to the 1980s and distributed as part of a rewards program operated by the Sperry & Hutchinson company, founded in 1896 by Thomas Sperry and Shelley Hutchinson. Jeff McFarlane of Bella Vista will be at the museum at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, with his trading stamp collection on display and sharing his experiences collecting these stamps. His unusual collection has been in the works for more than 20 years, and he has traded stamps with collectors in many countries, in addition to the United States. Refreshments will be provided by the Museum’s sponsor for the evening, Bank of the Ozarks.
Hot Stove League meeting Jan. 28
Sunday, Jan. 28, is the date for the next Hot Stove League meeting. All baseball fans are invited to the museum at 2 p.m. to meet special guest Elwin Roe, son of “Preacher” Roe, who was a major league pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1938-1954 time frame. Fans are invited to bring their baseball memorabilia and any stories they would like to tell. The moderator will be Steve Morrow, who has been a huge baseball fan since age 8.
Rotating exhibit — Woodcarvers Club
The rotating exhibit at the museum, for months of January and February, features the Woodcarvers’ Club of Bella Vista. The Club was established in 1987 and recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Several members, including Jean Visnich, Betty Cermak, Tom Diepenbrock and John Brach will share their work and provide information about the medium they use. Woodcarver members specialize in a variety of different art-crafts, using wood as the basis of their work. The club display will include full- and partial-relief carvings, wood burning and intarsia (a 1,000-year-old art form still popular today).
Book signing — Barns of Benton County Feb. 3
Monte Harris and Melba Shewmaker will be at the museum on Saturday, Feb. 3, for a book signing event promoting their book, “Barns of Benton County.” Everyone is invited to hear their talk about their travels while photographing old barns all over the county. Their book will be available for purchase, with a portion of their sales donated to the museum.
Hydraulic rams exhibit
An exhibit added to the museum last year features four hydraulic rams that were installed by the Linebarger Brothers to provide water to the Bella Vista Summer Resort that they opened in June 1917. Part of one ram was discovered one hundred years later, in 2017, on the property that later became the E.L. Keith Trout Farm in the 1950s and is now a private residence. Visitors are invited to stop at the museum and marvel at what these rams, first invented in England in 1775, could do.
Museum Gift Shop
More jigsaw puzzles, featuring Bella Vista scenes, are arriving at the museum’s gift shop. Out-of-stock items can be ordered by contacting gift shop manager Jill Werner. The gift shop features a variety of other items, including magnets, mugs, T-shirts, postcards, books and more. Keep the shop in mind when shopping for gifts for Valentine’s Day, birthdays or anniversaries.
The museum is interested in unwanted small vintage items. Such items should be small enough to fit on the gift shop shelves, have no connection to Bella Vista history but possibly be of interest to others for purchase. Please contact the museum about donating items for possible sale in the gift shop.
2018 Memberships
Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Bella Vista Historical Society, which operates the museum, is welcome to stop by to complete a membership form, or to sign up online at the website, www. bellavistamuseum.org. Current members should remember to renew today. The society welcomes financial support. There is no paid staff — dues and donations are applied to general operating expenses of the museum unless donors specify a particular project. Members receive a quarterly newsletter. Annual calendar-year dues are $15/person, or $25/family. Corporate memberships are available for $50/year, with members recognized at the museum and given a window decal for the organization to display.
Private tours available
Private tours of the museum are available outside of normal open hours for church groups, school groups, home-schooled groups, civic clubs, businesses, etc. To arrange for a tour, leave a message at the museum, 479-855-2335, or contact Xyta Lucas at 479876-6118.
Hours of operation
The Historical Museum is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, except during inclement weather. Phone 479-855-2335 or visit the website at www.bellavista museum.org.