Decatur says ‘welcome’ with new sign
DECATUR — An old Decatur landmark was given new life March 14 as it transitioned from advertising one of the town’s biggest industries to welcoming motorists driving the Arkansas Highway 59 Corridor.
The old Peterson Farms’ sign that has stood on the corner of South Main Street and Hill Avenue for more than 25 years was moved to the depot museum and is on display in the equipment shed. This left the vintage billboard open for a new mission as the “Welcome to Decatur, Home of the Bulldogs” sign.
The new sign displays several of Decatur High School’s district, regional and state championship teams, from the 1922 boys’ basketball district champions to the 2017 girls’ track and field state champions.
Organizer Toby Conrad, principal at the high school, approached Bob Tharp, Decatur
mayor, with the idea of a welcome sign that honored the Decatur sports programs. Conrad got the idea for the sign after the 2017 Decatur girls’ track team won the 1A state championship title and the boys’ team was state runner-up.
“I thought it would be a nice way to greet travelers as they passed through our town,” said Conrad. “Since there were so many championship teams on the district, regional and state level, we tried to pick a few from each decade to display on the sign.”
The sign was formally dedicated in a short ceremony March 14 conducted by Tharp and Conrad with Paige Barrett, Destiny Mejia, Paige Vann and Desi Meek, all members of the 2017 1A State Championship team, and their coach, Shane Holland.
The sign was sponsored by Simmons Food, Handy Mart, Farmers Cooperative, Crystal Lake Farms, the city of Decatur, and Decatur Public Schools.
The new sign has already generated interest in the community, with over 400 hits on the city’s and mayor’s Facebook pages. A few passing motorists have even slowed down or stopped to read what is on the billboard.