Beatles at the Ridge celebrates Fab Four.
There were Beatles in Walnut Ridge. The Beatles. And what was essentially a brief stopover has become a claim to fame for the small town that now commemorates the occasion with a blowout festival: Beatles at the Ridge and its concurrent symposium.
In 1964, Beatlemania had reached a fever pitch. The Fab Four were living in the middle of a whirlwind: making A Hard Day’s Night, touring the United States, making TV appearances. And everywhere they went, they were mobbed by zealous fans.
Perhaps the only vacation they got in that crazy year was a weekend stay at the Pigman Ranch in Alton, Mo. Since the largest airport that could accommodate them was at Walnut Ridge, that’s where they flew in and out on Sept. 18 and 20.
The Beatles were in Walnut Ridge for a very brief time that Friday night and Sunday morning, but the people of Walnut Ridge made sure to give the superstars the space and respite they needed.
According to symposium co-chairwoman and John Lennon expert Jude Southerland Kessler, “The mayor of Walnut Ridge told the people there, ‘We’re going to show them what Southern hospitality is. We’re going to stand here very respectfully while they get out of their plane.’”
Fast forward several decades and the town was in trouble. Looking for some way to help turn things around, leaders fixed on that brief 1964 stopover to give their town a Beatles theme with street names, a park and an Abbey Road sculpture.
The Beatles also gave theme to the town’s big festival: Beatles at the Ridge, taking place this weekend.
The festival itself will have many of the usual small town festival attractions, but with a Beatles twist: Octopus Garden children’s area, Abbey Road Car Show. Author and symposium co-chair Lanea Stagg will present her Beatles-theme children’s book, Little Dog at the Ridge. And there will be plenty of music. It won’t be all Beatles, though. There will also be country (which The Beatles reportedly loved), bluegrass and rock ’n’ roll.
But the highlight for Beatles fans is the Beatles at the Ridge Authors and Artists Symposium at The Studio on Main Street. There, experts, artists, historians, musicians, podcast hosts and craftsmen will gather to share stories of The Beatles with other enthusiasts and fans.
This year’s theme is “Beatles Memorabilia and Collectibles” and the headliners are as follows:
■ Jim Berkenstadt, a featured speaker and Beatles historian known as “The Rock ’n’ Roll Detective,” will explain the mysteries behind some Beatles items. On Saturday, he will host a screening of Martin Scorsese’s documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World, on which he acted as official historian.
“He’s going to tell us what’s going on and the back stories,” Kessler says. “He has a lot of fun stories to tell.”
■ Another renowned Beatles expert, New Orleans author Bruce Spizer, will release his new book, The Beatles Get Back to Abbey Road.
■ Featured artist Ken Orth will give personal tours and answer questions about the “Meet the Look-Alikes!” exhibit as well as give a multimedia presentation on “The Artwork of Abbey Road: Before and After.”
■ The Argenta Collection exhibit of candid Beatles photographs will be on display.
There will also be more presentations and three Beatles vendors. The festival itself ends with a performance by Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends.
“We’re growing every year,” Kessler explains. “It’s an amazing weekend.”
While there are other Beatles symposiums, Kessler says, the one at Walnut Ridge stands proudly on its own. Late last year, she attended one at Monmouth University in New Jersey that had some of the same presenters. The cost was $350.
In keeping with Walnut Ridge’s oath of Southern hospitality, their Beatles symposium is completely free. In fact, all the presenters, artists and performers donate their time and expertise.
Kessler says, “The whole day is about families and fun and music and what’s not to like about that?”