Park at West End expected to open sometime this month
FORT SMITH — A city landmark for those crossing the Garrison Avenue bridge will once again brighten downtown Fort Smith later this month.
The Park at West End was opened roughly 16 years ago by the previous owner, Phil White.
White called it a passion of love, even working at the park because he couldn’t find a company to lease it. Eventually, White approached the city’s Parks Department to lease it for $1 a year, which they did until 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic.
“It was just kind of a mu- tual understanding. It wasn’t that I canceled the lease. We just said we can’t run it, everything’s shut down,” White explained.
The park was purchased by Paige and Chris McCoy for $210,000 at an auction in August 2021.
Paige McCoy said they’ve been working for the last six months to get the park ready to open again and provide a family-friendly attraction downtown.
The park features a vintage Bertazzon Carousel, which is being renovated by Lorrie Staggs with Hidden Talent Fine Art Gallery and Restoration.
“The carousel is an original piece, and there’s only a handful of original pieces in the United States,” McCoy said. “I had to have somebody that’s a certified restoration artist to restore it. So that’s what she’s doing. She’s doing it horse by horse. We had to order everything from the company that it was made from in Italy, so that was a process, getting it here.”
“And then the artwork that’s on the carousel is all hand-painted, so when we get to that point she’s just going to have to hand-paint that whole part.”
The park also has an antique Pullman rail car diner that will house the Wild Waffles restaurant, and a Double Decker Bus called The White Buffalo Tavern that will serve beer and other concessions.
McCoy said the park will host children’s carnival games such as balloon darts, dunk tank, basketball and football toss and the duck pond. She said there will also be a stage for live music from local bands and artists.
The park’s largest attraction, a roughly 55-foot-tall, 16-seat Ferris wheel, will not be repaired in time for the park’s opening, she said.
The Ferris wheel was built in 1935 and went in the San Diego World’s Fair in 1937. It was restored by White, who had it moved from Rapids on the Reservoir water park in Brandon, Miss., in 2005.
McCoy said they are waiting for the Ferris wheel to be repaired and pass inspection before it will be operational. She said the process might take four to six months to complete.
The soft opening will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 22.
McCoy said the goal was to open before the Steel Horse Rally so they can take part in the events.
The Steel Horse Rally is an annual motorcycle rally held on Garrison Avenue to benefit local charities. The event will be held May 5-6 this year.
McCoy said they are also looking at renting the park for birthday parties, weddings and field trips. She said she’s especially looking forward to having the park open around Christmas.
“Starting mid-November it will basically look like Hallmark threw up in there, and that really is what I’m living for,” she said. “I am enjoying all of this, but at Christmastime I just want to bring joy to people. The last few years have been hard, and I just want something to make people happy. This is such a neat space to do it here in Fort Smith.”
White said he’s happy to see the park return for kids to enjoy.
“I feel the Park at West End continues to be an iconic fixture in Fort Smith and the visitors, citizens, community and myself are excited to see the park reopen,” said Doug Reinert, city parks director. “The Park at West End has been a place for families to come, eat lunch and dinner, take a few rides, have birthday parties, take pictures and enjoy the uniqueness of their surroundings.”