Laughs From The Past

Community celebrates Lum and Abner

This weekend’s festival in Mena looks pretty much like any other summer festival anywhere else in Arkansas. There will be live music — with headliner Ricochet tonight and The Crumbs on Saturday evening — arts and crafts booths, food vendors, a kids’ area with inflatables, a climbing wall and a bungee jump, a 5K run, fishing derbies, a car show, pig races and an outlaw gunfight re-enactment.

What sets the event apart is its tie to two funny guys who grew up together in Mena and went on to become one of the most popular acts on 1930s radio — Lum and Abner.

Chester “Chet” Lauck, born in 1901 in Aleene, played Lum Eddards, and Norris “Tuffy” Goff, born in 1906 in Cove, was Abner Peabody on the comedy show, set at the Jot ‘Em Down Store in the fictional town of Pine Ridge, Ark. How well-known was Pine Ridge? The real town of Waters, the actual inspiration for the community, changed its name to Pine Ridge.

“Many of the fictional residents of Pine Ridge were inspired by the actual residents of Pine Ridge and the surrounding area, but only the many voices of Lauck and Goff were heard on the radio,” explain the current owners of the Jot ‘Em Down Store and Museum, Lon and Kathryn Stucker. “Chet Lauck was Lum, Grandpappy Spears and Cedric Wehunt. Tuffy Goff was Abner, Squire Skimp, Mousey Grey, Dick Huddleston and most of the other characters developed over the years. They kept in touch with Pine Ridge, and the local residents listened closely to hear what would be made of the latest news.”

Donnie Crain, one of the festival organizers, says visitors this weekend can tour the history museum in Mena’s restored train depot to learn about the comedians, who still star in a comic strip, or travel about 20 miles to Pine Ridge to visit the store.

“Even though it’s been around for 40 years, the festival actually sees more interest in Lum and Abner nowadays because their radio programs and movies are available on the internet,” Crain says. “A lot of older folks remember the shows, and a lot of younger folks are finding them.”

COURTESY PHOTO Chester “Chet” Lauck, born in 1901 in Aleene, played Lum Eddards, and Norris ‘Tuffy” Goff, born in 1906 in Cove, was Abner Peabody on the 1930s “Lum and Abner” radio show.