RECOLLECTIONS
50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 2 No. 13 Thursday, March 30, 1967
What appeared to have been intended as a prank left resounding echoes in Pea Ridge last week. Pea Ridge area residents were jarred awake by an explosion at 11 p.m. Wednesday, when what is believed to have been as much as half a case of dynamite was detonated on the west lawn of the high school property. Damage from the explosion, which awakened people as much as six miles away, was apparently confined to the downtown area. Suffering broken windows were six or seven structures, including the Webb Feed Store building, Pace Drug Store, Hickman’s Texaco Station, Bank of Pea Ridge and A&D Market.
Members of the Pea Ridge Boy Scout Troop 113 are apt to be knocking at your door any day now. They’ll be on their first money-making campaign, selling air freshener of several different fragrances in aerosol cans. Selling at $1 each, the air freshener sales will allow a margin of profit for the troop. The new troop has grown to 18 members since it was organized under the leadership of Virgil Green.
40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 12 No. 13 Wednesday, March 30, 1977
Two Pea Ridge High School students have had paintings chosen to hang in the annual Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition in the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock. Joe Patton and Carla Orndorff, both members of the junior class, had three pictures chosen from over 2,000 entries. Carla is a beginner in Art and Joe is an advanced student. About 300 pictures will hang in the show from March 27 through May 1.
Summer work program applications for persons between the ages of 14 and 22 who meet low income qualifications are available at the Pea Ridge School administration office. The applications are for summer jobs paying $2.30 an hour, beginning June 6.
Construction is progressing on schedule due to spring weather on two new business buildings in Pea Ridge: Pea Ridge Florist which will be owned and operated by Tom and Penny Wimmer; the other new facility which will be occupied by Battlefield Cabinet Co., owned by John Tillman. The florist shop is a new business in Pea Ridge and Battlefield Cabinet is an existing business which is expanding its operation.
30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 22 No. 13 Wednesday, April 1, 1987
Kern Sorrell, Pea Ridge’s star cross country runner, made his mark again, in the two-mile fun run at the sixth annual Victorian Classic Footrace at Eureka Springs March 21. Sorrell came in first place in the 13- to 19-year-old men’s category. But more impressive still, his time of 10:22 was just 11 seconds short of the winning time for all male age categories in the race, 10:11 by former Pea Ridge coach Steve Ray, now of Eureka Springs.
Walter B. Cox, attorney for Pea Ridge School District, board members and others sued by former School Board member Andy Buck on allegations of fiscal mismanagement, believes Buck is in a “vulnerable position,” according to a letter from Cox to Larry Nelson, claims manager for St. Paul Insurance Companies, the district’s liability insurance carrier.
20 Years Age The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 32 No. 13 Thursday, April 3, 1997
Jonathan Berry, 18, son of Chris and Martha Berry of Pea Ridge, will graduate Pea Ridge High School this spring with a 3.511 grade point average. Johnathan plans to enter the University of Arkansas this fall and study engineering. His favorite high school subjects are mathematics and science. Johnathan played Blackhawk football and is a member of the National Honor Society and Renaissance.
Garfield’s Elementary School’s “backyard” will soon be under construction to become a rich resource of learning activity. The idea of an outdoor classroom in the school’s campus was given birth by former Garfield resident Katie White and a grant from Wal-Mart. White got the idea of an outdoor classroom on school grounds from reading about them in the Missouri Conservation magazine.
Pea Ridge Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Twila Higginbottom assigned her students to write letters to the editor of The TIMES on a couple of fundamental environmental issues facing the community, such as wasting water, food and paper products.
10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 42 No. 13 Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The Weston Street widening project continues. Mayor Jackie Crabtree told City Council members at last week’s meeting that CEI Engineering of Bentonville had reviewed the plans from Freeland-Kaufman & Fredeen Inc.
Water and sewer issues shouldn’t keep the development of the Big Sugar Ranch and Golf Club from moving forward, according to Michael Mathis, city engineer. “Everything that we’re doing for the city right now will be able to handle what you’re doing,” Mathis told developers at a special meeting March 23 at City Hall. Pea Ridge city officials, including Mayor Jackie Crabtree and the City Water Department Head Ken Hayes, met with developer Mike Anderson and others from Engineering Design Associates in Springdale to discuss issues with water and sewage. The developers and city summed up that future steps need to be taken, such as developers finding a number of gallons of water a month which will be used by residents and the golf course, but neither party spoke of any real road blocks. “As far as volume and need to supply, we won’t have any problem,” said Crabtree.
Pea Ridge Mayor Jackie Crabtree will be in Little Rock next, appearing before the State Review Board of the Arkansas Historical Preservation Program. The board will consider 23 properties in 18 Arkansas counties — including the Pea Ridge Commercial Historic District at Pea Ridge in Benton County — for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The Pea Ridge Commercial Historic District, located on North Curtis Avenue and Pickens Street, contains 19 buildings constructed between 1910 and 1957.