RECOLLECTIONS
50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 2 No. 36 Thursday, Sept. 7, 1967
Ivan Tolley, park ranger at the Pea Ridge National Military Park for the past 14 months, has been transferred by the National Park Service to the Fire Island National Seashore in New York. The Tolley family left here Aug. 26 for their new location. No announcement has been received as to who the new superintendent of the Pea Ridge National Military Park will be.
With the enrollment still growing, Pea Ridge Schools had a total of 438 students at the end of the fourth day of classes last Thursday. Superintendent Andrew Widener expressed the belief that the enrollment is not yet at its peak for the school year, and expects it to continue to climb for several days or possibly longer.
The Pea Ridge Blackhawks will play their first home game of the season next Friday night, Sept. 8, at 7:30 p.m. All Blackhawk fans are urged to be on hand to see their favorite team meet Prairie Grove on the gridiron in the second game of the season.
40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 12 No. 36 Wednesday, Sept. 7, 1977
The Pea Ridge Park Commission discussed proper use of donated funds and installation of lights at the park at its regular monthly meeting last Thursday night at Harp’s Pharmacy. The commission passed a resolution stating that donated funds should be used only for projects to develop the park which would be eligible for matching federal funds, and not for routine maintenance.
Joyce Hale and Kathy Knox, both of Pea Ridge, have been named to the Outstanding Young Women of America Program, according to a news release from the national organization based in Montgomery, Ala. Announcement of another Pea Ridge woman, Margaret Cheek, being selected for the honor was made earlier. Stated purpose of the program is to honor and encourage young women between the ages of 21 and 36 who have distinguished themselves in their homes, profession and communities through dedication, service and leadership.
30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 22 No. 36 Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1987
Enrollment in Pea Ridge schools as of Sept. 2 was 645, according to school superintendent Bill Alvarez, but is expected to rise somewhat as families return from vacation and put the Labor Day holiday behind them. Alvarez said he expects the high school figure, especially, to rise since several students have already indicated they expect to attend PRHS but are not yet enrolled. It may take a week or so for figures to stabilize, Alvarez says.
Two Arkansas 4-H alumni were recognized at an awards ceremony at the State 4-H O-Rama, Aug. 5-7, at the Fayetteville campus of the U of A. Bobby Blythe of Booneville (Logan County), and Joyce Hale of Pea Ridge (Benton County) received plaques for their previous 4-H work and continuing support of the 4-H program. Joyce Hale was a state record book winner in foods and nutrition and was one of ten national delegates selected for the Canadian 4-H Conference.
20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 32 No. 36 Thursday, Sept. 4, 1997
Plans for a new $4,765,000 Pea Ridge High School building show a total of 88,000 square feet. Construction of the high school will depend on a positive response from voters on Sept. 16 on a 6.6 mill increase in property taxes. Superintended Roy Norvell said, “If the issue passes, the architect will have to come up here, meet with departments heads and finalize plans and advertise for bids.” He said, “It’ll be sometime in December or January before we could advertise for bids.” Norvell said, “Hopefully, sometime in the spring, we could break ground. I anticipate it will take up to 18 months to build.” The school district has purchased 20 acres at Weston Street and Highway 94 as the site for a new high school.
Pea Ridge Head Start is expanding its role in the area by adding a homebased program, said Barbara Nelson, director of Head Start in Pea Ridge and Bentonville. Mrs. Nelson said, “We’ve had the program for a long time, but never did it in the Pea Ridge area.” She said that the goal for the children in the home-based program is identical with the goal for children who attend the Black Street Center daily. Mrs. Nelson said that she hopes to enroll 10 children in the home-based program.
10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 42 No. 36 Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007
More than 50 tons of hay, mostly Bermuda, burned Monday afternoon after igniting in a barn on Jac’s Ranch between Bentonville and Pea Ridge. Four fire departments responded to the scene on Arkansas Highway 72. The fire was still smoldering Tuesday. “We’re just glad nobody’s hurt,” said Daniel Shewmaker, son of ranch owner Jack Shewmaker. He said there was equipment in the barn in addition to the hay. The purchased hay had been in the barn about two weeks, according to the younger Shewmaker. An employee on the ranch heard an explosion, the elder Shewmaker said, and notified the fire department. Daniel Shewmaker said barn fires are not uncommon but there had not been one on their ranch for 25 years. A grinder, mixer feeder was in the barn and pulled out and isolated to burn away from the hay. A truck was pulled from the east side of the barn and the upright beams were pulled away to remove the metal roof to facilitate containing the fire. Fire Marshall Will Hanna said spontaneous combustion was the cause of the fire.
The FFA organization has made a program of activities that is set up to guide the group through all plans that have been made. Some examples of what is planned include the Arkansas/Oklahoma fair, where livestock is judged, the PALS program, which is pretty much a Big Brother/Big Sister program to help out and spend time with the younger children of Pea Ridge, parking at the football games where club members will help people park without getting into any kind of accident, and of course the FFA banquet, where awards will be presented. Also part of the banquet is the welcoming of new offices and having an orientation for them.