RECOLLECTIONS
50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 3 No. 39 Thursday, Sept. 26, 1968
After 57 years in its original location, the Bank of Pea Ridge next week will be open to its friends in its handsome new facilities eight blocks south. According to announcement made this week by Hearn Oliver, president, the bank will be ready for business it its new location Monday, Sept. 30. The new bank home has been erected at the corner of Arkansas Hwy. 94 South and Lee Town Road facing the highway but accessible to customers from either of the two main thoroughfares. There such conveniences as a drive-in window and night depository, never before available to the bank’s customers, will serve the public.
It would be nice if we had a few scalawags running for office here in Pea Ridge this year. As it is, we voters are going to be hardput to make some choices between men that we like. Of course, in a small town like Pea Ridge, there is really only one right way to do it: We must leave personalities out of the thing, and, much as a coach has to make selections for a team, we must look at the matter objectively and vote for the man in each contest that we sincerely believe to be best qualified to fill that particular role in local government.
40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 13 No. 39 Wednesday, Sept. 27, 1978
A request for a variance to permit the construction of a building (part of a shopping center) 15 feet closer to Lee Town Road than is required by city ordinance was granted Sept. 20 by the city’s Planning Commission. Commission chairman Jay Hale reports that Jerry Eddingfield, representing Atherton & Murphy, developers, appeared at the hearing and explained that, with the variance granted, they would be able to include more tenants in the buildings and the only effect is would have on the center would be a lessening of the parking available. The shopping mall, known as Battlefield Center, at the corner of Lee Town and Ark. Hwy. 94, included in the center will be a Pizza Hut and from six to 10 other businesses, depending upon the space demands of tenants. Eddingfield told the GraphicScene that construction of the center, digging of the footings, is to begin this week and the schedule calls for the opening of the Pizza Hut early in December.
Lester Hall, Pea Ridge realtor, filed a petition seeking election to the post of mayor of Pea Ridge according to late word from the Benton County Clerk’s office. With Hall’s filing Friday, the slate for Pea Ridge city officials is now completed with no opposition for any position indicated. Candidates for council posts are: Charles Colton, Lee Otis Hall, Daryle Green and Jack Patterson.
Pea Ridge area exhibitors and participants in the Benton County Fair carried away their share of spoils. For total number of awards, Lesa VanZandt topped the list. Top price went to C. J. Knox, Decatur, whose 1,235-pound steer brought $1.01 per pound and was bought by L. & L. Farms, Decatur. Lesa VanZandt’s grand champion steer, 1,050 pounds, brought 91 cents per pound and was bought by Hudson Foods, Rogers.
Pea Ridge School District 109 board of directors approved hiring a new bus driver and a special education teacher, approved the appointment of a textbook committee, raised the price of school lunches for adults, approved administration handling of student immunization problems, heard a report on school insurance and considered several other items.
30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 23 No. 39 Thursday, Sept. 29, 1988
In case you haven’t noticed, contractor ApecArkansas, Inc. has begun work to straighten, widen and pave Arkansas Highway 265 from Pea Ridge to the Missouri line. Work on the improvement by the contractor was delayed for several weeks to allow utility companies to relocate poles and lines. The contract requires that the $1 million job be completed by the end of next June. State Highway Department resident engineer Jack Brisco said, “About 5 percent of the work is completed with 30 percent of the time charged, but those numbers are really for our benefit.” He has a June 1989 target date. The engineer said that traffic continues to use the road.
The campaign to raise funds to pay for re-roofing two Pea Ridge Elementary School buildings passed the halfway mark this week. The total reached $9,715.21, according to Roof Fund Steering Committee figures. The goal is $18,400 and will, when reached, pay for replacing the roofs of two of the elementary school buildings. The school district does not have the funds to pay for the replacement. Community groups have joined to raise the money by the end of October. Other projects for the Roof Fund include much of the proceeds from the Fall Fest on Oct. 15, an Elementary School carnival on Oct. 29 and a commitment from the Booster Club of $6,000.
The chairman of the fourth annual Pea Ridge Fall Fest said this week that plans are progressing so well that the festival may very well be the best yet. Chairman Tommy Lynch said that “enthusiasm is as high as for any such event that I’ve every been involved in.” He said that there will be some attraction for most everyone of every each throughout the day and evening. The Fall Fest, sponsored by the Pea Ridge Lions Club will be held Oct. 15 on the Pea Ridge School campus. The festival, he said, will include entertainment, good food, arts and craft booths and games for the young and not so young.
20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 33 No. 39 Thursday, Oct. 1, 1998
When the Golden Gate commemorative stamp was unveiled in San Francisco on Sept. 3, there were noted dignitaries listed on the program. The honoree, however, was a carpenter, who grew up in Pea Ridge, graduated from Pea Ridge High School and help build the Golden Gate Bridge over 60 years ago. The newspaper covering the event passed over the photo-ops of the big names and used a four-column picture of Martin
Adams taken against the backdrop of a giant poster depicting the stamp. The caption read: “The U.S. Postal Service unveiled a new stamp Thursday at a ceremony at the Golden Gate Bridge, commemorating its construction in the 1930s. An original bridge worker, Martin Adams of Oakland, was honored by the service and the bridge district. Adams, 86, was in his early 20s when he came from Arkansas to work on the Bay Bridge, afterward transferring to the Golden Gate. He brought (to the ceremony) his original safety helmet with him, bearing the scars of a cable accident.”
The Pea Ridge Area Ministerial Alliance will sponsor a child abuse seminar this month. The Rev. Robert Wilson, pastor of Pea Ridge United Methodist Church, said that experts will conduct the community awareness seminar.
10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 43 No. 39 Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008
The Blackhawk Theatre is closed. The theater, in the former First Baptist Church building, opened in the renovated Blackhawk Plaza Business Center July 7, 2007, with the movie, “Transformers.” “We recently made the decision to close the movie theater because there just wasn’t broad enough support from the community,” said Ann Cato, who owns the business with her husband, Jeff. “We needed the auditoriums at least 50 percent occupied (i.e., 77 customers) during each movie to continue business. This just didn’t happen. Part of this may be due to the economy. However, the bottom line is that a movie theater for Pea Ridge just wasn’t in God’s plan.” The renovated building (approximately 12,700 square feet with a 3,400 square foot penthouse) is currently for sale.
In a place of honor in the Pea Ridge Police Department is a flag which flew over Camp Teji, Iraq, this past July. It was sent to the department by Karl Schmidt, Pea Ridge police officer, who is serving 15 months in Iraq. Police Chief Tim Ledbetter presented the flag and plaque to his officers during a department meeting Tuesday, Sept. 23.
The ’Hawks played their best game of the year but it wasn’t enough to turn back the Gravette Lions as Pea Ridge fell 43-13 in the 4 A-1 District season opener. “We are getting better,” head coach Mark Laster said, “although it’s hard showing improvement with this murderer’s row of teams we have had to start our season with.” The ‘Hawks’ first half of their season has been against teams that have a composite 17-3 wonloss record to day, a gauntlet of a schedule very few teams could survive.