Bella Vista Campground years ago
This article is a reprint from the September 2, 2015, edition of The Weekly Vista.
If you have seen the concrete picnic tables and RV pads alongside Sugar Creek on the west edge of the soccer fields across from Cooper School, you may have wondered why those are there. Cooper Communities built a campground there as part of their amenities right after John Cooper, Sr., opened the Bella Vista Village retirement community 50 years ago in 1965. The Benton County Democrat of October 7, 1965, noted, “Already completed are 130 camping sites along Sugar Creek. There is a picnic table for each four sites and a water outlet for every two sites. Three wash house-toilets have been built.” Not far north of the Lake Bella Vista dam, this was an attractive location for campers.
The June 1966 issue of the Village Vista included a picture of the camping grounds with the caption, “Charcoal grills, picnic tables, and sparkling Sugar Creek greet campers in Bella Vista Park. Electric power, pure hydrant water, and bath houses are also welcome facilities in the camping area.”
However, as time went by, the campground was repeatedly flooded. Stories in the The Weekly Vista tell the tale. On April 17, 1979: “… campers were moved out of the (RV) area after a rainfall of nearly three inches in four hours on April 11 caused Little Sugar Creek to rise out of its banks.” The July 7, 1981, issue reported that five inches fell in some parts of the village the previous week. On January 9, 1985: “Sugar Creek was out of its banks … During the night of heavy rainfall, at least one camper sought high ground … .” The issue of April 16, 1986, reported nearly six inches of rain in six hours on April 7. Two vans, a boat and trailer, a 22-foot camper trailer, and two cars were swept away.
As a result of all the flooding problems and then the decision by Benton County to build a new bridge across Sugar Creek to replace the one-lane roadway across the Bella Vista dam, the campsite was moved to Blowing Springs, where it became the POA RV Park. Cooper Communities deeded that property to the POA on Oct. 13, 1995. (Three years later, in November, 1998, the new bridge was opened across what was then named Dartmoor Road, now Mercy Way, and auto traffic across the Lake Bella Vista dam was permanently banned for the first time in 83 years.)
The Weekly Vista on May 10, 1995, reported that the new RV park was scheduled to open on May 15. Today, the POA website advertises the RV Park as being “tucked away in Blowing Springs Park. The scenic park features 64 spaces. The park offers picnic areas, a secure restroom and shower facility with a laundry area and a lounge, wireless internet service, plenty of scenery, the Blowing Springs Trails and a short driving distance to the Veterans Wall of Honor, a movie theater, a grocery store and restaurants.” Twenty years ago there were few if any of these in existence, and certainly no wireless internet service. Much has changed in only 20 years
For more information about the history of Bella Vista, visit the Bella Vista Historical Museum at 1885 Bella Vista Way (Highway 71 & Kingsland). Admission is free. Regular hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. The phone number is 479-855-2335 and the web address is bellavistamuseum.org.
“Already completed are 130 camping sites along Sugar Creek. There is a picnic table for each four sites and a water outlet for every two sites. Three wash house-toilets have been built.”
The Benton County Democrat October 7, 1965
Brain Teasers Club
Monthly meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month in the community room of the Bella Vista Public Library. The next meeting is 3 p.m., April 20. Contact Pat at patkirby49@gmail.com for more information.
Mystery Book Club
Bella Vista does indeed have a mystery book club. Monthly meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. in the conference room of the Bella Vista Public library. The next meeting is 4 p.m. April 20. For more information, contact Pat at patkirby49@gmail.com.
Master Gardeners
In celebration of Earth Day, Benton County Master Gardeners will be holding hands-on educational demonstrations from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Helping Hands Garden on Friday, April 22. The public is welcome to drop in at any time. The topic of the demonstrations is building raised beds and installing drip irrigation. The event is family friendly, all ages are welcome. Demonstrations are planned at 2:15 and 3 p.m. Master Gardeners will be available for questions, consultations, tours, throughout the entire event.
The Garden is at the north-side of the Helping Hands parking lot at 2602 S.W. D Street in Bentonville. The Garden grounds can be wet at times, so plan footwear accordingly. If it is rainy on the 22nd, April 29 is the rain date.
Calico Cut-Ups
The next guild meeting for the Calico Cut-Ups is at 1 p.m. April 25 at St. Theodore’s Episcopal Church, 1001 Kingsland Road. Park behind the church on the lower level leaving the drive-thru clear for loading and unloading. The guest speaker will be Iiene Bartos, who will present “My Quilting Journey.” She is a qqilt maker, author, and teacher and has worked with fiber arts and quilting for almost 20 years. Her works have hung in galleries and shows and have won various awards and ribbons.
She will be conducting an all- day workshop “Fall Leaf” on Tuesday, April 26 from 9:30 a.m .to 3 p.m. The workshop is $35 and the kit is $56. This pattern will be taken from her book “Maple Leaf Quilts.” Contact Sharon Moravits at sharonmoravits@gmail. com or phone 417-4346943 to sign up for the workshop. For more information go to calicocutups. com under events/guild
programs for a link to more information.
Membership meetings have a $5 guest fee that helps defray program speaker costs. This fee is applied to membership if you choose to join our guild the same day you visit. No charge for your first visit. Membership of $25 is half price July through December.
Garden Club
The next meeting of the BVGC will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday April 27. Guest Speaker will be Janet Carson, author, columnist and retired statewide horticulture specialist. The program she will be presenting is “Gardening in the Natural State.” Club meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of the month at Bella Vista Community Church, 75 E. Lancashire Blvd. There are no meetings in July, August or November.
Railroad Club
Sugar Creek Railroad Club will be holding the next meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 28, at the A&M Railroad Museum, 306 E. Emma, Springdale. Sugar Creek Railroad Club, we put the fun in fundraising! Our club hosts train shows and events to support local charities, while preserving our national railroad heritage. For more information you can find our Website at sugarcreekrailroadclub.com.
Concert Band
Bella Vista Community Concert Band’s 2022 season is coming up fast, with rehearsals commencing at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 2, at the BV Community Church, 75 E. Lancashire Road. There are openings in all sections with a special need for percussion players, as well as low brass. All band instruments are welcome to participate; no audition necessary, just a willingness to play and
enjoy playing with others.
The band owns two tubas, two French horns, two baritones, a tenor sax, an oboe, a bassoon, a clarinet and a coronet. These are available to prospective players who perhaps don’t own an instrument any longer and are free to use. Contact the conductor at garynmccarty@gmail.com with any questions.
Andante Music Club
Andante Music Club will again celebrate National Music Week with a concert in the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel. Program will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, and will feature a pianist, soprano, tenor and violinist. Details later. See the website at andantemusicclub.org or contact BettyLPierce@ outlook.com for more information.
Astronomical Society
SCAS announces they will be observing Astronomy Week beginning Saturday, May 7 through May 14, this year. During the week we will have activities scheduled around the area from Saturday through Saturday. There will be tables and exhibits with hands-on activities at both the solar viewing and star party. Something for all ages. Watch for the schedule to be posted next week. SCAS is an amateur astronomy club based in northwest Arkansas. For further information, please contact President Bill Murphy at 479-855-7180.
Creative Artists
The Ozark Creative Artists meet at 9 a.m. the second Saturday of every month (next meeting May 14) at their new location, Forrest Hills Baptist Church located at 1702 Forrest Hills Blvd. in Bella Vista. The purpose of the organization is to stimulate interest and appreciation for the art of painting. Each month OCA has a club
member or a visiting national or local artist teach an art project in acrylic, oils, watercolor or mixed mediums. Painters of all skill levels are invited to attend.
The Ozark Creative Artist offers community service projects such as: painting memory boxes for hospitals and supporting the Benton County Women’s Shelter. If you are interested in attending, please text Lynda at 262-308-4454.
Perfect Harmony
Perfect Harmony Women’s Barbershop Chorus meets from 3:30-5 p.m. every Monday, in the Fellowship Hall of the Highland Christian Church, 1500 Forest Hills Blvd. in Bella Vista (enter at the North door) beginning Monday, March 21. CDC guidelines are observed. To attend, you must have had at least the first dose of the covid vaccination. No previous experience or try outs are required to join. The group includes women of all ages and voice range. For more information or to schedule the chorus for your entertainment, call Karen Frankenfeld, Director 479-876 7204. perfectharmonybv. com and Facebook.
Computer Club
The Bella Vista Computer Club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of the month in Room 1001 on the lower level of the Highlands Crossing Center, 1801 Forest Hills Blvd. in Bella Vista. The club recommends masking and observing social distancing or consider the meeting by Zoom if unvaccinated or living in the same household with other at-risk persons.
Bella Vista Computer Club will have their next general meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, April 11, in the lower level of the Highlands Crossing Center.
New members and visitors are welcome to the general meetings. Detailed
directions to meeting rooms and information on the Zoom simulcast can be found on the website. The yearly BVCC membership is $25 for the first member in a household and $10 for each additional member in the same household. The benefits of club membership include help clinics, remote assistance for members with computerized devices and free classes on a variety of topics. Visit the website at bvcomputerclub.org for more information.
Artisan Alliance
The Artisan Alliance of Wishing Spring is accepting new members to the art club. The club meets every three months for art and craft demos and member news (covid and weather permitting). The next meeting will be posted on the website artisanalliance.net.
Wishing Spring Gallery is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m Thursday through Saturday, weather permitting. Contact wishingspringgallery.net or 479-273-1798 for more information.
Thursday Jam
Want to jam and harmonize on the songs of the Everly Brothers, the Kingston trio, Buddy Holly and Ricky Nelson, among others? This group meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the members’ homes on a rotating basis. If you are interested and have questions call 479876-6275.
Paint on Your Own
Paint on Your Own is an artists group that meets from 8:30-noon each Friday at Riordan Hall. You can paint on your own with acrylics, oil, watercolor, pencils, drawing, etc. Anyone interested in joining may come. It’s just $2.50 or no fee with a picture POA card at the front desk. Call Anita Carroll at 479402-3001 if you have any questions.
Clay Studio
The Clay Studio at Wishing Spring Gallery offers classes for intermediate hand-building, wheel throwing and children’s classes. For more information, visit wishingspringgallery.net.
Needlework Club
The Bella Vista Needlework Club meets the first Monday of every month at Riordan Hall. Members work on any needle craft they like such as knitting, crocheting, beading, cross stitch, embroidery, etc. There is no entry fee if a POA picture ID is presented at the reception desk.
Otherwise the fee is $2.50. Fee for the group is only $2 annually and new members are welcome. Those with questions can call Rosalyn at 479-276-2033.
BV Area Radio Club
The Bella Vista Area Radio Club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Highlands Golf and Clubhouse, 1 Pamona Drive, off Scottsdale, near I-549. Monthly license testing is also conducted. Details are at bellavistaradioclub.org, and facebook. com/groups/bellavistaradioclub, or by calling Glenn Kilpatrick at 479-426-3295. All prospective hams and amateur radio enthusiasts are welcome.
Great Issues
Every two or three weeks, this club of women and men meets to discuss a book that examines the question: “How would you evaluate the health of American democracy or of Western civilization itself?” The club rotates books among several approaches as in these examples of books read: “The Closing of the Muslim Mind” by Robert Riley; “Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern,” by Victor Davis Hanson; “Rise of Christianity,” by Rodney Stark; “AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order,” by Kai-Fu Lee.
Books are chosen by the members and range from more popular to more serious works. The club reads only a chapter or two at a time and provides a synopsis prior to discussions. If interested in an open discussion of serious works with a group of like-minded adults, please join. Contact Jene Porter at 479-250-8426.
Woodcarvers Club
The Bella Vista Woodcarvers Club is a group of local artisans that meets regularly to share art, exchange experiences in woodworking and stay connected to members. Meetings begin at 1 p.m. every Thursday at Riordan Hall, located at 3 Riordan Drive in Bella Vista. On the third Thursday of each month, there is a class on some aspect of carving, wood-burning, finishing or another interesting topic.
The club’s purpose is to promote the general fields of carving, wood-burning and sculpting of wood, and to promote a greater appreciation of wood in an artistic expression. Visitors are always welcome. At this time, masks are still required. For more information, contact Jean Visnich, president, at 479-426-8409, or email wordwinds@cox.net.