Chuck’s Blog — “Exploring Arkansas” November 2016
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Coming up Nov. 2 in a brand new “Exploring Arkansas” episode, we’ll take you from one historic swinging bridge near Mountain View to another one in Beaver, check out some unusual fairy tale sculpture/architecture near Eureka Springs, visit the oldest church in Arkansas near Searcy, and look back to the day folks in Paragould thought they were experiencing the end of the world.
Built in 1914, the swinging bridge over Sylamore Creek, north of Mountain View, was part of the very first road that was constructed through the Ozark National Forest. Since that time, it has served as a favorite meeting place for family reunions, picnics, baptisms and, of course, swimming and fishing.
The Little Golden Gate Bridge in Beaver serves as the “bridge to nostalgia” to this quaint little town, which calls itself a community of good neighbors (and that it is!). Once you arrive here, you really don’t want to leave. Whether it’s spinning a yarn or two at the Trading Post, checking out the spring house or camping along nearby Table Rock Lake, you’ll enjoy peace and relaxation. It wasn’t always like that though: back when there were more than 20 saloons in town, things got pretty wild and crazy. That’s when famous saloon smasher Carrie Nation paid a visit, and the rest is history.
Just a little ways down south from Beaver along Highway 23, before Eureka Springs, you’ll notice some rather intriguing sculpture and architecture. That would be the home of J.D. and Cathy Harris who – as they say – are living their fantasy. The entire property looks like something out of a fairy tale. This is one of those cases where you have to see it to believe it!
The oldest church in Arkansas? Well, it happens to be just down the road a piece, west of Searcy off Highway 36. The Smyrna church was constructed in 1856. It was built on top of the white oak stump, from which the wood was taken for the church’s building materials. It’s also one of only five remaining antebellum churches in Arkansas.
February 17, 1930, was the day some folks around Paragould thought the world was coming to an end. And who wouldn’t have when, in the middle of the night, a huge meteor comes streaking down, lighting up the sky and slamming into a farm southwest of town with a huge boom?! At the time, it was the largest meteorite ever to be seen in its descent and recovered – weighing in at a total of 820 pounds. That chunk of rock from outer space is still on display at the Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Check it and this new “Exploring Arkansas” episode out Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m.!
TUNE IN:
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016
“Exploring Arkansas,” 6:30 p.m.
