MAIN STREET HARDY

Archive for the ‘Around Town’ Category

As we all know, Hardy is a Railroad Town.  This year the BNSF is taking its train of 15 restored passenger cars on a 6,000-mile tour through 13 cities in six states.  The train is available for BNSF employees and special guests only.  I was an invited guest for a 3 hour ride. The conductor actually came to the loading area and yelled “all aboard” which was a truly nostalgic moment. I chose to ride in the tallest car called Bay View.  The windows are all bay curved and the view is fantastic. I sat in the “First Class” section although the whole car was truly first class.

  When the train got underway we were allowed to move from car to car and explore.  Snacks were brought around and there was a souvenir car.  I have to admit when moving between the cars I felt very adventurous.  You push a big button beside the door and with a big whooshing the door opens and you step between the cars onto a platform.  The door closes behind you, whoosh.  You step across a gap (yes you can  see the ground flying by) onto the next cars’ platform and then another button and whoosh the door opens and you step into the next car. 

 The woodwork and seating in all the cars are beautifully restored and looks like something out of the movies.  The styles were reminicent of a romantic era when the railroad was the main source of mass transit.  Some cars are double deckers and some have open balconies that face inside with wooden railings to keep passengers safe, kind of like the old river boats.  One car had a bar area that served soft drinks.  I took scads of pictures and when we rode through Hardy I got a birds eyeview of our wonderful little City.  I had a great time that I won’t soon forget and hope to get to repeat the experience again.

SUBMITTED BY:

Nina Thorton, Mayor of Hardy Arkansas

I feel that the street closure of South Johnson Street that took place back in late 2009 has been a complete failure ! In late 2009, the city voted to close South Johnson Street in order to test out the new city amphitheater. Originally members of the Hardy City Council met at a special meeting to discuss the closing down of the street for a period of one year! 

 During that meeting, Hardy Mayor Nina Thornton said “the reason for shutting down the street was to accommodate the new stage that has been purchased by the Advertising and Promotions Committee. She said the building, purchased from Bald Eagle Barns will give the public a place to watch various artists, musicians and other talent.”  

Thornton said that by closing the street for a period of one year, the city will be given enough time to determine if the amphitheater is going to be successful. If, at the end of the year, it is successful, the city will permanently close the street.

Well… I can speak from my own personal experience in addition to many others in the area…the Amphitheater or as we now refer to it the (Empty-theater) has not only had minimal usage since the closing of the street. Here we are currently in the busiest tourist time of Summer and nothing is planned for the amphitheater. The official Hardy website shows nothing scheduled for the stage. You can view the events here.  Now, on the new Kait8 DiscoverHardy weather page that can be viewed here it mentions at the top right of the page for the 2010 Calendar:  a Farmers Market taking place every Saturday. Haven’t seen the first one take place yet! Now to be fair, some events have taken place, but the turn out has been few, and it could just have easily taken place in the small gazebo right next to the street in the city park or in the bigger pavilion at Loberg Park. So, why loose a whole street for the few times it has been used?

Additionally, and most importantly, we also lost an important access point for tour buses to use to access the parking lot area south of the street!  It is a shame that we already have a wonderful area park along the beautiful Spring River called Loberg Park that as we have said has a wonderful pavilion for shows and bands. Plus why not take advantage of tha fact our town is right on the Spring River..hello!! Maybe more events based on river themes are in order!

Lets hope the City of Hardy realizes its mistake and once the year is up, gives us our street back !!! Until then, feel free to express your thoughts below in comments section.

• The views of this article are not necessarily the views of Friends Of Hardy Arkansas but were submitted by individuals with an interest in our community

Where in Horshoe Bend is Fine Dining? Read on…

Last evening I was invited to join some friends for dinner ‘out on the town’. We drove from Hardy 25 minutes to Horshoe Bend to go to ‘The Gourmet Table’. If your wondering where in Horshoe Bend is a resturant that would be classified as “Fine Dining”, then you need to find the Diamond B Mall and go inside. Across from the market you will find a resturant like none other…The Gourmet Table

Michelle Muncie is the Owner/Personal Chef of The Gourmet Table. A former gamers hang out has now become the areas finest eating establishment. Michelle greated us graciously on a Wednesday evening. They are normally closed on Wednesdays, but will open for a fine dining experience. And experience it was. There are no menus. The dinner choices will consist of whatever Michelle can purchase fresh from market or grow from her garden.

Our dinner followed a 5 course structure starting with Bruschetta, which was served on light flowery toasted bread, fresh grown tomato, cheese, olive oil and fresh basil leaf. It was very good. Next, we were given the choice of hand crafted salads consisting of fresh grown lettuces and our choice of peppers, onions and all the other sides for a great salad. My mother and I had a wonderful Ceasar Salad just like a Ceasar Salad is supposed to be made. This was all done at our table side as we chatted with Michelle.

Then came the pre-entre palate cleansing course. A delightfully delicious serving of fresh fruit. Freshly cut, not out of a can. It was just what a summer dinner called for. Then the Entres! With no menu, we were at the mercy of Michelle. Our choices were not frugal. She offered choices that left us wishing that we could have had them all, lobster tail, fish, steaks, chicken. All to be prepared as demand warranted. 3 of my companions chose bacon wrapped filets and I chose the t-bone. Each entre was perfectly prepared with sides of roasted vegetables in bacon sauce and  baked potato and fresh made bread. The table got very quiet while everyone greedily gobbled up our meals. By this time, there wasn’t much room left for desert, but I opted for a Rootbeer Float and my mother inhaled a giant chunk of Chocolate Marble cake with vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup. Our patron for the evening, Marlene Miller chose a Spumoni like dish of  Ice Cream with a chocolate cookie straw. 

Satisfied and satiated we left shortly after 9:00pm for our short drive back to Hardy. We were each totally surprised by our find. This is not a resturant like any other in our area. It is a cut above. Don’t come expecting a quick meal. This is a dining experience that should be enjoyed, just like going to the movies, sit back and enjoy your evening out. Choose your companions and go enjoy 1st class food, and first class service.

The Gourmet Table is open for breakfast and dinner and is currently working on a lunch menu

Contact Michelle at The Gourmet Table at 870-670-4969 in Horshoe Bend

Thanks Michelle, for a wonderful visit. We’ll be back.

submitted by:

Marc Herring

FOHA (Friends of Hardy Arkansas)

Why even offer Free WiFi (muniwireless) along Main Street in Hardy Arkansas?  The only  thing that retains value is what the local community is willing to invest in terms of their interest and content. If local businesses, organizations, civic groups and schools  in the local community, in short, are willing to create local content for the local network, post local ads, if they see the service as part of the fabric of the community. That is part of the idea of Free muniwirelessWiFi, because our idea – would first point all users to the Main Street Hardy Online Resource website. This then helps promote not only the town but the local merchants and community as well. Is this self serving? Not really, its self promoting of our town ! Besides, if we don’t do it, no one else will.

 No one can provide better local content or advertise better to the local community than the community itself. Everyone big wants to get local — Google, Microsoft, Citysearch (IAC), Yahoo, etc.. As the world goes digital and online, traditional media – newspapers. Local TV and radio, are rapidly disappearing from the landscape. They are losing a crucial source of revenue — local advertising (classifieds) — to the Internet and these megaportals. At the same time, these same companies have a great challenge — how do they capture the local ‘from above,” as a top-down play? On the web, everything is driven by reputation. Do we trust this seller on eBay? Well look at his rating. Want to buy a book? How are people reviewing it? How in turn are people rating the reviewers? All of this is important to the local area.

Everyone must decide, do I trust someone working for a multibillion dollar global portal to create content, for local knowledge, or do I trust a local?  What are the best restaurants in a given neighborhood? I will trust a local resident if given the choice. Their informed opinions will be given up freely, out of a desire to share. This is grassroots, not Astroturf, and that is what Friends Of Hardy Arkansas are trying to do and want for Hardy !

With the localization of content, services, and advertisements, with more and more devices GPS enabled, with the growing ability to create local ‘intranets’ for buildings, neighborhoods, towns, cities, via new wireless infrastructure deployments, it will be increasingly easy for communities to segment themselves from the rest of the web, and capture the value that is now otherwise feeding these web behemoths. If Google’s model in creating muniwireless as part of The White Space Coalition depends in no small part on local ads, what is to stop the locals from building their own networks and capturing the ad revenue themselves?

As social computing goes local, as the internet grows pervasive, as everyone is brought onto the grid, muniwireless has a bright future. Cell phones and the new Ipad even offer WiFi connection. Communities will have wireless networks as public amenities. They will serve a number of functions, from the very basic — offering the ability to surf the web, check email, to supporting local businesses through a local community portal with local content and providing better security. In the process, the web will become increasingly localized. As always, and from the beginning, we know the end points, and as always, it’s getting there that matters, the details of it. Who will be the ones trying, failing, and learning?  Who will build these municipal wireless networks? Will it be the large incumbent telecoms, the Verizons and Comcasts of the world? Or will it be people like you and me? If in the end the value of the community network is derived from the activity of the people using it, we know the answer.

The Friends Of Hardy Arkansas are motivated and interested in bringing Free WiFi to the Main Street area of Hardy. We feel it is an important step toward growth in our community and for the business tourist who stop here. In the future if proven sustainable it may even grow outward to cover the whole town – who knows. Just imagine the possibilities. We would love to get your comments about this below. Feel free to share with us.

Portions of this article are reprinted from Wired Towns website.

The newest business on Main Street in Hardy is ‘The Tree of Life Marketplace and Deli’. The Marketplace part of the operation is already opened and operating. The Deli part is coming REAL soon…as in June 15th.

The Tree of Life Marketplace and Deli is family owned and operated by Shawn & Jennifer Watkins. It is a store dedicated to antiques, collectables and character-filled items delicately displayed on the Main Street of Hardy. Some of the items that are featured are: designer purses, flip-flops, furniture, glassware, jewelry, grills and much much more.

The Deli portion will feature hand made sandwiches and other quick (not fast) foods. All sandwiches will be served with pickle, side and drinks, UNDER $6.00!!! They also have children’s sandwich plates @$3.50.  Their signature item is the Frozen Banana dipped in chocolate. Here’s the menu.

Stop by The Tree of Life and enjoy yourself. They are located at 210 East Main Street and the phone # is 870-844-1301. Call ahead to place your order.

Submitted by:

Friends of Hardy (FOHA)

Smoking On Main Street

“Considerate smokers don’t litter. Those who do deserve criticism as much as any other litterer.”     — SmokingSection.Com (Militant Smoker’s Rights Group)

 The battle against cigarette litter in Hardy along Main Street can only be won if smokers join the fight on the right  side. There are already millions of smokers who don’t litter their cigarettes, and many of them are actively spreading the word to fellow smokers. Unfortunately, they are still a small minority. If you are a considerate smoker who doesn’t litter, THANK YOU! Please continue setting a positive example and please continue to help us in any way that you can.

If you are a smoker who does litter, we hope that you will learn about the impact of your actions here on Main Street and elsewhere too,  and break the habit. Think about why you litter and think about whether those reasons really make sense to you. Chances are, you have used one or more of the following rationales for your behavior:

• They are biodegradable.
• What else am I supposed to do with them?
• It is harmless, it is just a small cigarette butt.
• It serves everybody right for making me smoke outside and taxing my cigarettes.
• Everybody else does it.
• Everybody has a vice, this is mine.

We ask you to consider our counter arguments to the above points to see if we can get you to change your mind. Our opinion is that there is no excuse for littering, but we also think the best way to communicate with people who have opposing viewpoints is to keep an open mind and maintain two way communications. In the meantime, here is how we feel:

They are biodegradable.

NO THEY ARE NOT! Sorry for the all-caps, but this is a gigantic myth. Different groups have done different studies and their results differ, with some people saying cigarettes decompose in a year, some saying it takes twelve years, and others saying they never decompose at all (the filters are made of a type of acetate that never fully breaks down). That is not what people mean when they use the word biodegradable. Rather than get into a scientific argument, we ask smokers who litter to use common sense. Ask yourself if the cigarette you throw down is going to disappear anytime soon. Do your own experiment. Put a cigarrete in an outdoor planter (use a string or pin to secure it), and see how long it stays there. We guarantee it will be a long term experiment! However long you finally decide it takes for a cigarette to decompose, ask yourself if you would like all such “biodegradable” items to be thrown on the ground, such as cardboard containers, newspapers, kleenex, paper grocery bags, etc. It wouldn’t be pretty.

What else am I supposed to do with them?

There are many ways to dispose of cigarettes without littering them on the ground. Free personal ashtrays are one option.  These ashtrays are paper thin and will easily fit in your pocket. They are foil lined, trap the smell inside, and take up less space in your pocket or purse than a pack of cigarettes. If for some reason you don’t want to carry around disposable ashtrays, then you can improvise which such things as film containers, metal mint containers, regular tin foil, or anything else that’s handy. Simply store your butt in one of these temporary ashtrays until you can dispose of it properly. If you do not have a container handy, stub out your cigarette when you are finished, making ABSOLUTELY sure it is out and that there is no burning paper or tobacco, and throw it in the nearest trash can. There is significantly less risk of fire using this method than there is from throwing your smoldering cigarette in the street or on the sidewalk, where it can easily blow into flammable material. A note to motorists – please use your car ashtray! If it is OK to put in your mouth, it is OK to put in your ashtray.

It is harmless, it is just a small cigarette butt.

Of course, this is the same argument that leads to lots of “harmless” little things adding up to very harmful big things. Cigarettes are by far the most littered item in the world. Billions of cigarettes are littered every day. Costly, and often deadly, fires are caused every year by littered cigarettes and the environmental impact is significant. When you throw even one cigarette, you are part of the problem.

It serves everybody right for making me smoke outside and taxing my cigarettes.

We don’t want to get into any smoking issues unrelated to litter. We will say that we think littering is a very short-sighted and ineffective way to get your message across. Smokers who litter give a bad name to all smokers and make non-smoking activists even more dedicated to increasing smoking bans and raising taxes. Several universities have recently banned smoking on campus not because of health issues but because of litter issues. In these cases, considerate smokers lost out because of the behavior of their littering counterparts.

Everybody else does it.

This excuse hasn’t worked since kindergarten.

Everybody has a vice, this is mine.

That’s true. Many of us speed, jaywalk, use pirated software – you name it. If we all decide that none of us will change our ways until every last one of our friends and neighbors is perfect, then we can all look forward to some dismal times, and none of us should be complaining about it. Or, we can be our own judges of what we think is right and act accordingly. If you think jaywalking is wrong – don’t do it! But don’t use the fact that other people are doing it to justify behavior that you know is wrong. If you think littering is wrong – don’t do it!

Please help keep our MAIN STREET clean !  We appreciate you and hope you will show us the same back. Remember butts in the streets end up in the waterways !

Friends Of Hardy Arkansas 

On this frist Friday, Hardy roared with the sound of Hot Rods and Muscle cars engines.  The annual Car Cruise occured this evening and there were gleaming cars, chrome and fat rubber everywhere. It was great fun and everyone was nostalgic. The cruisers and visitors were treated to sausages, hamburgers and all the trimmings by the Hardy A&P Commitee. Even the little one’s got into the spirit showing off some of there own cool rides!  The weekend festivities will continue on Saturday down at Loberg Park for the Annual Spring River Car Show and Festival. Everyone is invited to enjoy Hardy this late Spring first June Weekend. So be sure to come on out and enjoy the sights and the cars.  See ya on the Main drag. We appreciate you !

Main Street traffic on Memorial Day Saturday

Memorial Day Weekend in Hardy is traditionally a busy time. Shopkeepers gear themselves for the seasonal migration of tourists, outfitters are primed and ready for floaters and the city is expectant of overflow traffic.

This Memorial Day Weekend was no exception. As if on schedule, Friday was busy. The guests and visitors flocked to Hardy and the shops were jammed packed. Business was strong, but nothing compared to Saturday. Saturday on Main Street was greeted with many many people. Families were out and about all over town. Merchants were happy to see everyone and everyone was happy to be seen.

The Spit Shine Car Wash hosted live performance music all day, and The Ozark Classic Crafts Mall was spinning Dizzy Art for the children.

Proud owner with her Dizzy Art creation

Dizzy Discs were the hit of the day and The Olde Time Candy Shop couldn ‘t scoop out the ice cream fast enough for the never ending line of eager patrons.

The pinnacle of the day was the evening performance of the Annual Wilburn Brothers Memorial Day Music Tribute.

Music lovers attend the Wilburn Brothers Musical Tribute

This years event topped past years and hosted over 300 visitors at Loberg Park. The Mayor and team crafted a fine event that featured local stars, The Downhome Strings and Wilburn Grandchilren Leslie and Marie Wilburn as well as other great performers.

Mayor Nina Thorton was quoted saying “it was a great event and everyone had fun”.

Mayor Thorton sharing a historical photo of the Wilburn Brothers

It really was a great event and the weather cooperated nicely by sending its stormy weather to the north, leaving Hardy virtually in the clear.

The weekend celebration in Hardy continues through Monday where there will be a Vetrans Memorial held at the Vetrans Memorial in Ash Flat.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the weekend so much fun in Hardy Arkansas…Welcome Home and We certainly Appreciate You.

Add Meacham’s to your dining destination list. This Friday night was highlighted by a trip to Meacham’s Resturant in Ash Flat. Upon arrival, I was surprised to find that we were going to have to wait for a table. This was a first for me in this area. The wait time was spent in the lobby area sitting on wonderfully comfortable sofas (I manuevered one so that I was sitting across from my friends as I stretched out). We didn’t wait long. Once seated we were greeted by a hostess who told us that our server, Alyse, would be right with us. Alyse arrived within 90 seconds. After ordering beverages, which arrived right away, we ordered our meals. My order was for Tilapia stuffed with real lump crabmeat. It was divine and I ate the whole thing. My companions ordered the Hamburger Steak smothered in fried onions and a wonderfully prepared Veal covered with a flavorful seasoned sauce and perfectly sauted jumbo mushrooms. I had the home made clam chowder as my appetizer which was yummy good. We eached gobbled our meals, not from just being hungry as is sometimes the case, but because the flavors were so delicious.  The service was impeccabley delivered by Alyse, who was friendly without being intursive and the food was delicious and served piping hot. We had no room for desert, but we’ll go back to find desert at another time. We had a really nice time and look forward to going back again. Meacham’s frequently participates in the Dinner & Movie program advertised in Avenues Mag. I highly recommend you stop by Meacham’s in Ash Flat and enjoy a great meal and the wonderful staff.

For many years the Historic Business District of Hardy Arkansas was proudly known as ‘The Antiques Capital of North Arkansas’. Fortunately, there are 4 stores in Hardy that have remained true to that title. The Hardy Antique and Merchantile; owned by Randy Dunham is the first of the four as one enters Hardy from the East. Randy’s store is easily recognizable as a private residence that affectionately reminds guests and visitors of beloved Fred Sanford, famous junk collector from Television past, except that the Merchantile’s merchandise isn’t junk. It is classic memorabilia and collectables from days gone by…some of those days are LONG gone by too. At the ‘Mercantile’ you can enjoy the opportunity to browse the past as you stroll on the front lawn and all through the historic house. Randy will help lead your memories back as far as they can go. Contact the Hardy Antiques and Merchantile @ xxx-xxxx

Continuing west down Main Street, the next of our antiquities dealers is Memories on Main Street, owned by Susan and Rick Wolfe. Susan is the heart and soul of the shop, while Rick is the man who tosses everything into a perfect presentation of memorable history. MOMS (I kinda like that) is the newest of our antique shops celebrating their 1st anniversary this year. Both Susan and Rick are wonderful people who treat each visitor to their store as a newely arrived friend. Every guest arriving at Memories on Main Street is always shown Appreciation for coming into the shop. Contact MOMS @ xxx-xxxx.

Memory Lane is the largest and oldest of all our antiques shops. Located in what was the old FORD dealership. Ron Martin is the proprietor of Memory Lane, which is now celebrating its xx year in business. Ron operates his business in a ‘mall’ type setting. The 2 floor building is the largest of the historic Hardy buildings. Memory Lase boasts over 50 different vendors who have practically everything imaginable from our collective pasts. Knives, cookware, furniture, glassware, cermicas and (lucky for me) even HAT Pins. Contact Memory Lane @ xxx-xxxx

Last but certainly not least is Starks Antiques run by beloved town matriarch, Tilly Starks. Tilly, affectionately referred to as “Miss Tilly”, is a true lady by any definition and does she know antiques! Her shop is the epitome of the word ‘Antique Shop’. Its quaintly appointed, highly organized, impeccably presented and delightfully staffed. Stop by Starks Antiques and browse the finest of Hardy’s antiques shops, sit a spell and chat with Miss Tilly, don’t miss a chance to enjoy a bit of timelessness. Contact Starks Antiques @ xxx-xxxx.

For those who have visited the Antiques Shops and all the Merchants of Hardy Arkansas, Thank you and We Appreciate You and for those yet to visit, we look forward to saying We Appreciate You too.

Marc Herring
Ozark Classic Crafts Mall
A Friend of Hardy Arkansas