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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

Mayor Nina  Thornton spoke to the Sharp County Library Board about a possible expansion to the city’s library to accommodate a children’s library and requested the board’s permission to write the grant and apply for funding in the form of a grant. Thornton also provided the group with drawings from local architect Larry Bronson.

Thornton explained that, “There are grants out there and somebody is going to get them, it might as well be us.” She said statistics prove that the state’s literacy scores are going down, and this can be attributed to not building libraries as has been done in the past. She said in the past the summer reading program hosted by the Hardy Library has been very successful, resulting in the program having to be hosted in the Hardy Fire Station. She said White River Planning and Development needs two grants for the project, one for the initial grant and one for matching funds. She said one would be for $100,000 and the other for $200,000. She said the first would be for matching funds and the building only, while the other will be for anything else needed. She also told the board that the land behind the initial structure has been donated to the library by the land owner, Simmon’s First Bank. This in-kind donation of the property value at $30,000 will also contribute to the required matching funds for the grant.

Thornton said the Hardy City Council has agreed by resolution to pay the utilities in the event the grants go through and the project becomes a reality. She said because the area is 85 percent or below poverty, this provides the 100 percent funding of the project. The architecture will be as close as possible to that of the existing library. Thornton said the city will receive approval or denial of the possible grant within four months.

Thornton said in the past this type of opportunity has presented itself, but because the grants were historic in nature, the city council would not approve them. She said this is a wonderful opportunity for the city and stressed that the library expansion would benefit everyone. The drawings of the proposed library expansion are available at both city hall and the Hardy Library.

 In late 2009, the city voted to close South Johnson Street in order to test out the new city amphitheater. To the delight of visitors and guests, the pavilian was used a few times to provide music on Main Street.

This year, the amphitheater will be used even more. And today the grounds surrounding received a landscaping facelift. The Mayor and her team were out with the ‘big boy toys’ to make ready for the planting of decorative grasses and new trees.

The Mayor and team spruce up the Amphitheater on Johnson Street

The city of Hardy is getting ready for a great summer season. Stop by the amphitheater on a summer weekend and be entertained by the great sounds from many of our local musicians.

submitted by Marc Herring, a Friend of Hardy Arkansas (FOHA)

Beginning October 29, 2009, the State of Arkansas experienced severe storms and flooding which resulted in the December 3, 2009, presidential disaster declaration for 37 counties for Public Assistance (PA). Following the declaration, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff visited the City of Hardy, located in Sharp County, and found Mayor Nina Thornton and Public Works Superintendent Billy Gilbearth excited over their discovery that the city’s 406 Mitigation projects worked!

 “In March 2008, we had three floods in six weeks. Our sewer systems were affected. There wasn’t a question of whether we would flood again. It was a question of when will it happen,” said Thornton. “And it did in October of 2009. But this time, thanks to FEMA, we were ready.” Read the rest of this entry »

Young persons Zack Chapman, left, Zack DeCuttler, right, and Zack Hall (holding child), who work on the Recovery Act Summer Employment Program, volunteer their day to provide community service at the city of Hardy’s Water Fun Day in the Park.

According to Mayor Nina Thornton, the boys work during the week, under the supervision of the Public Works Superintendent, painting, mowing, planting trees, reading meters and learning how to deal with the public. Not only do we want to teach the boys the importance of work and furthering their education, we also want to teach them the importance of giving back to their community,said Thornton. At the Water Fun Day, they set up the dunking booth and worked it all day before breaking it down at the end of the event. It was the largest crowd we ever had and the boys service helped make it a success.