Friday, October 01, 2004
You're in my heart and I know you'll always be
OK, so maybe I'm a follower. Chris at Uffish Thoughts, an ex-Arkie herself, has put together a list of some of the best stuff to see from the old stomping ground, the Great State of Arkansas. She mentions so many places from my youth and post-youth, and it has brought a wave of nostalgia. Kris has already beat me by linking it himself, but I find that I can't control myself, so here goes.
I found this site a couple of years ago. I'm not sure where I found it... either Googling for something or linked from someone's site, I suppose. But it's utter genius. The Arkansas Roadside Travelogue catalogues the best of the legends, characters, and places the Natural State has to offer. It's tongue-in-cheek, but there is a lot of love mixed in with the wackiness. I'm familiar with a lot of the stuff on the list, and I've read the entire thing (hey, I was working in a call center during the slow period... three or four calls a day).
I grew up in an area called War Eagle, which is in the middle of nowhere, about twenty miles from Rogers, AR (where I went to school) and thirty miles from Fayetteville (where I went to college). In times past, War Eagle was an actual community, with a resort hotel, school, post office, blacksmith shop, mill... the whole nine yards. These days, it's just farms, new houses built by rich town people (grrrrrrr), and a couple of tourist attractions, both of which provided me employment during the summers and weekends.
War Eagle Mill is only a few miles from my house. I worked there on and off from age 13 through college. Most of that time was spent in the Bean Palace Restaurant, where my sister and mom also worked part-time. I also spent some time working in the gift shop. For a small mill in the middle of nowhere, War Eagle Mill is internationally famous because of its ridiculously huge arts and crafts fairs, held in May and October each year. The lives of the locals are turned upside-down for about a week twice a year, as hundreds of thousands of tourists clog our small roads.
The other tourist attraction of the area is the War Eagle Cavern, where I worked as a tour guide. Right after I left, it came under new management, and there seems to be a lot more offered there now (overnight stays! spelunking tours!) than when I was there. It is not a spectacular cave, but it does have some charms. Plus, I find it amusing that its big claim to fame is that the straight-to-HBO Frank and Jesse was filmed there... well, a scene of the movie anyway. I remember when it was filmed in Northwest Arkansas (hell, I auditioned for it!), and much of the movie was shot in the War Eagle area. I know some of the extras in it. It's pretty freakin' bad though. I tried watching it and failed.
Anyway, I can't help love Arkansas. It's where I grew up, my parents still live there, and I'll probably end up getting married there. If you're intrigued, I urge you to check out Chris's list as well as the Arkansas Roadside Travelogue. Arkansas... it's totally the Little State that Could.
OK, so maybe I'm a follower. Chris at Uffish Thoughts, an ex-Arkie herself, has put together a list of some of the best stuff to see from the old stomping ground, the Great State of Arkansas. She mentions so many places from my youth and post-youth, and it has brought a wave of nostalgia. Kris has already beat me by linking it himself, but I find that I can't control myself, so here goes.
I found this site a couple of years ago. I'm not sure where I found it... either Googling for something or linked from someone's site, I suppose. But it's utter genius. The Arkansas Roadside Travelogue catalogues the best of the legends, characters, and places the Natural State has to offer. It's tongue-in-cheek, but there is a lot of love mixed in with the wackiness. I'm familiar with a lot of the stuff on the list, and I've read the entire thing (hey, I was working in a call center during the slow period... three or four calls a day).
I grew up in an area called War Eagle, which is in the middle of nowhere, about twenty miles from Rogers, AR (where I went to school) and thirty miles from Fayetteville (where I went to college). In times past, War Eagle was an actual community, with a resort hotel, school, post office, blacksmith shop, mill... the whole nine yards. These days, it's just farms, new houses built by rich town people (grrrrrrr), and a couple of tourist attractions, both of which provided me employment during the summers and weekends.
War Eagle Mill is only a few miles from my house. I worked there on and off from age 13 through college. Most of that time was spent in the Bean Palace Restaurant, where my sister and mom also worked part-time. I also spent some time working in the gift shop. For a small mill in the middle of nowhere, War Eagle Mill is internationally famous because of its ridiculously huge arts and crafts fairs, held in May and October each year. The lives of the locals are turned upside-down for about a week twice a year, as hundreds of thousands of tourists clog our small roads.
The other tourist attraction of the area is the War Eagle Cavern, where I worked as a tour guide. Right after I left, it came under new management, and there seems to be a lot more offered there now (overnight stays! spelunking tours!) than when I was there. It is not a spectacular cave, but it does have some charms. Plus, I find it amusing that its big claim to fame is that the straight-to-HBO Frank and Jesse was filmed there... well, a scene of the movie anyway. I remember when it was filmed in Northwest Arkansas (hell, I auditioned for it!), and much of the movie was shot in the War Eagle area. I know some of the extras in it. It's pretty freakin' bad though. I tried watching it and failed.
Anyway, I can't help love Arkansas. It's where I grew up, my parents still live there, and I'll probably end up getting married there. If you're intrigued, I urge you to check out Chris's list as well as the Arkansas Roadside Travelogue. Arkansas... it's totally the Little State that Could.
<< Home
