Main Street Memories

There are so many things about downtown Siloam Springs that are special. And each of us probably have our own favorite spots. I would really love to hear from some of you- your favorite memory, a special moment, the experience that made you fall in love with our wonderful town.

One of my many favorite memories happened in March of 1992. It was Spring Break of my Junior year of High School (I'll save you the math- I'm 34), and my older sister, Heather, was planning to attend John Brown University. We lived in Atlanta at the time, and my sister and Dad asked if I'd like to tag along while Heather toured the campus and registered for fall classes. I'd never been to Arkansas before- actually, I'd never been west of the Mississippi, so I thought it sounded like fun. Five hours into our road trip, I awoke in the back seat asking if we were there yet. They both chuckled, and informed me that the trip would take about 12 hours. So much for my geography skills!

When we eventually arrived in Siloam Springs, we found ourselves in the charming downtown area. I begged my Dad to let us stay at the Crown Motel- it looked so quaint and had a great location, but he opted for the Super 8 on Highway 412. After dropping Heather off at JBU for a day of orientation, my Dad and I set out to explore. We fed the ducks, as shown above (and hey, whatever happened to that swan? It's so classy). We also discovered some of the many stone stairways built into the hillsides overlooking Sager Creek. I still remember how magical and fun it was to find the stairs, semi-covered with leaves and vines. It felt as if we had stumbled upon some undiscovered path. I fell in love with the parks and creek, and with the stately older homes on College and Alpine. We also stopped at the old Ben Franklin store on Broadway for Slush Puppies.

My first fun and carefree day in downtown Siloam resonated deeply within me, and factored into my decision to attend JBU as well. I really liked the idea of attending college in such a friendly place. Little did I know that I would be living here still, seventeen years later. That I would call Siloam Springs home.

If you would like to share a photo, memory or story about downtown Siloam Springs, please contact me at heididemarais@yahoo.com.