Christmas Bazaar

Perhaps you've already finished up your Christmas shopping.  Me?  Not so much.  Yikes!  

We've got Thanksgiving coming up and then Christmas.  How is it that the older I get the faster time flies?  Oh my!  Anyway, here's a way to help the Siloam Springs Museum and find some fun and unique gifts for those on your to-buy-for list.

 

On Saturday, December 1 make plans to attend the 2nd Annual Country Christmas Arts & Crafts Bazaar at Community Fellowship Church located at 525 South Lincoln in Siloam Springs.  The event is an annual fundraiser for the Siloam Springs Heritage Festival hosted by the Siloam Spring Museum.  It features traditional arts and crafts, home baked goods, musical entertainment, hot soup and chili and drinks.

I'll see you Downtown!

--Karyn

Weekend Plans

So much to do this upcoming "Second Saturday" in downtown Siloam Springs! See you there!

 

 

KIDS DAY AT THE MARKET!

• Special musical performance by the KIDDOS at 10 am
• Bounce Castle from 8am - noon
• Bubble Wands & Play-Doh Stations
• WELLFEST! Kids Activities
• Farmers Market will, of course, be open, with a fresh variety of local produce, baked goods, starter plants and local handmade crafts!

WALKS THROUGH HISTORY TOUR

Interactive walking tour of Siloam Springs' Historic Downtown!

Special guest tour guide Rachel Silva is from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

Co-sponsored by Siloam Springs Museum and Main Street Siloam Springs.

 Meet at 11am in front of the Community Building.

WELLFEST! A Day in Motion

May 14th in Downtown Siloam Springs

Bridges to Wellness announces a call to action for children, families and the community

 WELLFEST! is a celebration of physical activity and the pursuit of great health.  Most importantly WELLFEST! is a collection of fun activities and games to encourage participants to rediscover the joys and benefits of being physically active.

WELLFEST! will include:

·        FamilyFun Challenge course complete with Hula-Hoops, Jumping Jacks, Jump Rope, Hop Scotch, and more

·        5KRun Race and 1 Mile Fun Run through beautiful downtown Siloam Springs
·        5K& 10K Bicycle rides showcasing Siloam Springs
·        Ultimate Frisbee games, where novices can learn the game
·        Fresh Start for those of us who are re-entering an active life and want gentle exercise options such as Yoga, Taekwondo Gentle Calisthenics

·        Culinary Delights. Cooking demonstrations will be held to show participants how greatfood can taste good too!

Events start at 9:00 and wrap up at 1:00. To pre-register go to www.bridgestowellness.org for more information.  Walk, Run, Ride, Skip, or Jump, get here any way you can!

Second Saturday Music

 Twin Springs Park at 7:30pm

Hope you can join us as Fayetteville's Folk Duo, Susan Shore & Michael Cockram kick off the season's first concert!

Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the music. 


I'll see you Downtown!
--Karyn

Moving

You may have heard that the Siloam Springs Museum is moving to Broadway Street.

I'm excited about the move.

Our Museum has so many interesting things inside and the new location will make our history that much easier to find.

 I can't wait!

I'll see you Downtown!

--Karyn

Heritage Festival

This coming Saturday, June 26th is the 5th Annual Siloam Springs Heritage Festival hosted by the Siloam Springs Museum.  Festivities begin at 9am and continue through 8am.  Historical re-inactments, arts, crafts, food, pow-wows, and music are just some of the scheduled festivities. Click here to find out more information.

Weekend Update

Here's the gazebo in City Park, undergoing some restoration. According to the Herald Leader, the work is being done by Lowe's employees, and High School students of agriculture and mechanics. What a great project! It will be wonderful to see it completed.

Also, I wanted to provide a last minute reminder of the numerous events taking place this weekend. Here are some highlights:

First of all, the downtown Second Saturday tradition will continue on the 14th, with extended business hours and live music in the early evening in front of the old Post Office by Travis Cheney & friends.

Also on Saturday is the Siloam Springs Museum's 40th anniversary party, beginning at 2:00. View the 40th anniversary exhibit and also enjoy some birthday cake. The Rexall Rangers will be performing at the Sager Creek Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. for a fundraiser concert and western supper to benefit the Siloam Springs Museum. The concert and supper are being sponsored by CenturyLink. Cost is $12 for adults; $6 for children 12 and under. The Western Supper is being catered by Suzy's Dogwood Catering and includes: ham and beans, cornbread muffins, sliced tomatoes, onions, iced tea, coffee, water and peach cobbler with fresh whipped cream topping. No reservations are required. If you want additonal information, call the museum at: 479-524-4011 or email: cleessmuseum@centurytel.net

November 15th will herald the official Siloam Springs' Annual Holiday Open House event, with downtown businesses in full swing from 1-4. There are many establishments serving refreshments and offering discounts. I have to put in a special plug for The Cafe on Broadway, as I stopped by there this evening for a preview. I had the most amazing, delicious beverage EVER- the Pumpkin Pie Latte. Mine was iced with soy, and it was like Thanksgiving in a glass. I've long been a fan of fall coffee flavors- like Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but this was like nothing I've ever had before. The cafe is opening at noon on Sunday with their full menu, and there will be a string quartet playing Christmas music, beginning at 3:00. While I'm on the subject... have you heard the news that the Cafe on Broadway now serves their famous paninis all day long? This is big news!

Hope you'll be able to enjoy these great events.

Photo Exhibit at the Museum

The Mulberry Band, May 1912

I visited the Siloam Springs Museum this afternoon in order to view a new exhibit: "Photographs of Siloam Springs at the Turn of the Century, During the Roaring 20's and During the Hungry Years." All of the photographs in this collection are from the private collection of local resident Don Cundiff. I am familiar with Mr. Cundiff only through his frequent and spirited letters to the editor of the Herald Leader, and it is evident through those letters and his thirty year hobby of collecting Siloam Springs photos and memorabilia that he has a great passion for our city.

I really enjoyed the exhibit. I never tire of seeing glimpses into Siloam's history, and coming face to face with the generations of people who have made their home here. I love to recognize familiar buildings and landmarks, and to be reminded of the past.
The exhibit is divided into several categories: the 1900's, the Roaring 20's, and the 30's 40's and 50's. My favorite photo in the 1900's case was one featuring some banners hanging over a downtown business with the slogans, " The People Have Caught On" and "The Smile That Won't Rub Off." Those would be appropriate for today's downtown spirit as well, I think. I also liked a photo of a baptism taking place in the creek- it might be in the area behind the gazebo. Wouldn't it be neat to see something like that in Sager Creek today? And speaking of gazebos- I was impressed by a photo of a two story gazebo that once ruled over City Park. The caption mentioned that it hadn't lasted long. I wonder why? You can get a glimpse of the short-lived structure in the photo below:


The Roaring 20's display featured an interesting note about the Gay-Ola Bottling & Ice Cream Company that operated on Jefferson Street (east of Washington) from 1920-1926-ish. I'd never heard of this former Siloam business. They made Gay-Ola Delaware punch and "all flavors of soda water and kindred beverages" as well as Quality brand ice cream.

The 30's 40's & 50's display had some interesting photos of what appeared to be storm damage, with an uprooted tree laying on top of someone's porch. There were pictures of the former city pool, and some enjoyable Homecoming snapshots. There was also a small collection of photos of KUOA staff and on-air personalities, including "the Old Scotchman" in his kilt. Huh?

As if whiling away a peaceful hour in the museum wasn't enough fun, Cynthia Lee, museum hostess extraordinnaire, treated me to the VIP tour that included the museum basement and glimpses of the archives. There were numerous historic artifacts, including some awesome soap box race cars, and I also saw what can only be referred to as "the Bride of Frankenstein." I can say no more.

The photo exhibit will be on display through October 31. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10-5. Other upcoming museum events include: an Autumn walking tour of the Historic district on September 12th, the Annual Historic Homes Tour fundraiser on October 1oth, and the museum's 40th Anniversary birthday bash at the museum on November 14th at 2:00. For more information about these and other museum programs, call 524-4011.

The English Tea Room's Grand Opening

Rob and Dawn Cork being toasted by friends.

Merely a week after my first visit, the English Tea Room hosted their grand opening celebration and is now officially open for business. It was a congenial gathering, with many downtown business owners there to show support. Live music was performed by Ron Jeffries, Tim Stone of Lightning Bolt Advertising, and Tim's son, Nathaniel. There was a rousing sherry toast to the Queen Mum, followed by a chorus of "God Save the Queen" (the United Kingdom's national anthem), followed by our own national anthem.

Shelley Simmons of Main Street and Christina Drake of Local Flair Art Gallery
enjoying the music.

The English Tea Room then served a complete and savory meal, consisting of shepherd's pie, roast beef, salmon tea sandwiches, quiche, and bread. There was also horseradish and English mustard served on the side. Rob Cork offered a word of caution regarding the English mustard. He said it was not be used liberally like American mustard, for if one did so, it would "bring you to your knees." Having tried a mere dot of it on my roast beef, I'm inclined to believe he wasn't exaggerating. The meal was topped off with coffee and a lovely cake, depicting an image of the Vintage Square building.


The English Tea Room has added a Three Course English Sunday Lunch to their menu, with starters of prawn cocktail, egg mayonnaise, and soup and a main course of roast beef, Yorkshire Pudding, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, peas and carrots. Dessert choices include strawberries and cream, fruit flan with ice cream, and apple pie a la mode. Patrons can enjoy all of this for just $19.95.

Hope Johnstone of DRC and Harmony Johnstone-Reeser of the Cafe on Broadway
take in the view from the Vintage Square veranda.

I had the pleasure of dining with Carolyn Robinson, owner of the Cafe on Broadway and Harmony Johnstone-Reeser, the cafe's manager. They thoroughly enjoyed the English meal, and are thrilled to have the English Tea Room join them in feeding the downtown's many visitors.

During the open house, I also chatted with Scott and Tasha Jones, owners of the Jolly Rogers Sweet Shoppe (along with Tom Leadabrand). Their latest news is that the shoppe will soon be called Fratelli's Wood Fired Pizzaria, although they'll still serve candy and gelato. Speaking of gelato (and I certainly love to do so), Facebook members are invited to become fans of Fratelli's in order to get flavor updates and breaking news. In case you are curious, this month's featured gelato flavor is Apple Pie.

Cynthia Lee of the Siloam Springs Museum chatting with Carolyn Robinson and
Hamony Johnstone-Reeser of the Cafe on Broadway.

I talked with Cynthia Lee from the Siloam Springs Museum and her husband, John. They mentioned that Pearl Starr, daughter of the notorious outlaw Belle Starr, is rumored to have given birth to one of her children in either the current Vintage Square building (home of The English Tea Room and Picture Me Studio) or the nearby Crown Motel. Just imagine, a building that once birthed an outlaw's grandchild is now giving new life to downtown with international cuisine. (Perhaps I took that analogy too far.)