Battle of Fayetteville Commemorative - Headquarters House Museum, Fayetteville

Headquarters House Museum (home of the Washington County Historical Society) celebrated the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Fayetteville on Saturday, April 18. This year's celebration included a Dutch oven cooking competition, lace-making and quilting demonstrations, period dancing, house/museum tours, living history presentations, artifact exhibits, and a color guard.

The Dutch oven competition was awesome! There were teams from Oklahoma and Arkansas who cooked breads, main dishes, and desserts to enter in the competition, as well as to feed the visitors at Headquarters House. The judges, who included Channel 5's Darren Bob and Ashley Ketz (both were SO nice and funny!), had a TOUGH job! The Grand Champions were Curtis and Gaye Ann Grace from Newkirk, Oklahoma. They won dessert with their apple berry pie, as well as the bread portion with homemade cinnamon rolls. The Mudtown Dutchers from Bethel Heights, AR, won the main dish portion - their seafood jambalaya was amazing! Jim and Dawn Mills, also from Newkirk, Oklahoma, had a terribly mean (a very very good mean!) pecan pie. The cookoff would not have been as successful had it not been for Ron and Doris Williams and Oscar and Ruby Robinson, who fed every visitor to the Battle of Fayetteville with brown beans and ham, cornbread, and trashcan turkey. See their website at http://www.ozarkmountainmemories.com/. We appreciate their help and dedication very much!

Pictured Below - Top: Gaye Ann and Curtis Grace, "The Mudtown Dutchers"
Bottom: Jim Mills, Dawn Mills, Doris Williams





The Dogwood Lace Guild was represented by several lacemakers who demonstrated the tedious and fascinating skill. Their delicate pieces were gorgeous! They meet the 1st Saturday of each month at 10:00am at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale. Contact Peggy Bowen at peggy.bowen@gmail.com if you're interested. Quilting was demonstrated by the Son's Chapel Quilters. They meet Tuesday mornings from 9:00-12:00 at Son's Chapel in Fayetteville. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Scott at happyhowardscott@aol.com.

Pictured Below: Peggy Bowen with Dogwood Lace Guild, The Son's Chapel Quilters



Doug and Tess Kidd were kind enough to bring their collection of Civil War artifacts. Tess is the Volunteer Coordinator for WCHS. We love to have them show off their collection!

Every summer the WCHS holds their Heritage School for Young Ladies and Gentlemen at Headquarters House. During the week-long program, one of the things they learn is dance. The Virginia Reel, Gay Gordon, Duck Soup, Patty Cake Polka, and the Waltz are just a few of our favorites. Mrs. DeeDee Lamb, Director of Historic Programs, puts on quite a show every year! If you're interested in learning about the 1850's and 1860's, contact WCHS.

Pictured Below - Left: Jennifer Davis, DeeDee Lamb, me, and Joe Guinn; Right: Jordan Garrett and me



This year's WCHS Scholarship was presented to Jennifer Davis of Fayetteville. I'm proud to call her a close friend! She's a lovely young lady who will go VERY far in life.

A special and HUGE "thank you!!" to all the volunteers who make the Washington County Historical Society a success. Their signature events - the Battle of Fayetteville and the Ice Cream Social (August) - add so much to our community. Without the Historical Society, our county would not have so much of its past preserved and promoted.

If you're interested in becoming a member or volunteer of WCHS or would like to schedule a house tour, please go the website linked at the top of the page. Getting involved with the past is very rewarding - understanding the past is vital to our future.

M&N Augustine Foundation Easter Feed

Today, St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Fayetteville was busy with the 16th Annual M&N Augustine Foundation Easter Feed, which is always held on the Saturday before Easter. The M&N Augustine Foundation is a local nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Merlin Augustine in honor of his parents and the way they lived their lives – respecting diversity and helping others. The Foundation is a 100% volunteer organization that has literally hundreds of local volunteers. During this Easter Feed, Augustine Foundation volunteers served 4,300 meals. An amazing feat!! The meal was a traditional Easter meal – ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and tons of desserts. Volunteers prepared food donated by very generous sponsors of the Foundation. Easter baskets were also made for local children. This year, close to 2,000 meals were delivered to people such as Meals on Wheels recipients, shelter residents, the homebound, and people at the Salvation Army and local jails. It required some heavy-duty logistical planning to get all those meals to the right places!



Hundreds and hundreds of people came to the Easter Feed to eat and visit with friends and meet new people. Many local elected officials were on hand to meet and greet people, serve on the food lines, and visit with folks. I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who came out to support the Augustine Foundation and the Easter Feed. The Easter Feed is a tremendous example of what we can accomplish when we work together towards a common goal!


Pictures below (left to right) - Doc with Washington County Prosecuting Attorney John Threet, me with long-time family friend Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder, me with U.S. Representative John Boozman, and Doc visiting with Fayetteville Police Chief Greg Tabor, volunteer Charlotte Johnson, and local man.





A quick word about “Doc.” Dr. Augustine and his lovely wife Beverly have been friends of mine since I was 12 years old. I started my community service and volunteer work with the M & N Augustine Foundation, and I still work with them. My parents work with them, and my grandfather worked with them (my grandfather, Kenneth McKee, and Doc became friends when Gengan was a civil rights liaison for Governor Winthrop Rockefeller and Doc was a student involved in the civil rights movement). Doc, I look forward to many more years with you and the Foundation!




I have made dozens of friends through the Foundation and have had many learning experiences about diversity, community service, and the benefits of life-long activism. If you are looking for an organization where you can volunteer or give your time or money, the M & N Augustine Foundation should be at the top of the list!! It is local, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer, and the Augustines are fabulous people whose hearts are always in the same place as their actions.

My Bucket List

I have a Bucket List. Number 23 on my list is "visit every state park in Arkansas and document it." When I say "visit every state park and document it," I don't mean just drive through and take a picture with the sign. I mean I really want to visit them - I want to participate in the activities Arkansas has to offer. We have 52 state parks (2 under construction) in Arkansas, and each park has amazing sights and unique events that take us back and move us forward.


On a recent trip to Little Rock, I took a short side trip to Scott, Arkansas, to see how much time I would need to spend at the two state park sites there. The Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park is on the site of a Native American civilization that lived there nearly 1,000 years ago. The Plantation Agriculture Museum focuses on cotton agriculture in Arkansas from 1836 until World War II. I will definitely be taking time to go back to both of those places!


BUT the real reason I am writing this particular entry is to brag on what has made my personal list of "Top 10 Best Restaurants in Arkansas." Cotham's Mercantile. It was opened in 1917 as a general store, and it served as a military commissary and jail. In 1984, a small restaurant was added to feed locals. When Bill Clinton and David Pryor discovered the restaurant, it quickly became the place to go for lunch – and still is. You can't beat the view or the service! The restaurant is famous for its Hub Cap Hamburger. I now know from experience that it really should be known for its FRIED GREEN TOMATOES!! If you're ever in that part of the state, take a short jaunt over to Scott and Cotham's Mercantile. You'll be VERY pleased that you did!

Lakeport Plantation - Lake Village, Arkansas

Before 2007, I had never heard of Lakeport Plantation. To me, Lake Village, AR, was just a dot on a map. In September 2007, I was introduced to this fabulous treasure of Arkansas by Dr. Jeannie Whayne, a professor of history at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Whayne and I, along with two other history students, went to the Grand Opening of Lakeport Plantation. We had an AMAZING time! Lakeport is an Arkansas Heritage Site - part of ASU’s preservation work in the Arkansas Delta. The 1858 plantation was donated to Arkansas State University in 2003, and after 4 years of hard work and dedication to historical accuracy, Lakeport was opened to the public.

The weekend of spring break, I had the opportunity to return to Lakeport with my family, and it was just as beautiful as it was at its Grand Opening! So much more work has taken place in the house and on the grounds. Sarah Long, Museum Assistant, remembered the University of Arkansas group from the Grand Opening, and she was just as hospitable this time as she was in 2007 - she gave us a first-class tour. The plantation and education center are both open on weekdays at 10:00 and 2:00, and a tour is well worth the trip!

When the U of A group went to Lake Village in 2007, we discovered a place called Rhoda's Famous Hot Tamales on St. Mary Street. I could not let a trip to Lake Village pass without stopping in to say hello to Miss Rhoda and to eat a few tamales and a fried pie! Miss Rhoda kept my family laughing the whole time. We can't wait to go back!

Thank you, ASU, for your dedication to the Delta, a place full of culture, history, and beautiful places. Thank you, Sarah Long, for the fabulous tour (and for the fried chicken in 2007 from the Lakeshore Cafe!). And thank you, Miss Rhoda, for your famous hot tamales and beaming personality. Looking forward to another trip!

Coley's Truck Stop - Dermott, Arkansas

This may seem odd, but I’ve never taken a real spring break. I've never been to Cancun or Panama City Beach (though I'd like to one day!!). My family and I go to small towns, battlefields, state and national parks, and out-of-the-way museums. This spring break, we spent 4 days going to some of the places we’ve always wanted to go. One of the places we've all wanted to track down for a while was Coley's Truck Stop in Dermott, Arkansas. Here's why...

In 1955, my grandfather, Kenneth McKee (I called him Gengan), was an Arkansas State Trooper stationed in Dumas. A local man named O.T. Coley and his wife ran a truck stop and restaurant in Dermott called the Twin City Diner. It was a place to sit, visit, and drink coffee with local people, which is something my grandfather did very well. He was 27 years old when he made the acquaintance of three young men on a journey to make their marks on the world. They were on their way to be on the Louisiana Hayride, a radio show based out of Shreveport, Louisiana. My grandfather visited with them on a fairly regular basis, and on this particular day, a picture was taken of them drinking coffee. My grandfather, dressed in his state trooper uniform, had his picture made with Bill Black, Scotty Moore, and Elvis Presley, who was holding my grandfather’s revolver. Gengan was always very proud of this picture, and he could say that he knew Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys before they were really famous. We‘ve had the picture hanging in our house for years. I asked about it when I was a little girl, and he said, “Yes, Elvis did have blue suede shoes on.”

My parents and I have always wanted to see the old truck stop where my grandfather befriended Elvis Presley, so on Friday, March 20, we did just that! The only remains of the old truck stop and restaurant on U.S. Highway 65 are the bases of the old gas pumps and the metals poles of what may have been the entrance to the diner. Another building has been built around it, but no businesses are there now. If anyone has any pictures of the old Coley’s Truck Stop (or Twin City Diner), I would love to see them!




Thank you, Dermott, for giving me a little piece of my Gengan's history!

The Beginning of My Arkansas Tour Journal!!

I’ve been thinking about starting a blog for a long time…I admire people who can keep journals and write in them every day, and it is always a good idea to write your thoughts and experiences down so you don’t forget them later. After the amazing spring break I’ve had, I figured now was as good a time as any! So here goes…

My family and I spent the week traveling through Mississippi and the Arkansas Delta, and last night was the ultimate end a much-needed break from school and teaching! Last week I received an invitation to an open house for the new home of the Arkansas Studies Institute in Little Rock, which includes the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. As an author for the EAHC, I was automatically invited to the event. I had NO IDEA what to expect, but I am SO thrilled that I went.

When I arrived at the new ASI building (right across the street from the River Market in Little Rock) and sat down inside, I scanned the program - the guest speakers for the night were Governors Bumpers, Pryor, Tucker, Beebe, and President Clinton! Each man spoke briefly about the importance of preserving the history and culture of Arkansas, something very near and dear to me.

During his speech, Governor Bumpers said something that truly spoke to my heart - “you choose your legacy.” We all have to choose the directions we wish our lives to take, and when making those decisions, we have to think about what kind of future we want for ourselves, for our children, and for later generations of Arkansans.

Arkansas has SUCH a deep and fun history and culture! So many things to do - so many places to go! Our state is like no other, and it is up to us to keep our culture alive.

OH! And I got my picture taken with President Bill Clinton!!!