Recollections

50 Years Ago

Pea Ridge Graphic

Vol. 4 No. 37

Thursday, September 11, 1969

The night finally arrived Friday that most of the citizens of Pea Ridge had been anxiously awaiting! Coaches Bill Lookadoo and Fred Austin with the assistance of Allen Kennison had long been prepared, as they had been coaching our team of Blackhawks since about mid-August. Another group at the Gentry game that should be recognized for they, too, have put forth a lot of effort to make their community proud of them were the six Pea Ridge Senior High cheerleaders and the Pea Ridge Pep Club. The team was also well supported by local town people. The Pea Ridge football squad is composed of 22 ambitious players. The 11 boys from the Pea Ridge squad who trotted out on the Gentry Pioneers football field were both, well trained and determined. This determination and training led our Blackhawks to a 22-14 victory over the Gentry Pioneers in the season opener! The game which was considered by some as the game determining who would be the District 1-B title holder this season was one of jubilation.

All interested persons are urged to attend a meeting set for tonight in the Pea Ridge school cafetorium. Voters of the Mount Vernon (Pea Ridge) township and of the Sugar Creek (Twelve Corners area) township are particularly invited to attend. Scheduled to be on hand to further explain the proposed Regional Airport bond issue to be voted on Sept. 23 will be State Senator Jim Caldwell of Rogers, Benton county Judge Sherman Kinyon of Bentonville and Rogers Chamber of Commerce Manager Bob Haynes. The Pea Ridge Chamber of Commerce president, Fred McKinney urges all who are interested in the upcoming election to be on hand to hear the discussion and to ask questions concerning the matter.

Miss Pea Ridge, Brenda Gastineau, will compete in the Miss Benton County pageant scheduled for the opening night of the Benton County Fair next Tuesday, Sept. 16. The fair will run from Sept. 16 through Friday, Sept. 19. Friday, the final day, has been proclaimed as School Day at the fair, with the annual parade set for Friday and with all school students admitted free to the fairgrounds and with specially low prices on rides in the carnival.

40 Years Ago

Pea Ridge Graphic Scene

Vol. 14 No. 37

Wednesday, September 12, 1979

Shrum's Meat Market and Grocery, which has been located in downtown Pea Ridge across from the Post Office since it opened in late December 1978, will be moved to the Battlefield Center about Oct. 1. In the new location, Richard Shrum, owner, says the business will be knows as Shrum's' Meat Market and will sell meat and seafoods exclusively.

Announcement is being made today by Mr. and Mrs. Al McCarty and Jerry Eddingfield, A & M Properties, of the lease signing for the opening of a gift and jewelry store in the Battlefield Center. The new business is scheduled to open Nov. 1. Mrs. and Mrs. McCarty purchased Brinks Jewelry in Rogers in November 1978 and are planning to continue the Rogers store as well as the Pea Ridge store.

Pea Ridge Volunteer Fire department responded to a fire about 10 p.m. Saturday in a one-ton flatbed truck. The fire destroyed some 90 bales of hay, Fire Chief Sam Spivey reports the fire did heavy damage to the truck. The fire was fought on Ark. Highway 265 between the two 90-degree curves in Pea Ridge. The city's tanker and county pumper were used the the firemen. The fire was was number 52 for the year for the PRVFD.

30 Years Ago

The TIMES of Northeast Benton County

Vol. 24 No. 37

Thursday, September 14, 1989

A plane crash early Monday morning on Ark. Highway 72 between Bentonville and Pea Ridge took the lives of two Kansas City men. The 1969 two-seater Cherokee Piper Six was on a routine courier flight from Wichita, Kan., to Springdale when it clipped a tree and crashed, coming to rest 20 years from the home of Bob and Ila Piper. District 1 State Rep. Tim Hutchinson was one of the first persons on the scene. Hutchinson said he was driving along Ark. Hwy. 72 when he saw the plane coming low and fast and that it exploded just as he got out of his car. He said, "It sheared a bunch of trees; I didn't see any smoke but the plane was coming in fast." Hutchinson said the plane exploded twice after it struck the ground. Attempts were made by Hutchinson and others to rescue the two men from the plane but the attempts were futile, Hutchinson.

Bus maintenance, overcrowded buses, the bond issue and increased enrollment were the main topics of conversation at the Pea Ridge School Board meeting Monday night. Superintendent Marvin Higginbottom reported to the board of the August cost to repair the school buses. Higginbottom told the board that the overcrowding problem on buses had been solved by using a regular size bus for a city route instead of the handicap bus which had been used, and reshuffling some routes to evenly proportion all the routes.

20 Years Ago

The TIMES of Northeast Benton County

Vol. 34 No. 37

Wednesday, September 15, 1999

We count out town's f0unding as Aug. 6. 1850, the day the Pea Ridge Post Office was established. According to George H. Phillips' book, "Handling the Mail in Benton County, Arkansas, 1836-1976," that would make us the third oldest town in Benton County. Some of the other towns have changed the names of their post offices since their offices were established. Pea Ridge's office still has its original name. Going by its post office establishment, the oldest town in the county is Bentonville. Its office, then called Osage, was established Dec. 31, 1836, and the name changed to Bentonville Jan. 3, 1843. Maysville, by the same criteria, is the second oldest town. Its post office by the name of Beaties Prairie, was started Dec. 21, 1840, and had it name changed to Maysville March 5, 1850. Relying on Phillips' book and current postal records here, the county has had 110 post offices.

Easily the biggest business in town, the Pea Ridge schools will operate with a $5.7 million budget for the 1999-2000 school year. At its regular monthly meeting Monday night, school directors approved the budget, which at the end of the next school year of $108,751. However, Patty Curtis, district treasurer and bookkeeper, explained that some revenue figures from the state have not been included but would be added later. Superintendent Roy Norvell said he expects at least a $300,000 balance next spring.

The fall Pea Ridge youth running program began this week with practice taking place at the City Park in Pea Ridge. Open to Pea Ridge community kids grades K-6, the program is a running and fitness activity with practices taking place Mondays and Thursdays, as well as a Wednesday workout. Conducted by Pea Ridge elementary teacher John McGee, the group will compete in youth runs in the Benton and Washington County area over the next few weeks.

10 Years Ago

The TIMES of Northeast Benton County

Vol. 44 No. 37

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

A 14-year-old girl was expelled for the remainder of the school year from Pea Ridge Middle School after a brief closed session of the Pea Ridge School Board Monday night. She was arrested Thursday, Sept. 3, by Pea Ridge police and charge with terroristic threatening. During the course of the investigation, which revolved around several threatening text messages sent to a 13-year-old girl, school officials enacted a Code Red, locking down all four school campuses. No weapons were found. No one was injured.

Less than 100 people had cast their ballot by 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Pea Ridge voting booth in the Emergency Services building. There are four candidates vying for the open seat on the Pea Ridge School Board. In the Pea Ridge School district, there are 2,846 active voters and 807 inactive voters, for a combined number of 3,653 registered voters. At press time, only 98 individuals had cast their ballot.

After nearly 20 years as two departments, the Pea Ridge Volunteer Fire Department and Volunteer Ambulance Department will again be one department. Bobby Kitterman, director of the ambulance department, tendered his resignation to the mayor last week. Fire Chief Frank Rizzio has required all firefighters to also be trained as first responders and encouraged first responders to train as emergency medical technicians. The city has worked toward this merger for a couple of years, according to Mayor Jackie Crabtree.

Community on 09/11/2019