All Eyes on ‘Land of Opportunity’ : Traditions Run Deep in Clinton’s Home State of Arkansas

What has been indisputable about this election year is that the Arkansas governor has put his home state on the map. Now, with his victory at the polls, it’s clear that President-elect Clinton will be sweeping in not only a new administration, but instant fascination with the state he grew up in.

Even before the Democratic candidate won, travelers were making vacation detours to visit the “Land of Opportunity,” as the state motto says (or, as some of Clinton’s detractors have said, that “small state” of chicken farmers). And that’s because there’s Hope. And Little Rock, the Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs, and Dogpatch--names that have become more familiar as Americans delved into the life and times of Governor Bill.

For me, the names are not new, and the faces of the Arkansas people are well-known. My family’s history lies here--amid the hay fields and hollows, luncheonettes and five-and-dimes, silent farmhouses and town squares, and the cemeteries.

I have spent more than two dozen vacations in the state, and while there is always something new to explore, the feeling of tradition is never far away. A lot of it centers on food: Breakfast is biscuits and gravy. Summers mean fried catfish and hush puppies. Pots of pinto beans simmer on stoves through autumn and winter, waiting for the corn bread to be done. And dinner--fried chicken, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas, and, of course, iced tea--has always been served right after church on Sunday.

I have been an out-of-towner in this part of the country, but, it seems, never a stranger. A stroll around an unfamiliar square is greeted with “mornin” and “ma’am” and the tip of a Stetson or John Deere cap along the way. A glance at a map means I’m joined in moments by someone asking, “Where ya’ headed?”

And while the national spotlight has been thrust frequently on Arkansas this election year, its residents seem to take it all in stride. Many don’t have time to ponder any old celebrity that has come their way--after all, the hay still needs baling and the cows tending to; factories need to be run and offices opened and closed. But folks do have time to talk politics--around tables at the Sunset Cafe in Marshall, from front porch rocking chairs, in the checkout line at Wal-Mart or after a foot-stomping set of dueling fiddles at the Legion hall on a Saturday night.

There’s a feeling in Arkansas of being a million miles away from Los Angeles instead of a mere five-hour plane ride. There doesn’t seem to be a rush about much of anything. The air is clean and the hills are so lovely you want to imprint their beauty in your mind for mental vacations the rest of the year.

There is a saying in Arkansas (as there is in practically every state in the South) that this is God’s country--the most beautiful place on Earth.

Residents from Fayetteville to El Dorado, Ft. Smith to Jonesboro might say that appellation refers to their patch of ground. In Little Rock, the state capital and Arkansas’ urban center, the scenery isn’t as breathtaking, but the city offers many of the same attractions as any metropolitan area: shopping malls, fast-food outlets, discount stores. Little Rock’s museums, symphony and art galleries form the state’s cultural base.

In my view, the Ozark Mountains would be the strongest contender for the “God’s country” title. Situated in the northwest corner of the state, the Ozarks are prime territory for hiking, white-water rafting and canoeing. They encompass lush foliage, clear rivers and lakes, and Rockwellian towns.

Eureka Springs, near the Missouri border, specializes in bed-and-breakfasts. It is home to about 65 inns that cover a good portion of the residential neighborhood adjacent to the historic downtown district. Some book up to six months in advance.

Eureka Springs’ meandering downtown streets and neighborhoods can fill a several-day sightseeing schedule. At the head of the business district is the town’s historic flatiron building, home to first-floor jewelry and souvenir shops, offices above. Wandering the streets, which are steep and sloping, it is easy to see why the entire district is on the National Register of Historic Places. The shops and stores--proffering homemade candy, crafts, souvenirs, leather goods--have been restored to their earlier luster, with colorful moldings, beveled window-paned doors and polished wood.

Close to downtown is the site of “The Great Passion Play,” now in its 25th season. It’s set in a hillside amphitheater surrounded by several acres, where a cast of hundreds acts out Jesus’ last days on Earth. Performances are five nights a week from April through October. The seven-story ivory-colored Christ of the Ozarks statue looms nearby.

About 40 miles southeast of Eureka Springs is Harrison, home of one of the loveliest town squares in the state. The centerpiece of the square is the 93-year-old Boone County Courthouse. It’s surrounded by shopping (an antiques mall houses about a dozen vendors), dining and entertainment. On the north side, the newly restored Lyric Theater presents a one-man show about the life of Abraham Lincoln--”Abe Lincoln’s America”-- performed Tuesday through Saturday nights. (The cost is $5.)

At the other end of town, from May through October, Mike Bishop’s Country Time Jamboree jazzes up the evenings with live country music and comedy. Visitors to the state in May should be warned: Lil’ Abner or Daisy Mae may be holding court downtown, when residents of Harrison, and its neighbor Jasper, dress up as Al Capp’s cartoon characters for Dogpatch Days. It’s a tie-in with the nearby Dogpatch USA theme park, about 10 miles outside of Harrison on Arkansas 7.

Open April through October, Dogpatch has a trout pond (you catch ‘em, they clean ‘em), restaurant, crafts people and train and water rides, and park visitors can peek inside the cabins of the characters in the cartoon strip. For children, there is also Kidventure Land and, new this year, the “Abnercadabra Magic Show.” A major attraction: no admission charge.

History is an important part of the heritage of this state, and the Ozark Folk Center near Mountain View, about 80 miles southeast of Harrison, seeks to continue that. Dedicated to the preservation of Ozark Mountain crafts, the center offers visitors the chance to step more than 150 years into the past and watch workers practice the crafts and trades that were necessary for pioneer survival.

The Folk Center is set among streams and forests in Stone County, a few miles outside the town of Mountain View. At a dozen or so shops, local craftspeople turn out quilts, fudge, pottery, candles, brooms, dolls and leather goods--reminiscent of the century 1820-1920 in the Ozark Mountains. Also on the grounds are a tintype photography studio, sewing shop, herb garden, art gallery, gunsmith, blacksmith and restored schoolhouse.

Folk Center shops close daily at 12:15 for a 45-minute lunch, and visitors can stroll to the outdoor stage for free entertainment. Evening music in the auditorium features square dancing, clogging and an assortment of entertainers playing dulcimers, fiddles (the state instrument), mandolin, Autoharp and five-string banjo.

Nearby, in historic Mountain View--the “Folk Music Capital of the World”--the courthouse square is again the anchor. In keeping with the town’s heritage, musicians give free shows in the square and perform at music theaters in the area.

Also near the Folk Center is Mellon’s Country Store. The “new-old” building, which was built only five months ago but looks as if it’s been there a hundred years, houses a store and a museum of sorts. Inside, old farm implements--including a goose yoke and animal snowshoes--hang from the ceiling.

The store’s wares include reproductions of antique windup toys and Coca-Cola memorabilia. Out back is Mellon’s toy factory, where Don Mellon gives tours to schoolchildren and makes wooden train whistles and other diversions that are sold all over the country.

The trip from Harrison to Mountain View is an excursion in itself, as dozens of establishments along the way offer opportunities for browsing, shopping and sightseeing. One of the largest is the Ferguson Country Store and Restaurant on Arkansas 65 in St. Joe, about 30 miles south of Harrison. The store offers a wide selection of quilts, jams, local crafts and oak furniture, which is handmade at a shop behind the store.

In Marshall, the county seat of Searcy County, the two-story county jail, with steel bars still at the windows, has been turned into the county’s historical museum, open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Built in 1902, the jail was in use until 1974, according to Veda Clemons, museum manager. On the first floor, the walls are covered with photographs of the county and the ancestors of the people of Searcy. Farm tools, spinning wheels and clothing share space on the second floor with one of the cells, which has been preserved.

Eight miles south of Marshall is Leslie, home of the 3-year-old Ozark Heritage Arts Center. What was once the Leslie High School gym houses a 400-seat performing arts center, historical museum and art gallery. A local couple, Rex and Daphne Killebrew, donated more than half a million dollars for the renovations. The center stages historical and dramatic plays throughout the year and will hold its Ozark Christmas Festival there in early December.

In the Ozarks, Bull Shoals Lake, with 1,000 miles of wooded shoreline, lures fishermen, sailors and campers. The Buffalo River, the first in the country designated as a National River (in 1972), offers canoeing for every level of adventurer: smooth water to white water. Most outfitters provide the equipment and will drop off canoers at their departure points and pick them up down river several hours later.

While the out of doors is the state’s biggest draw, Arkansas also has some great inner spaces. A dozen or so caves are situated in the hills and bluffs of the Ozarks. Blanchard Springs Caverns, a few miles from the Ozark Folk Center, is a “living cave” with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and flowstones changing day by day. Two trails--Dripstone and Discovery--wind through the upper and lower reaches of the enormous caverns.

For drivers through the Ozarks, the grandeur of the area is a treat in itself. One especially breathtaking stretch--not for those afraid of heights or sheer dropoffs--is the Highway 7 Scenic Byway. Named to the National Forest Service Scenic Byways System, this north-south route between the Ozark National Forest and Hot Springs National Park in the Ouachita National Forest traverses 60 miles.

On a recent trip to Arkansas, as we drove over dirt roads to check on the cattle, I asked my father if he’d ever regretted leaving Arkansas--his birth state and now his home once more--to make his living elsewhere.

“Oh, I don’t know. I know a lot of people who stayed,” he said, “and I guess they did all right.”

Then he looked out the window, across to a green-gold pasture framed by a stand of trees and a vivid blue late-summer sky. “Boy,” he said, “it sure is pretty here.”

GUIDEBOOK

Arkansas Traveling

Getting there: Northwest, TWA, American, Delta, USAir, Southwest and United all have connecting service (no direct flights) between Los Angeles and Little Rock for about $400 round trip with 14-day advance purchase. Smaller airports are located in the Ozarks, in Fayetteville and in Harrison, but the fares are more and connections often sporadic.

For more information: Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, Ark., 72201; (501) 682-7777. Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 551, Eureka Springs, Ark., 72632; (501) 253-8737. Harrison Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 939, Harrison, Ark., 72602-0939; (501) 741-2659. Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 133, Mountain View, Ark., 72560; (501) 269-8068. Ozark Folk Center State Park, P.O. Box 500, Mountain View, Ark., 72560; (501) 269-3851. Ozark Heritage Arts Center, P.O. Box 217, Leslie, Ark., 72645; (501) 447-2500. National Forest Service (Ozark Forest); (501) 968-2354. National Park Service (Buffalo River), P.O. Box 1173, Harrison, Ark., 72601; (501) 741-5443. Searcy County Museum, Route 27 South, Marshall, Ark., 72650; (501) 448-5786. For an Arkansas vacation planning kit, call (800) 628-8725.