Connotation of a restuarant's name
POA Board Member Ron Stratton recently expressed a concern regarding the connotation of the name "Mason Dixon Line Cafe" for the new restaurant to open at Highlands.
He is correct: it is "the connotation."
Without going into a detailed historical summary of the origin of the name (two surveyors hired in the 1760s to settle an 80-year dispute on borders of Pennsylvania and Maryland, vs. the later Missouri Compromise, the first of several federal statutes determining the extension of slavery), many sources describe Mason Dixon Line as the symbolic divider between Northern and Southern States: before, during, and after the Civil War.
Today, however, it is most often used as a cultural divide between Northern and Southern culture, although some would say U.S. Route 40 -- the old National Road -- was a more accurate border.
Does anyone in Bella Vista believe that moving here was not moving South?
Ron (Wisconsin) and this writer (St. Louis, Mo., a Northern, Union city) know the cultural differences: language, food, architecture, religious orientation, etc. that make Dixie, Dixie.
Many of the newest, upscale restaurants in this region feature "high South" menu, while most assume an order for tea is "sweet and cold"; the language in this region varies from the mountain twang to the smooth drawl; and the dominant religion remains Baptist.
Having moved to southern Arkansas 27 years ago (Magnolia), the experience in the Lower South is not the same as the Ozark/Appalachia South, but the cultural indicators prove similar.
As the saying goes, this Northerner "got here as fast as I could" attracted by a university opportunity and well aware of the beauty of Arkansas, but also because of the lower cost-of living.
Twelve years ago, I chose to move to Bella Vista, lured by the scenery of NWA and the amenities of a fast-developing region, as well as XNA, a convenient access for travel elsewhere.
While we may seek turf-wars (someone suggested the Arkansas flag as too many stars and bars, not seeing the diamond of The Natural State), we are a diverse community in a far more diverse county, and should celebrate the roots as well as the growth of this exceptional region.
Suzanne Jessup
Bella Vista
Editorial on 08/26/2015