Bella Vista Country Club
The Bella Vista Country Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. It was opened just in time for a big Thanksgiving celebration in November 1968. Its architect was Fay Jones, a native of Fayetteville, for whom the University of Arkansas School of Architecture is now named. Jones was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and was given credit by Moshie Safdie for ideas that influenced Safdie's architectural design of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Jones also designed the Cooper Chapel in Bella Vista, which opened 30 years ago, in 1988.
The Bella Vista Historical Museum has an excellent exhibit on Fay Jones, on loan until Christmas from the Old Statehouse Museum in Little Rock, along with a work of art loaned by Bella Vista resident Barb Templin which features the Country Club. It took her over 450 hours to create this masterpiece in an art form called quilling.
Don't miss these exhibits!
Christmas cards available
In our gift shop, just in time for your Christmas letters, we are offering Christmas cards donated by the Weekly Vista, left over from an original printing 20 years ago. The cards feature four historic scenes of nearly 100 years ago at the old Bella Vista Summer Resort. Also for Christmas, our gift shop has Christmas ornaments of the state of Arkansas featuring the City of Bella Vista's logo ... a great souvenir of Bella Vista just in time for the holidays! We also have new Bella Vista embroidered patches with the popular POA leaf logo, Bella Vista car magnets and stickers, baseball caps, and more. We have also stocked more of our very popular jigsaw puzzles featuring Bella Vista scenes, including Cooper Chapel. The museum gift shop is the best place in Bella Vista to get all kinds of Bella Vista souvenirs, so please come and take a look.
Thanksgiving weekend hours
The museum will be closed on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, but open the rest of the weekend, Friday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. If you have friends and family in town for the weekend, please bring them to the museum for a fun afternoon. Admission is free and there is much to see. The museum is located at the corner of U.S. Highway 71 and Kingsland Road, next door to the American Legion, with normal operating hours of Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The museum phone number is 479-855-2335. Its website address is www.bellavistamuseum.org.
December events
"Let's Talk About Quilts" will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at the museum. Bring your quilted treasure to find out its age, value and possible provenance. There will be no charge for this event conducted by certified quilt appraiser Alice McElwain. Formal appraisals can also be arranged.
The movie, "Jesse James," will be shown at the museum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13. The movie was made in Pineville, Mo., and the nearby area in 1938 and starred Henry Fonda and Tyrone Power. Families are welcome to take a break from Christmas shopping at that time to enjoy the movie and find out why Bella Vista has a role in the story of the making of this movie. Admission is free.
Farm families in early Bella Vista
We would like to hear from people whose families had farms generations ago, in what is now Bella Vista, in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, before John Cooper Sr. began buying up the farms in the 1960s. If you have photos or stories to share, please stop by the museum during open hours (Wednesday through Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.), or leave a message at 479-855-2335, and one of our volunteers will reply.
Settlers Cabin
Donations are still being sought to help pay for the old "Settlers Cabin" which has been donated to the museum. We hope to get the cabin moved to the museum grounds late this fall, weather permitting. If you are interested in helping, please drop off or send your donation to the museum, or go online to www.gofundme.com/cabinfever. Any donor of $100 or more will have his name inscribed on a plaque to hang inside the cabin.
2019 memberships now available
You are welcome to sign up for membership in the Bella Vista Historical Society, which operates our Historical Museum, for the calendar year 2019. If you are already a member, please remember to renew your membership by Jan. 1. Dues are $15 per year for individuals, $25 per year for families, and $50 per year for corporate sponsorships. Payment may be made in person, by mail, or online at www.bellavistamuseum.org. Our mailing address is 1885 Bella Vista Way, Bella Vista, AR 72714. We are a 501(c)3 organization, so your dues and donations are eligible for tax deductions.
Tours and programs available
Private tours of the museum and programs about the history of Bella Vista are available outside of normal open hours for church groups, students, civic clubs, businesses, etc. To arrange for an event, please leave a message at the museum, 479-855-2335, or contact Xyta Lucas at 479-876-6118.
Community on 11/21/2018