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Mena Arkansas
If you are looking for the
"Official Mena Web Site"
you should go to
GoMenaArkansas.com but please take a look around our site or add
it to your favorites and come back later when you have more time.
Another great site is
WWW.TalimenaScenicDrive.com. This site gives lots of
information about the National Scenic Byway that extends from Mena
on the east end to Talihina, Oklahoma on the west end, traveling
along the top of the Ouachita (wash-it-aw) Mountains.
Spring activities
In 2006 the Mena
Advertising and Promotion commission revived the once popular
Lum and Abner Days Festival . It
is held in Janssen park each year on the first weekend of June. There is a lot
to see and do on that
weekend. In addition the arts and crafts vendors there
is a BBQ cook-off, 5K run, the local fire
departments hold a skills challenge and.
The Lum and Abner Festival won
recognition as the best new festival for 2006 and will be held again on the first
weekend of June in 2011. Make plans to attend this great fun event.
If you would like to
participate as a vendor you can get information by going to
www.GoMenaArkansas.com/lumNabner.asp or call (479) 394-8355. Come help
us celebrate a couple of our home town heroes and enjoy a great weekend in Mena.
The Summer ....
..is a great time to come
and visit our area. Within an hours drive of Mena there are several lakes,
state parks, forest service recreation areas and of course the Ouachita National
Forest provides an unlimited place to hike, camp, and of course the Wolf Pen Gap
ATV trails.
Fall
Foliage
Everyone wants to know
when the fall foliage is at it's peak.
is hard to
answer exactly. Generally the fall foliage is near peak around
the last week in October to the first week or two in November.
In 2004 it was closer to the middle of November and in 2005 it was
just a little earlier. We hope
you can make it to Mena to enjoy the foliage
and hospitality of the local merchants.
Take the time to visit the local antique
stores, spend a night and get to know Mena, if you do you will probably
fall in love
with her.
Now, here is a little
information about the Mena Arkansas area.
Mena Arkansas
is nestled in the Ouachita National Forest at the eastern foot of the Ouachita Mountains the tallest
range in mid-America and the Western Hemisphere's only mountains
that run east to west. Mena
was established on August 18, 1896 as a "division" town (halfway
between Kansas City Missouri and Port Arthur Texas). Mena owes it’s
birth to Arthur Stillwell of Kansas City, a New York transplant,
decided Kansas City needed rail line access to the Gulf of Mexico
via Port Arthur, Texas. In his quest to raise money for the
endeavor he enlisted the aid of Jan DeGeoijen, a coffee broker he
had met on a previous trip to Europe. He won over DeGeoijen and in a
few months the two managed to raise $3 million. Mena having owed
it’s existence largely to the efforts of DeGeoijen was aptly named
for his wife, Mena, not as sometimes thought from Queen Wilhelmina
the reining queen of the Netherlands at that time and the city of
DeQueen located about 45 miles south of Mena was named for
DeGeoijen.
Some interesting facts about
Arkansas:
Arkansas did not have a
state flag until 1913 when the DAR sponsored a contest to design a
state flag to be flown on the Battleship Arkansas. Willie K.
Hocker from Wabbaseka
was the winner of the contest. The flag is red, white, and
blue representing that Arkansas is a part of the United States.
The diamond shape containing the 25 stars represents that Arkansas
at the time was the only diamond producing state. The 25 stars
indicate that Arkansas was the 25th state admitted to the Union.
The two stars side by side represent Arkansas and Michigan as sister
states. The three stars have a triple meaning. They
represent that the land that now is Arkansas was under the control
of Spain, France, and the United States. They also represent
that the Louisiana Purchase was made in 1803 and that Arkansas was
the third state carved out of the Louisiana Purchase. The
single star above the name represents that Arkansas was a part of
the Confederacy.
Most states have state this
or that and Arkansas is no different. Here are a few:
State Bird=Mockingbird, State Tree=Southern Yellow Pine, State
Insect=Honey Bee, State Gem=Diamond, State Mineral=Quartz Crystal,
State Flower=Apple Blossom, State Mammal=White Tailed Deer, State
Butterfly=Diana Fritillary, State Rock=Bauxite, State Grain=Rice,
State Nut=Pecan
The old
Kansas City Southern Railroad
passenger depot serves as the
headquarters of the Mena-Polk Co. Chamber of Commerce and also
houses art exhibits provided by Southwest Artists, local history
exhibits and railroad memorabilia. Visit or call the
Mena-Polk Co. Chamber of Commerce
for Mena information.
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Queen
Wilhelmina State Park located on top of Rich Mountain to the
west of Mena Arkansas, is the location of several events each year.
Two of the biggest events are the Mountainfest Arts and Crafts Show
held the first part of August each year and the Queen Wilhelmina Rod Run
held the weekend before labor day each year. Vendors from several states are represented at
the Mountainfest Arts and Crafts Show. The Queen Wilhelmina
Rod Run whose primary sponsor is Street and Performance, also attracts a large number of owners and enthusiasts to
the Mena Arkansas area from several states. Yet another event
is the Ham Fest held the first weekend after Labor Day each year.
Amateur radio buffs have met on the mountain for over 30 years.
In addition there is another
car, truck, and motorcycle show that is fast becoming a "must do"
show. The American Performance Crusin' the Ouachitas car,
truck, & motorcycle show was first held in
October 2003 and moved to June in 2004. Look for this show to
keep growing each year in popularity both with people who enjoy
viewing the cars and the owners who enjoy getting together to visit
and show off their cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Go to
AmPerformance.com for more information. The show is now held in conjunction with the revived Lum and
Abner Days celebration at Janssen Park.
If you like to shop for arts
and crafts and antiques, Mena, Arkansas is the place for you.
There are several Arts and Crafts Shows during the year and numerous
businesses featuring arts and crafts and antiques.
If you are a photography
buff, you can't beat the Mena Arkansas area to satisfy your need for
interesting places and people to take photos of. The mountains
furnish some beautiful landscape possibilities right from the side
of the road. If you are into hiking or ATVs you can go to
those out of the way places and get some pictures that most people
never see. There are two wilderness areas in Polk County in
the Ouachita National Forest for those of you who like to hike.
The Ouachita National Forest also has the Wolf Pen Gap ATV
trails
just east of Mena for the really adventurous ones.
If you like to fly to your
destinations, Mena has a first class airport. Although there
are no commercial flights into the airport the Mena Airport has
fixed based operators to take care of all your needs if you fly your
own plane.
Several well
know celebrities were Mena Arkansas natives or had strong ties to the Mena
Arkansas
Area. Most of the younger generation won't recognize these
names but they were well known in their time. Two of the
better known were Chet "Lum" Lauck and Norris "Abner" Goff of the
Lum and Abner radio show
fame. The National Lum
and Abner Society holds it's annual meeting in Mena. They
were on the air from 1931 until 1953 and made 7 movies.
Another well known artist in his time was David Luke "T. Texas
Tyler" Myrick singing Cowboy, Gospel, Western Swing, and
Straight-Ahead Country he was born in Mena in 1916. More information
can be found at
Century of Country.
A well known contemporary celebrity is local artist
Monta Black
Philpot she is a nationally
recognized artist and art teacher. She established the art
program at
Rich Mountain Community
College where she taught for several years before leaving to
devote more time to her love, painting. You can see some of
Monta's work as well as other local artists at
Art of the Ouachita's web site.
At least one internationally
known organization is headquartered in the Mena Arkansas area.
The
Christian Motorcyclist Association's international headquarters
is only about 8 miles south of Mena on US Highway 71 South, near
Hatfield, Arkansas. It was founded many years ago by a local
pastor whose hobby was riding motorcycles. He combined the two
and began what has become the largest Christian Motor Cycle club
around. One week in October each year between 3000 and 5000
members converge on the local area for the Changing of the Colors
Rally.
Mena Arkansas features two city parks at present and is working towards
adding an additional park to satisfy the needs of the community in
both recreation and relaxation. Of the two existing parks, McMillan
park is the newest and features a swimming pool, tennis courts, base
ball fields among other attractions.
Janssen park is the oldest and
was set aside as a park by the city founders.
Mena Arkansas serves
the surrounding area as a center for shopping with retail shops
ranging from small “Mom and Pop” stores to a
Wal-Mart Supercenter.
If you can’t find what you need in Mena, it’s only about 80 miles to
Ft. Smith Arkansas or Hot Springs Arkansas, 100 miles to Texarkana, 140 miles to
Little Rock, and only about 5 hrs to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.
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Mena Arkansas is an
ideal place to live climate wise. Only averaging a high of 93
degrees during July, traditionally the hottest month of the year,
and an average low of 29 degrees during January normally the coldest
month, it is the best of both worlds.
The
City of Mena Arkansas has a
state of the art hospital,
Mena Regional Health System, which is strongly supported by the
community. It is staffed by several doctors and surgeons practicing
a broad range of specialties and has many of the same capabilities
as the larger hospitals for performing tests and treatment.
However, if you require treatment or tests that can’t be performed
at Mena Medical Center, it’s less than a 3 hour trip to some of the
best treatment centers in the country in Ft. Smith, Hot Springs, and
Little Rock. The hospital recently completed a major
construction project to expand, renovate existing areas, and add an
all new entry to the hospital, a new emergency area and entry, and a
new women's area with separate entry. During this
time be sure to watch out for the construction that is still going
on inside the building, if
you have a need to visit the Mena Medical Center.
Mena also has a brand new
Veterans Clinic that opened recently to serve our local residents
that served their country in the military.
Mena's public
schools go from K-12 and are located on 3 campuses. Mena also
has a community college, Rich
Mountain Community College, that has shown growth nearly every
year since it's formation in 1983.
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Buying and
owning property in the Mena area is a bargain as compared to other
areas of the country. Property taxes are only 10% or less than of
some areas for instance and the real estate is moderately priced
compared to comparable property in other areas of the country.
Mena Arkansas is well know
across the country for it's automobile related businesses also.
Two of the most well known are Brodix, Inc.
and
Street & Performance
there are several other smaller businesses in the area. These
businesses range from the restoration of classic cars, building
street rods, and the manufacture of automobile parts used in
automobile restoration. There
are currently two major car shows in
the area each year, the Queen Wilhelmina
Rod Run and the
.
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Another nationally
known industry in Mena Arkansas is the combined business located at the
Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport. There are painting
facilities, interior shops, engine shops, and several other
businesses to take care of any of your aircraft maintenance needs.
There is even a facility that can do maintenance on planes as large
as a 727.
If you are coming
to visit Mena Arkansas, there are many places to stay and eat.
Lodging ranging from motels, to bed
and breakfasts, to camping you can find a place that fits the needs
of you and your family. There are several restaurants, period
cafes, and nationally known fast food eateries in the Mena Arkansas
area. If you plan on coming to Mena Arkansas during the fall
foliage season, you need to make your reservations early. One
of the places of lodging that is most popular is the lodge at
Queen Wilhelmina State
Park, the park also has camping facilities.
Take a walk on the wild side!
Located near Mena, this organization is devoted to the rescue of
exotic felines. Visit
Walk on the Wildside EFR for more information.
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Browse through our
web site to see pictures, virtual tours, and information about the
Mena Arkansas and
Polk County areas. We will be adding
content, 360º virtual tours, and information about the Mena, Polk
County areas on a regular basis. If you have a web site that
is related to the Mena Arkansas area feel free to link to our site.
Please let us know if you find something on our site that is in
error. If you have information you would like to contribute
please feel free to
e-mail it to us for consideration. If you have a business
and would like to have a link on our site please
contact us. If you don't have a website for your business and
would like to have one or if you have one and would like to
have it updated or a new site to replace your existing site we can
help you. We offer hosting also, please
contact us.
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A
new event this year will be the second annual Outhouse Race. The first was
held labor day weekend 2010 when the New York Says Thank You Foundation came to
Mena to help with rebuilding three homes and a 4H Community Center that were
damaged in the April 9, 2009 tornado that ravaged the residential area of Mena.
Apparently in their research of Arkansas they decided that outhouse races were a
big thing and wanted to have a race while they were here. Everyone had a
great time and since the racers were already built we decided to do it again.
The proceeds from this years Outhouse Race will be used to help cover the
expenses for the ones traveling to Ellijay, GA in July to help with this years
NYSTY build. 
that is so popular in the Mena Arkansas area 
doesn't
tend to have a lot of frozen precipitation but when it does it can
bring out some beautiful unique features.