Fayetteville Flyer » Why Fayetteville Rules

The Horse at Northwest Arkansas Florists

the Steve — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:53:37 +0000

Springdale sucks.
(insert dramatic pause)

Whew. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about another reason that Fayetteville rules; the painted horse outside Northwest Arkansas Florist on the corner of Joyce and College Street.

Not that I have to tell anyone where the painted horse is. That dude has been sitting on that corner for at least 29 years (according to this 2001 article.)

Or, roughly, anyway. The horse was relocated a couple of years ago when Northwest Arkansas Florist moved into a shared space with the new Starbucks, freaking several people out.)

So, just in case you’ve never driven down College Avenue, or you are a blind person without any friends that hates America and you’ve never seen this horse, here’s a quick description.

Outside this flower shop across the street from the mall, there is a metal horse that has been there for longer than I’ve even been alive. Once a month, it is painted by a different non-profit organization. It can only be painted by non-profit, or charitable organizations. (I know. I wanted to paint it myself once. I am not a non-profit or charitable organization.) As a result, it has been painted a different color every month for almost thirty years, and as a result of that it looks really weird and bumpy up close.

I’ve lived in Fayetteville for the better part of my life, and a couple weeks ago I stopped to get a closer look at that blob of around 300 coats of dried paint and (allegedly) metal. It’s been a jack-o-lantern for Halloween, a cowboy, batman, last week it was wearing an apron, this week it’s green, jesus christ I can’t even remember all the different colors that son-of-a-bitch has been, but I do know that every time I went to the mall as a kid we had to drive by that damn thing so I could see what color the horse was, and what was written on the side of it.

What started as just something to cover up some vandalism nearly thirty years ago has now become a Fayetteville tradition that kills that stupid popeye statue (ok, I do like the popeye statue) in Springdale, or those turkeys or whatever they are on 412.

So, not that there was any question, but Fayetteville still rules, and Springdale still smells like chicken turds. Sorry y’all. It’s true.

The Castle at Wilson Park

the Steve — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:19:30 +0000

So, we already know that Springdale sucks and Rogers is full of weirdos, and Bentonville is, well, Bentonville, but what we haven’t done enough of is talk about why Fayetteville rules, and all those other NWA wannabes eat wiener sandwiches. (Well, they do.)

The purpose of this column is to point out the things about Fayetteville that make it so much better than all those other crapville towns. A what do we got that they don’t got, to remind those losers from Chickentown that no matter how many Cracker Barrels they get, we still pwn them in every possible way.

All that said, let’s talk about the castle at Wilson Park.

If you’re from Fayetteville, you either:

A) Got some of your senior pictures taken there

B) Got some of your wedding pictures there

C) Know someone who got senior pictures or wedding pictures there or

D) Made out with Cindy Thompson in the top of it, at least for a while before you tried to touch her boobs, and then she slapped you, then broke up with you and then like two months later she totally boned your friend Alex. Effing Alex.

The castle at Wilson Park was designed and built by Frank Williams in 1979-1980. It has a name, Point 7, but we didn’t know that until now, so we always just called it the castle at Wilson Park.

Williams built it when he was a graduate student at the University of Arkansas. He described it as a “fantasy play castle sculpture garden” in public address he delivered in 2005 at a 25th anniversary celebration.

“The castle in Wilson Park is a place where many children forget about television and video games.” Williams said in a 2005 interview.

“I felt that to the best of my ability, I would build something durable, but in faux decay,” he said. “New, but reflecting antiquity, and hopefully it would be miraculously enhanced by wear, tear and vandalism as it reverted to nature.”

A full description of the building of the castle along with some fantastic pictures can be found on William’s website.

We wonder if Williams knew back in 1979 what a Fayetteville landmark he was creating. The castle at Wilson Park, (or Point 7, whatever) for those of us who grew up here was a huge part of our childhood, our adolescence, even our adult lives. It sparked the imagination of countless kids both from Fayetteville and the surrounding areas who’ve climbed into its towers, tightroped its rock walls, thrown pennies and pebbles at the coy in the fountain and carved their initials into its rocks.

It’s been the backdrop for thousands of pictures, senior and otherwise, and it’s one of the most recognizable landmarks in Fayetteville.

It’s also a huge advantage that Fayetteville has over the surrounding cities, and another reason that Fayetteville Rules. Thanks Frank.

Bring it Back: JR’s Lightbulb Club and Pizzeria

the Steve — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:11:48 +0000

Every town has certain qualities it that make it unique ( except Springdale, which we all know just sucks). A personality if you will, that comes from things like the friendliness of it’s people, the landmarks, the food you find there, the atmosphere, the energy, the streets.
Sometimes certain landmarks can personify that energy. They can become so much a part of a town, and you associate them with the town so strongly, that you can’t imagine that town without that place.

Fayetteville is no different. This is a new column that will examine what we got that they don’t got. What are the things that make Fayetteville, well, Fayetteville? What are the places, the stores, the restaurants, the bars, that make this place worth living in, and conversely, what are some of the places we took for granted that we wish we had back so that maybe we can be a little more conscious and supportive of what we have while they are around?

So we can keep them around.

I started thinking about this when I read Bryce’s comment in the now infamous Fayetteville’s Bestest: Pizza column when he mentioned that one of his favorite pizza restaurants wasn’t in business anymore, JR’s Lighbulb Club and Pizzeria.

Jr’s served as an ambassador for Fayetteville to some of the most talented musicians in the world for almost thirty years. It was a big part of what formed the impression of the city for the likes of the White Stripes, Lucinda Williams, The Postal Service, Cracker, and countless others.

It was one of the only places in town to see original live music, and also one of the best places in town to get hot, delicious pizza at 1:30 in the morning. It closed during a lull in the Fayetteville music scene that had previously thrived, and I would personally pay about $100 a month out of my own pocket just to have it back. It was a great place to hang out, a great place to see live music with great sound, great bartenders, and a great atmosphere.

It was as much a part of Fayetteville as Old Main, or the NWA Mall, or Dickson St., and I’m sure I can’t be the only one that has some very fond memories of that shitty, dark, smoky brick building near the center of town.

What are some of the great shows you saw at JR’s? Who are some bartenders you remember? What would you do to have it back? Would you go to a show if they reopened for one night?

Let’s revive some of the places that made Fayetteville great, if only in our memories, and celebrate the places that make this place the unique city that we call home.