Old Marble Falls Resort Becomes New Biker Hub

MARBLE FALLS — Two motorcycle enthusiasts want to turn a former winter ski resort in the Ozarks into the largest biker destination in middle America.

Bob Richards and Randal Phillips said they bought the former Marble Falls Resort in Newton County from Debra Nielsen and renamed it The Hub. It includes 25 acres and five buildings adjoining the 141 acres that served as the Dogpatch U.S.A. theme park from 1968 to 1993.

Marble Falls Resort, which was constructed in 1972 by developer Jess Odom of Maumelle, flopped in large part because the snow blowers he bought wouldn’t work unless the temperature was below 28 degrees. The Ozarks had a streak of mild winters after the resort opened, so skiers didn’t have many days on the slopes.

“It might be 28 degrees in the Ozarks at night and 50 degrees the next day,” said Wayne Thompson of St. Joe, who managed Dogpatch from 1974-75 and was co-owner from 1980-90.

Odom, who owned Dogpatch for a decade beginning in 1969, closed Marble Falls Resort in the mid-1980s, Thompson said. Odom died in 1998 at the age of 84. The resort has been vacant ever since he closed it.

Phillips and Richards think the location, nine miles south of Harrison just off Scenic Arkansas Highway 7, is a perfect way station for motorcyclists traveling cross country. The resort includes a 60-room hotel and 13,000-SF convention center where rallies can be held accommodating 1,700 people. And the highway is already popular with bikers.

The day after they signed the papers in September, Richards got a call from Sturgis, S.D., where the nation’s largest annual motorcycle rally is held. The caller told Richards a resort for bikers in middle America was sorely needed. “Are you ready?” he asked Richards, implying that he may not have enough room to handle the crowds.

Fayetteville’s four-day Bikes, Blues in BBQ festival, for example, has grown from 400 visitors in 1999, it’s first year, to 250,000 last year.

Biker Buy

Phillips and Richards won’t say how much they paid for the property. It’s an owner-financed deal, so there’s no deed at the courthouse, Richards explained.

They plan to covert ownership into 1,000 shares of stock valued at $1,250 a share. That assumes a value of $1.25 million for the five buildings and 25 acres of land. Of that 1,000 shares, 250 would be sold to investors with no one investor owning more than 50 shares, or 5 percent of the complex.

The buildings and 5.35 acres recently appraised for $359,600, and the remaining 20 rural acres would be worth between $100,000 and $140,000, according to the Newton County Assessor’s Office in Jasper. That would bring the total appraised value to somewhere between $459,600 and $499,600.

In the early 1980s, the property was on the market for $1.6 million.

Besides the hotel and convention center, the resort includes an 11,000-SF former ice skating rink, which will be used as an exhibition hall; a former Bonanza restaurant that can seat up to 350, which will be used as a meeting hall; and a strip mall with eight units for specialty stores.

Richards is quick to distance The Hub from Dogpatch, which ended up being a financial disaster.

“What’s going on here on top of the hill has absolutely nothing to do with the park,” he said. “That was Dogpatch. This was Marble Falls Resort.”

The 141 acres of Dogpatch is still for sale, said Sandy Cope, an agent with Souvenir Realty of Springfield, Mo. The asking price is $5 million, but she said that’s “very negotiable.” The property is owned by Leisure Tek Corp.

“There have been numerous inquiries about it,” Cope said. “I think every time spring comes around, people get the fever to make things happen.”

Already Booking

Phillips and Richards have been working on renovating the buildings at The Hub. The hotel was scheduled to reopen in late February. They’ve already booked two motorcycle tours: The Triumph Tiger Group Ride-In, slated for June 9-11; and Biker Budz Boogie, sponsored by Star Touring & Riding, Chapter 298 of Harrison, for June 24-26.

Phillips and Richard believe The Hub is a good turnaround spot for motorcyclists who exit Interstate 40 and travel Highway 7 north. Frequently, bikers turn around at Jasper and go back to the interstate, but The Hub may tempt them to go another 11 miles and spend the night at the hotel.

Currently, The Hub convention center is open only on Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday night is primarily for teens and young adults, with a disk jockey providing the music. Scooters Too snack bar and deli operates within the convention center building. The game room includes a pool table, video games (including a motorcycle riding game) and a pinball machine.

Newton County is dry, so no alcohol will be served at The Hub.

“But if someone wants to have a beer in their room, that’s fine,” Richards said. “It’s a BYOB facility.”

The Hub’s motto on its Web site, www.hubinfo.com, is “Where motorcycle enthusiasts gather for fun.” But it’s not just for bikers. The Hub has booked a 4H camp and “sweet 16” birthday party. The University of Arkansas Extension Service plans to hold a seminar there in May on rural redevelopment. Eventually, the owners plan to have concerts in the convention center.

“We don’t want people to think these guys are going to turn this into a Hell’s Angels hangout,” Richards said.

With The Hub located miles from the nearest cities, the noise of motorcycles won’t bother the locals much, Richards said.

“We’re not touching the city dwellers,” he said. “We’re not clogging up the traffic. It’s kind of like Las Vegas: What happens out here stays here.”

Richards, who has been riding motorcycles for 30 years, had been working as a television producer for KTKO in Harrison. He quit his job to work on The Hub.

Phillips, who has been riding for three years, works for Tri-County Telephone in Harrison, where he takes care of the auto CAD system.

Shannon Asks JPs About Buying Dogpatch

On Feb. 7, Dana Shannon asked the Newton County Quorum Court if it would have any objections to him buying and reopening the former Dogpatch U.S.A. theme park.

According to an article in The Newton County Times, Shannon said he wanted to renovate the dilapidated park and reopen it, possibly as an indoor water park. Shannon said he was in the process of raising capital for the project.

Shannon told the justices of the peace the renovation could take three years.

Shannon, who is originally from Louisiana but now lives in Newton County, said he is putting together a management staff that includes a couple who had experience managing Walt Disney resorts.

JP Skip Emmett urged Shannon to “go for it,” according to the Times article. The JPs said a resolution stating their support would be prepared and acted upon at their next meeting on March 7.

More on Dogpatch U.S.A.
For more on Dogpatch U.S.A., including its colorful history and the reasons it closed, watch KTHV-TV, Channel 11, in Little Rock at 10 p.m. for a special report.