Thousands hit downtown Fort Smith for Heritage Festival

 

story and photos by Ruby Dean
[email protected]

It was a beautiful day to come out and support the Community Services Clearinghouse “Meals For Kids” program at the 3rd annual Heritage Festival on Saturday (April 9.)

Thousands strolled up and down the Heritage Trail from Immaculate Conception Church to the Fort Smith National Cemetery.

Last year’s event raised $13,000 according to Rick Foti, CSC executive director, with hopes of raising more this year. Sponsorship funds enable weekend meals (Backpack program) to be sent home on Fridays for deserving children from 74 school districts in and around the River Valley. All the events during the Heritage Festival were funded by donations and were free to the public.

Activities were held at eight different locations this year. Immaculate Conception Church was the first stop on the trail with activities including Cherokee Nation Youth Choir, Laotian, Vietnamese and Irish dancing, story telling, and games and arts for children.

Stop number two was the Mission United Methodist Church. Euba Harris-Winton provided history of Mallelieu and history on the African American Churches. Clayton House was stop number three on the trail. Lawn games that kept families entertained in the 1900s were played and guests were treated to lemonade and cookies.

Miss Laura’s provided guided tours. Miss Laura’s is the only bordello on the National Register of Historic Places.

Children could enjoy a “hands-on experience” with cute and fuzzy animals at the petting zoo at stop number five at the National Historic Site. Re-enactors were also present to represent the 11th United States Colored Troops who were formed during the Civil War. Participants could try rifle drills with wooden rifles.

The Fort Smith Museum of History offered a free admission day during the festival. Exhibits available to see were the Darby Room and Judge Parker’s courtroom exhibit. Guests could make their own sundae at the Soda Fountain. The Fort Smith Trolley Museum gave tours of a real caboose and took photos at the “old west” town on the museum grounds. Trolley rides were also given today for free.

The final stop on the trail was the Fort Smith National Cemetery. Graves of notable Fort Smith residents included Judge Isaac C. Parker and U.S. Army General William O. Darby, who was the founder of the elite fighting force, Darby’s Rangers.

Garrison Avenue was also a place to meet some of the most exciting people to walk the avenue. Re-enactors lined the street from 1 to 3 p.m. telling their real-life stories and were dressed in time period clothing. From Fort Smith’s first day to its present day, all could be seen on the Garrison Avenue Living History tour.

To top off the evening, Gourd Dance was performed at Immaculate Conception Church at 6 p.m. with the grand entry, intertribal dancing contest and contest finals and closing held at 10 p.m.