Hops and history on tap with ‘Brew on the Border’

The Internet machine, which is never wrong, suggests there is “no indication” that legendary Federal Judge Isaac C. Parker was known to hang around a bar and throw back a few beers with the boys. Frontier justice, after all, was a sober thing.

But that’s not stopping the Fort Smith Museum of History from putting a cold one in your hand while putting a few bits of the city’s history in your head. That’s the idea behind the museum’s inaugural Brew on the Border event set for July 25.

Billed as an “indoor craft beverage festival,” the event offers the chance to “experience the museum in an entirely new way” with curated beer tastings, live entertainment, and food trucks.

“Organized by a board of community members and brought to life through volunteers, the event was created to support the museum’s mission while introducing new, thoughtfully curated experiences to the region,” the museum noted in a statement.

More than 25 vendors will offer beers, seltzers, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks, and there will be a Judge Parker’s Courthouse Saloon Lounge for VIP ticket holders. General admission tickets are $50 each and provide access to tastings, live music, museum exhibits, and food trucks. The VIP tickets are $100 each and includes early entry, access to the Courthouse Saloon Lounge, specialty beverage selections, and the exclusive finale performance of “The Western District” play. Link here for ticket information.

Museum officials expect 300 to 500 attendees for the inaugural event, with proceeds supporting the museum and its efforts to preserve local history.

“Brew on the Border represents a new way to experience the museum while supporting its future,” said museum Executive Director Caroline Speir. “This event brings together people, culture, and history in a setting that is both meaningful and memorable.”

The Fort Smith Museum of History was established in 1910 as the Old Commissary Museum with the purpose of saving the city’s oldest building from demolition. That building, the Commissary building, is now restored and is part of the nearby Fort Smith National Historic Site. In 1979, the museum moved to its location in the 1906 Atkinson-Williams Warehouse building.

Significant museum renovations are ongoing. The museum began in June 2025 work on phase one of the work, which is estimated to cost about $1.6 million. Phase one work includes window replacement and extensive work on the outside of the building. Other exterior work will include upgrades to the parking lot and possibly a new roof. Replacing the 1982 elevator in the building will also be part of phase one.

A second phase will include putting a new heat and air system in the building, and phase three will be reorganization and possible expansion of exhibits, Speir said, noting that new exhibits may be added.