Waldron Arkansas

© copyright 2005
by Lin Stone

The county seat of Scott County, Waldron is a city of startling contrasts. Most of Main Street is an antique.  Not even the names have changed on most buildings in the last forty years.  

Some streets are lush and green, obviously the home of prosperous families.  Other streets look as if they are possessed by absentee owners who have long since given up hope of ever selling the property.  Some streets couldn't be improved with a road grader, and others are as smooth as glass.  

Virtually all the schools and the churches here in Waldron sparkle from loving attention.  Apartment complexes tend to be divine too, in structure -- with open invitations to the cooling breeze -- while most of the trailer courts seem to have been built on mud holes just waiting to happen again. 

However, when it comes to friendly people Waldron is running right at 92%.  

J. Spitzer was telling me about breaking down right at a service station on Main Street about Eleven at night.  The clerk called up the owner of a nearby parts store.  The owner of the store brought the part down, and put it on for J.  I've had similar experiences of just out and out courtesy extended to me.  For example, the owner of the feed store right beside the rail road tracks spent quality time with me finding exactly what I needed to put in a well.  

I've also stopped at dozens of places asking for directions.  Some of the directions were useless -- like the one from City Hall: "Do you remember where the ** used to be?"  The staff there didn't even have a map of Waldron.

But every last one of the people I've stopped was friendly.

We came in to one of the antique shops looking like we were antiques and received competent, friendly service just as if they thought we had money.  I'm sure they were shocked when we actually returned with cash in fist to buy what we'd been asking about.

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Friendly service and beauty go hand in hand at 
Margaret Ann's Flower & Gift shop at 200 West Second.

Fishing, hunting and mud dogging are the favorite sports here.  

Highway 71 brings traffic from Fort Smith to Texarkana, and Waldron is a natural break.  The best pie in town to take a break with seems to be found at the Exxon station, and you just about have to ask for the pie to find it.  One piece of pie feeds two, and the price is right.  We didn't even have to ask for a fork when we said we would take it with us.

On Highway 71 there is also a Sonic, a McDonald's, a Subway and a Pizza Hut.  Then there is a Mexican restaurant almost on Highway 71 that you can spot if you look extra hard for it.  

The Wal*Mart is right on the highway too.  
It is not a Super Center, but it doesn't like much meeting that spec.  

Rice's Furniture has about the friendliest furniture staff in the whole state and just about the best selection and prices too.  Every time we go in someone meets us just about at the door and offers every assistance you can think of, graciously leaving us to browse when we want, and giving us elbow to elbow information when we turned serious.  On our first visit we took up more than an hour's time of the sales staff, and never even offered to buy a thing.  They were just as friendly when we left as when we walked in the door.  Then I went in twice to ask about corn burning stoves and both times I was directed to truly knowledgeable personnel.  We ended up buying a houseful of furniture there. Great selection, great prices, free delivery, and the delivery crew didn't just deliver, they set everything up in working order for us.  I'll say it again, Rice's Furniture has about the friendliest furniture staff in the whole state.

Now, one thing to watch out for as you go whizzing on through Waldron is the team roping squad of police cars.  One hides off in the hills south of town and the other one is hidden off the highway about two blocks on the north end of town.  With their modern technology they can make an honest citizen of you, going and coming.  Slow down to the speed limit and count all the friendly faces you see in Waldron.  

the end

Lin Stone is an author, writer and photographer living in Mena Arkansas among the gentle mountains known as Ouachita.  He writes about adventures and he writes about the peaceable things of this world for Your Vacation World.  In his spare time Lin writes copy for American Insurance Depot.  You can have immediate, and free, reading of many more pieces when you send your little surfer scooting to Lin's home page at http://www.talewins.com/StoneSoup.htm where he keeps stirring up more good things for the soul.

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