Danny, one of our young adults, plays trumpet--amazing and he and some friends started a band which plays at local venues. We have been waiting for one which would be good for missionaries to go to and finally his gig at the Bricktown Brewery was set for September 7th. It turned out to be the perfect night to sit on the patio, listen to great music, and enjoy downtown Ft. Smith. President and Holly Anderton joined us for the evening. The weather was great and there were no bugs.....
and Danny was awesome. The Andertons had never heard him play and they were very impressed.
While we were waiting for our table, the three of us walked around downtown for a bit. We had driven through this area many times, but this was the first time we walked around and read some of the historical markers in the area.
This building was first built in the 1860s or 70s and served as a center of different businesses over the years. In 1996, a tornado went through town and destroyed the building except for this front--which has been restored and maintained since then.
We found a Welcome to Ft. Smith sign to get a picture with...
and the mural...not from a running car.....
This statue represents all of the lawman who served here in the early days of the settlements in this area. They had plaques talking about different lawman including Bass Reeves, a run away slave who became a lawman, and it was noted that he arrested many hundreds of men including his pastor and his own son.
The art work on the buildings is amazing. One of the young adults said that there are some people who want to paint over all the murals in the city because they feel they distract drivers. They can be distracting, especially the first times, but they also bring a feeling of interest and personality to downtown which I like.
We stayed for a few hours, enjoying our yummy food, the music, and conversations.
Wherever the Andertons are, there is a party happening.
President Anderton took this picture of Jena with her Root Beer which "came from the bar in its own bottle" according to the server.
Fun times never to be forgotten.
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