Families gathered for what was billed as an "old-fashioned patriotic picnic" Wednesday on Arlington Lawn in Hot Springs National Park.
The Red, White & You Picnic in the Park, hosted by Friends of Hot Springs National Park and the National Park Service, was the first of its kind and a tradition the organizations hope to continue annually, according to Roxanne Butterfield, president of the Friends organization.
"This is the first time doing an event like this," she said. "We wanted to celebrate the park, we wanted to celebrate independence, and nobody else does anything during the day."
The event opened at 10:30 a.m., and guests quickly filed into Arlington Lawn for face painting, music and entertainment, games and lunch. Admission was free, but donation opportunities were available as the event was held to help the Friends group raise funds.
"A lot of parks have Friends groups," Butterfield said. "We're the not for profit partner with the park. The park is a federal program; they can't ask for money. That's our job, to raise money for them and also to support them with programs. Our volunteers work in the Ozark Bath House. Without our volunteers, that building's not open to the public. And we need more volunteers."
Currently, Butterfield said the Friends group is working to raise the $500,000 needed to restore the historic areas of the Maurice Bath House, including the front lobby, sun porch and third-floor deck.
"What's the Maurice going to be when it grows up? We don't know, but we're raising money to do that required historic preservation, restoration," she said. "Proceeds from this, all donations, all ticket sales, goes toward that."
While there have been a few interested parties who have toured the Maurice, Butterfield said no one has quite come up with a proposal yet.
"We're hoping to find a business partner who will take that building and love her," she said.
Fourth of July celebrations are not uncommon in national parks, according to interim Superintendent Pete Swisher.
"We all try to have some way of recognizing our nation," he said. "It's a lot of fun. My home park we have a concert with a symphony today and then St. Louis and the Arch, of course, they're celebrating a new remodel and being opened up today."
Swisher said early he was happy with the turnout and that he believes the event has future potential.
"We're happy to have our Friends group helping us to do this and bring some activity down into the park," he said. "This is the big (event) for the summer in the Arlington Lawn area. A lot of the regular park activities and tours are still going on. It's fun to see the park service and our Friends group working together and hope a lot of people come in. It's great weather and a great place for people to spend the day."
Swisher said he will wrap up his time in Hot Springs National Park in about three weeks, making way for the new superintendent, Laura Miller, to begin her tenure. Miller is the current acting superintendent of the Buffalo National River.
"I'm sure she'll be excited to see this event next year and see it continue," Swisher said.
Seeing the park's youngest guests celebrating in red, white and blue is something Swisher said he enjoyed about the day.
"It's fun to see the kids getting excited about it and seeing the kids becoming patriotic, getting their faces painted and getting their flags," he said.
Local on 07/05/2018