WATCH: Ozark Bath House to reopen June 5

The Cultural Center at the Ozark Bath House will reopen to the public on June 5. - Photo by Tanner Newton of The Sentinel-Record
The Cultural Center at the Ozark Bath House will reopen to the public on June 5. - Photo by Tanner Newton of The Sentinel-Record

After being closed for over a year due to the pandemic, Hot Springs National Park's Cultural Center will reopen to the public on weekends beginning June 5.

"We've been closed since the beginning of COVID in 2020 and now that the guidelines have been reduced a little bit, we feel that it's safe to open. Our rooms are large enough that we have plenty of room for people to wander around," Roxanne Butterfield, president of the Friends of Hot Springs, said.

"This is frequently the first stop. People park in the free parking garage across the way and they walk across the street and they walk into this building and they ask 'How do I get into the park?'," she said, noting that for the last year, visitors have been unable to get inside the doors.

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The center, located in the Ozark Bath House, is operated by the Friends of Hot Springs National Park and houses artifacts from the Maurice Bath House and numerous pieces of artwork. One of the newest pieces of art is a painting by Ethan Edvenson, who was one of four artists selected for the national park's Artist-In-Residence Program this year.

Edvenson's residency ran from March 22 until April 4. When the residency is finished, each of the artists creates a piece of artwork and donates it to the park. Edvenson's donated piece depicts a person sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of the Fordyce Bath House.

"Over the years that collection has ranged from anything from paintings to watercolors to photographs to even written music and pottery, so they do a little bit of everything, whatever their medium is," said Lance Albaugh, volunteer coordinator of the Friends. He notes that he is excited to reopen the building.

"This building is basically kind of our main way of getting income for the Friends," he said, since visitors to the center often make donations when they are visiting. With the bath house being open again, they can better explain to donors what their money will be used for, he said.

"Our main issue really is to support the park," Albaugh said, and the donations go toward a variety of things, including helping with the Maurice and assisting the park in whatever way they can.

"We are looking forward to being with people, to greeting visitors to our park. We love our park. I think the most rewarding thing about volunteering in this building, or in the park, is just being able to visit with so many people from around the world," Butterfield said.

Albaugh said the center will be open on Saturdays and Sundays, but he is hoping to expand their schedule.

"My goal is that we'll start with Saturday and Sunday, but I'm hoping that someday before I'm not doing this any longer, that we're open every day of the week like the Fordyce, but I'm going to need volunteers to do that," he said.

"We need two volunteers a shift, so we need at least eight bodies for four Saturdays and four Sundays," Butterfield said.

"And for the holiday weekends we can really use three a shift," Albaugh said.

"Folks can sign up to volunteer by contacting Lance or myself," Butterfield said. To volunteer, call Butterfield at 501-538-4575 or Albaugh at 501-463-0949.

Lance Albaugh, volunteer coordinator with Friends of Hot Springs National Park, shows off the new pieces of artwork by Ethan Edvenson inside the Ozark Bath House. - Photo by Tanner Newton of The Sentinel-Record
Lance Albaugh, volunteer coordinator with Friends of Hot Springs National Park, shows off the new pieces of artwork by Ethan Edvenson inside the Ozark Bath House. - Photo by Tanner Newton of The Sentinel-Record

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