Most in this post are wild art. But as for the Dinosaur World photos, a small roadside theme park near the Beaver Lake Dam which operated from 1960 until 2005. The 65-acre park features about 50 life-sized concrete dinosaurs. And fire (suspected arson) destroyed the main building which housed a restaurant and gift shop. Although I've driven by the park anytime I've gone out to the dam, I hate that the park closed before I moved out here. Just the nostalgia in me, I suppose.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/07/11--
UA football practice
quarterback Tyler Wilson during practice on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/07/11--
Doug Kinsey of Fayetteville patches a crack to prepare for painting underneath the awning separating the outdoor tennis courts at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Complex on the Fayetteville campus of the University of Arkansas on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011. Kinsey and his brother, Blake Kinsey, both of Eckco, Inc. in Fayetteville, have an expected completion of painting both the indoor and outdoor courts by Aug. 15.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/07/11--
Jake Bilderback, 13, of Huntsville carries a bag of ice on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011, to his grandfather, Carl Bilderback of Tontitown, while helping his grandparents set up their concession trailers for the 113th annual Tontitown Grape Festival. Carl and his wife, Debbie, with C&D Concessions, have six different food and drink trailers staged on the grounds for the festival which runs Tuesday through Saturday.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/07/11--
Nina-Rose Stephenson, 7, waits for customers at the Fayetteville Farmers' Market at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011. Nina-Rose was helping her mother, Amye Stephenson, both of Berryville, sell peaches and nectarines from A&A Orchards in Berryvile.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/08/11--
Paris Middle School secretary Vicki Furstenberg maneuvers the ropes course behind Paris High School on Monday, Aug. 8, 2011. Paris Middle principal Martha Dodson led the faculty on the ropes course as part of team-building exercises to prepare for the upcoming school year. Students return to classes on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/09/11--
Shannon Banks-Yocom of Bella Vista helps Leah Scheele, 4, of Bella Vista on her stroke during the Bella Vista Junior Sports Camp on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011, at the Kingsdale tennis courts in Bella Vista. The three-day camp, presented by Bella Vista Community Church, exposed about 60 children to tennis, basketball, volleyball and Bible stories.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/09/11--
A caveman sculpture guarding the entrance to the closed Dinosaur World is seen on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011, near Beaver Lake. The building was destroyed by fire last week.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/09/11--
The charred remains of the building at the closed Dinosaur World is seen on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011, near Beaver Lake. The building was destroyed by fire last week.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/10/11--
Selia Perez (left), 9, watches as her brother, Cody Lunsford, 6, both of Springdale gets his hair trimmed by Anna Gail Thompson on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011, inside the House of Hope Rescue Mission in Springdale. Thompson, who works at JR's Salon in Springdale, was offering free "back-to-school" haircuts at the center free of charge.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER --08/10/11--
Jordi Castro (left), 8, pushes Amber Mate, 7, both of Rogers, across the floor during a relay race during the Rogers Activity Center's Summer Day Camp on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011. This is the last week of the camp as students return to classes at Rogers Public Schools on Monday (AUG. 15).
2 comments:
If you get a chance to return to the park, could you try to do two things? On the gift shop wall (I know it has burned) to the left of the front door, there were three cavemen. The top was a real estate agent my grandfather contracted with, the middle one was my grandfather, and the bottom one was my step-father. My grandfather owned the park when it was "John Agar's Land of Kong" and we lived there in 1980 when my mom and stepfather ran the park. I watched the guys paint the walls of the gift shop as well as work on other projects. The other thing I would like to do is find out if "the world's largest Noah's Ark mural is still inside the huge dome that is on the right side of the road just after you go into the park - about where the fallen King Kong is supposed to be. I would like a picture of it, but it might be difficult with no lighting in the dome. I have never seen any reference to it outside of my having lived there and seen it, so I wonder if anyone even knows it was ever there, or if it is still there. I really miss that place and our pictures have been lost over the years, and I'd like to try to salvage what memories I can before everything is lost forever. Thank you for your blog.
I forgot to add, I created a facebook page, "John Agar's Land of Kong" to memorialize the park as I knew it. I know the name since changed, but it's still the same place.
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