Tag Archives: Faulkner County

Lewis Livestock Auction: “Looking Back”

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Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

For those who raised beef cattle in Faulkner County, Tuesdays held a special significance because that was auction day. On that day, we would round up the cows and load up the ones we wanted to take to auction. At the sale barn, we would get in line with all the other trucks and trailers and wait for our turn to unload the cows.

Major Lewis established the first livestock auction in Conway in the 1930s. The first sales Continue reading →

Christmas in the Valley – Three Sisters
Reflect: “Looking Back”

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Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, it is often nice to stop and remind ourselves about what makes Christmas special. My grandmother and her two sisters, Lou and Jewell, sat down with me several years ago and shared some of the special things they remembered about past Christmases with their family. Continue reading →

Arkansas Children’s Colony: “Looking Back”

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Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

One of my favorite childhood Christmas memories was getting to see the Christmas decorations at the Arkansas Children’s Colony. We would drive by on I-40 to see the display that usually included a Merry Christmas sign, a tree and a small passenger train. All were festively decorated with lights and garland. This was often one of the first Christmas displays of the year so it signaled the beginning of the Christmas season.

As a child, I didn’t know Continue reading →

Working Downtown: “Looking Back”

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Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

In the early 1980s, I worked downtown every Saturday at Cordia’s Gift Shoppe (where Grand on Oak is today). Cordia Mote was the owner and my grandmother, Viola Burnett, was the store manager. We made some wonderful memories selling gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas.

The store had a bridal registry so it was a major destination for wedding and bridal shower gifts. Cordia’s Continue reading →