 Clare
B. Richardson1 ,
2 , 3,
4, 5,
6, 7,
8,
9, 10,
11, 12,
13, 14,
15, 16,
17, 18
| After this orientation I wanted to meet
Martha Blackwell and look at the real original "Curly," the original mechanical
clown she has. I also met with a few other locals first who had contacted me because
of the articles in the Sentinel-Record. It was nice for me to associate people
with our previous phone conversations. Meanwhile George and his wife checked out
Hot Springs and in particular, antique stores looking for license plates. He found
Shaw's Antiques on Central Avenue as the best for having any real old license
plates. Mike Shaw showed him the two NASCO mint signs he had, once George told
him of his involvement in the project. We eventually caught up again for supper
to celebrate on the eve of Sammeth's anniversary and we selected Peggy Janske's
restaurant, The Brick House, as an ideal location. Peggy had agreed to come down
but through some tie up and lack of a cell phone to call us we missed seeing her.
I must say the food was delicious, especially the sweet potato. |
|
George and I agreed not to meet the next day to allow him and his lovely wife,
Jean, the day to be dedicated to their anniversary. However if I found any news
in my research I should notify him. I spent part of the morning touching bases
with people I met on my prior visit, getting organized, and then went to the Garland
County Library that afternoon. I had some serious concerns on which year to look
into because I thought the license plates in 1951 could possibly be mid-year plates
meaning they were from July to June of the following year. If so, this picture
could be 1950 with cars sporting their new 1951 plates or the year could be 1952
if the 1951 plates hadn't yet expired. I found an article about truck plates being
this way that year so I really wasn't sure. But the microfilm being in negative
image meant pawing through a lot of film and probably finding nothing, all based
on my uncertainty. So I reassessed what I thought the date to be using George
Sammeth's expertise as 1951 as a baseline first. I looked at the picture and saw
the summer clothes and thought to myself. I've been in Hot Springs in early October
and now in early May and it is certainly hotter in that picture than anytime I've
seen. So why not start with July 1st, 1951 and work from there as my baseline.
Perhaps the event could be some July 4th event although it didn't look patriotic,
that was a possibility. |
| My approach
paid off in about two hours after trying to read the title of every article. In
the paper published on July 6, 1951, I found what I was looking for. There it
was! A cartoonish picture of Curly as featured on the NASCO sign. This was a 4"
x 5" advertisement that said "HEY KIDS" HE'S COMING TO DAIRY QUEEN OF HOT SPRINGS.
"CURLY THE CLOWN" WATCH FOR HIM!" Wayne Truman was right, his name was indeed
"Curly." I'm now on a trail to something, so now must check everyday to find the
story about what is going to happen. This exact same ad ran every day for 5 consecutive
days beginning Friday, July 6th through the weekend and on through Tuesday July
10th, 1951 in various placements throughout each edition. |
| On
Wednesday, July 11th, 1951 there was a column written about the event to take
place and a separate full-page ad elsewhere in the same newspaper inviting the
public to a Grand Party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Here the ad tied Dairy Queen and
National Animated Sign Company together for the first time. Peggy Janske was exactly
right! Prizes included a deluxe bicycle as Grand Prize and a radio, wrist-watches,
a wagon, and other unspecified prizes, courtesy of Hot Springs merchants. There
would be free ice cream and balloons for kids. At 2 p.m. there would be a free
circus show featuring "Mysterious Morris" a nationally know magician and Hot Springs
resident at that time. Mayor Housley would be there to dedicate the mechanical
"Curly the Clown" and local radio personality, Jack Wolever, would be the Master
of Ceremonies. Bobbie Jones McLane from the Hot Springs Historical Society positively
identified the man on the platform with the "Curly" mascot in the mural as the
Wolever. "Curly" the clown mascot would assist the magician after he was flown
over the location in a probable fixed wing aircraft and possibly towing a streamer
to invite the public before the show began. No one has been able to recall the
fly over, including the former owner of Spa Flying Service that I talked with
by telephone as that was typical fanfare in those days to fly everyone from Santa
Claus, to other celebrities, over the city. But I pretty much confirmed that he
was not in a hot air balloon nor a helicopter. Thus the streamer would probably
have been necessary for the public below to be assured "Curly" the mascot clown
was up there rather that just some plane circling. I found a "Thanks A Million"
article co-written by BOTH the local Dairy Queen and National Animated Sign Company
thanking 19 local merchants for their prize contributions and their splendid cooperation
the day following the event, Thursday, July 12, 1951. I could find no articles
written after the event. Seems in those days they wrote about what was going to
happen and when, but little if anything about the event itself and how well it
went. |
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