Clare B. Richardson

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Page 9

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I had combed summer, 1953 microfilm at the Garland County Library, which is reverse image negative film and very difficult to read. Still I could not find an article about the huge crowd gathered that day, nor the reason why. My best guess now was maybe it was a 5-year celebration since the store opened in 1948 but it must have been something big to have Dairy Queen's version of Ronald McDonald present. Dairy Queen did not know the name of their mascot either as his name was also lost in time. I proposed a pseudo-name of "Clowie The Clown" and John Wells, director of the Garland County Library came up with "Crusty the Clown." Apparently that name was used in the Simpson's TV show episode I later found out and John may or may not have known that when he suggested that name to me, but it made me laugh.

After spending five full days in Hot Springs I left Friday afternoon. My original thought was to spend a few hours and take pictures, then leave. Not only was I falling in love with the beautiful city, I had met some of the most friendly and helpful people I'd ever known. It was very difficult to leave. Also I felt the job was incomplete as I had not yet found the exact date of the event, the reason for it, nor any phone listing for the panel truck that showed Slyman's Rug Cleaning. Could this business be from another town passing through who just happened to be in the picture? I would have to solve these mysteries another day.

I drove to El Dorado to visit friends from a company that was merged with the one I worked for a few years back in La Mirada, California then raced through Louisiana and Texas in time to get to Albuquerque, New Mexico by Saturday evening. By Sunday morning the story had hit the front page and my e-mail and toll free phone line in California began to take messages. In all, I had received 7 calls and 7 e-mails. I tried to read the front page story from the web page of the Sentinel-Record newspaper but it was masked to those without a subscription. Still I managed to make out most words. I picked up the phone messages from my home while in Albuquerque visiting my sister and began responding. I was so pleased to know the story hit the front page of the Sentinel-Record newspaper. I felt like a rock 'n' roll star who just had his first hit record reach No. 1. I told everyone I could find that would listen to my story. I called the owner's of the Albuquerque Dairy Queens and told them about how I grew up in Albuquerque and had a big story going on back in Hot Springs, Arkansas. They were interested to hear the story and were familiar with the mural although I was told no murals were in the Southwest - Arizona / New Mexico district.

Some calls were supportive saying this really gives Hot Springs "a shot in the arm," some mentioned previous owners by name and how they were related to them, and some were not as helpful as they reported having a car like the one in the picture but of a different color. Some reported living nearby and it brought back memories but had no information nor recalled the event. But two calls and one e-mail really stood out and provided enormous insight into what I was looking for. One such call was from Robert Morphew who was a truck driver who reported seeing the clown on the pole in that mural show up in Seattle, Washington on April 16th, 1997 at an antique yard according to his well-documented trip records. He was sure it was it because it caught his eye as being too familiar and recalled his father taking the family to that Dairy Queen every Sunday. He was making a delivery up near the King Dome near Puget Sound and walked over to find a sign on which he distinctly recalled seeing a manufacturing identification plate say "Hot Springs, Arkansas". He described the sign to me as a "bell-boy" and I said the Dairy Queen sign was a "clown." So he said "then it must be his memory playing tricks on me and therefore it must have been a clown because it did say "Hot Springs, Arkansas" on it."

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