Creekmore

December 22, 2023

Last night Melissa and I went out to eat at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.  This was one of our go-to spots when we were dating and after we were married, we would generally take her parents out for a meal when we were back in town.  When we moved back to Arkansas this continued to be a date night destination until everything closed during the pandemic.  Now we have gotten out of the habit, but still manage to eat there several times a year.  When we arrived last night, I was disappointed to find they had removed my favorite entrée, chicken carbonara.  When we asked our waitress about this, she said she did not know why the owner had removed the dish, and that this was her favorite as well.  I reluctantly ordered a spaghetti and lasagna combination (it was wonderful).  After the meal we decided to participate in another holiday tradition of ours and went to see the lights at Creekmore Park. 

When I checked online, I found that Creekmore Park is one of Fort Smith’s four community parks.  The park’s unique set of amenities provides an opportunity to enjoy the park in all seasons.  The Creekmore pool is open May 27th to July 29th and is the region’s only Olympic-size outdoor lap pool.  There is also a diving facility and a large community swimming pool.  Amenities at the pool include a shallow-depth splash area for smaller children, inflatable obstacles, public bathrooms, and lifeguards for safety.  Other Creekmore Park features include an 18-hole Miniature Golf Course, Tennis Courts and Center, a fitness trail, community center, playground equipment, and the Creekmore Express Train.  The train is free to ride but donations are encouraged.  From November 27th to December 23rd the miniature train becomes the Creekmore Holiday Express that takes visitors on a journey through thousands of holiday lights adorning the park.

Some miniature trains (like the Creekmore Express) are considered amusement rides and are found in amusement parks and municipal parks, while others are sold to be used as backyard railroads.  Ridable miniature railways run on tracks and the trains may be exact scale models, including a live steam locomotive.  Other train rides are kiddie rides which may use simple, colorful equipment that has the driving mechanism hidden under vacuum-formed plastic covers.  Trackless trains do not use tracks and usually consist of railroad-like cars towed behind an ordinary, or modified motor vehicle.  These rides are often used for sightseeing tours.  Some roller coasters like the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attractions in several Disney parks also resemble train rides.  Paul Allen Sturtevant was a sales rep and then manufacturer of the torque wrench developed by Walter Percy Chrysler for Chrysler Corporation.  Sturtevant patented the torque wrench in 1938 and became the first individual to sell torque wrenches.  During the 1930’s Sturtevant was also an early maker of miniature train rides for children.  This began as a hobby, but Sturtevant later made them for rental to department stores, and eventually produced them in a plant in Addison, Illinois.  Sturtevant stopped making miniature trains when World War II shifted production away from consumer goods.

Thoughts:  When Melissa and I were dating we rode the Creekmore Holiday Express (once).  It struck me as something to do on a date, or with kids, but was not exactly a “thrill ride”.  Stopping the Creekmore Express during the pandemic and the manufacture of miniature trains in World War II illustrates how social attitudes affect individual activity.  What was once considered right or acceptable can lose favor and become out-of-step or objectionable.  While we may not be responsible for the actions of the past, we will be held accountable for our response today.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.