South of Gravette, located at the intersection of Arkansas Highways 59 and 102, lies the city of Decatur, once named All-American City and still a great place to visit, start a business or call home.
On the north is an airport and Crystal Lake. The beautiful lake is nestled between the hills and local residents and visitors use the cool lake for fishing and for swimming during the summer months. And there, next to the lake, is a private airport, soon to be developed into an aviation mecca, with homes and hangars for aviators.
At first glance, Decatur may seem to be a small community along the railroad and built around the Simmons plant there — its population is only about 1,800 residents — but a closer look reveals churches, schools, city parks and lots of activity. Decatur’s residential streets are places where children laugh and play. And with an area of only about five-square miles, everyone is counted a neighbor.
The town has two convenience stores and a truck stop, a bank, public library, medical clinic, restaurants and numerous churches. Walmart recently opened a Neighborhood Market, giving the town its first full-service grocery store in three years. Families can enjoy picnicking or fishing at nearby Crystal Lake or participate in a variety of activities in one of the town’s parks. Swimming is available at the municipal pool, and there are plenty of ball fields available for a game of baseball, softball or soccer.
A 60-year tradition continues each summer on the first weekend in August, with the Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Decatur Barbecue held in Veterans Park. The annual festival causes the town’s population to swell to an estimated 10,000 with its famous barbecued chicken and other food, fun, games, contests, pageants, car show, motorcycle ride and first-class entertainment — with both local talent and a well-known country artist performing on the stage each year.
For those interested in railroad history, the Kansas City Southern E-7 locomotive — a landmark in the area — attracts attention from across the country as one of the last of its kind. Further down the platform stands the Decatur Depot, a passenger-freight building constructed in 1910. And nearby stands a mid 1800s log cabin which was moved from just outside of town and re-assembled in its present location one log at a time. The cabin preserves some of the history of the area during Civil War days.
City Hall, located a block east of Highway 59 at 310 Maple Ave., is a good place to stop for information on the city, its laws and city utilities. The building, itself a historic landmark, was completed in 1939 as Decatur’s first permanent school building, replacing the original 1910 structure which was destroyed by a tornado in 1937. When a new high school was opened in 1970, the old high school was sold to the city and later renovated to house the city’s fire and police stations, city offices and meeting room. It was opened and held the first city council meeting on May 9, 1982.
The city is served by a full-time police department and a volunteer fire department. It has its own water and new wastewater treatment facilities, which are state-of-the-art.
Bob Tharp is the mayor and he would be happy to provide other information on Decatur and its government. More information can also be found at Decatur’s new website: www.decaturarkansas.com. City hall can be contacted at 479-752-3912.
Decatur Schools — with more than 500 students in kindergarten through grade 12 — offer a low student-teacher ratio and dedicated teachers who know each child by name. There are three facilities dedicated to the education of the town’s youth. Decatur High School houses grades 9-12, Decatur Middle School grades 6-8, and Northside Elementary School, complete with a new safe room, covers prekindergarten and grades K-5.
The chief industrial employers in Decatur are Simmons Foods and FNA Group. The new Walmart also employs many.
Simmons Foods, which purchased much of the business established by the late Lloyd Peterson and Peterson Farms, operates a processing plant, hatcheries and a pet-food plant in the Decatur area.
Community on 04/02/2015