GRAVETTE — Once again the Gravette historical museum has a new curator. Randi Van Noy took over the position earlier this month after the former curator resigned to pursue other interests. Van Noy says she is excited about her new job since she loves the museum, the town and its people.
Van Noy is still somewhat of a newcomer to Gravette, having moved to town 1 1/2 years ago from California. She said she was looking for a town with a good school and one that was not too large since she has a two-year-old daughter, Emersyn. Gravette seemed to fill the bill. She was accompanied on the move by her mother, a retiree from the post office; her father, retired from the Marines and the post office; and an aunt.
Van Noy was born in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., grew up and graduated from high school there. She went on to attend Cal Poly vocational school. She earned a certificate in wedding and event planning and operated her own business, Southern Ways Event Planning, before moving to Arkansas.
Randi's father has family members from Oklahoma and Missouri. His ancestors, four Van Noy brothers, founded the Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company, incorporated in 1897, in Kansas City, and operated hotels and restaurants along the American railroad lines. They were prominent members of Kansas City society. The historical Van Noy mansion, built in 1910, still stands and is operated as an event center.
Randi has a cousin in Gentry and one in Bella Vista. An aunt and uncle who live in Bartlesville, Okla., plan to move to Bella Vista soon. Having these relatives nearby helped influence the family to move here.
When the museum curator position became open, the city began advertising for applicants. Van Noy's aunt saw the ad online and told Randi about it.
"She thought it was perfect for me and it was," Van Noy said. "I love history, especially World War II and the Civil War, and I love researching genealogy. It's fun finding links to my ancestors."
Van Noy's mother's family, the MacLeans, came from Ohio. Jamison or Jameson (some branches of the family spell it differently) is another name in her family tree. Randi says she is related to Davy Crockett, Stonewall Jackson and "some of the first families of eastern Tennessee." She often spends free time reading about and studying these family ties.
Van Noy said she understands the value of the period antiques in the Kindley home and feels an obligation to preserve them. Her own home is filled with antiques, she admits. Both she and her father enjoy going to auctions and yard sales, and she says her dad often buys items that remind him of his younger days on a farm. She recently bought an old trunk from the auction house in Sulphur Springs. From a small portion of a label on the trunk, she was able to determine the name of the former owner and learn something about her life.
After living in town in California, the Van Noys have appreciated their acreage north of Gravette. Randi has a flock of chickens she cares for and says she would like to have a pygmy goat. She stays busy in the warmer months mowing the lawn and helping her parents tend a garden. She enjoys canning and says she has won prizes for her bread and butter pickles at the Los Angeles County Fair. The pickles were put up from a "secret" recipe she was given by her "adopted" grandmother, a former neighbor from South Dakota.
In addition to her work at the museum, Van Noy is a sales agent for Medlock & West Realty in Springdale. She does most of her work from home, except when she is out showing property to prospective buyers, and usually goes into the office only to submit paperwork.
She is busy now helping line up exhibitors and making plans for the museum's "My Collections" show which is planned for April 22 this year. The museum is also planning to display a World War I exhibit for Arkansas Heritage Month in May and work is ongoing on the barber shop and newspaper office exhibits in the annex, which are expected to be completed by Gravette Day. Van Noy also said she hopes to be able to help with restoration of the diorama of early Gravette which helped form the nucleus of the museum. Museum commission members voted at their Feb. 6 meeting to buy a new train engine to use in that model.
The museum is now open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Persons wishing to tour the museum can find Van Noy at the museum annex during these hours.
General News on 02/22/2017