Well you know... Dopatch

[eevilweevil]

me and my wife were at Dogpatch today, and some one there said that they were going to open up as an antique shopping place. Don't know if its true, but at least they are re-opening it.

[holeeroler]

You should go down to Harrison and try to use your "Lifetime" Pass now! It'd be great to see the expressions on the peoples faces if you tried.

[FiReDiVeR]

I was at work the other day and I picked up a copy of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, just to pass the time, and I saw a story about Dogpatch USA. It was the Monday, February 19th 2007 copy. The article named the peoplewho have owned the property and the people who are there now and live there and continue to clean the place up. I tried to go on the gazette's website but to look at the archives you have to be a subscriber, the url is www.arkansasonline.com. I still have the copy in my possesion if anyone needs it. Thats about all I know about the place at the time, and I just thought that I would put in my two cents.

[GatsbyfromMC]

Well Ms. Jones sure did do her research and I still haven't had the chance to respond to her e-mail, but looks like she got most of the job done.

Just a few minor errors in her artcile, but very good.

[kc0uxr]

Sounds like it is coming along nicely. Now when are you gonna tell us about the final plans for it?

Yeah.... inquiring minds want to know!?!?!????

[arjay]

a couple of years ago when I visited, there was a new 4X4 park North of the Hub. There wasn't anyone at the new home/office, and the gates were open, so...

[HMndnproud]

I want to read that article. Anybody have it?

[slow_walker]

I want to read that article. Anybody have it?

I don't technically have it yet, but my mom has it saved for me and I should be seeing her this next Sunday/Monday to get it from her.

When I get back to work on Wednesday night, I will make sure you get to read every word. How's that sound?

[GatsbyfromMC]

MARBLE FALLS — Randal Phillips walks from the Hub Motel to its neighboring convention center, describing improvements along the way, his wife and business partner, Debbie, at his side.

He points out the five buildings they own atop a hill off Arkansas 7 Spur north of Jasper and just south of the Newton-Boone county line. He and Debbie alternately recount some of the work they’ve done to the buildings.

“This property had been vacant and left run down for so long, it took us awhile just to kind of get it where we could actually open it,” Debbie Phillips explains as they move into The Hub’s restaurant, Scooters. “We still have a lot of things we want to do.”

Throughout the property, there are hints of its past. One wall in the motel office is decorated with Li’l Abner comic strips. In the nearby game room, a wooden cutout of the Shmoo, an imaginary pear-shaped mammal with feet and whiskers, adorns another wall. Across the room, a stuffed Shmoo sits atop music equipment.

Just north of The Hub, Aframe houses line the highway.

The property opened 34 years ago as the Marble Falls ski resort. It was an expansion of Dogpatch USA, the Li’l Abner-themed amusement park that was one of Arkansas’ most popular tourist attractions. The Marble Falls expansion closed in 1977, and Dogpatch closed 16 years later. Both fell into ruin, but recent changes have given the properties new life.

TURBULENT HISTORY The cleanup and redevelopment is a culmination of a turbulent history that dates to 1966, when Albert Raney Sr. sold his 160-acre trout farm near what was then the town of Marble Falls to Recreation Enterprises Inc., headed by real estate agent O. J. Snow.

The town’s name was changed to Dogpatch, though for years there’s been a dispute as to whether residents approved.

Dogpatch USA opened May 17, 1968. Al Capp, creator of the Li’l Abner comic strip upon which Dogpatch was based, dedicated the $ 1. 3 million park’s first phase.

Businessman Jess Odom purchased controlling interest in the park in October 1968 and four years later began a multimillion-dollar expansion to create Marble Falls.

The park, adjacent to Dogpatch, opened in January 1973 and included a ski resort, indoor ice rink and a convention center.

Mild winters and financial difficulties plagued Marble Falls, and it closed four years later. Capp retired that same year, 1977, removing the comic strip that inspired Dogpatch from newspapers nationwide. Capp died in 1979.

Dogpatch would change hands several times during its 25-year history, leading to mounting financial woes. The park filed for bankruptcy in November 1980 after two consecutive unprofitable years. Marble Falls was sold amid legal battles and liens against Odom, and Dogpatch was sold to The Entertainment and Leisure Corporation, or Telcor, which then owned Magic Springs in Hot Springs.

Dogpatch soon suffered in the face of competition from the similarly themed Silver Dollar City in Branson and the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View.

Despite dropping the Li’l Abner theme in 1991, adopting a more folk-and-craft theme and eliminating admission fees, the park continued to flounder and closed for good Oct. 14, 1993.

Westek and Leisuretek corporations, headed by brothers C. L. and Ford Carr of Missouri, became the new owners in 1994 after receiving a quitclaim deed to the property, meaning the previous owners released any claim to the land.

Westek was listed as responsible for the property taxes until last year, when Tahoe Gaming LLC took over. Property tax information for the past few years was sent to both companies in care of Ford Carr, according to the Newton County clerk’s office.

The Carrs attempted to sell the Dogpatch property on eBay in 2002, but there were no bidders.

Neither C. L. nor Ford Carr could be reached for comment.

Debra Nielsen purchased much of the former Marble Falls resort property.

She later sold some of it to Fred Mullins and some to the Phillipses.

Mullins opened the Shepherd’s Fold Campground & RV Park on land he purchased.

Nielsen, who lives in the town of Marble Falls, retained the old ski resort’s chalet, where she operates a furniture store in spring and summer, Randal Phillips said.

Mike Carr, brother to C. L. and Ford Carr, lives on the old Dogpatch property as caretaker and has been involved in the cleanup.

He said he stays on the property to help keep out transients, vandals, explorers and memorabilia seekers.

The property was damaged repeatedly by vandals and transients who lived briefly in the dilapidated buildings, Mike Carr said.

The Carrs began cleaning up the property a couple of years ago, something they had planned to do for a while before a lawsuit slowed their efforts, he said.

Stewart Nance and Lynn Larson of Tulsa filed the lawsuit against Mike Carr and Westek Corp. after their teenage son, Jon Pruett Nance, was injured on the property.

According to the lawsuit filed Nov. 2, 2005, Jon and Stewart Nance were riding all-terrain vehicles on the Dogpatch property on Sept. 9, 2005. Jon Nance ran into a steel cable strung across a road between two trees. The cable hit him in the neck, throwing him from the vehicle, the suit states.

The Nances are seeking money for medical expenses, lost wages for the parents and future lost earnings for their son.

The case is awaiting trial in Newton County Circuit Court. The court granted the plaintiffs a 120-day extension on Jan. 8 to serve the defendants with the lawsuit.

Brent Baber, a Little Rock lawyer representing the Nances and Larson, said he’s still trying to track down all the potential owners of the property and that they would be added as defendants.

Baber said he didn’t know Jon Nance’s exact age at the time of the accident, but it was between 15 and 17.

Baber said a trial date has not been set.

Meanwhile, Mike Carr and others continue to work on the property, cutting away years of brush growth and putting tin roofs on buildings.

At the moment, there are no buyers or firm plans to sell, Mike Carr said, but the owners would consider selling to anyone “with the right price.”

“We’re just out to try to clean the property up right now,” he said. “Come back in a couple of years, and it’ll look much nicer.”

Carr said he’s been asked repeatedly about the property and its cleanup, responding to rumors of a sale of Dogpatch.

“I’ve started a lot of those rumors myself,” he said with a smile. “I just wanted to see how far it goes.

“ I even told one reporter that [pop star ] Michael Jackson bought the property,” he said, laughing.

HELPING NEWTON COUNTY

Randal and Debbie Phillips brought a new vision for the old Marble Falls when they purchased property there in November 2004.

The buildings had been neglected for more than a decade. They included the old Marble Falls hotel and convention center, its indoor ice-skating rink and an abandoned Bonanza restaurant.

Across the former Dogpatch USA parking lot sits an old strip mall that now houses Friend’s Motorcycle shop.

The old resort also includes Cactus Jack’s Custom Etching, which decorates motorcycles and helmets.

At the far end of the parking lot, past the Marble Falls post office and the ruins of Dogpatch’s Funicular Tram, a gate leads to the park’s old campgrounds.

The grounds have been restored and now are part of the Shepherd’s Fold Campground & RV Park, which Mullins opened in 2006.

Mullins keeps his office in a churchlike structure next to The Hub.

During the amusement park’s heyday, the building housed a classic-car museum.

Randal Phillips said he doesn’t want to return the amusement park to its glory days. He has a new idea, one he feels is perfect.

“I’m hoping to make Newton County the biker capital of Arkansas,” he said.

The well-maintained roads and a lack of traffic make the area ideal for bikers, he said. The lack of a state helmet law also helps, he said. A bill requiring helmets recently failed to gain support in a state Senate committee.

Randal Phillips said he also talked with C. L. Carr about building a biker theme park on the former Dogpatch property, but no solid plans were made.

Donnie Davis, Newton County circuit clerk, said people have been asking him and other county officials about the property since the cleanup began.

“I wish someone would do something with it,” he said.

The 1993 closure of the park hit the county hard, Davis said.

“It provided a lot of revenue for the county, plus it provided a lot of jobs for the young people,” he said.

New businesses would increase the county’s sales tax collections, Davis said.

The county doesn’t have luxury or tourism-related taxes, he said.

That’s welcome news for a county with a 2005 estimated population of only 8, 452 people, according to the U. S. Census Bureau. The median annual household income in 2003 was $ 25, 821, nearly $ 8, 000 below the state average of $ 33, 445. Jasper, the county seat, had an estimated population of 494 in 2005.

County Treasurer Jolena Breedlove said it is hard to gauge whether the first full year of business for The Hub and Shepherd’s Fold had an impact on revenue, in part because the population grew last year, as well. She said the impact may be easier to spot in next year’s sales tax figures.

Breedlove once was a Dogpatch “relief worker” doing a variety of jobs, and she said her father worked there, too. Its closure affected the county’s job market more than the revenue, because the county didn’t enact its 1 percent sales tax until a year later, in 1994. Still, the park brought tourism and interest to the county.

“Dogpatch was our greatest asset for years,” she said. “It was really busy over there. We sure hated it when it closed.”

Breedlove said she hadn’t heard much about the new businesses, except for Scooters restaurant in The Hub. Davis hadn’t heard any response, positive or negative, on the Phillipses’ plans to turn the area into a “biker haven.” “ I guess that’s a good thing, ” he said. “Newton County needs something, that’s for sure.”

FOND MEMORIES Colter McCorkindale remembers both the heyday and waning days of Dogpatch. “I’m originally from Harrison, which is just up the road from Dogpatch, so it’s a place I went to every summer, right up to the end,” said McCorkindale, 30, now of Little Rock. McCorkindale said he, his family and his friends all have memories of the old park, from the stuffed dinosaur he won on the fairway — and still has — to acquaintances portraying characters from the Li’l Abner comic strip.

“The roller coaster was rickety, and everyone was afraid of [it ],” he said. “My high school Spanish teacher, he was Earthquake McGoon. My dad did comedy routines.”

Several years ago, McCorkindale attended a high school reunion, and he and his friends decided to go to Dogpatch to see the fate of the park. It was unattended at that time, heavily overgrown with rotting buildings and trash from vandals and squatters, he said.

“It was like we’d left the planet and come back years later; it was so weird,” he said.

McCorkindale took photos of the park and posted them on the Internet at www. pointedstick. net / colter / plog / 04 / dogpatch /.

“I heard from so many people who worked there,” he said. “I heard from several of the characters, and some helped explain some of the things in the photos.”

McCorkindale began hearing rumors of a cleanup last year and drove by the property in August, taking photos from Arkansas 7. He posted those photos, as well, and became as curious as others about whether the property had been sold.

“It’s like coming back after the fall of civilization, because it’s a place that you have memories of and you’ve grown up with it,” he said.

Though the future of the old Dogpatch park is murky, Mike Carr said there’s still hope the property can be redeveloped to the benefit of the county and nearby Jasper.

Though they don’t have the draw of Dogpatch, Randal and Debbie Phillips said the opening of Scooters in May 2005 and other businesses in and around The Hub have kept its visitors in Newton County.

The Hub has hosted hundreds of bikers and dozens of motorcycle groups, as well as family reunions, weddings and special events for the Newton County Chamber of Commerce.

Randal Phillips said they’re trying to sell the two buildings they have left to develop, including the old Marble Falls ice rink.

“We’re getting some nibbles,” he said. “We want people to open businesses up here. The more businesses we get up here, the better off we’ll be.” Dogpatch USA

1966 Albert Raney Sr. sells 160-acre trout farm near Marble Falls to Recreation Enterprises Inc., headed by O. J. Snow. The town’s name is changed to Dogpatch to promote the future amusement park. Oct. 3, 1967 Groundbreaking for $ 1. 3 million Phase I of Dogpatch USA, attended by Al Capp, creator of Li’l Abner comic upon which Dogpatch is based. May 17, 1968 Dogpatch USA opens to 8, 000 people; Capp dedicates the park. October 1968 Controlling interest purchased by businessman Jess Odom for $ 750, 000.

1969 120 camping spaces and a 62-unit “Mobile Motel” off Arkansas 7 Spur added. June 1972 Odom begins $ 5- $ 7 million expansion, dubbed Marble Falls, adjacent to Dogpatch. Project includes ski resort, indoor ice skating rink and convention center. January 1973 Weather and slow delivery of snow machines delay Marble Falls’ opening. Early spring halts resort’s season in mid-February. April 1974 Odom announces deal to bring student repertory theater group from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to Marble Falls for three years. The Boar’s Head Players perform only one year there, but exist at UA today. Oct. 1, 1977 Marble Falls closes amid foreclosure lawsuits and four unprofitable years. Al Capp retires.

1979 Dogpatch USA records its first unprofitable year. Nov. 3, 1980 Dogpatch files for bankruptcy, listing more than 90 creditors, after its second consecutive unprofitable year. Spring 1981 Dogpatch opens after being sold to Ozarks Entertainment Inc. headed by Wayne Thompson. The Shmoo, made popular through L’il Abner and Saturday morning cartoons, debuts at the park.

1983 Marble Falls property sold, despite liens against it.

1987 Dogpatch purchased by The Entertainment and Leisure Corp., known as Telcor, which also owns Magic Springs in Hot Springs.

1991 Melvin Bell, Telcor principle, initiates several changes, including dropping L’il Abner theme, changing the name to Dogpatch, Ark., eliminating entry fees and charging for individual rides and attractions. Oct. 14, 1993 Dogpatch closes.

1994 C. L. and Ford Carr of Westek and Leisuretek corporations receive quit claim on Dogpatch, giving them restricted ownership.

1997 Residents of Dogpatch vote to change town’s official name back to Marble Falls.

2002 Carr attempts to sell 141-acre Dogpatch property on eBay online auction, with a miniumum $ 1 million bid. There are no bidders. November 2004 Bob Richards and Randal Phillips purchase five buildings at the former Marble Falls resort. Richards eventually leaves the venture.

2005 Major cleanup begins on Dogpatch by the Carrs. The Hub and Scooters open.

2006 Fred and Larisse Mullens open The Shepherd’s Fold Campground & RV Park on the former Dogpatch campgrounds.

[slow_walker]

I want to read that article. Anybody have it?

I don't technically have it yet, but my mom has it saved for me and I should be seeing her this next Sunday/Monday to get it from her.

When I get back to work on Wednesday night, I will make sure you get to read every word. How's that sound?

Nevermind!

[HMndnproud]

I want to read that article. Anybody have it?

I don't technically have it yet, but my mom has it saved for me and I should be seeing her this next Sunday/Monday to get it from her.

When I get back to work on Wednesday night, I will make sure you get to read every word. How's that sound?

Nevermind!

Thanks for thinking of me.


Thanks GatsbyfromMC!!!

[SlyFoxx]

Wowww I sure hope they do something family oriented, like Racoon Mtn. in Tennesse. They could have a family fun park adjacent to the campground. Something like Hot Springs has. Perhaps mini golf, bumper boats or gocart track. SOMEthing for families to do together, perhaps a waterslide, not just a single slide like used to be there but maybe that plus a regular big slide.

[fireputteroutter]

I've been to Racoon Mtn. we went to the gameroom and did the horseback riding but after seeing two girls that had wiped out on the slide I wasn't brave enough. Dogpatch does have steep enough hills for something like that.

[SlyFoxx]

The Alpine Slide was my fave thing to do at Raccoon Mtn. I was so afraid of heights though on that ski lift, I was petrified but I rode it 7 times for the alpine slide. We did the cave tour & I did the waterslide. They also had a cabled hanglider that you just strap into & leapt off the side off of a platform or something & slid down a cable attached to the top of the glider & 'glided' down to the ground. I didn't do that though. They had a gondola/cable car but they quit running it the summer before we went due to high insurance costs, the alpine slide owner discontinued that but they still have everything else I think like the wtrslide & now they have gocarts I think.

[fireputteroutter]

I think that Short Mtn. in Paris, AR would be a great place for a cabled hang glider they already do the regular hang gliders from there.