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Bull Shoals - Monday, July 4th Bull Shoals celebrated Independence Day with the Annual Fireworks over the Dam and the Bull Shoals VFW All-American Parade and Family Picnic. The parade kicked off at 12:30 p.m. led by representatives of the Bull Shoals Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Department, and local Fire Departments. Several businesses and community groups made floats and gave out flags and candy to the audience lining highway 178 from the Dam Site Campground to the VFW post. Community members brought dozens of classic cars and motorcycles to entertain the crowd. Bull Shoals Mayor David Nixon brought his motorcycle out to show support for the local VFW, his community, and our country. After the parade, watchers were treated to family games, live music, hot food, a beer garden, and root beer floats at the All-American Picnic hosted on the grounds of the VFW. A Harley Davidson motorcycle was raffled off at the event as well. Lines and smiling faces stretched across the parking lot.

In thinking back on the Flippin of my youth, it was certainly much smaller and everyone pretty much knew everyone. This had both pros and cons associated with it but, by and large, the pluses outnumbered the minuses. One of the primary positives of back then, even though it may be hard to believe, was that Flippin had at least five grocery stores inside the city limits, for part of the 1960’s. There was no Wal-Mart Super Center, but we had lots of other options. That’s right, in a town with a population just over 500, according to a special census in the mid 1960’s. And, if you went just a few miles further out toward Cotter, there was Jay King’s grocery and gas station at the intersection of Hwy. 62 and Hwy. 101. The main thing I remember about this one is that they usually stayed open later in the evening than the stores closer in town.

Flippin – On July 3, 2022, Flippin hosted its 35th Annual Fourth of July Fireworks Festival at Hickey Park. Events started at 3 p.m. with the Bounce house and Water slide. The very popular Wall of Water by the Flippin Fire Department, and a patriotic ceremony with presentation of the flags during the Nation Anthem.

Summer vacation in my family usually just meant not going to school and days free to spend in adventure and fun. I only recall two “real” vacations my family ever took and one of those was to attend a convention for Ohio National Life Insurance, the company my dad and Grandfather both worked for. That convention was held at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and it was before my family moved back to Flippin when I was five years old.

Washington – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) toured the U.S.

What parent does not remember Amelia Bedelia, The Berenstain Bears and Curious George? Bull Shoals Library has many of these children’s books. Originally written by Peggy Parish, Amelia Bedelia picture books are part of the I Can Read Book series to help young people learn to read.