The Sesquicentennial celebration in Hope began Saturday morning with downtown transformed. Food trucks of many varieties pulled in. Vendors set up in The Hub. It helped that the blue-sky mild breeze day stayed in the true sweet spot of temperatures, only topping up to 83 degrees.
If you took the walk from downtown to Hope City Hall’s south lawn just after noon, you began to smell the charbroiling of burgers provided for free with a commemorative coin by Farmers Bank and served by the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce to all comers and see vendors setting up tables and tents. The bouncy castles and slides gradually puffed up and out.
For a $20 bargain price you could buy a commemorative t-shirt with a design by SWARK.Today’s April Lovette that will remind you and all you meet that Hope the railroad camp that became a town noted for its watermelons, its politicians and its stories is 150 now. (The shirts are still to be had at the Chamber of Commerce office.)
The Hempstead County Historical Society brought exhibits of documents and photos from Hope’s past and copies of journals and books looking back at its origins. Crowds began to show up with their canvas portable chairs. That Band, which would feature Hope native and legal advisor to Bill Clinton Joe Purvis, began setting up its instruments and amps.
The first speaker on stage at 5:00 p.m. was Arkansas Representative Dolly Henley. She read the resolution by the Arkansas House of Representatives to celebrate Hope’s Sesquicentennial.
Finally, one of Hope’s most famous world citizens, Mack McLarty, kindergarten classmate of Bill Clinton, came to the stage to thank the organizers of the celebration and to read a letter to the citizens of Hope from the former president.
“I wish so much I could be there with all of you gathered this weekend to celebrate Hope's 150th anniversary. I'll always consider myself blessed beyond measure to have started my life in Hope. It's where I made my first friendships, some of which have lasted more than 70 years.
“In Hope, I began opening my eyes to the world and learned my first lessons about life. I'll never forget the people and the stories that were heard around the table of the home of my great uncle Buddy and his wonderful wife, Ollie. And behind the counter of my grandfather's store, I learned that no one is perfect, but most people are good. And I also learned that life, a lot of times, is just about showing up and hanging on, and that laughter is often the best and sometimes the only response to a difficult moment of pain.
“Above all, I learned that everyone has a story. All my life, I have been interested in hearing and understanding other people's stories. My work has always been driven by the desire to give people better stories to tell. That all started in Hope. I also know that all of you here today have your own stories and your own lives that have played with Hope as the backdrop in your stories.
“I hope today you hear many of these stories (have already heard a bunch) and to celebrate, you'll continue to make them better and better in the years to come. Thank you all for what you do making Hope a stronger, better community than it is today. I send my best wishes of great celebration, many more years of growth and success, and I look forward to hopefully coming home. Signed, Bill Clinton.”
McLarty himself said, “Thank all of you for joining us. It's great to be with you. Have a great, great celebration on a special and meaningful day.”
Mayor Still was next. He greeted the crowd, said he had been a senior in high school during the centennial year and asked those present to think back. “If we could shut our eyes and think about Main Street years ago. I think about all the business that used to be. David and Cherry Stewart at the restaurant downtown, and Olen Overturf had the shoe store,” he said. He also commended all the volunteers over Hope’s 150 years who helped to build the city. Then he read a proclamation.
“Whereas 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of the City of Hope.
“Whereas Hope was founded in 1873 as a station of Cairo-Fulton Railroad, named after Hope Loughborough, the daughter of James the railroad land commission.
“Whereas the railroad company drew the plats of the town. And on the first lot drawn August 28 1873 Walter Shiver built the first house near the depot in the same year.
“Whereas the town was incorporated on April 8, 1875 and the first officials were elected in May 14, 1875.
“It is fitting that we should join to express our pride and appreciation for the many civic economic benefits of this community has enjoyed over the last 150 years because of the growth and prosperity of our city. Now, therefore I, Don Still, Mayor proclaim the year 2025 the city of Hope’s anniversary for celebration.”
At this point, Still opened the lid of a gray box that had been stored at Farmers Bank & Trust, the successor bank to First National Bank, which entered the time capsule in its vault in 1975 in a building at East Second and South Walnut that no longer exists, having been replaced by a new building occupied for the most part by Farmers Bank & Trust, then sold and renovated to become the Hempstead County Courthouse. After this it was transferred to the Farmers Bank location on South Walnut and East Third.
Mayor Still lifted from the box a commemorative dish for the 1975 centennial year, a 1975 phone book, a program for the ceremony, a copy of the U.S. Constitution released by the Ethyl Corporation, an edition of the Hope Star and much more. The box was carried over to the Hempstead County Historical Society tent where more of its contents were revealed, including about a dozen sealed letters from Hope leaders and citizens, some to the people of Hope, some to specified family members. It also had two books, the 1974 A Commemorative History of Hope, Arkansas, edited by Mary Nell Turner and That Was the Year That Was, a horizontally oriented book of captioned photos from city events in 1975.
Next, Joe Purvis got his friends in That Band going on “Mustang Sally.” They played Motown and rock/pop hits for an hour and a half. Then Majestic Jazz took over, sailing gorgeously sung, jazzy blues over the City Hall’s grounds.
The fireworks display, engineered by Mayor Don Still and his crew, began at 8:30, lighting up the skies over downtown Hope in explosions of white, blue, gold and scarlet. Attendance at Hope’s 150th had been much better than expected and the many young people it brought just a little north of the tracks will be carrying their memories of it to Hope’s 200th.
