[bobd42]

Slim you are so correct , it is almost impossible to find all you need unless you buy a product from china . When we go to wally world we try to check everything before we buy . THe bad pet food really broke the mold for us as lots of people lost pets . Then we had the bad medicine then the lead paint on the toys , then the bad food products. Looks like they are trying to kill us .
We are comming back to Mena in the spring with the travel trailer if diesel isin't too high . This time we want to really look around , might spend a week or so . Thanks for the info on the storms .
We live in palestine , Texas and we have had more tornados than that .
I doooo like the part about the fishing.

[nativeofarkansas]

The 1993 tornado hit downtown Mena taking out the top floor of the building at Mena and Maple Streets, knocking out the back wall of the old Lyric Theater which is home to the Ouachita Little Theater, etc. Lots of bricks in the streets, windows blown out of many stores, etc. The governor immediately sent in National Guard Troops in anticipation of looting. There was NONE. The troops went home within hours. The leading state newspapers wrote editorials about the way the people of Mena helped each other rather than looting. The saddest part of the tornado was the destruction of the ancient trees in Janssen Park. The park has been built back but the largest of the trees are gone. The 2000, or was it 2001, ice storm left all of southwestern Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma without electricity for a week or more. Once again neighbors helped each other. Mena and the area prides itself on being civil. I suggest you join a rural volunteer fire department if you seek to become part of the community. If you chose to live in Mena, I suggest you join several organizations and/or a church if you seek to become a member of the community. Learn the history of the area by taking an Arkansas, Ouachita, or Ozark history class at the local community college.
Join Master Gardners--contact the local Polk County Extension Service.
The weather is livable year round. There are days that are challenging but nothing anyone of reasonable health and good spirits cannot manage.
Shopping locally is very possible! Most people do. I suggest you check out all of the locally owned stores by making a walking tour of the mainstreet area. Wal-Mart is very handy but it is not the only place folks shop. The Mena Wal-Mart is managed by a local fellow who graduated from the University of Arkansas, worked his way up in WM and was finally able to get to be the manager of the local store. There are many people who go away, get an education, take time to earn their strips away from home, and finally get to home.
Our greatest needs are in the medical area. Like all of rural America, we need more doctors. We need more people with insurance to pay for the medical care. The quality of medical care is above the quality found in most isolated areas!

[Hassayampa Slim]

Native, Thanks for the details on the '93 tornado. Jansen Park is still beautiful even with the loss of some of the older trees. We came back with about a dozen pictures taken around the park, ducks, bridge, pond, etc. Here in Arizona where we have a good three months with temps hovering around 110, your relatively short hot spell is a relief. Don't let anyone tell you the lack of humidity makes 110+ bearable... When you have to use a rag or folded sack to open your car door and can hardly hold on to your steering wheel, that's HOT.
Your good advise on joining the community is appreciated. We already spent two Sundays at the church we would be joining, and would definitely be looking at the Master Gardener program. (One of the big reasons we love Mena is the green, green, everywhere... love gardening.) As to the health care situation, although I'm sure there are areas that could be improved, be careful what you wish for. So much of today's so called medicine, is just moneymaking schemes for pushing drugs from the big pharmaceuticals... even if they kill you with side effects. Never ending tests and drugs... hardly what I call a cure. Obviously I'm a big proponent of naturopathic medicine.
Thanks for all the good info, I'm sure we all appreciate it.
Slim

[AllenKarber]

I apologize for not remembering the '93 Mena tornado. I honestly had forgotten all about it.

[bobd42]

I sure agree with you about supporting your community . I am a ham radio operator and a member of ARES ( amatuer radio emergency service ) and a trained skywarn spotter . We also like to garden ,so the garden program would work to . Years ago i was a deputy constable and would still support out local law enforcememt , if called to do so,
( old guys are sometimes good in a jam ), sometimes not .
We have been victims of a toal destruction hurricane and we all had to guard each others property with shotguns to keep the looters at bay .We understand the value of community and the strength of it, when trouble comes along .