Sidewalk Sundays at the Walmart Museum are in full swing again.
"The program really took off last year," says Alan Dranow, senior director of Walmart Heritage Group. "We started it to help activate the square on Sundays, and it's really done that."
FAQ
The Walmart Museum
WHEN — 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday
WHERE — 105 N. Main St. in Bentonville
COST — Free
INFO — 273-1329 or walmartmuseum.com
FYI
Community Events
Play It Forward, a series of community concerts, takes place in the Walmart World Room at The Walmart Museum every three weeks. Admission is $5. Upcoming performances include David Starr at 6:30 p.m. July 18 and Little Joe McLerran at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22. Proceeds from the David Starr show benefit Open Avenues, and money raised by the Little Joe McLerran show benefits Ozarks Blues Society. Doors open at 6 for both shows. Tickets are available at purchase.downtownbe….
Arts and crafts with Abrakadoodle will take place on the Bentonville square Sunday. Members of the community are invited to drop in from 2 to 5 p.m. The museum's website has a full schedule.
"It's very family friendly. ... It helps build community and introduces people to our museum," Dranow says.
The museum, of course, is filled with the history of Walmart, the largest retailer in the world. Inside the museum, visitors can view Sam Walton's office the way it looked on the day he died, April 5, 1992. It's not a replica, Dranow says.
On display also is Walton's 1979 Ford pickup, which many associates often take their picture beside while touching the door handle -- in the hopes of becoming frugal and business savvy just as Walton was, Dranow says of the urban legend among associates.
"That's the one place on the truck that they know Sam touched," he adds.
One surprising thing about the truck, Dranow says, is the marked up steering wheel.
"People ask if Sam was a nervous driver," Dranow explains. "But no. Those are teeth marks from Ol' Roy, Sam's favorite hunting dog."
Walmart has grown from a small mom and pop store on the Bentonville square into a giant retailer all over the globe. The success of the Waltons, which is showcased in the museum, is an inspiration to everyone, Dranow says.
"It's the quintessential America success story. It inspires people to be entrepreneurial; it inspires people to succeed," he says.
The museum recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and launched a virtual museum online at walmartmuseum.com.
"We've taken the museum and put it online so people who can't come to Bentonville can still learn all about our heritage and have a really fun experience," says Dranow.
-- Kelly Barnett
kbarnett@nwadg.com
NAN What's Up on 06/19/2015