BALD KNOB — When driving down Highway Avenue in Bald Knob, it is hard to miss the mural dedicated to veterans. The colorful mural, painted in 2013 by Gene Reagan, salutes veterans from all branches of the military. Perpendicular to the mural is a wall with the names of 535 veterans who lived in the Bald Knob School District for at least five years, and the list of names keeps growing.
Of course, the mural is painted on the side of a building. Members of the Bald Knob Veterans Committee — who commissioned the mural — were concerned that if a new owner acquired the building, they would have no way to protect the mural. That was one of the main reasons the group — along with First Community Bank — jumped at the opportunity to purchase the part of the building where the mural is located.
After months of renovations, that space now houses the Bald Knob Veterans Memorial Wall and Museum. Members of the Bald Knob Veterans Committee have done a majority of the work, and loaned items are already on display for the public to see.
“It’s been about 18 months,” said Doyle Wallace, president of the Bald Knob Veterans Committee. “Our board members did all of the work with the exception of the upper part of the [interior] walls.”
The walls were done by Bald Knob Police Chief Erek Balentine, and Bald Knob Veterans Committee member Travis Case said the rest of the work was done with an estimated 1,500 to 1,600 volunteer hours. Additionally, the flower pots in front of the mural are maintained by Connie Poole.
The museum has already had visitors, Wallace said, including local school groups learning about history.
“We’ve had two groups from a school come in,” he said. “The teachers would bring the students up here to check the names on the wall, and I think most all of them could find someone they know on that wall. They went back to their classes and wrote letters to their relatives or one of us. … We want them to learn about the wars. We want them to recognize our veterans.”
Now that the museum space is owned by the Bald Knob Veterans Committee, its members are already planning a second mural to go on the back exterior wall. The future mural — which will be done by the same artist who did the first one — will feature a mother and child at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with four “ghostlike” soldiers.”
On Monday, the Bald Knob Veterans Committee will host a cookout at the new museum. The event — which will serve as an open house for the facility — will begin at 11 a.m. with hot dogs and chili for the community. The food will be free, but donations will be accepted. At 5 p.m., the After Hours Band will provide entertainment.
The Bald Knob Veterans Memorial Wall and Museum is at 3014 Highway Ave.
For more information about the wall or museum, or to loan items to the museum, call Doyle Wallace at (501) 230-0822.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.