FAYETTEVILLE -- Some of the predictions former Mayor Fred Hanna made 25 years ago became true.
Hanna, who served as mayor from 1992 to 2000, contributed a typed list of predictions for 2022 in a time capsule buried at the Northwest Arkansas Mall in 1997. That capsule saw the light of day again coming through the skylight at the mall's food court on Thursday.
Hanna predicted, accurately, that Fayetteville would become the second-largest city in Arkansas. The city's population reached 90,515 as of the 2020 census, behind Little Rock.
He also said the city "will still be making the lists nationwide as one of the best places in the United States to live." Fayetteville has consistently sat in the Top 10 of best places to live, according to U.S. News and World Report, ahead of cities such as Austin, Texas; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Portland, Ore.
Other predictions were a little more subjective. Hanna said the city's transportation systems would be much improved. That comment drew a mix of applause and moans from a crowd gathered at the time capsule's unveiling ceremony.
Other items from the capsule similarly drew a variety of responses. Any fan of the Green Bay Packers probably would like to get their hands on a now-vintage Super Bowl XXXI shirt. Some folks could probably still use the The Shopper's Guide to Fat in Your Foods, a handy carry-along guide to the fat, calories and fat percentages in brand-name foods.
"I think I'll hold onto that one," said Jeff Bishop, senior general manager for the mall.
The fish might still bite the woolly buggers and yuk bugs in a fly-fishing kit from Bancroft. A red satin nightwear lingerie piece from Victoria's Secret elicited an appropriate response from someone in the crowd.
"Does this mean we know what Victoria's secret was?" a woman said.
[Don't see the video? Click here to watch: nwaonline.com/318time/]
Coincidentally, a newspaper clipping from the Morning News' sports columnist Nate Allen expressed optimism for the men's Razorback basketball team's chances at a postseason tournament in New York. The tournament was the National Invitation Tournament, a consolation competition, in which the Hogs reached the semifinals but fell to eventual champion Michigan.
The Razorbacks faced Vermont in the NCAA men's basketball tournament Thursday, in Buffalo, N.Y., with significantly higher stakes on the line.
Houndstooth Clothing Co., still has a presence at the mall and had a shirt in the capsule. Owner Michael Baker didn't recall putting one in there.
"When we saw the announcement, my wife said, 'You have a shirt in there,'" he said. "I was like, 'If you say I do, then I'll believe you.'"
Seeing the items brought back memories of past colleagues, many of whom Baker still keeps in contact with.
"It sounds very cliche, but it's as much about people now as it was then," he said. "We were younger and we were less experienced, and even though the faces have changed, the passion for what we do has not changed."
David and Melanie Pelkey of Springdale saw an announcement for the time capsule unveiling in local media and wanted to take a trip down memory lane. Melanie Pelkey remembered their children, who were toddlers at the time, playing on the play equipment in front of JCPenney. The couple would run into friends at the food court. They still do their annual Christmas shopping at the mall.
David Pelkey said he thinks the mall will still exist in another 25 years, but it'll likely look significantly different. He imagined bars or amenities geared toward younger adults or apartments in the parking lot.
The city's 71B corridor plan released in 2019 has a similar vision for the space. The plan proposes mid-rise apartments on the western edge of the mall's parking lot. It also has a row of restaurants on the east side.
Devin Howland, Fayetteville's economic vitality director, said any potential future land uses at the mall are still unknown. However, the mall is a landmark that's played a significant role in the city's growth. Its location and the size of the property will ensure an important role in the city's future, he said.
"If you look across the country, malls are being adapted to uses such as housing, employment, recreation, health clinics and even educational facilities," Howland said. "The common thing with these new uses is they are aimed at bringing residents to these properties in person."
Bishop detailed the mall's 50-year history to the crowd. The stores may have changed, but experiences have always served as the foundation. He said the mall will bury another time capsule to be opened in 2047.
"Fifty years of experiences is what we're celebrating today, with optimism for another 50 years of great experiences and the memories that come along," Bishop said.
Originally built as a Sears store in 1970, the mall underwent an expansion and opened as Northwest Arkansas Plaza on March 2, 1972, as a 450,000-square-foot center. A renovation in 1997 grew the mall to 820,000 square feet with the construction of a new wing with an expanded food court where the time capsule was buried.
Source: Northwest Arkansas Mall
Visitors look Thursday, March 17, 2022, through the contents of a time capsule buried in 1997 beneath the food court of the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville. The mall celebrated its 50th anniversary with the unveiling, and said it plans to bury another time capsule to be opened in 2047. Visit nwaonline.com/220318Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)