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Black history, food and wine in Eureka Springs
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The Eureka Springs Historical Museum
In part 3 of our sojourn to Eureka Springs, we explored the spas and several great accommodations. In this, our last visit, will explore a bit more of Eureka Springs’ history, entertainment options and wine and dine!
People might be surprised to find out that there is a bit of African American history in Eureka Springs.
Historical accounts vary some; however, it is generally believed that a man by the name of Thoro Harris was born in Washington, D.C. in 1874 and that his father was an African American doctor. The elder Harris was said to have married a white woman in order to protect his children from racism, so Thoro—from photos I have seen—looked like a man of mixed-race heritage in his early years, a white man much later on.
After living in Michigan, Massachusetts and Illinois, Thoro eventually moved to Eureka Springs about 1930 where he lived until his death in 1955.
Once in Eureka Springs, Thoro passed as white, a decision that may have been influenced by the fact that the head of the Ku Klux Klan at the time lived in a neighboring county. However, most townsfolk who supposedly knew of his African American heritage were unaffected, because Thoro was very well liked, active in the community and made a real name for himself through his talent for music.
A hymn writer and Gospel song publisher, Thoro is credited with writing some of today’s most popular spiritual songs like “All That Thrills the Soul,”—his most famous, “Glory in the Highest,” “Looking for that Blessed Hope,” “Pentecost in My Soul” and “My Father’s House,” among numerous others.
In addition to his spiritual interests, Thoro also owned a local boarding house--the Piedmont House--now a bed and breakfast inn and Eureka Springs’ oldest continuously operated inn, and he is buried just east of town.
The Eureka Springs Historical Museum has a great deal of information about Thoro, including numerous photos, letters, certificates and other documentation about his life and work, many contributed in recent years by family members from around the country.
Two other well-known African Americans live here too – Acra Turner and Yao Angelo. Acra (pronounced Ay-kruh) stems from a name in the Bible, which interestingly enough later came to exemplify his upbringing and gospel roots. I caught up with Acra while he was preparing for his role in a local Pine Mountain Theater showpresenting pop, country and comedy musical theater plus tributes to Arkansas musicians.
Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Acra Turner is a very down-to-earth, funny, talented man who looks like a young Charlie Parker, with experiences playing college football and basketball, coaching youth basketball, hospice nursing and hospice outreach through his calling - music.
“I was raised around music and have family members who were involved in black churches,” he said. “One of my cousins sang with The Bar-Kays, and another with The Delfonics.” (Acra’s daughter—Nikki Turner-- is also famous in her own right, often referred to as “the undisputed queen of hip-hop fiction”).
Singing was always a big part of Acra’s life, which now shares with many in Eureka Springs. In one of the current Pine Mountain Theater productions, Acra sings, plays piano and is a big hit with show patrons as well as with his fellow actors and musicians.
Of his life in Eureka Springs Acra said, “I just want to live my life in peace and have fun. I know, I’m a black guy singing Country Western and Bluegrass, but I love it.”
Born in the Ivory Coast in West Africa, Angelo Yao (pronounced like “Y-Ouch” without the “ch”) is the town’s bicycle-riding traffic cop, and the leader of “Ozakwaba,” an African-American music and dance band.
Angelo is recognized for his perpetual smiling face and according to the residents, is loved by tourists and locals alike. He is also the founder of “Africa in the Ozarks,” created, he is quoted as having said, “to show the people of my new country the energy and beauty of the culture of my homeland.”
Africa in the Ozarks is a very popular event drawing folks from all around the area. Through it, Angelo brings a wealth of talented people from West Africa to participate in each year’s themed celebration. For the year themed “Tradition of the Masks,” they offered a mask-making workshop with master teachers from the Ivory Coast and the U.S., adult lead drum and dance workshops, a free dance demonstration in the park, children’s African dance classes, an African dinner and a dance performance at the local City Auditorium.
Culinary Adventures
Culinary adventures in Eureka Springs are plentiful, ranging from cheap tacos to award-winning restaurants.
Among those are numerous “good meals under $10” options such as Sheridan’s Ozark Buffet, Shawbee’s Big Dawg Saloon, Bubba’s Barbecue, the Catfish Cabin, Harp’s 57, La Familia, New Delhi Café and Grandma’s Beans and Cornbread, among others.
Sparky’s Roadhouse Café(look for the bowling alley on the ceiling!) serves an eclectic menu of American and international fare including a delicious Miami chicken dinner entrée of Cuban style, marinated, grilled chicken with grilled onions, rice and black beans – yum! Sparky’s has an impressive beer list encompassing 99 different bottle varieties alone.
Local Flavor Caféserves a delicious variety of fresh quiches, soups, salads, burgers, pastas and interesting appetizer plates.
One of our favorites was Devito's Restaurant, voted “Best Italian Restaurant in Arkansas” by the Arkansas Times. Located downtown and offering fine Italian cuisine and unique specialty dishes, one of their most popular items are the trout fingers and smoked trout filet. Dinner options range from pasta dishes like spaghetti with pesto sauce and shrimp scampi on a bed of pasta, to veal Bolognese, trout Italiano, chicken parmesan, pork loin Capperi and veal piccata entrees. The service is great, the food delicious and the ambiance—particularly in the back dining room with expansive window views of the forested hillside—were all wonderful.
If you like to “wine” as well as dine, then I highly recommend a visit to Keels Creek Winery, possessing reportedly the largest selection of Arkansas wines in the state, an extensive art gallery and a 10-grape variety vineyard just down the road.
Wine tasting here is a one-hour affair where guests are invited to sit, relax, enjoy, ask questions and really learn about wines. Folks drive from near and far to Keels Creek to stock up on their favorite wines, and to enjoy the unique setting inside of a Spanish-style building amidst towering trees with gorgeous views of the Ozark hills behind it. Walking into Keels Creek really feels much more like entering someone’s home than into a business establishment.
I plan to reflect upon and relive my wonderful experience in Eureka Springs while drinking my new wine, perusing my photographs and remembering the fond memories I have of this little slice of heaven.
Oh yeah, and dreaming about when I can go back!
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