The Beatles at the Ridge tribute in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas on Saturday drew a large crowd to downtown Walnut Ridge for the festivities. Mayor Don House, County Judge Freeman, State Representative James Ratliff, the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, members of the Walnut Ridge City Council, Charles and Jackie Snapp as well as many others attended the historic town event .
The unveiling of the Beatles sculpture coincided with the 47th anniversary of the Beatles’ visit to the town, located in northeast Arkansas.
The Beatles landed at the airport in Walnut Ridge late on a Friday night in 1964, en route to a weekend vacation just across the Missouri border. Their arrival was a secret and low key affair, but word had leaked out in the community by the time they departed on Sunday, two days later, and a crowd was waiting to catch a glimpse of the Fab Four. The visit by the world’s biggest rock band is now legendary in the town.
Performances by J.R. Rogers and the All Stars, Nancy Apple the “Cadillac Cowgirlâ€, and the Stunning Cunning Band began at 1:00 pm with the Liverpool Legends taking the stage at 5:00 p.m with an introduction by Louise Harrison, the sister of George Harrison. The giant sculpture (10 feet high and 20 feet wide) made of heavy weight aluminum, hand etched with over 500 man hours created by artist Danny West was unveiled. It’s permanent location will be Beatles Park, 110 SW Second Street in Walnut Ridge.
The 1962 GMC Suburban that transported George Harrison & Paul McCartney from the dude ranch to the Walnut Ridge Airport was also at the unveiling.
Walnut Ridge is located along a stretch of road recently designated as Rock n’ Roll Highway 67, in honor of the rockabilly performers who frequently traveled and performed along the route, especially in the late 1950s. Many of the performers were famous Sun Records artists, including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.
The Beatles sculpture has thus been dubbed The British Invasion of the Rock n’ Roll Highway. It is one of two tourist attractions being built by the tourism committee of the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.
The committee is also planning a Guitar Walk, a 100 X 40 foot concrete walk shaped like a Epiphone guitar, the instrument of choice for many of the early rock performers. The walk will be lined with sculptures of the pioneering rock musicians who once performed in the area. That attraction is planned for construction next year, about two blocks from the Beatles sculpture.
The Beatles landed at the airport in Walnut Ridge late on a Friday night, en route to a weekend vacation just across the Missouri border. Their arrival was a secret and low key affair, but word had leaked out in the community by the time they departed on Sunday, two days later, and a crowd was waiting to catch a glimpse of the Fab Four. The visit by the world’s biggest rock band is now legendary in the town. Website: www.rock67.com
City of Walnut Ridge website – http://www.cityofwalnutridge.com
