Home is where The Barn is

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The Barn at Holiday Island, a popular gathering spot for social gatherings, is celebrating its 80th birthday this year.

“The barn is the most rented facility that the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (HISID) owns,” Ken Brown, president of the Friends of the Barn, said. “It has a long and glorious history. It is the social center for Holiday Island. Everybody likes the barn. They have wedding receptions there. They have family reunions, meetings, dances and birthday parties. And it’s economical to rent, $200 for all day if you are a property owner and $325 per day if you are not a property owner.”

Brown said Friends of the Barn have invested about $30,000 for improvements to the Barn since 2008 while putting in 2,000 hours of volunteer labor. Brown’s wife, Judy, is secretary of the organization. Recently when the Browns said they were planning to give up being president and secretary of the Friends of the Barn in order to concentrate on travel trailer trips, it looked like the Friends of the Barn would disband. But when people heard about it, volunteers have stepped up so the group would continue.

Earlier in its history there was a restaurant and bar at the Barn to entertain people coming in to purchase lots and build homes. There were country music bands and dancing. In 2008 HISID considered closing the barn due to high costs for heating and air conditioning. Brown said that was when Friends of the Barn was formed and raised money to pay for renovation costs to keep the facility in good shape.

Insulation was blown in the building that was originally a horse barn, and volunteers custom built 23 storm windows. Recently about $1,100 was invested in a concrete slab around a deck in the rear of the building to divert rainwater runoff and prevent animal damage.

In 1938 a Chicago banker, who had purchased the nearby Fisherman’s Paradise Resort, built the Barn. The Barn was used to stable racehorses, and in 1954 it was converted to a restaurant.

According to research by Suzanne Williams and conversations with Chuck Hicklin, in 1854 Hewey Bandy of Missouri purchased 180 acres located next to the Bandy Homestead. After Mr. Bandy died in 1910, Mr. Bernett bought the Bandy Farm that later went bankrupt. Dick Shields of El Dorado, Kan., bought 1,300 acres from the Federal Land Bank and purchased additional parcels of land from local residents. The area was known as Bandy’s Bend.

“Mr. Shields first built a ranch house, the barn and additional buildings on the property in 1938,” Williams says in her history of the Barn. “Originally Jersey cows and bulls were primarily raised on the ranch, although teams of horses and mules were used to do the work around the Barn and ranch. The milk and cream were delivered to nearby Eureka Springs in an old pickup twice a week.

“In 1954 Henry Banach, a Chicago banker, purchased the ranch and established the rustic “Fisherman’s Paradise Resort.” Horseracing was a well-attended activity during the period. People from a wide area would come to watch sanctioned races held on a flat area near where the swimming pool and fire station are now located, adjacent to the Barn. Food was served chuck wagon style with grill cooks turning out as many as 200 meals in one evening. This resort was known as Branch Island Ranch Resort. In 1965 the name of the area was changed to Holiday Island.

“In 1970 McCullough Recreation Properties, part of the chainsaw and implement company, purchased Holiday Island. On May 21, 1974, the Barn was sold to a private owner and became The Barn Steakhouse, changing from a working structure to a location of community fellowship and enjoyment. The Barn featured live entertainment with country music stars such as Hank Thompson playing there in the summer of 1974. Other successful musical entertainers played the Barn over the next several years as they loved the circular ‘in the round’ rotating stage that still exists.

“…The Barn Steakhouse continued to be leased intermittently until 1994, feeding about 200 people a night along with great entertainment. After this time, the building was purchased by HISID and became part of the recreation area that was built around it offering a place for classes, meetings, reunions and wedding receptions.”

The 80th anniversary celebration will be during Octoberfest, Oct. 6. Bratwurst, dancing and music, with tickets for $5.