Black Powder Shoot & Picnic

The Thomas C. Hindman Camp and the Fontaine R. Earle Camp held what will now be an annual blackpowder shoot and picnic at the T. C. Hindman shooting range on Saturday the 7th of May. The weather was superb and attendance was excellent, especially considering the event was held the Saturday before Mother's Day. With smoked brisket, pork loin, and chicken and trays full of veggies and cobblers, there was little chance the event would not be a success. It is a great opportunity to get to know the folks in other Camps in an informal setting and we all look forward to next year's shoot/picnic.

Confederate Flag Day

     It's getting to be that busy time of the Camp's calendar again and this year promises to be especially full. This past weekend saw the annual Confederate Flag Day, Confederate Memorial Day, and the start of Confederate History Week for Arkansas, all three celebrated at the Capitol in Little Rock on Saturday. The weather cooperated and the ceremony, which included a reading of many of the names of Arkansans killed in the War Between the States, was moving as always. Arkansas is one of the few States that still has a Confederate Flag Day legally prescribed by State law and we need to make every effort to keep it. One of the best ways to do this is to be at the event every year and show that there are still lots of folks that care about our Confederate flags and support the right to fly them.
     April 9th saw our first Confederate encampment of the year at the Prairie Grove Battlefield and we were kept on our feet all day talking with the many visitors. We even had a tour bus full of folks from Oklahoma stop by plus lots of kids getting their pictures taken with us on their way to the Prairie Grove High School prom. Great fun for all involved. For information on coming events and camp activities, just click on the Camp Calendar located on the left side of this page.

Camp Charter

The day we as SCV members have been working toward for the past year has arrived. The Thomas C. Hindman Camp #656 is no longer 'Charter Pending'. Our charter has been approved by the Arkansas Division and SCV International Headquarters and the Certificate of Charter is in the mail to us. Though the road to reactivating this Camp that was deactivated years ago has been long and even discouraging at times, we have persevered. Over the past year we have been very active in the Northwest Arkansas community and have made many friends for not only our Camp, but for our Southern Heritage. I am proud of all our members for their dedication to the Cause and their work to share the truth about the Confederacy with their fellow citizens.

Cane Hill Harvest Festival

It is the middle of September but Summer still has a firm grip on us with temps in the mid 90s. The warm but fine weather brought out visitors to the Cane Hill Harvest Festival in droves and our Confederate encampment was very busy both days of the festival. We were encamped next to the Trans Mississippi Medical Corp's surgical tent which worked well for all. Lots of good eats were available with a wonderful breakfast being served in the old Canehill College building. One of our young Confederate ladies, Haley Roach, won second place in the talent contest and Raymond Anders from the Earle Camp won best costume in the parade. A good time was had by all.

Prairie Grove Clothesline Fair

What a beautiful, pre-Fall, three day weekend we were blessed with for the annual Clothesline Fair! The Battlefield Park Service personnel said there were an estimated 20 -25 thousand visitors over the holiday weekend and judging by the crowds, I can believe it. We set up our SCV Confederate encampment next to the museum right at the entrance to the Park Friday afternoon and stayed busy until we folded our tents late Monday afternoon. Saturday morning our two Camps, Hindman & Earle, fired muskets to start the children's race and the 5K race at the crack of dawn.  After a hardy breakfast we returned to the encampment and began shaking hands and talking to folks about the SCV and our Southern heritage. As always, we had a constant stream of kids wanting to hold the guns and swords and their parents wanting to get pictures of them. We handed out hundreds of brochures and I believe both Camps will get new members from this event.