In case you haven't heard, Sunday (Feb. 9) marked the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' first appearance on American television on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
What you may not know is later that year, the group landed at the Walnut Ridge, Ark., airport to be transported to a nearby vacation spot, with a planned return to the airport two days later. While the stop was supposed to be a secret, word leaked out, and when the Fab Four returned to Walnut Ridge, most of the town was waiting.
This stop made Walnut Ridge the only town in Arkansas that the Beatles visited. Recently, USA Today released a list of the 10 best places to visit for Beatles history and named Walnut Ridge as a place to stop, alongside international locations, such as Abbey Road Studios in London. Read the entire list here!
In September 2011, the town dedicated a life-size sculpture of the group in the city’s downtown area, depicting the group as they appear on the Abbey Road album cover. The sculpture is called “The British Invasion of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Highway,” in reference to Walnut Ridge’s location along the historic Rock ‘N’ Roll Highway 67.
In September 2012, the town had its first Beatles at the Ridge Music Festival, featuring music, activities and special Beatles-themed events for the family. In conjunction with the first festival, the community unveiled the Guitar Walk, a 115 foot-long by 40 foot-wide guitar based on an Epiphone Casino played by John Lennon.
The guitar features nine plaques dedicated to some of the country’s musical legends, including Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sonny Burgess and Billy Lee Riley.
The Beatles at the Ridge Music Festival is scheduled this year for Sept. 19-20. The 50th anniversary of The Beatles stopover will be celebrated with music, vendors and the first-ever Beatles Symposium in Arkansas. This year’s musical lineup will be unveiled on March 1 on the festival’s website www.BeatlesattheRidge.com.
Have you seen Walnut Ridge's Beatles attraction? Let us know in the box below!
