Westside Community Guide

By Sarah Haney NWA Democrat-Gazette e town of Gentry, intersected by State Highways 12 and 59, is situated along the western border of Benton County. e county itself is located in the extreme northwestern corner of Arkansas and is bounded on the north by Missouri and on the west by Oklahoma. In the 1890s, Arthur E. Stillwell originated the Kansas City-Pittsburg and Gulf Railway starting at Kansas City, Mo., with the intent of extending it to the Gulf of Mexico. e settlement of the town of Gentry began in 1894 with the arrival of the railroad. It became the residential and nancial center for a vast fruit-growing industry. For a short time the town was called Orchard, but was incorporated as Gentry in 1898. e town was renamed in honor of the president of the railroad. e name of the railroad was changed to Kansas City Southern in April 1, 1900. By 1903, Gentry had a population of 1,000 people. Gentry was surrounded by fruit farms from the large apple growers to the small berry growers. e industries of the town included shipping, evaporating and canning of fruits, as well as tourism. e railroad gave rise to a brick depot that was considered one of the nest of the Kansas City Southern line. Numerous merchants in Benton County relocated to Gentry, and several banks and hotels were established. An academy with a 13-room dormitory was erected by the 1920s. Gentry's Apple Blossom Festival was one of the largest events in the state in the mid-1920s. Eventually, many of the orchards were divided into tracts and sold to individuals who transformed the lands from orchards to general farming. e railroad hauled cattle, as well as the fruit produce, to market in Kansas City. Gentry remained primarily an agricultural center until the later half of the 1900s. While Gentry's economy is no longer primarily agricultural, it still has a thriving economic base. In 1983 the McKee Foods Corporation (then known as McKee Baking Company) opened a manufacturing facility in Gentry. e plant was then, and still is, the city's largest employer. In addition to Little Debbie's and Sunbelt snacks (made by the McKee Foods Corporation), Gentry is home to a number of diverse businesses ranging from those in the hospitality industry to those providing power for the future. e Gentry Chamber of Commerce is a good place to stop to learn about Gentry's businesses and the special festivals and activities in town each year. e Chamber sponsors the town's annual July 4th Freedom Festival — complete with games, car show, musicians and bands, and a reworks display which draws people from all over the region. It also sponsors a Christmas parade, an Easter egg hunt, and a multi-community garage and yard sale along Arkansas Highway 59, in addition to other events and activities. Gentry is home to the Pioneers, the mascot of the Gentry School District. With an enrollment of more than 1,200, Gentry Schools are providing a rst-class education to children and youth. Students from many small communities in the area travel to Gentry to attend school. Gentry has modern schools, with district-wide accreditation by AdvancEd. Churches in Gentry include Assembly of God, Baptist, Christian, Church of Christ, Mennonite, Seventh-Day Adventist, United Methodist, and others. Most denominations o er programs for youth and families, as well as regular religious services. Several also have schools, and next door to the Gentry Seventh-Day Adventist Church and School in the Dawn Hill area is Ozark Adventist Academy. Also, to the west of Gentry, is Gentry Mennonite School. Gentry continues to grow. With annexations and population growth, the city's current population is estimated at 3,400. New businesses are opening in the historic downtown area, as well as along Arkansas Highway 59. As a community, Gentry celebrates its past, looks forward to its future and believes the best is yet to be. ● Gentry continues to grow while maintaining small-town friendliness Gentry T industry. For a short time the town was who transformed the lands from orchards to Eli Whitaker, 4, and Paige Carter, also 4, were selected Little Mister and Little Miss Gentry during the Freedom Festival. Photo courtesy of Randy Moll NWA Democrat-Gazette Linda Williams and Billy Glasscock, both custodial staff members, arrange letters on the marquee at Gentry Intermediate School. Photo courtesy of Jason Ivester NWA Democrat-Gazette 10 – 2018 Westside Community Guide

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