Diamond Wars 30

The group: Small Gray Bear (Little Rock, AR)
The event: Diamond Wars 30 (Facebook event page)
The date: October 15-18, 2015
The location: Camp Cedar Valley, Viola, Arkansas (Google directions link to exact site).

Accommodations on-site: All tenting (a very few cabin spaces available for royalty). Bathhouses with hot water. Great Hall with kitchen. Some electrical hookups and water faucets across site. Entire site is 777 acres.

Alcohol: YES. Please take home your empties.

Dining on-site: Site fee includes Thursday night soup kitchen and Saturday evening barbecue feast.

House Holdstar is offering a free Friday dinner.

Other meals are available at the Great Hall through the Tavern (onsite kitchen), with different groups providing food items and meals for $1-5.  Coffee is available for free. Menus available here.

Pets:  Yes, but on a leash.  No pets in buildings.  Service animals allowed except in kitchen.

Parking:  On-site.  No vehicles on the Parade Grounds. Directions will be given.

NEAREST CONVENIENCES:
Gas.  Citgo Get-N-G- station located 3/10ths of a mile west of Arkansas Highway 223 in Viola.  Open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.  Directions.  Offers gas station pizza.
Dollar General.  Salem, 9 miles east of Viola on US Highway 412.
Grocery Store.  Town and Country Supermarket, Salem. 9 miles east on US Highway 412.
Walmart Supercenter.  23 miles west of Viola on US Highway 412, Mountain Home.  Also 27 miles east of Viola on US Highway 62/412 in Ash Flat.  Also 26 miles north of Viola in West Plains, MO (take Arkansas Highway 223 to Missouri Border, becomes Missouri Highway E.  Intersects with 160 and rolls right into town).

NEAREST EMERGENCY SERVICES:
Fulton County Hospital at Salem, 9 miles east of Viola.
Pharmacies: Leslie Drug and Salem Drug in Salem, 9 miles east of Viola in Salem.

NEARBY DINING to the EAST at SALEM (12 miles from site, 9 miles from Viola on US Highway 412):
Dixie's Treasures (Salem, AR). A barbecue restaurant. I haven't been there yet.
South Fork Cafe (Salem, AR).  The closest decent chicken fried steak to site.  Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.'
Swingle Family Diner (Salem, AR).  Diner with a decent breakfast.  Open 6 a.m.-2 p.m. seven days a week.
Big Daddy's Pizza Shack.  Local pizza joint. Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
Also in Salem: Subway, Dairy Queen, Sonic.

Eggs and covered hashbrowns at Cozy Kitchen.

NEARBY DINING to the WEST at MOUNTAIN HOME (22-27 miles from Viola on US Highway 412):
Fred's Fish House.  Venerable catfish joint run by family (other locations in Mammoth Spring and Batesville).  Open 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-9.m. Friday and Saturday. This is the closest good restaurant to site coming in from the west.
The Cozy Kitchen.  Great breakfasts, but only open Monday-Friday.  On US Highway 62B.
More listed below.
Also Chili's, Western Sizzlin', Pizza Hut, Burger King, Chen's Garden (Chinese), Wendy's, Little Caesar's, Dairy Queen, Sonic, Taco Bell, Jimmy John's, Hardees and most big chains.  Do NOT stop at the A&W on the way in -- it's absolutely disgusting!

NEAREST LIQUOR STORE:
Colonial Liquor at Henderson.

French toast, biscuit and eggs at Meacham's.

DINING ON THE WAY IN AND OUT.
Meacham's Family Restaurant (Ash Flat). This is the best place to stop coming in or going out from the east.  The largest biscuits in the whole state of Arkansas for breakfast, the best ranch dressing in the world, fried mushrooms, chicken fried steak... family favorites galore.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it.  26.5 miles east of Viola on US 62/412.  Open Tuesday-Sunday

Meatball pizza at Nima's Pizza.

breakfast, lunch and dinner. On Facebook.

Nima's Pizza (Gassville).  For travelers coming in from the ewest, check out a pizza joint that has competed and come in second IN THE WORLD for its pies.  36 miles west of Viola, a block off of US 62/412.  Open Monday-

The Barnbuster Burger at Back Forty.

Saturday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Restaurant website.

Back Forty (Mountain Home).  Flame roasted steaks and burgers right on the drive in from the west on US 62 (take the in-town route rather than the bypass).  On Facebook.

Tommy's Famous... A Pizzeria (Mountain View).  I

A medium beef pizza with olives and half banana peppers at
Tommy's Famous... A Pizzeria.

dream of this pizza.  Located a few blocks from the heart of Mountain View, Tommy's combines a Detroit-style crust with a Chicago-style sauce for a really ridiculously good pizza.  Open every day, closes at 8 p.m. 1990s style website.

NEARBY LODGING:
Ozark Motel (Salem, AR) 12 miles
Cottonwood Inn Motel (Salem, AR) 14 miles. Rates start at $43.
Lake Norfork Resort (Henderson, AR) 18 miles. From $70 a night.
Crystal Cove Resort (Henderson, AR) 19 miles. From $75 a night.
Riverview Hotel (Calico Rock) 24 very windy miles. Rooms start at $65.
Bayou Resort (Gamaliel) 30 miles. Studio cabins start at $63; two bedroom cabins start at $93
Additional lodging can be found at Mountain Home, 30 minutes from site.

BE A TOURIST:
Ozark Folk Center at Mountain View
Raimondo Winery in Mountain Home
Norfork Lake
Calico Rock Ghost Town
Peel Ferry

Upcoming travel: Ravenshold Champion's Challenge

The group:  Ravenshold (Jonesboro, AR)
The event:  Champion's Challenge (flyer here)
The date:  September 25-27, 2015
The location:  Stonebridge Baptist Camp, Smithville, AR.

Accommodations on-site: Bedspace for 350 in bunks, dormitory-style accommodations with central heat and air and bathrooms.  Camping also available.

Alcohol: NO

Dining on-site:  Site fee includes all meals (Friday night tavern, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch, Saturday feast).  Off-board attendees receive $8 discount.

NEARBY LODGING:

Autumn Inn Motel in Imboden.

Autumn Inn Motel (Imboden):  Tiny 10 unit motel, 20 minutes from site, 13.6 miles.
The Hotel Rhea (Walnut Ridge):  Boutique hotel restoration in downtown Walnut Ridge, 31 minutes from site, 23 miles. $100-125 nightly.

NEARBY DINING:

Renee's Restaurant (Black Rock).  BEST PLACE TO GO AFTER THE EVENT.  Home cooking in an old house not far from the Strawberry River.  Plate lunches, good breakfasts, epic burgers.  19 minutes/14 miles from site. Cheap.
Old County Seat Store and Cafe (Smithville).  Breakfast and lunch.  5 minutes/1.6 miles from site.
Dairy King (Portia).  Large dairy diner that offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, fried pies and soft serve ice cream.  Good for larger groups.  22 minutes/17 miles from site.

Strawberry cream cheese fried pie at Dairy King.

Nearest grocery store:  Lynn Supermarket, Lynn Community, 20 minutes/10 miles.
Nearest Dollar General:  Black Rock, 18 minutes/14 miles.
Nearest Walmart: Walnut Ridge (standard), 28 minutes/22 miles.
Nearest Walmart Supercenter:  Pocahontas, 37 minutes/27 miles.

BE A TOURIST:
Lake Charles State Park (Powhatan).  Recreational state park with good fishing (crappie, bream, catfish).  Campsites, plus a Rent-A-Yurt. 25 minutes/15 miles from site.
Jacksonport State Park (Newport).  Historic state park commemorating the area's steamboat days of the 19th century.  Civil War history site.  Tour the 1872 courthouse.  54 minutes/40 miles from site.

Guitar Walk at Walnut Ridge.

Guitar Walk (Walnut Ridge): Learn about the musical greats that cut their teeth on Rock N' Roll Highway 67 with kiosks that line a 115 long depiction of a guitar in this park in downtown Walnut Ridge.  31 minutes/23 miles from site.
Beatles Park (Walnut Ridge).  This monument showcases the only time the legendary British rock group The Beatles ever came to Arkansas. You may notice a lot of Beatles memorabilia around the town. 31 minutes/23 miles from site.