Green Friday less stressful

Devil’s Den park promotes alternative to Black Friday

Rebekah Penny, an interpreter at Devil’s Den State Park in southern Washington County, leads a hike Friday along Yellow Rock Trail. The park promoted the day as Green Friday, an alternative to Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.
Rebekah Penny, an interpreter at Devil’s Den State Park in southern Washington County, leads a hike Friday along Yellow Rock Trail. The park promoted the day as Green Friday, an alternative to Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.

— Fed up with turkey and Black Friday sales, many people avoided the retail bacchanalia by spending “Green Friday” at Devil’s Den State Park.

It was the first time park officials promoted Devil’s Den as an alternative to Black Friday, which is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

“Devil’s Den wants you to avoid the stress of crowds, long lines and rain checks on sale items,” according to a news release. “In an effort to help you reconnect with the things important in your life, the park will be hosting a day of hikes, nature crafts and family fun programming.”

“I think it helped a little bit,” said Monte Fuller, the park superintendent. “I think it’s giving them an option on things to do, an option to going out shopping on BlackFriday.”

Fuller said Devil’s Den, which has 17 cabins and 146 campsites, was about 80 percent full Thursday night. But that’s pretty consistent with previous Thanksgivings, he said.

“Thanksgiving is getting bigger and bigger each year,”Fuller said. “It’s getting like spring break with kids out of school.”

Official Green Friday events included a guided hike of Yellow Rock Trail, Dutch oven cobbler cooking, a demonstration of Ozark folk toys and making ornaments and gift tags with recycled paper.

“Where are your values?” asked Rebekah Penny, an interpreter at the park who led the day’s events. “Are your values on getting a good deal on a gadget, or are your values on your family and friends and making memories?”

Matt and Cassy Durham of Enid, Okla., said it was the memories they were after.

When a strong wind ripped the tarp off their campsite Thursday night, they could see three deer in the woods. That’s something they’re likely to remember.

On Friday afternoon, the Durhams were heading - reluctantly - to a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Fayetteville to buy a new tarp to replace the shredded one.

As they got directions from Katy Nease, desk clerk at the Devil’s Den visitors center, she asked about theview from their campsite.

“Did y’all see that albino squirrel down there?” Nease asked. “It’s a pink-eyed albino.”

The Durhams said they hadn’t seen the albino squirrel.

Matt Durham said the couple and their two teenagers decided to spend the long holiday weekend at Devil’s Den “to get away from people.”

“I don’t even get cell service down there, and I love it,” Matt Durham said of his campsite.

Mari Durham, his daughter, said roughing it in the woods was “better than sitting with relatives eating turkey.”

Susan Carter of Fort Smith said she and her husband Tony came to Devil’s Den because they heard the Green Friday promotion.

“I don’t know if we would have thought about it otherwise,” she said of Devil’s Den. “I’m happy to be missing the mall. I never cared for all that.”

Teresa Lawson of Springdale said Thanksgiving at Devil’s Den has taken on a special meaning for her family. Lawson, who is divorced, has a son: Garrett, 15, of Greenbrier. Every other Thanksgiving, Lawson she has custody of her son, and they rent a cabin at Devil’s Den. It’s been a tradition for eight years now.

“It’s important to me,” said Lawson. “It’s just me and him by ourselves.”

Lawson said the cabin has a television, but no Internet service. That means there’s more family time, she said.

“Nothing beats family time,” said Lawson. “You don’t realizethat until you don’t have them all the time. That’s why times like this are so special. You want to make memories, and we have lots of memories here.”

Melanie Bradshaw of Marianna said it was her first trip to Devil’s Den. The art teacher was looking for a midway point to meet friends from Oklahoma City. She found Devil’s Den on the State Parks website, arkansasstateparks.com.

“I’d much rather be out here than shopping,” said Bradshaw, who is originally from Oconto, Wis.

Bradshaw said she had to stop at a Wal-Mart store to buy a dog leash on the way to Devil’s Den, and that was all the big-box retailing she wanted for the weekend.

“I’m not big on the big crowds and shopping,” she said.

Lee Creek Valley was selected as a site for a state park in 1933.

The major facilities at Devil’s Den were constructed as a Works Project Administration project by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 11/24/2012

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