Visiting Valley Inn

Movie comfort food

The older building framed by bucolic pastureland provided an ideal setting for the local premiere of Kim Swink's full-length movie, Valley Inn.

The rural volunteer fire station in Hindsville, population 75, had parked its trucks in the grass to make room in the concrete bays for an overflow crowd from town and the surrounding county, several of whom play roles in the tenderhearted film about the townsfolk and the iconic cafe.

Originally planned and scheduled by Hindsville native and businessman A.T. Smith for airing beneath the stars in a field he owns, the screening was moved into the fire station after a day of overcast skies and cold, misty rains.

Arvest Bank is an original backer of the entertaining film about plain ol', aw-shucks, beans and cornbread Arkansas folks befriending an upbeat New Jersey coed who's assigned to Hindsville to peddle Christian books for the summer. There unfolds the drama, romance and humor that exists even in the smallest of hamlets. Arvest was there serving free burgers, hot dogs and chips to patrons well before the lights went out and garage doors came down.

The evening's attire also was anything but formal. I don't recall seeing many folks not wearing denim. There were lots of hats and ball caps. I saw a few pairs of overalls and all kinds of boots milling in the truck bay that had an enormous white cloth attached to one wall with red tape to serve as a screen.

The local showing of Valley Inn amounted for me to a recognition of the goodness and values of, by and for the folks who proudly call Hindsville home.

Swink, now of New York, wrote, produced and directed the independent film that's to be shown at film festivals across the country. It deserves to be.

Her storyline stemmed from a lunch Swink shared with her sister from Springdale at the Valley Inn cafe several years back. She overheard people discussing how the bypass extension of U.S. 412 a mile away would ring the death knell for Hindsville. She recognized the concerns as good fodder for a movie about the impact of progress.

When U.S. 412 was completed and opened by 2010, the town of Hindsville, which had seen as many as 15,000 cars pass along its main street each day, watched that number dwindle like a spigot had been twisted closed on a hose that dripped only a few hundred vehicles.

That severe loss of traffic fell particularly heavy on the restaurant that specializes in home cooking the likes of biscuits and gravy and homemade pies. The Valley Inn sadly did soon close to sit vacant for some time until recently being purchased and reopened to serve breakfast and lunch on Thursdays and Fridays. Dinners also is served piping hot on Saturdays till 8.

While the story centers around the lives and times of those colorful and crusty employees and customers who have made the Valley Inn an influential part of their daily lives, the two-room eatery provides a natural pivot for everything that transpires in Valley Inn.

I'm no credentialed move critic. But I do know something genuine and entertaining when I watch it, even though this one wasn't created with mega-dollars and the high sheen of a major Hollywood production.

Knowing that virtually every actor and actress in Valley Inn is an actual resident, and seeing how well they performed in front of the camera, was enjoyment aplenty. They made the story come alive through authenticity. Even A.T. Smith has a speaking part.

Swink's mother, June, was here with her daughter. "I just found the level of acting talent in Hindsville to be amazing. Who'd have known there are so many talented folks in this small community?"

Besides the cast of locals, there are cameo appearances from Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen and Arkansas' own American Idol, Kris Allen. Their musical segments, Swink told me, were filmed in Nashville then edited in.

Valley Inn has scenes from surrounding communities as well. There's the rodeo grounds in Springdale, La Hacienda Restaurant in Fayetteville and downtown Huntsville.

I'll not be sharing spoilers except to say, according to the majority of comments I heard in the mingling afterglow, the most appropriate word describing the movie was as plain as the sugar served on its tables: "Sweet."

The bottom line for me: I see it as warm and comforting as a plate of those tasty warm biscuits and white gravy down at the Valley Inn, which I also predict is about to become a lot more popular.

Will residents vote?

A petition for Fayetteville residents who want a referendum on the city's new Ordinance 119--that provides criminal authority over local businesses and employers that the city-appointed officer contends discriminate against potential customers--reportedly needs more of the 4,095 voters required by law. Readers already know I think this type of law is a constitutionally suspect, overreaching intrusion that even Eureka Springs rejected. Those wanting the controversial issue put to a public vote can check www.repeal119.com for locations to sign the petition, or call (479) 239-5900.

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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected]. Read his blog at mikemastersonsmessenger.com.

Editorial on 09/16/2014

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