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Man, it is so wonderful to be able to celebrate the Fourth of July like it should be – outdoors with family and friends. It’s also endearing to celebrate the creation of our great nation and teach our children what it means to celebrate July 4th. Along with the well-established facts about the American holiday, there are some unusual facts that some of you might not know about. McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat thought it would be interesting to shed some light on the odd facts about the holiday. Out of the 56 signers, only two people actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4: John Hancock and Secretary of Congress, Charles Thomson. The majority of the others signed on August 2. “Second of August Celebration!!!”….yeah, just doesn’t sound right. The average age among the signers was 45 years. The youngest signers were Thomas Lynch Jr. and Edward Rutledge of South Carolina who were both only 26. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania was the oldest signer at the ripe age of 70. Only one signer later recanted the Declaration of Independence. Richard Stockton, a lawyer from New Jersey, recanted his support of the revolution after being captured by the British in November 1776 and thrown in jail. On July 4, 1778, George Washington ordered a double ration of rum for his soldiers to celebrate the holiday. July 4th wasn’t deemed a federal holiday until 1870, almost 100 years after the nation was founded. One U.S. president, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4, as well as early American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, former long-time owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees George Steinbrenner, and Malia Obama, daughter of former U.S. President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Three U.S. presidents have died on July 4: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe. Bizarrely, Adams and Jefferson both died within five hours of each other on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the country they helped found. Fireworks have been a major part of the Fourth of July since the earliest celebrations. In 1884, miners blew up the post office in Swan, Colorado, because the mining town wasn’t supplied with fireworks. Swan is counted among the many ghost towns and mining camps of Colorado. Americans consume approximately 150 million hot dogs on the Fourth of July each year. Now that’s cutting the mustard! Americans spend more on beer on the Fourth of July than any other national holiday. BOTTOMS UP! According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, Americans spend more than $1 billion on fireworks each year. Talk about blowing some money, or blowing up money! Turns out that you’re in violation of 4 U.S. Code § 8, otherwise known as the U.S. Flag Code, if you wear a flag t-shirt, beach towel, shorts, headband, or any other item that is representative of the U.S. flag! Well, there goes someone’s whole wardrobe ensemble for the July 4th weekend. Boo! It was fun to compile this list of odd facts about one of our favorite holidays, the Fourth of July. If you want to start off your celebration with a big beautiful bang this July, come and test drive one of our new 2021 Jeep or Dodge models. Let us assist you with the one you have had your eye on for a while. It will be perfect to arrive in style at any July 4th celebration in your dream car or SUV. Have a safe and happy 4th of July! CLICK HERE TO CONTACT THE MCLARTY DANIEL SALES TEAM

The Arkansas Ozarks are a prime destination for summer travelers, and we love introducing our beautiful little corner of the state to visitors! But if you’re going out of state, you might want to familiarize yourself with some of America’s zany traffic laws. And no, the Natural State isn’t excluded. McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Springdale would like to share a list of some of the most unusual traffic laws of our neighboring and nearby states. So buckle up your seatbelts and enjoy the ride. Alabama: It is illegal to drive while blindfolded. We’re trying to imagine why they felt the need to put this one on the books, honestly. Arkansas: In Little Rock, the state’s capital, it is illegal to honk your car horn anywhere that serves cold drinks or sandwiches after 9 p.m. So remember: don’t honk your horn at Sonic out of enthusiasm when waiting for your order of chili-cheese tots after 9 pm. Kansas: : It is against the law to transport dead poultry on Kansas Avenue in Topeka. Does that mean no Popeye’s delicious spicy chicken sandwiches at the drive-thru in Topeka? Well, they are addicting! Kentucky: By law, a woman driver’s husband is required to wave a flag in front of her car before she can drive it. Louisiana: It is illegal for your pet to molest a vehicle in Fort Thomas, KY. The word “molest” is not clearly defined. Mississippi: Do not honk your horn in Oxford, because it’s against the law. (Boo!) Oklahoma: It is against the law to read a comic book while driving. Apparently, however, you can read any other material as you drive. Tennessee: It is illegal to shoot any game other than whales from a moving vehicle. Are there lots of whales in Tennessee? Texas: You must have windshield wipers to register a car. The windshield overall is apparently optional. We hope these weird laws enlighten you on your cross-country journeys and give you some chuckles as well. If you want to travel in style and comfort with the latest tech features at your fingertips, then look no further than the latest vehicles from McLarty Daniel CDJR in Springdale. Stop in today and let us assist you when you choose to purchase your next new vehicle. Hope to hear from you soon. Have a great summer and be safe! CLICK HERE TO CONTACT THE MCLARTY DANIEL SALES TEAM

From the Wrangler to the Grand Cherokee, we love the Jeep brand here at McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Springdale! Over the years, we’ve run across a lot of off-the-wall facts about Uncle Sam’s Best Idea, and every once in awhile, we like to share them with the fans. Seen below, check out our list of 15 little-known facts about Jeeps! And if you’re ready to buy a brand-new Jeep in Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville or Fayetteville, make the short drive to McLarty Daniel CDJRF, where our selection is deep and our commitment to unbeatable customer service will make you a customer for life! Shop Our Massive Jeep Inventory 1) No one is sure where the name “Jeep” came from, though the answers with the best shot of being true are either that it was soldiers shortening the original Army vehicle designation “GP” for “General Purpose,” from the two syllable “GEE-PEE” to the single syllable “Jeep.” The second theory is that the name was adopted from Eugene the Jeep, a small, wily, magical creature that appeared in the early Popeye cartoons prior to World War II. 2) During World War II, a prototype of a flying Jeep was developed as a quick-deployment vehicle. Called the Hafner Rotabuggy, the heavily-lightened Jeep featured a helicopter-like rotor for lift. Though the design actually made short test flights, it was never put into production. 3) There is a worldwide organization of Jeep owners known as the Jurassic Park Motor Pool. Online at jpmotorpool.com, the only requirement for membership is owning a Jeep Wrangler YJ painted to resemble the Jeep Wranglers that co-starred in the 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park. Tips for Giving Your Jeep a Unique Personality 4) The familiar Jeep star painted on the hood of some U.S. Army Jeeps during World War II was actually a chemical weapon detector. After 1943, the circular field around the star was created with a special paint called “M5 Liquid Vesicant Detector,” which changed color from brown to bright red in the presence of poison gas. Directly in the driver’s line of sight, the star on Jeeps alerted troops that they needed to put on their gas masks a few precious minutes before the odor of chemical agents could be detected by the human nose. Think about that next time you see a Jeep Wrangler star decal! 5) The original Willys Jeeps deployed during World War II had nine slots in the grille, as opposed to the seven slot grille that has since become an iconic feature of Jeep design. 6) The original Oscar Meyer Weinermobile was built on a Willys Jeep station wagon chassis. 7) A Jeep was once driven up the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. — this feat was performed in an original Willys Jeep prototype while the design was being evaluated for potential adoption by the U.S. Army prior to World War II. 8) The record for completely disassembling a running Willys Jeep down to its basic components and then reassembling it back to running status again is under four minutes! This achievement can be seen on YouTube in a video shot during a parade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The feat was performed by a group of Canadian Army soldiers with the Third Area Support Group. 9) “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon appeared in HBO’s 2001 World War II miniseries “Band of Brothers” as a soldier driving a Willys Jeep. 4xe: The Electric Future of Jeep 10) During World War II, a Willys Jeep nicknamed “Old Faithful” (which had served as a staff car for four Marine Corps Generals in both the Pacific and European theaters) was officially awarded a Purple Heart due to damage suffered during the shelling of Guadalcanal. Retired from active duty in December 1943, Old Faithful was shipped back to the U.S. where it toured the U.S. helping sell War Bonds. It was eventually retired to the museum at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Quantico, Virginia, where it remains on display to this day. It reportedly still fires up and runs smoothly, even though it has never been overhauled or restored since its original assembly. 11) In 1970, Jeep built a prototype for a small, roofless sports car, the XJ-001. Though the powerful, short wheelbase prototype was well received on the show circuit, it never made it into production, and the only example was destroyed by fire while being transported for display at the Texas State Fair. 12) American soldiers riding in bare-bones military Jeeps over rough European roads during World War II regularly suffered injuries to the tailbone. The condition was so common it came to be known as “Jeep Bottom” or “Jeep Seat.” 13) In 1959, Jeep introduced a special version of the Jeep CJ just for hotels and holiday resorts: the Jeep Surrey. Painted in bright pastel colors like pink and light blue, with fringed tops in boldly striped fabrics, Jeep Surrey models are exceedingly rare today and coveted by collectors. Elvis Presley owned a pink Jeep Surrey which he used to drive visitors around the grounds at Graceland. 14) There’s no such thing as a 1996 Jeep Wrangler! This is because of a one-year gap between the end of production of the Jeep Wrangler YJ in 1995 and the start of production of the Jeep Wrangler TJ in 1997. Upgrade Your Jeep with Our Mopar Parts & Accessories 15) The famous Museum of Modern Art in New York City has a 1953 Willys Jeep in its collection, citing it as an example of automotive design in its purest form.

It’s April, which means it’s time to hunt some Easter Eggs! We’re not only talking about the Easter Eggs that are brightly colored, hardboiled and hidden by a bunny. There’s also the the Jeep Easter Eggs hidden all over the 2019 Jeep Renegade! Always a fun brand, Jeep has been secreting little reminders of their long heritage in their vehicles for years, giving owners the joy of finding Jeep seven-slot grilles and even tiny Jeeps where they least expect. Read on for McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Springdale’s list of nine great 2019 Jeep Renegade Easter Eggs. And when you’re ready to buy a a new Jeep vehicle in Springdale, stop in at McLarty Daniel CDJRF, where our great selection will make you a customer and our commitment to service after the sale will make you a customer for life! Browse Our New Jeeps IN THE HEADLIGHTS The Easter Egg fun starts right up front on the 2019 Jeep Renegade, with the iconic Jeep Seven-Slot grille and headlights hidden right in the center of Renegade’s glass headlights. Turn on the headlights to make the Easter Egg easier to see. IN THE TAIL-LIGHTS Bringing up the rear is another ghostly image of the Jeep seven-slot grille and headlights package, cast right into the clear center of the taillight lense on the 2019 Jeep Renegade. As a bonus Easter Egg, the X in the center of the tail light is part of a repeating pattern found all over the Jeep Renegade, meant to bring to mind the X-shaped reinforcement stamped into the side of vintage steel Jerry Cans used to transport extra fuel on original Willys Jeeps during World War II. INSIDE THE GAS FILLER DOOR Don’t scream! That’s not a real spider lurking just inside the gas filler door of the 2019 Jeep Renegade. It’s only the image of a friendly spider with a speech bubble that says: “Ciao, Baby!” The Italian is a fun nod to Jeep’s Italian parent company, Fiat-Chrysler America. Tips & Tricks For Getting the Most Out of Your Jeep BESIDE THE REARVIEW MIRROR Yep, that’s another keystone-shaped Jeep grille and headlight group lurking on the housing that holds up the rearview mirror. ON THE SPEAKER GRILLES …and another on the speaker grilles near the front floorboard kick plates. INSIDE THE SPARE CHANGE TRAY …and another Jeep grille on the rubber insert in the coin tray in the front console on Jeep Renegade Trailhawk models. Those lines beside the grille are actually an outline of the Moab trail, a spot near and dear to Jeep lovers’ hearts. ON THE INNER HATCH PANEL Look up! There’s still another seven-slot Jeep grille and road headlights on the inside of the rear hatch panel. What Do Those Rubber Ducks Have to Do With Jeep? ON THE FLOOR MATS Yep, that’s the silhouette of a trust first-generation Jeep crawling across the rubber floormats of the 2019 Jeep Renegade! ON THE BACK GLASS Bigfoot is one of America’s most legendary creatures, but you can catch a glimpse of a tiny one at the lower edge of the Jeep Renegade’s rear glass.

For over 120 years, Fiat has been an icon of automotive engineering, with the simple, subcompact Fiat 500 celebrated as one of the most reliable car designs of all time. Now, the Fiat 500 is being celebrated as more than a way to get from Point A to Point B, with a display at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. There, a restored Fiat 500 coupe is being showcased in the MoMA’s exhibition, “The Value of Good Design.” The exhibit runs until June 15.Along with a vintage Fiat 500, dozens of other products considered to exude groundbreaking industrial design are included in the exhibit, including an East German Werra camera, a Japanese Mitsubishi sewing machine, chairs by groundbreaking designer Eames and a Chemex coffee maker. The Fiat 500 on display at the MoMA for the exhibit is a Series F model. One of the most recognizable car designs in the world, the Series F was manufactured between 1965 and 1972, and served as the inspiration of the retro-styled 2019 Fiat 500. More than 4 million Fiat 500s rolled off the assembly lines between the model’s introduction in 1957 and the discontinuation of the original design in 1975. Since the all-new, heritage-inspired Fiat 500 was reintroduced in 2007, more than six million of the “new 500” have been sold, making it one of the best selling cars of all time. Created by Fiat designer Dante Giacosa in 1957, the first generation Fiat 500 was originally developed as an affordable, high-quality, easy-to-build design built for narrow European streets at a time when the continent was still reeling from the effects of World War II. While the car was small on the outside, Giacosa’s clever design maximized interior space — a quality that’s evident today in the surprisingly roomy 2019 Fiat 500. Every original Fiat 500 featured a standard folding cloth cabriolet top which rolled back while leaving the door and rear window frames in place. At the time, Fiat added the soft top to save a few square feet of precious and then-expensive sheet metal, but the feature has since become a beloved hallmark of the early Fiat 500s. It is retained in the 2019 Fiat 500 in the form of the optional cabriolet cloth top. Are you ready to get behind the wheel of an icon of European style? Are you ready to buy a 2019 Fiat 500 in Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville or Springdale? Then you need to come see us at McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Springdale, Northwest Arkansas’s ONLY Fiat dealership! Stop in today for a test drive of the beautiful 2019 Fiat 500, 500L, 500X or 124 Spider roadster, or you can check out our full selection online right now!

Photo Credit: “Christine” (1983) Since the early days of film, cars and movies have gone together like peanut butter and jelly. Given that cars made by Dodge have been part of the fabric of America almost as long as movies, it’s understandable that a few Mopars have wound up starring alongside human actors and actresses in some of our favorite films. Shop Our Huge Selection of Dodge Vehicles Seen below are five iconic Dodge and Plymouth cars that played a starring role in some of cinema’s greatest flicks. Check out our list, and if you have any of your own favorites, share them in the comments! And if you’re looking for a new vehicle to take you to your own next star turn, stop in today at McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Springdale, where our great selection, unbeatable deals and service after the sale will make you a customer for life! “Vanishing Point” (1971) 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum One of the iconic fast-car movies of the 1970s, “Vanishing Point” revolves around former race car driver and Vietnam Vet Kowalski (Barry Newman), who bets an acquaintance that he can deliver a car from Denver, Colorado to San Francisco, a distance of over 1,200 miles, in under 16 hours. That car: a ten-new, white 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum. From there, the film is a superfly 1970’s fever dream in the desert that recalls some of the trippier moments of flicks like “Easy Rider,” full of equal parts weirdness and horsepower as Kowalski, drugged out of his mind to help him stay awake, blasts across the desert toward California in the souped up Challenger with police in hot pursuit. Like a lot of 1970s films about anti-heroes, it doesn’t end well for him, or for the beautiful white Challenger that is now one of the most iconic 70s Mopar cars. While “Vanishing Point” is not everybody’s cup of tea, the film — and its explosive ending — has since become a classic. “Christine” (1983) 1957 Plymouth Fury Based on one of the early novels of horror master Stephen King and directed by horror film master John Carpenter, 1983’s “Christine” starts with the most American of stories: a kid named Arnie (Keith Gordon) finds a junked-out car, buys it, and pours every dime and minute of his spare time into fixing it up. Little does he know at the start, the blood-red and white 1957 Plymouth Fury he buys happens to be both haunted and somehow alive, with the murderous autonomous vehicle bent on destroying everybody who stands between Christine and her new owner. Even weirder, Arnie’s time with Christine begins to change the geeky, picked-on teenager into someone his friends and parents don’t even recognize, with deadly results. In the end, Arnie’s friends make a desperate play to save him from his four-wheeled bad girlfriend, with a metal-crunching demolition duel in a giant warehouse. Containing one of the most spectacular fire stunts in cinema history and a plot that’s still unsettling today, “Christine” still stands up, and the classic 1957 Plymouth Fury coupe has since become an icon of unease because of it. Photo Credit: dhautomotive.biz “The Blues Brothers” (1980) 1974 Dodge Monaco police interceptor sedan While John Belushi and Dan Akroyd still rule as The Blues Brothers, America’s favorite shiftless musicians “on a mission from God,” the Bluesmobile — a 1974 Dodge Monaco Police Interceptor sedan bought by Elwood Blues at auction and still bearing its black and white livery (along with, famously, it’s cop shock, cop motor, cop shocks, cop tires, etc) — almost steals the show in several scenes. That includes the Blues Brothers’ run-in with a dastardly gang of Illinois Nazis, a slapstick police chase through an indoor shopping mall full of stores and customers, and an spectacular backflip maneuver Jake and Elwood use to evade the cops. While the 1974 Monaco doesn’t look like much, it perfectly fits the goofy tone of what has become one of the most beloved comedies in film history. Famous Movies That Filmed in Arkansas “Bullitt” (1968) 1968 Dodge Charger 440 R/T The Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT piloted by Steve McQueen in 1968’s “Bullitt” gets the majority of the glory when people talk about the iconic film, but it takes two to tango, and the McQueen’s dance partner in the film’s greatest car chase through the hills of San Fran is, in its way, just as impressive: a jet-black 1968 Dodge Charger R/T with a 440 cubic inch big block under the hood. The car, driven by two shotgun-wielding heavies gunning for McQueen’s Detective Bullitt, is dealership perfect when the chase begins, right down to the mirror-slick body and hubcabs. Sadly, the Charger takes quite a beating over the ensuing 10 minutes of screentime, culminating in a fiery end when the big coupe careens into a gas station with explosive results. Though the muscle car carnage may make fans of the now-rare second generation Dodge Charger want to look away, the result was a truly incredible street showdown between two legendary  performance cars of the late 1960s. Photo Credit: carandclassic.com “Duel” (1971) 1971 Plymouth Valiant De Luxe sedan The debut film of director Steven Spielberg, 1971’s “Duel” shows the young master already at work, playing with a lot of the themes and techniques he would later bring to instant classics like “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Starring Dennis Weaver as a salesman behind the wheel of a red 1971 Plymouth Valiant four-door as he heads across the desert toward an appointment in California, the film’s plot starts simply enough, with Weaver’s character overtaking a lumbering, grungy 1955 Peterbilt tanker truck on the highway. That routine act soon turns into the duel seen in the title, however, with the never-seen driver of the Peterbilt menacing Weaver’s character at every turn and eventually becoming homicidal, with a 25-ton truck as his weapon. The result is a confrontation unlike anything ever seen on film, and a flick that ratchets up the suspense and anxiety like no other. If you’re like most, it’ll come to mind every time you pass an 18-wheeler on the highway. First Look: All-New Dodge Charger EV

Old Man Winter is creeping up on us again, with chilly nights and cool days. In addition to getting your jacket out of the closet and sending your coat off to the dry cleaner’s, wintertime means it’s time once more to fight the neverending battle between the cold and your car. Over the years, we’ve run across a few wintertime car hacks that actually work, and we’ve put them together here for you below. Try a few of them and see if your mileage on these is the same as ours. And if you need a new or used vehicle to see you through the winter, stop in today at McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Springdale, where our selection is great, our deals are unbeatable, and our service after the sale will make you a customer for life.1. TREAT YOUR WINDSHIELD AND EXTERIOR MIRRORS WITH SHAVING CREAM: When it’s damp and cold out, as it often is in Arkansas in the wintertime, nothing can be more frustrating than having your windshield and mirrors fog up just when you need them most. But you can help out your heater with the same trick your dad used to keep his shaving mirror fog free: Coat them with a thin layer of cheap shaving cream, then wipe them clean with a soft, dry cloth. Containing some of the same ingredients as much more expensive defogging compounds, shaving cream wipes away clean and streak-free, and will keep your windows and mirrors from going foggy for up to a month. 2. WRAP YOUR CAR’S SIDE MIRRORS IN PLASTIC BAGS: A lot of us don’t own a heated garage, and in the wintertime, that can mean frost or ice on your windows and mirrors. We’ve got a few tips to help out with the windows, so read on for those, but when it comes to the mirrors, a great trick is: when you know there’s frost or ice forecast, put two plastic shopping bags over your mirrors and secure them with a rubber band. When you’re ready to drive, take the bags off and you’re ready to go, with clear, ice-free mirrors. 3. IF WINTER PRECIPITATION IS FORECAST, SHIELD YOUR WINDSHIELD: We get a fair amount of snow and ice in the winter here in Northwest Arkansas, and nothing is worse on a cold, snowy morning than coming out of the house knowing that you’re going to have to use a scraper or scoop to uncover your windshield before you can drive away. That can be remedied, however, with an ounce of prevention, in the form of an old rug or two over the windshield whenever winter weather is forecast. When the snow or ice flies, just go out the next morning and flip the rugs off, for a clear windshield without the scraping and shoveling. 4. KEEP AN EXTRA KEY HANDY: Nobody likes sitting in a freezing car, waiting for it to warm up or defrost the windshield on a chilly morning, but you may be wisely reluctant to leave your very expensive vehicle running in the driveway to warm up while you stay toasty inside the house. Criminals are wily suckers, and thefts of cars left to warm up on cold days are on the rise.Remedy that problem by keeping your extra car key handy. That way, on a chilly morning, you can go out, start your car, turn the defroster on blast, and then lock your running car with the extra key before retreating into the house to wait for it to get toasty. 5. PARK YOUR CAR FACING EAST: A lot of people have no choice on where they park their car, but if you do, try to make sure to park with the grille facing east. This isn’t some kind of weird ritual, just common sense: when the sun comes up, it’ll hit your windshield first, and even that little bit of warmth will give you a leg up when trying to scrape away frost, frozen slush or ice. 6. MAKE YOUR OWN DE-ICING FLUID: Trying to de-ice your windshield on a cold morning is a chore that nobody looks forward to, but here’s a hack that can take most of the work out of it. Make a bottle of de-icing fluid with just two very cheap ingredients: a cup of water and a cup of clear isopropyl alcohol or high-proof vodka. Pour both ingredients into a spray bottle and keep the bottle in your warm house. When it’s time to go scrape, just shake the bottle well and spray the windshield down with the mixture. Then it’s just a matter of watching while Jack Frost releases his deathly grip on your windshield. From there, you can scrape away the semi-frozen slush with much less elbow grease. Yeah, winter is here, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer through it! With these tips, you can own winter and make your winter driving adventures easier, safer and more enjoyable. And if you need a new or used car with a really great heater — or even heated seats! Yay! — stop in today at McLarty Daniel CDJRF of Springdale, where our deals are unbeatable and our service will make you a customer for life! Come see us.

As the nights grow long and cool in October, it’s a perfect time for sitting around the campfire or a warm house, contemplating the plentiful mysteries of this state we call home. Arkansas has more than her share of spooky head scratchers, and with Halloween just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to share some of our favorites. Seen below are four Arkansas Mysteries that may well never be solved, from the disappearance of a well-known attorney to the sighting of an “airship” on a mountain near Hot Springs, long before the advent of powered flight. We here at McLarty Daniel CDJRF of Springdale love swapping tales like these in October. If you’re in need of a great new or used car to help you get out there and find your own spooky adventures, come see us for a test drive, or check out our big selection online right now! THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MAUD CRAWFORD: Maud Crawford seemed to have her life well and truly together, right up to the moment when she disappeared off the face of the earth. A prominent attorney in the small town of Camden in Ouachita County, Crawford had graduated at the top of her class at the University of Arkansas law school, becoming one of the pioneering female lawyers when women were still rare in the profession. A local community leader and socialite, Crawford had also served on the Camden City Council. Then, on the evening of March 2, 1957, Crawford simply disappeared from her large home on Camden’s quiet Clifton Street, leaving behind her car, car keys, and her purse containing $149 in cash. Though an extensive search was conducted, she was never seen again. Investigators in the case noted that at the time of her disappearance, Crawford’s former law partner and Camden resident Arkansas U.S. Senator John L. McClellan was chairing hearings on the influence of the Mafia over organized labor, with suggesting that Crawford was kidnapped as part of an effort to intimidate or influence McClellan. No confirmation of that theory has ever emerged, however. Neither has any trace of Maud Crawford, who was declared dead by the courts in 1969. THE HOT SPRINGS AIRSHIP OF 1897: UFO sightings in Arkansas have been plentiful over the years, but the presence of all manner of low-flying aircraft have provided a handy explanation for most tales of flying saucers spotted by eyewitnesses in the 20th Century. That explanation doesn’t fit, however with the Hot Springs Airship of 1897, which was spotted six years before the Wright Brothers first took to the air.  On May 7, 1897, a deputy sheriff and local constable were investigating reports of cattle rustling near the small town of Jessieville, just outside Hot Springs, when they reportedly saw a bright light in the sky that soon disappeared behind a mountain. The two men went to investigate and claimed they came upon what they described as a cigar-shaped craft approximately sixty feet long that had landed by a stream near Blue Mountain. As they approached, they saw a man, who later identified himself as the pilot of the craft, using a long, flexible hose to suck water into the ship. Described as tall and rail thin with a long black beard, the pilot reportedly said he and two companions were touring the country in the flying machine. He invited the lawmen aboard for a ride, which they cordially declined. When they happened back by the location later in the evening, both the craft and the man they’d seen had disappeared. It was just one of dozens of sightings of cigar-shaped flying craft across the country in 1897 and 1898, including sightings in Texarkana, Mississippi, and the famous Aurora Airship Crash of April 17, 1897, in which residents of the tiny town of Aurora, Texas claimed an airship very similar to the one reported near Hot Springs hit a windmill and crashed, with residents of the town saying they buried the alien bodies recovered from the craft in the local cemetery. THE TEXARKANA MOONLIGHT KILLER: Today, Texarkana is a bustling way station on busy I-30. Back in the winter and spring of 1946, however, it was a town in the grip of terror, whipped into a frenzy of fear by the Phantom Killer, a stealthy, masked gunman who struck by night and evaded all attempts to catch him. The Phantom’s first victims were a pair of teenagers, Jimmy Hollis and Mary Larey, who were shot in a car on the secluded “lover’s lane” on February 22, 1946. Though badly wounded by several shots from a handgun, Larey and Hollis both managed to survive. The next couple, Richard Griffin and Polly Ann Moore, were not so lucky. Exactly four weeks after the assault on Hollis and Larey, Griffin and Moore were shot in their car near where the first attack had occurred. Over the course of the three month rampage, five people would be killed and three wounded, despite the best efforts of Arkansas State Police investigators and members of the Texas Rangers, who joined forces in the hunt for the cross-border killer. The last murder attributed to the Phantom was that of farmer Virgil Starks, who was shot inside his home on May 3, 1946, with Starks’ wife, Katie, being severely wounded. Though the murders caused panic in the town, with sales of firearms skyrocketing and roving, armed posses staging decoys on lover’s lane and laying ambushes for the killer, the perpetrator was never caught, and apparently never killed again in the area after the Starks murder.  A movie based on the case, “The Town That Dreaded Sundown,” was released in 1976. Whew! That’s a lot of mysteries! We’ve only really scratched the surface of these cases here, so if you’d like to dig a little deeper, there’s plenty more information to be had online. One thing that’s not a mystery, though, is where to go for the best deals on cars, trucks, vans and SUVs, and the best service after the sale: McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Springdale! With a sales lot, body shop and fully staffed service center under one roof, we’re one-stop shopping for all your automotive needs. Stop in today for a test drive, or check out our big selection of new and used vehicles online right now!  Happy Halloween!

October means all things spooky are back while we count down until Halloween, and that includes heading to your local spookhouse for a few hours of thrills and chills.  Today’s modern spook houses have gone light years beyond bowls full of peeled grapes and cheesy jumpscares, with operators going all out in terms of makeup, props, lighting, animatronics and construction in a quest to scare the pants off even the heartiest souls. Seen below are some of the haunted houses in Northwest Arkansas we want to hit between now and October 31. And if you need a great new or used car, truck, van or SUV to haul your bones to the local spook house, stop in today at McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Springdale. With a great selection, friendly deals, and a full service collision center and service center under one roof, we’re one-stop shopping for all your automotive needs. THE ASYLUM HAUNTED HOUSE 210 N. Main Street, Cave Springs When a haunted house starts the online description of their facility with “if you soil yourself, we will celebrate,” it’s a good bet that you’d better come ready to be seriously scared. Expanded and redesigned for 2019, the Asylum Haunted House in Cave Springs has won several awards for their bone-chilling presentation, design and props since they opened in the 2007 Haloween season, including being voted the number two haunt in the state (was that on purpose, given the “soil yourself” comment?) by Scare Factor Magazine. Because of extreme scares, the haunt is not recommended for children. Admission is $15 per person, and they’re open every weekend until Halloween. For more information on tickets and schedule, shamble out of your grave and head to their website at: theasylumhauntedhouse.net CARPENTER’S MORTUARY SPOOK HOUSE 136 E Main St,, Gentry It doesn’t get a lot spookier at Halloween time than a haunt situated in a real former mortuary and chapel which the owners purport to be haunted 365 days a year by real ghosts, so there should be plenty of scares on hand at Carpenter’s Mortuary Spook House in Gentry. With movie-grade props, actors, costumes and scares, Carpenter’s Mortuary Spook House also features a film-grade plot: the story of a Great Depression-era huckster who began taking in orphans from the state to make ends meet before committing unspeakable crimes on Halloween night! Standard pulp fare, but it’s an immersive experience that works, especially given the already spooky locale of the former mortuary and “funeral chapel.” Because of extreme scares, it’s recommended only for those 13 and up. Tickets to Carpenter’s Mortuary Spook House are just unlucky $13 bucks, and you can even save $3 at the gate by showing you’ve liked, shared or commented on their Facebook page. For more information, creep on over to their website at: mortuarystudios.com NIGHTMARES HAUNTED HOUSE AND PHANTOM 13 BUS RIDE 13080 US-71, Bentonville Now in its 30th year, Nightmares Haunted House and Phantom 13 Bus Ride started out in 1987 as a family hayride put on by hardcore Halloween fan Chris Michaels and his his wife Linda. Several iterations, a lot of learning about makeup and props, a dedicated haunt location building and a partnership with the Bentonville Breakfast Lions Club later, and Nightmares Haunted House is one of the top-rated Halloween haunts in the region, with a staff of over 300 volunteers and all profits being doled out to worthy organizations by the Lions Club throughout the year. Since 2004, Nightmares has been a unique, two-fold experience that incorporates both the large, excellent haunt full of costumed actors and big scares, but also the Phantom 13 Bus Ride, a literal ride on a nightmare-themed bus that ferrys you to and from the haunt. Put it all together and you’ve got a truly terrifying experience that’s unique in the world of haunted attractions. General Admission tickets for the Nightmares Haunted House and Phantom 13 Bus Ride are $20 dollars, with both the haunt and the bus ride included in the price. For more information, slither to their website at:  nightmareshauntedhouse.net

From the mountains of Northwest Arkansas to the piney woods of South Arkansas, the cropland of the Delta to the swamps of Southeast Arkansas, the Natural State has pretty much every kind of terrain short of a desert or a frozen tundra. Knowing that, it’s easy to see why film directors and movie location scouts have flocked here since the early days of cinema, looking for locations. There’s been over 50 full-length films shot in Arkansas over the years, plus hundreds more film shorts and TV episodes. If you’re a film buff looking for a weekend road trip to take in that great new or used car you bought from McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for six famous film locations in Arkansas. If you’re in need of a new or used vehicle to get you there, you’ve also come to the right place: McLarty Daniel CDJRF of Springdale! Stop in today for a test drive, shop our big selection of vehicles online, and read on for a few places that saw lights, camera and action in the Natural State! Shop Our Selection of New Vehicles The Old Mill North Little Rock, Arkansas Seen in: “Gone With the Wind” (1939) Though it made one of the most memorable Arkansas location appearances ever in a major Hollywood film, a brief glimpse during the opening credits of the 1939 Civil War classic “Gone With the Wind,” North Little Rock’s Old Mill turns out to not be an actual mill at all. Though it looks the part, with multiple floors, a mill wheel that once turned, and internal details like railings pulleys and a mill stone, the Old Mill is actually only a replica of a classic American grist mill. At the time of the filming, it was only a few years old having been created by Mexican artist Dionicio Rodriguez as the centerpiece of a park which was itself the centerpiece of a neighborhood going up in the area. Though the mill looks like it is made of wood, right down to the grain in its doors, is actually all concrete, as are the stunningly intricate, fairytale-like “log” benches, bridges, benches, troughs and arches around it. A favorite backdrop for portraits and wedding photos, today, the Old Mill is the last structure seen in “Gone With the Wind” that’s still standing. I-30 Speedway Alexander, Arkansas Seen in: “White Lightning” (1973) Directed by John Sargent, the movie “White Lightning” stars up-and-coming Hollywood leading man Burt Reynolds (still years from superstardom in flicks like “Smokey and the Bandit”) as Arkansas moonshine runner and stock car racer Gator McKlusky. Gator is an Arkansas prison inmate who cuts a deal with the feds to gain his release. He then infiltrates the local illegal moonshining operation in order to seek revenge against the corrupt local Sheriff (Ned Beatty, who co-starred with Reynolds in 1972’s “Deliverance”) after the Sheriff and his minions kill McKlusky’s brother. An underrated classic of the 1970s fast cars genre, Burt Reynolds’ “White Lighting” is set in the fictional Bogan County, Arkansas. However, the film does include several real locations in Arkansas, including a car chase through the Benton town square, McKlusky emerging from a real-life Arkansas Department of Correction prison near Grady, and the I-30 Speedway, a still-operational stock car dirt racing track (then known as The Benton Speedbowl.) Five Iconic Dodge Vehicles in Cinema Downtown Camden Camden, Arkansas Seen in: “Boxcar Bertha” (1972) In 1972, following up on  the cult success of “Bloody Mama,” which he’d filmed in Arkansas, schlock director and producer returned to Arkansas to shoot another Depression-Era film, “Boxcar Bertha.” Loosely based on real-life train robbers Boxcar Bertha Thompson and “Big” Bill Shelly, who become wanted fugitives after a gambler was murdered, the film stars big names like David Carradine and Barbara Hershey, and was largely shot in the southwest Arkansas town of Camden. While it’s not a great film, the most interesting thing about “Boxcar Bertha” is who was behind the camera: a young Martin Scorsese, the brilliant, Oscar-winning director who would go on to direct classics like “Goodfellas,” “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Casino,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Gangs of New York” and loads of other great American films. The Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Museum and Study Center Piggott, Arkansas Seen in: “A Face in the Crowd” (1957) The great director Elia Kazan came to the northeast Arkansas town of Piggott in 1957 to shoot portions of his classic “A Face in the Crowd.” Starring a young Andy Griffith, Lee Remick and Patricia Neal, the film is a cautionary tale about the meteoric rise and sudden fall of Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes (Griffith), a shiftless drifter who attains previously undreamed of levels of money, power and political influence through devious manipulation of both radio and the fledgling television medium before his hubris lays him low. The mansion of local leading lights Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer makes a cameo in the film as Rhodes’ palatial estate, complete with the swimming pool the production company had put in for the scene. Today, the house is the Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Museum and Study Center, and open to the public. Other scenes for the film were shot at the Clay County Courthouse and a local football field. Spooky Mysteries That Happened in Arkansas Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store Dumas, Arkansas Seen in: “Mud” (2013) Screenwriter, director and Little Rock native Jeff Nichols has been slowly making a name for himself as one of the best young directors working in Hollywood today, and the film that really helped him arrive was 2013’s “Mud,” starring megastar Matthew McConaughey as a fugitive who seeks the help of two boys in Southeast Arkansas. Nichols fought hard with the studio to make sure the movie was filmed in Arkansas, and when he got his wish, he did so in a lot of real southeast Arkansas towns, including Dumas and Stuttgart. The Piggly Wiggly grocery store on Highway 65 in Dumas was a crucial interior and exterior backdrop for several scenes, as was the Executive Inn Motel just down the street. Garry’s Sling Blade Drive-In Benton, Arkansas Seen in: “Sling Blade” (1996) Made on a shoestring budget by the then largely-unknown writer, actor, director and Malvern-native Billy Bob Thornton, the simple, powerful story of friendship and sacrifice seen in 1996’s “Sling Blade” went on to win the hearts of millions of moviegoers, a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Thornton, and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in a year when romantic juggernaut “Titanic” mostly ruled the other categories. “Sling Blade” was almost wholly shot in the Saline County town of Benton, and you can still have some of them French-fried pertaters at the same restaurant where the film’s childlike protagonist Karl Childers liked to get his in the film: Garry’s Drive-In on Edison Ave., now called Garry’s Sling Blade. It’s a great bit of Arkansas film history, and a classic little diner with terrific food, too. If you’re looking to get out to where the lights, camera and action are this summer and fall, come see us today at McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Springdale. With hundred of new and used cars of every make and model, plus easy in-house financing, we’re sure to be able to find you the car you need to find your own silver screen-worthy adventures in The Natural State. Stop in and see us today, or shop our big selection of great cars, trucks, vans and SUV’s online. Click Here to Contact Our Team

It's June, which means it's time again for the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship LPGA golf tournament, sponsored in part by McLarty Daniel Auto Group! Started in 2007, the NWA Championship has evolved into a full week of events, with opportunities to eat, run, network, have fun or get up close with the superstars of the LPGA tour. This year, events associated with the Walmart NWA Championship will be held from June 18-24 at various locations, including downtown Bentonville, the John Q. Hammons Center and the Walmart AMP amphitheater. The official tournament will run from June 22-24 at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers. For more information, or to purchase tickets, click here to visit their website for more details and a full schedule. Click here to browse the selection of new vehicles at McLarty Daniel CDJRF of Springdale Golf isn't all there is to the NWA Championship, of course. Read on for just a taste of some of the great events happening during LPGA tournament week in Northwest Arkansas. RUN!: June is a terrific time to head out for a run, and the “5k @the LPGA” event is a terrific time to get out the running shoes and strut your stuff for a great cause, with a 5k, 1k fun-run, and “Corporate Challenge” for company groups, with prizes awarded in categories like”fittest office” and fastest group average time. The 5k @ the LPGA five-kilometer run will be held on Saturday, June 23, with proceeds benefiting the Mercy hospital system. Early registration is $20, and all participants receive a t-shirt, a free breakfast after the race, a daily ticket to the NWA LPGA championship, a race medal, and the good feeling that comes from knowing they've helped out one of the hospitals that helps keep Northwest Arkansas healthy and happy. EAT!: The three-night “Bite NW Arkansas” event, now in its fourth year, runs from 6 to 9 p.m. nightly from June 20-22 at 8th Street Market in downtown Bentonville, and is a chance for the culinary community of Northwest Arkansas to show there's more to eat here than chicken strips and barbecue. Drawing on all the delights of the Northwest Arkansas food culture in NWA, there's a different theme on each night of Bite NW Arkansas, with chefs from some of the best restaurants in the region dishing up all the fanciful flavors our burgeoning restaurant scene has to offer. Tickets are $30 for each night of Bite NW Arkansas, with proceeds benefitting the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. EMPOWER!: The Northwest Arkansas Championship LPGA tournament is bringing some of the world's greatest athletes to town, and for the vast majority of them, there was a turning point where some role model told them anything was possible. Fostering that physical and mental strength in the next generation of women athletes is what the Yoga for Girls event, sponsored by Dove, is all about. The event will be held on Tuesday, June 19 beginning at 10 a.m., and it's free to enter for girls ages 6 to 12 and their parents or roll models, who are welcome to join them in their yoga routine. The event will include a special pep talk by an LPGA star who will share how her role models and practicing yoga has changed her life. The first 200 participants to sign up get a free gift. McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Springdale and the McLarty Daniel Auto Group are proud to help sponsor the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship LPGA event. We've made a commitment to truly being part of the fabric of community in Northwest Arkansas, and making this place we call home a flourishing and fun place to live. Click here to contact McLarty Daniel CDJRF, or click here to read about our Customer First Award For Excellence. McLarty Daniel CDJRF of Springdale is a new and used vehicle dealership that is proud to serve the communities of Northwest Arkansas, including Springdale, Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, Bella Vista, Siloam Springs, Pea Ridge, Fort Smith, and all points in between.