A Family Tradition
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We turn off the lights and you get to run trains through towns, mountains and valleys. Above, a narrow gauge steam engines arrives in our Wild West Town as the sheriff escorts a badman to the jail and a hand carved Elvis Presley scenerades a pretty girl on the hotel balcony.
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Frank Moshinskie admires his creative hobby, his own jolly green giant.
One longtime Visitor wrote, "A whole little town on giant pieces of plywood. We'd go every year and see what new figures had been added, especially on the walk of fame. When I got older, I started to think going to Tiny Town was dumb. We'd pay money to hear the same thing and see the same things and then it seemed like we were basically making fun of the people. But I tell you what (now I'm talking like I'm FROM Arkansas for Pete's sake), Tiny Town is what it is. Hilarious. Absurd. Creative. Clever.
This past summer was the first summer my kids saw Tiny Town. Warren was in heaven. He was snapping pictures left and right. The adults giggled along, as did Mr. Moshinskie's son who led our tour and told us several times, "you know, y'all aren't all right". Amen Mr. Moshinskie. I wish there were new stars on the Tiny Town walk of fame, but there's some more right about it being people my kids have NEVER heard of.
In case you don't get a chance to go to Hot Springs, Arkansas in your lifetime, everyone should see Tiny Town for his/herself if at all possible. And if you want some of the best tour guides of Hot Springs, just go with my family. A core group of them goes every year, the same week. They'll show you around themselves."
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Another Visitor wrote, "Tiny Town is the work of Frank and Louise Moshinskie, now deceased. Wanting a hobby after he came home from WWII, Mr. Moshinskie set up his train sets and began building miniature villages and scenes around them. He also animated the scenes with recycled motors from washing machines and lawn mowers, etc. Children actually see-saw and swing in the park, the ferris wheel carries passengers, the gunfighters shoot it out in the Old West, dancers spin in a barn dance, a farmer on a tractor plows his field, and many more. Trains run everywhere - and you get to run them yourself! We loved every minute of it!
In addition, Mr. T, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and other stars promenade in the park. Most things were handcarved or made from cans, caps, just about anything you can think of. The more you look, the more you see!
We really enjoyed our tour, especially when Mrs. Moshinskie who made it nighttime! Lights from cabins glowed, and the lighthouse beacon shined brightly over the water! Along the way, there are buttons to push to run the trains and start the animations.
All in all, one fascinating place!"
Mr. Moshinskie cleverly mingled in famous scenes from throughout America in his handiwork. Above, Christ of the Ozarks from Eureka Springs, Arkansas looks over Tiny Town from a mountain top. Others scenes depict Niagara Falls, Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Thousand Islands in New York, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina, Hot Springs' famous downtown Water Fountain, Mount Rushmore, and Mississippi River Bridge.