Is
that Justin Timberlake up there?
No, it's our own Robert Arbuckle during the making of a video
to the song "Can't Stop the Feeling." The video was shot on
July 3rd, 2016
by Tenth Street Photography of Noblesville and features Tonya Marshall
of Heavenly Sweets Cakes also of Noblesville. Many thousands have
enjoyed watching this! Click here
to play the video.
At 93, Bob Arbuckle takes graceful steps to give back to his community
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It takes many threads to weave together the fabric of a community. Bob Arbuckle lends his creative thread as a Nickel Plate Arts member, dancer and advocate for the arts. Six days a week, 93-year-old Arbuckle can be found repairing sewing machines. He and his daughter, Sara Carter, run Arbuckle's Railroad Place less than a mile from downtown Noblesville on Vine Street. They work on most any machine: Sears and Roebuck, Singer, Viking and a German brand called Pfaff that's close to their hearts. "When I came back from WWII, I married Beverly Pfaff, so my daughter has that sewing machine blood in her. She's a Pfaff," he says with a smile and wink. Arbuckle's sprawling property includes two retired train cars, a bike shop and parking for about 200 cars. Built around 1970, his 15,000-square-foot main building is designed to resemble a circa-1900 train station and houses rows of treadle machines, the home base for an upholstery service, everything you need to make a quilt, and collections of bikes, ties, hats and more. The common thread across Arbuckles's self-described "Root Beer Garden" complex is twofold: the sewing machine and the railroad. Atop eight of its 13 outdoor light poles, aluminum cast golden eagles are perched on cast iron sewing machines. While the sewing machine is most important to him, Arbuckles' affinity for the railroad is a major reason he became a member of Nickel Plate Arts in 2015. "I'm not a model railroader and I'm not pushing the railroad transportation part, but it's been a great part of the story Noblesville has to tell," he says. "It's a wonderful story that can bring tourists and artists to our area." |
He
believes there is potential in using our existing downtown tracks
to literally transport and stage performances. Attracting arts
to Noblesville is a personal passion for Arbuckle,
as a patron and participant. As a young man, he studied photography
and owned a short-lived commercial and portrait photography studio
in Warsaw, Inc., before deciding in 1948 that sewing machine repair
made more financial sense. He has collected and commissioned works from local artists through the years. Barrels painted by the late Noblesville artist Floyd Hopper have prominent places in the store. Most visibly -- you've likely seen him if you've ever been to the Noblesville Street Dance -- Arbuckle is a fantastic dancer. He took up ballroom dancing in his 50s and has been light on his toes ever since. It's a wonderful exercise regardless of how old you are -- from childhood to the grave. And you can dance 365 days a year," he says. There's no off-season when it comes to dancing. He has dreams of turning his Railroad Place into a gallery and music venue. When he heard about Nickel Plate Arts taking up the banner of a railroad to promote the arts, he decided it was something he wanted to support. One objective of his "train station" is to emphasize the importance of the gas light era of Noblesville in the 1880s and early 1900s. The Trenton Ditch, Arbuckle says, is a great gas pocket that runs from Kokomo to our part of Central Indiana. This natural resource lured glass blowers, skilled |
workers and people with money to the Nickel Plate Road region in and around Noblesville. Noblesville was a hub for foundry art as well and has a history in the metal casting industry. Arbuckle and Carter share their sewing skills during classes, where the majority of their students are, perhaps surprisingly, men and boys. They have projects for convertible tops, dog collars and tents in mind. Arbuckle also hosts the Desert Rose Country Line Dancers every Wednesday night 7-9 p.m. He welcomes experienced line dancers to these weekly get-togethers. One would have to wonder if Arbuckle's outlook on life helps keep him more agile than many men half his age. He has an opinion on what we should ideally be feeding our minds. "We imagine so many things and dream so many things. Our minds are like gardens. You don't want to plant negative thoughts in those wonderful gardens. If you plant weed seeds, you're going to get weed plants. If you plant positive thoughts -- flower seeds -- you'll get a flower garden," he says.
Reprinted
by permission from |
Robert Arbuckle and Shirley Ann Sullivan grab a dance just before the start of the Mayor's Bike Ride on June 5, 2010. The event celebrated new bicycle lanes added along Allisonville Road in Noblesville. (Photo by Elaine Moore)
Bob and Shirley take first place in the 50's Dance and Costume Contest at James Dean Days in Fairmount, Indiana on September of 2009. Bob is a 1941 graduate of Fairmount High School. (Photo by Robert Scheer)
Promoting Arbuckle's Railroad Place (2007) at the Noblesville Farmer's Market, Bob and Shirley groove to some tunes and chat with the community.
Hometown heart-throbs can't resist this photo-op!
A huge crowd turns out on a warm October evening.
Lots of arms and knees in the air, dancing "The Pony."
Kids find their own spot to cut loose.
All aboard for the Hobo Days Festival!
Betty Miller offers visitors fresh "Arbuckle's" coffee and a sample of hobo stew.
Kay Thompson, Harry Wilson and Paige Thompson turn out in rail-riding attire.
Hilda Meyers and Gerry Belden are rich in spirit.
During the festival, the caboose is open to the public.
A rare look inside the authentic caboose.
Neighborhood kids try to stir things up.
The Continettes pose with The Railroad Place founder, Bob Arbuckle.
The high-stepping Continettes dazzled on a perfect September afternoon!
Indoors, the store is full of entries for the Hobo Days Quilt Challenge.
A fellow seamstress appreciates the detail on a Hobo Bag entry.
Many
vendors such as Quilt-in-a-Day sent items to be displayed.
Lots of pattern books and fabrics for sale to help quilters create their
own treasures!
Cec Purciful demonstrates a Longarm quilting machine.
Karen
Addington, the Fabric Dept. Manager, sports a scarf made
from the quilt challenge fabric.
Lots of train paraphrenalia on display for the railroad enthusiasts.
Event
photographer, Michelle Thompson, poses
with a collection of Indian-head nickels. The coin's
faces were altered by hobos and sold as novelties.
The dock is a great place to enjoy some hobo stew!
The
Blue Note Trio - Jack, Rusty & Satchmo Welker provide live and
lively entertainment.
An
enthusiastic audience rests in the green space of the large
Railroad Place property.
...and a good time was had by all.
Bob Arbuckle celebrates his 70th year in the U.S. Navy. (Photo by Steve Healey)
Arbuckle's
Railroad Place
1151 Vine Street
Noblesville IN 46060
317-773-3985
Open Mon. - Sat. 9-6
email: sewconductor@insightbb.com
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